A judge in Sicily on Saturday ordered former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini to stand trial for having refused to let a Spanish migrant rescue ship dock in an Italian port in 2019, keeping the people at sea for days.

'IoApro' (IOpen) anti-lockdown protesters threw firecrackers and objects at police in Rome's San Silvestro square on Monday, ANSA reported.The demonstrators, some wearing handcuffs and many with their hands raised, asked to be able to head towards the parliament building. They were met by police in riot gear.

New rules and better supply of new vaccine doses will boost Italy’s vaccination campaign, allowing the government to lift restrictions on businesses and citizens starting from May, the health minister said in an interview published on Monday.

Demonstrators calling for an end of Covid-19 lockdowns and the reopening of shops and restaurants clashed with police outside the Lower House of parliament in Rome on Tuesday, ANSA reported.

After met in Tripoli on Tuesday his Libyan counterpart Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, Italy's PM Mario Draghi said that it was time for two Mediterranean countries to rebuild their friendship, ANSA reported.

Italy plans to speed up its vaccination campaign against Covid-19 using churches and museums to administer the injections. The region and church representatives had made a special agreement for this, ANSA reported.

Italy is spending Easter holidays in lockdown after the government marked the whole country as Covid-19 red zone from Saturday to Monday in order to curb social interaction fuelling the pandemic, ANSA reported.

Italian car sales were 497.2% up in March compared to the same month last year, when sales plummeted during the first Covid-19 lockdown, sector sources said quoted by ANSA. First quarter sales were 28.7% up. Lamborghini had its most profitable year ever in 2020 and its second best sales year in the brand's history. Only in 2019 were more Lamborghinis sold.

Italy has managed to take adequate steps to manage the pandemic and that paves the way for fast economic recovery, ANSA said quoting a report by the IMF. The GDP growth is seen as high as 4.25% n 2021, according to IMF forecast.

The Italian Carabineri confirmed they had detained a Russian military officer and a local navy captain over accusations of spying, Reuters reported. The two suspects were apprehended while exchanging top secret documents.