News from Italy – Week 16 2025

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🕊️ Pope Francis Has Died

Image by Annett_Klingner from Pixabay

• Pope Francis has died – (Present Perfect – SVO5: non c’è il quando)
• Pope Francis died on April 21, 2025, at age 88. (Past Simple – SVO3: c’è il quando)
• His funeral will be on Saturday, April 26, at 10:00 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City. (will be = sarà)
• The public can visit his body from Wednesday to Friday at St. Peter’s Basilica. (can visit = può fare visita)
• He will be buried at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, as he wished. (will be buried = sarà seppellito; as he wished = come desiderava lui)
• World leaders, including Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will attend the funeral. (attend = partecipare)
• Italy has declared five days of mourning. (mourning = lutto, Present Perfect – SVO5)
• All sports events on Saturday are cancelled. (are cancelled = sono stati cancellati – Passive)

Approfondimenti in English:

• People.com
• Reuters
• The Times
• AP News

💻 Italy Changes Digital Services Tax

Image by FlyFin Inc from Pixabay

• Italy has updated its digital services tax rules. (Present Perfect – SVO5: azione passata con conseguenze presenti, non c’è il quando)
• Now, companies with over €750 million in global revenue must pay this tax if they earn any money from digital services in Italy. (must pay = devono pagare)
• The tax rate is 3% on services like online ads and marketplaces. (tax rate = percentuale di tassazione)
• Companies must pay 30% of the tax by November 30 and the rest by May 16 of the next year. (by November = entro novembre)

Approfondimenti in English:

• KPMG
• Digital Policy Alert
• EY Global Tax News

🚠 Cable Car Accident Near Naples

Image by Erich Westendarp from Pixabay

• On April 17, 2025, a cable car crashed on Monte Faito near Naples. (Past Simple – SVO3)
• Four people died: two British tourists, an Israeli woman, and the Italian operator.
• One person was seriously injured. (injured = ferito)
• The accident happened when a cable broke during descent. (accident = incidente)
• Another cable car was safely evacuated.
• Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident. (Present Continuous – SVO2: stanno facendo ora)

Approfondimenti in English:

• Wikipedia
• The Guardian
• AP News

Grammar Key (SVO codes):

• SVO1: Present Simple – verità assoluta, in generale, abitudine
• SVO2: Present Continuous – azione in corso
• SVO3: Past Simple – azione nel passato con tempo specifico
• SVO5: Present Perfect – azione passata con effetto presente, senza tempo indicato

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