Sofia Bettiza
@SofiaBettiza
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Gender & Identity Reporter @bbcnews | Previously in Rome & Brussels for the BBC, covering Europe | Italian 🇮🇹 Croatian 🇭🇷 | My work: https://t.co/NzyEoHa4AX
London, UK
Joined September 2011
The boxing gender row at the Olympics has been one of the explosive of the Games. What does the science tell us? . We speak to experts who are shedding light on our different chromosomal make-ups - and what advantages they may bring to sport. 👇.
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🚨🎤A bit of news from me:. I’m really excited to join the @bbcworldservice for a stint as the BBC's Gender & Identity Correspondent. It's a fascinating brief - often generating strong opinions but also misinformation. I can't wait to get stuck in and tell stories that matter.
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List of all migrants who died in the Mediterranean laid down on the floor of the European Parliament. http://t.co/TiLmJhBkzd.
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Pope Francis prays alone before an empty St Peter's Square. He prays for an end to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Got through my first overnight shift as a @BBCWorld reporter! Chuffed to be working with such a brilliant team. Now 💤
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🚨🇮🇹 A bit of news from me: . After doing overnight shifts with @BBCWorld, I’m moving to Italy for a few months. II’ll be reporting for the BBC from my home country. I can’t wait to get started and work with a brilliant team in Europe!
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Here we go again! Starting my second week of night shifts as a reporter for @BBCWorld . Also - the BBC newsroom looks stunning at night 🌙
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500 people worked in this building in Roubaix, in Northern France. Rioters broke in, poured petrol and set it on fire. We can still smell the smoke.
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BBC World Service announces Emergency Radio Service for Gaza in response to the conflict in the region. "Gaza Daily" will broadcast vital news, including safety advice on where to access shelter, food and water supplies.
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🚨Some personal news🚨 . I’ll be taking on the role of global religion reporter for the BBC’s Specialist Unit for the next few weeks. It’s a fascinating brief, and I look forward to bringing you stories on faith and ethics. I’m off to Poland next week for my first assignment!
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"They beat us for no reason. They made us clean their toilets. Some of us had our toenails torn off.". 7 Sri Lankans were captured by Russian soldiers in Ukraine and kept prisoners for months. They finally escaped, and told us their story 👇.
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We are filming at Britains’s biggest Mosque today. It was great to talk to @theyoungimam about how he spreads the faith - with his Instagram videos📱 . Piece coming out soon on @BBCWorld
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🚨📺 New Year News from me:. I’m really excited to be joining the @BBCWorld team as their overnight reporter. I’ve had 3 great years with @bbcworldservice Languages - reporting from Ukraine, Brazil, Italy, Armenia, Tokyo Olympics - & can’t wait to get started in this new job!
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When I shook hands with Berlusconi in 2018, he said to me: “Don’t shake hands so strongly! Men will be frightened of you, and no-one is going to marry you!”. My analysis on @BBCNews about why this sort of behaviour made him such a divisive political figure👇
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Week 4 as a reporter for @BBCWorld…and dare I say I’m starting to enjoy night shifts? ☕️ 📺 🌙
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This was my first piece on the BBC's Ten O'Clock News. I've been watching the programme since I joined the BBC, when I was 24. It meant a lot to be a part of it - reporting on the country where I'm from. 🇮🇹
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My first live for the Six O'Clock News!👇. A fierce heatwave is gripping parts of Europe. In Italy, 10 cities have issued red alert warnings. Several tourists have collapsed. This can be dangerous: more than 60,000 people died in Europe last year because of the heat.
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BBC Ukrainian, Arabic, Russian and Persian service working together 🙌
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Tonight is my last overnight shift with @BBCWorld … It’s been fantastic to work with such a brilliant team of journalists. But I am looking forward to seeing the ☀️ again!
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The town of Balakliya was retaken by Ukrainian forces a few days ago. It was under Russian occupation for half a year. There’s no water, no electricity, and people rely on food aid. Ukrainians are moving back to their homes and are tentatively going back to normal life.
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A bit of news from me: . After a stint reporting for the BBC from Italy, I'll be spending the next few months in Brussels. Today we are covering the EU's response to what is happening in the Middle East.
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Why has this Ukrainian woman gone viral in Russia? . Murals, toys, statues, stickers. she is everywhere. We tracked her down in Kharkiv - she had no idea she'd become the face of Kremlin propaganda.
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I joined the BBC 10 yrs ago as a researcher in Brussels. I covered countless EU summits: Brexit, migration, Greek crisis. Those late nights are some of my best memories as a journalist. This week I got to go back to cover the moment the EU started accession talks with Ukraine🇺🇦🇪🇺
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“We are in full lockdown. Restaurants and cafes are closed. You can only buy takeaway food - it needs to be packed and consumed at home.”. ITALIANS:
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WATCH: This is when Berlusconi tried to teach me how to shake hands. “Don't shake hands so strongly! Men will be frightened of you, no-one will marry you!". An example of why so many Italians hated him, while others adored him as a "man of the people".
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This is what 10am in Reykjavík looks like. There are only about 4 hours of daylight in December here.
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What is a woman?. A trans woman from Australia has won a discrimination case against a women-only app, after she was denied access on the basis of being male. It’s a landmark ruling when it comes to gender identity. It could have global repercussions.
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WATCH: An Italian mafia killer was arrested after 16 years on the run . He had a new identity & was working as pizza chef in France🍕. But he got too confident & gave an interview to a French paper boasting about his risotto & tagliatelle 🍝. More on @BBCWorld w @VValentineNews
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"This is the worst disaster in a century". 14 people have died and thousands have been left homeless after heavy rains and flooding in parts of Northern Italy. In some places, people are running out of food and water. Our report on the BBC Ten O'Clock News👇
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Religion is booming on TikTok and Instagram. Nuns jumping on the latest trend, monks turning superstars, imams preaching on Instagram…. Especially on TikTok, religion content is growing faster than average - our research has found. Watch our report 🎥 👇
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These Ukrainian teachers refused to collaborate with their Russian occupiers. Many of them were fired, threatened, detained - and even tortured. Read our story 👇.
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Heartbreaking story. I made this video with @m_madi #GrenfellTower
Remembering Marco and Gloria - the real life tragedy that has been given a fairytale ending 💕 #grenfelltower.
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"Just a regular Tuesday." This is how one Icelandic man described the volcano eruption. But to most people this is a mesmerising view: we can smell the smoke, there are ashes floating in the air, & we can feel the vibration under our feet. Reporting from Iceland for @BBCNews👇
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Berlusconi’s funeral was a spectacle - attended by politicians and string of ex-girlfriends. He might be remembered for his sex scandals abroad - but in Italy, he was an influential figure who transformed media, football and politics. Our report for the Ten O’Clock News 👇
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What does a Meloni win mean for Europe? 🇪🇺. 2 of the first to congratulate her were far right Marine Le Pen and Viktor Orbán. They share nationalist, conservative views. Live on @BBCWorld with @LucyHockingsBBC 👇.
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Starting my last week of overnight shifts at @BBCWorld … and for the first time since I started, there was actual sunlight on my way into work! ☀️
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WATCH: after being militarily neutral for more than 70 years, Finland is officially joining NATO 🇫🇮. The country put in a bid to join as soon as possible, after Russia invaded Ukraine. More on @BBCWorld with @VValentineNews
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A big victory for anti-mafia prosecutors: Italian police have arrested 61 members of Italy's most powerful mafia, the 'Ndrangheta. The investigation revealed important information about “roles, tasks and dynamics" of the leaders of the crime group. More on @BBCWorld 👇
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WATCH: Spain has passed a law that entitles women with period pain to take time off work 🇪🇸. It's the first country in Europe to do this - even though one third of women suffer from severe period pain. More on @BBCWorld with @VValentineNews
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Disney animators @mmonogram and @DanPovenmire explain why cartoon characters only have three fingers: my video is up!
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This is what Angela Carini had to say about today's boxing match👇.
Carini sembra spegnere le polemiche: "Mi sono ritirata per un forte dolore al naso, e mi sono inginocchiata solo per mio padre" #Paeis2024 #GiochiOlimpici
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Lula just surpasses Bolsonaro, and Brazilians at this bar in São Paulo are ecstatic 👇
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Two terrorists have been killed by police, the hostage situation is over, French media reports #ParisAttacks.
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NEW: An Italian minister has been accused of white supremacy for saying Italians are at risk of "ethnic replacement" . For some, this echoes the Great Replacement conspiracy theory - which believes in a secret plan to replace white people with immigrants.
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This is the moment when Napoli became champions of Italy 🇮🇹⚽️. Roads filled with people singing, dancing and crying. Fans jumped in fountains in jubilation, while others waved Napoli flags as they darted about on their scooters. More on @BBCWorld 👇
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Venice is known as 'La Serenissima' - but that nickname no longer fits. The iconic Italian city is at risk of "irreversible" damage from overwhelming tourism, overdevelopment and rising sea levels due to climate change, according to UNESCO. My story👇.
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This is what remains of a health centre in Tourcoing, near Lille. 35 doctors and nurses worked here. Rioters broke in in the middle of the night and set the building on fire.
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OVER AND OUT! 🎙️🌍 . A few days ago I did my last overnight shift with BBC World. It’s been great to work with such talented, supportive and fun colleagues. I’m genuinely going to miss it! Now, back to some ☀️…
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"An emotional moment" - Ursula von der Leyen has been re-elected as president of the European Commission. She spoke against the "demagogues that destroy our European way of life". but she will have to find a way to work with the far right. More on @BBCNews with @MartineBBC 👇
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👉 Expectation VS realty: the job of a BBC journalist on a breaking news story.
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WATCH: Italy's gvmt wants to ban synthetic meat. It's an innovative food produced in laboratories, without having to kill animals. They want to protect Italy's food -a national treasure- from "technological innovations that could be harmful". More on @BBCWorld w @VValentineNews
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This is moving:. Armenians are honouring the people who lost their lives fighting the war against Azerbaijan. Everyone is completely silent.
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WATCH: Pope Francis has been taken to hospital in an ambulance because of breathing difficulties. He'll have to spend a few days there. He's said in the past that he would consider resigning if his heath were to deteriorate. More on @BBCWorld with @VValentineNews 👇
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These are some of the Ukrainian teachers who refused to collaborate with their Russian occupiers
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Italy's PM Giorgia Meloni will run as a candidate in the EU elections 🇮🇹🇪🇺. She wants to use her popularity to boost support for her party in Europe. And it'll probably work. Her influence in Brussels – together with other populist parties – seems only set to get bigger.
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Starting a family in Italy is becoming a "titanic effort" that only the rich can afford, Pope Francis has warned. He warned that pets were replacing children in many households. Italy has one of the lowest fertility rates in the EU. More on @BBCWorld👇
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These young women in São Paulo are celebrating Lula’s victory. It’s quite emotional: lots of people hugging and holding back tears. Fireworks can be heard in the sky
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Russia has denied targeting civilians or committing war crimes, but the Sri Lankans allegations come alongside many other reports of atrocities committed by Russian occupying forces.
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WATCH: 18 people from Afghanistan have been found dead in an abandoned truck in Bulgaria. They suffocated: too many people in a small space. More and more asylum seekers are trying to get to the EU through the West Blanks - a dangerous route. More on @BBCWorld with @marklobel
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I made my first TikTok for @BBCWorld! . We tracked down ‘Babushka Z’, a Ukrainian woman who became a propaganda icon in Russia. And she had absolutely no idea 👇
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#Maalbeek metro right now: Lots of ambulances, army trucks, press not allowed in #brusselsairport
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"A deeply shocking attack.". A 12-year-old student opened fire at a primary school in Finland this morning. He shot 3 children - one is dead, the others are in critical conditions. Mass shootings are rare in Europe, but Finlands has a lot of gun owners & 1.5M licensed firearms.
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A new day of strikes is planned today in France 🇫🇷. There's a big risk things could turn violent - and there are security concerns about King Charles, who will be on a state visit to France on Sunday. More on @BBCWorld with @SallyBundockBBC
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Brilliant report by a fantastic team. @OrlaGuerin finds evidence of desperate attempt the Russian troops made to escape the town of Lyman. "What happened here was not just a defeat for Putin. It was a complete humiliation". Brilliantly filmed by @goktay & produced by @wburema.
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In Italy, having a baby abroad through surrogacy is now a universal crime. An offence so serious that it’s prosecuted even if committed abroad. This makes it virtually impossible for gay men to have children. Great to discuss this with @marklowen on OS.@bbcworldservice
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French authorities asked TV news not to broadcast live footage of #Bataclan. #ParisAttacks.
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This is the end of an era. It’s very difficult to imagine Italy without Silvio Berlusconi, even as it has been grappling with its identity in a post-Berlusconi era. His trials and tribulations hypnotised a nation. But what’s his legacy?. My analysis👇.
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Who is going to replace Angela Merkel? 🇩🇪. Great explainer about the German elections by @BBCRosAtkins 👇.
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WATCH: Brazil have arrested the former head of public security, Anderson Torres. He is accused of colluding in the storming of government buildings in Brasilia last Sunday. My first TV piece as @BBCWorld overnight reporter 👇
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@JournalismSEEN Hi, we had to wait to be given permission from Tickle's legal team to use a photo. The article has now been updated.
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Freedom finally came when the Ukrainian military began retaking areas in eastern Ukraine earlier this month - including Vovchansk. Once again, the group was able to begin their walk towards Kharkiv. Someone spotted them along the way and called the police.
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WATCH: My first time doing a live headline for the One O'Clock News - alongside the brilliant @JaneHillNews . Follow our live coverage of the migrant boat disaster on @BBCNews 👇
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Are Italy’s gay families under attack?. We spoke to LGBT parents across Italy, who feel that a new law - which would make it illegal to have surrogacy abroad - is a personal attack against them. Some of them might have to escape and seek political asylum.
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“There are a lot of stereotypes about nuns” says sister Orianne. “You lock yourself in an institution, you’re giving up everything, so you will be miserable….When we share our videos we want to show that you are are human and we have fun.” .@DaughterStPaul
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Belgian prosecutors struck a deal with a key suspects of a corruption scandal in the EU Parliament 🇪🇺. Pier Antonio Panzeri and other EU officials are accused of taking bribes from Qatar. He'll reveal how the criminal network operated . Great to be on @BBCWorld with @RichPreston
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Fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world🧥. But a small town in Italy called Prato has built its fortune on transforming old scraps into new clothes🧵. Could Prato represent a model for sustainable fashion?. My film is out!👇.
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A beautiful drawing by Italy's Carabinieri, paying tribute to all the doctors and nurses in #Italy who are helping patients. More than 10.000 Italians now have #coronavirus
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Most of our clothes will NEVER get recycled👗. What if we could change that? . Prato, a town in Italy, has built its fortune on transforming old scraps into new clothes - using a method they’ve mastered over centuries.🧶. My film will be on @BBCWorld tomorrow. Here’s a promo!👇
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Great to be on air with such brilliant colleagues. We bring you the latest from Lille, Paris and Nanterre on @BBCNews
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The Sri Lankans were blindfolded, their hands tied, and taken to a factory in the town of Vovchansk, near the Russian border. It was the start of a four-month nightmare which would see them kept prisoner, used as forced labour, and even tortured.
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What's your favourite Roald Dahl's book? 📔. His publisher said they'd updated his books to make them more suitable for 2023. including gender-neutral Oompa Loompas. But after lots of criticism, they did a U-turn. More on @BBCWorld w @RichPreston - who's the ultimate expert!
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How many 2nd-language English voices do you hear on TV & radio?. At a time when 'privilege' is finally being discussed, 1 of the biggest privileges hardly ever gets a look in: the privilege of speaking English. Everyone should read this by @BarbaraGSerra .
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The group also spoke of being beaten for no apparent reason - of Russian soldiers who would get drunk and then attack them. "They hit me across the body with their guns. One of them punched me in the stomach and I was in pain for two days. He then asked me for money.".
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