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CNN —A Polish man has been charged over claims he assisted an alleged Russian plot to assassinate Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to authorities in Poland and Ukraine. Prosecutors said the man agreed to provide information to Russian spies about security at Rzeszów-Jasionka airport, in southeastern Poland, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the border with Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities said they uncovered the plot and handed key evidence to Polish officials, who then detained the accused on Polish territory. “Our security authorities have prevented possible explosive detonations that were intended to affect and undermine our military aid to Ukraine. The Russian Embassy in Berlin dismissed the accusations as an “outright provocation,” Russian state news agency TASS reported.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, “, Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Prosecutors, Zelensky, Nancy Faeser Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian Security Service, Federal Public Locations: Poland, Ukraine, Jasionka, Zelensky, Ukrainian, Europe, Russia, Mykolaiv, Russian, Bavarian, Bayreuth, Karlsruhe, Germany, Berlin

CNN —Denmark’s old stock exchange was engulfed in a massive fire on Tuesday morning, with video from the scene showing flames ripping violently through the historic building in the center of the capital. Footage showed huge plumes of black smoke billowing from the Copenhagen landmark as emergency responders worked below. Ida Marie/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty ImagesPeople salvage a painting from the old stock exchange after a violent fire broke out on Tuesday morning. Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty ImagesThe old stock exchange – located only a few minutes walk from Christiansborg Palace – dates back to 1625. The Danish Chamber of Commerce, which is based in the building, described the scene as “a terrible sight.”File photograph of the Old Stock Exchange building.

Persons: CNN —, Ida Marie, Ritzau Scanpix, Ida Marie Odgaard, King Christian IV, Jakob Engel, Schmidt, Luke MacGregor, Frank Trier Mikkelsen, Mikkelsen Organizations: CNN, Getty, Danish, of Commerce, Old Stock Exchange, Bloomberg Locations: Copenhagen, AFP, Palace, Danish

☆ Poland abortion vote: Lawmakers back plans to end near-total ban
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Rob Picheta | Antonia Mortensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Polish lawmakers backed plans to end the country’s near-total abortion ban on Friday, setting the stage for an eventual showdown on women’s rights between the country’s government and its right-wing president. Poland’s current abortion law, introduced by a PiS-backed court in 2020, bans virtually all abortions. It prompted a huge backlash and its unpopularity with women voters was partially responsible for Tusk’s election victory over PiS last year. Friday’s votes marked the start of a lengthy legislative process to relax Poland’s current draconian abortion laws, which are among the strictest in Europe. An election to replace Duda will take place next May, and Tusk will be keen to mobilize women voters to support the government-backed candidate.

Persons: Donald Tusk’s, Andrzej Duda, PiS, Tusk, Duda Organizations: CNN, Lawmakers, Law, Justice Locations: Poland’s, Europe

☆ Denmark closes major shipping strait over faulty missile launcher
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Caitlin Danaher | Antonia Mortensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Denmark has closed one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes over an activated but malfunctioning missile launcher on a Danish navy ship, the country’s military said Thursday. The Niels Juel ship is stationed in Denmark’s Great Belt strait, the main maritime gateway to the Baltic Sea. “Until the booster is disabled, there is a risk that the missile could launch and fly several kilometers away,” it said. The missile is not in the direction of the Great Belt Bridge. The air space in the area is also currently closed, the military said.

Persons: Niels Juel Organizations: CNN —, Naval Locations: CNN — Denmark, Danish, Baltic

☆ Italy grapples with its patriarchal history as femicide cases shock the nation
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Antonia Mortensen | Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But all the women killed by femicide in Italy have one thing in common: they knew their killers. Italy might have a female prime minister, but she makes a point of not identifying herself as a feminist. The prevalence of domestic violence in Italy is fed by societal failures, says Lorella Zanardo, an activist, educator and documentary filmmaker. While Italy does not have Europe’s highest rate of domestic violence, it is among the lowest ranked in Europe when it comes to gender equality. In Italy, the feminist movement was largely driven by the left, which meant that those who supported right-leaning parties, including current Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, have distanced themselves from feminism entirely.

Persons: femicide, Antonio Gozzini, Cristina Maioli, Lorella Zanardo, Zanardo’s, Donne, it’s, ” Zanardo, “, Muro, Frank Bienewald, Giorgia Meloni, ’, il, Cristina Carelli, Carelli, hasn’t, hadn’t, ”, ” Carelli, Giulia Cecchettin's, Claudia Greco, Giulia Cecchettin’s, Filippo Turetta, Turetta, Cecchettin’s, Remo Casilli, Maria Grazia, ” Maria Grazia, Antigone, Eugenia Roccella, Christina Organizations: CNN, Italy’s Union of Women, Milan, “ Locations: Italy, Europe, Milan, Germany, Rome

☆ Europe snow: At a mountain resort with no snowfall, skiing faces a total wipe-out
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | Photography Fiona Sibbett | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

In the midst of an exceptionally warm winter, resorts like Campo Felice have a major problem: there’s no snow. And a long-running drought means there isn’t enough water to make the amount of artificial snow needed to paint its slopes white. And with a lack of rain and record-breaking heatwaves, the lakes that normally provide water for artificial snow have run dry. Across all of Italy’s ski resorts, nearly 90% use artificial snow to some degree, according to Carlo Carmagnola, a snow expert with Météo France who studies the impact of climate change on ski resorts. These changes have been hard not just on the Lallini brothers, but their employees, which usually number 250 in the ski season.

Persons: Campo, Italy CNN —, Campo Felice, Niño, Andrea Lallini, It’s, hasn’t, “, ”, Fiona Sibbett, Carlo Carmagnola, Météo, it’s, Carmagnola, There’s, Lallini, Luca Lallini, we’d, ” Lallini, bianca, Gennarino Di Stefano, Isidoro Francesi, ” CNN’s Camille Knight, Antonia Mortensen Organizations: Campo Felice, Italy CNN, CNN, Northern, Campo, ” CNN, Rocca, Cambio Locations: Italy, Rome, Météo France, Austria, Paris

☆ Italy floods: Lake Como bursts its banks as violent storm pounds the north
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | Antonia Mortensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Rome and Milan, Italy CNN —A storm that brought heavy rain and violent winds to Northern Italy overnight and early Tuesday sent rapid floods through central Milan and caused Lake Como to breach its banks. The Seveso, a river that runs through the municipalities of Como, Monza e Brianza and Milan, also broke its banks, according to Italy’s civil protection agency. The city’s safety councilor, Marco Granelli, said the winds felled trees, tore down scaffolding and ripped off roof tiles. Two women at a flooded intersection in Milan after a violent storm hit the city on October 31, 2023. Strong winds blowing towards the north in the Adriatic Sea pushed water up into the city.

Persons: Marco Granelli, Vasile Mihai, Antonio, Eugenio Giani, Luigi Brugnaro, Brugnaro, MOSE, Emilia Romagna, Laura Paddison Organizations: Italy CNN, Monza, Getty Locations: Rome, Milan, Italy, Northern Italy, Como, Tuscany, Central Italy, Venice, Veneto, Italian, Emilia

☆ Polish bishop resigns amid alleged sex scandal at diocese
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Lindsay Isaac | Antonia Mortensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The Vatican has accepted the resignation of a Polish bishop who stepped down after a sex scandal involving clergy from his diocese in the southern Polish city of Sosnowiec. According to Poland’s state news agency, the parish has been hit by a string of scandals over the past few years involving priests under the administration of Bishop Grzegorz Kaszak. The allegations that precipitated the bishop’s resignation are connected to an incident in September, widely reported in Polish media, in which a priest identified as Fr. Tomasza Z allegedly hosted several other priests and a male prostitute at his apartment. Tomasza Z has since been dismissed, according to PAP.

Persons: Bishop Grzegorz Kaszak, Kaszak, Nunciature, “, Father Francis, Bishop of Sosnowiec, Adrian Galbas, Tomasza, Tomasza Z Organizations: CNN, of Locations: Polish, Sosnowiec, of Sosnowiec, Katowice

CNN —Poland is planning to move around 10,000 troops to its eastern border with Belarus amid mounting concerns over Wagner forces in the region. Wagner troops have been stationed within Belarus – a close ally of Russia – in the wake of a short-lived rebellion carried out by the group. The Polish Defense Minister, Mariusz Blaszczak, told public radio that while 10,000 soldiers will be on the border, 4,000 will directly support the border guard and the remaining 6,000 will be in reserve. Geoffroy van der Hasselt/AFP/Getty ImagesThe border wall at the Polish Belarusian border on July 09, 2023. Poland has been sounding the alarm about Wagner forces in Belarus in recent weeks.

Persons: Wagner, Russia –, Mariusz Blaszczak, Blaszczak, ” Blaszczak, ”, Geoffroy van der, Omar Marques, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Mateusz Morawiecki Organizations: CNN, Belarus –, Polish Defense, Polish, European Air Defence Conference, Les Invalides, Getty, Russian, Defense Ministry, NATO, EU Locations: Poland, Belarus, Russia, Belarusian, Paris, Geoffroy van der Hasselt, AFP, Polish Belarusian, Lithuania, Russian

CNN —Vatican investigators looking into sexual abuse allegations at a Roman Catholic society in Peru have completed the first stage of their audit and will issue a report in the coming months, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told CNN Friday. SCV said its members, who were summoned by the Vatican’s envoys, have “collaborated diligently” and reiterated its commitment to working with the Vatican. Peruvian prosecutors said in the case of sexual abuse, none of the alleged victims came forward and the crime fell under the statute of limitations. A criminal case against Figari and other SCV members, alleging kidnapping, serious psychological injuries, and illicit association to commit a crime, is still ongoing. SCV said in 2017 Figari had been removed from the community, banned from contacting members, and prohibited by Vatican authorities from returning to Peru.

Persons: Matteo Bruni, “, ” Bruni, Pope Francis said, Pope Francis’s, Archbishop Charles Scicluna, Jordi Bertomeu, ”, Luis Fernando Figari, Figari, ” Figari, –, Peru’s, Miguel Cabrejos Organizations: CNN, Vatican, Catholic, de, Cristiana, Peru’s Episcopal Conference Locations: Peru, Peru’s, Lima, America, Rome

CNN —Mourners gathered in Milan on Wednesday for the state funeral of Silvio Berlusconi, the divisive and domineering former premier who remained omnipresent in Italian public life for decades until his death this week. Berlusconi’s coffin left Villa San Martino in Arcore, outside Milan, and was transported through the city center to Milan’s gothic Duomo cathedral for Wednesday’s service. Berlusconi, who had a lengthy, scandal-ridden career, died at a Milan hospital on Monday aged 86. But Lana opposed the award of a state funeral to Berlusconi, citing the many trials against him. Widely regarded as Italy’s most colorful public figure, Berlusconi was elected prime minister three times and served for a total of nine years, longer than anyone since fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

Persons: Silvio Berlusconi, Villa, Berlusconi, –, Sergio Mattarella, Giorgia Meloni, Viktor Orbán, Paolo Gentiloni, Monsignor Mario Delpini, ” “ Silvio Berlusconi, ”, “, Italy …, Jessica Lana, Lana, Guglielmo Mangiapane, Tomaso Montanari, Monatanari, Milan’s, Marina, Benito Mussolini, Matteo Salvini, Italy’s Organizations: CNN, Villa San, SkyTG24, Forza Italia, AC Milan football team, EU, Reuters, University for Foreigners of, Milan’s San Raffaele, Milan, Bloomberg Locations: Milan, Arcore, Italian, Rei, Alessandria, Piedmont, Italy, Milan’s, University for Foreigners of Siena

☆ Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's former showman leader, dies at 86
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Valentina Di Donato Barbie Latza Nadeau Laura Smith-Spark Peter Wilkinson Antonia Mortensen Rob Picheta | Valentina Di Donato | Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Umberto Cicconi/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Berlusconi swims at a Tunisian beach in 1984. Umberto Cicconi/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Berlusconi leaves a 1985 news conference in Paris. Franco Origlia/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Berlusconi announced in November 1993 that he would be entering the world of politics. Franco Origlia/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Berlusconi waves while attending a European Council meeting in Corfu, Greece, in June 1994. Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images Berlusconi hands the Berlusconi Trophy to AC Milan's Massimo Ambrosini in August 2011.

Persons: Rome, Rome CNN — Silvio Berlusconi, Christ, ”, Berlusconi, Milan’s, Benito Mussolini, “ Il Cavaliere ”, Milan, Giorgia Meloni, Matteo Salvini, Silvio Berlusconi, Alessandra Benedetti, Eric Vandeville, Indro Montanelli, Umberto Cicconi, Italy's, Michel Clement, Francis Apesteguy, Veronica Lario, Franco Origlia, Langevin Jacques, Sygma, Cesare Previti, Pope John Paul II, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Veronica, William Stevens, Barbara, Eleonora, Oscar Scalfaro, Patrick Hertzog, Romano Prodi, Alberto Pizzoli, Giuseppe Cacace, Gregorio Borgia, Associated Press Berlusconi, Vittorio Zunino Celotto, Massimo Ambrosini, Claudio Villa, Dan Kitwood, preliminarily, Filippo Monteforte, Alessia Pierdomenico, Remo Casilli, Reuters Berlusconi, Giuseppe Lami, Angelo Carconi, Emanuele Cremaschi, Tiziana Fabi, Luigi Brugnaro, Renato Brunetta, Piero Cruciatti, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Britain’s Boris Johnson, Donald Trump, “ Berlusconi, ” Severgnini, ” Meloni, Claudia Greco, Prodi –, –, Berlusconi’s, Ignazio La Russa, “, Gianfranco Fini –, FILIPPO MONTEFORTE, Vladimir Putin, Volodymr Zelensky, Nobel, salesmanship ’, Jesus Christ, Severgnini, il, salesmanship, Francesca Pascale, Del, Pavarotti, ” Berlusconi, Marina, Carla Dall’Oglio, Luigi Organizations: Rome CNN, Milan’s San Raffaele, Forza Italia, Freedom, Italian, Getty, Canale, AC Milan, Berlusconi, Romano, Associated Press, Associated, Bloomberg, Reuters, Venice, Anadolu Agency, RAI, Media, Milano, Milan –, world’s, Forza Italia Party, Forza, soccer team, Northern League Party, European, Union coalition, Sporting, della, PM, “, ”, Del Monaco Locations: Milan, Paris, AFP, Naples, Italy, Rome, Corfu, Greece, Tatanto, Cannes, France, Italy's, Venice, Italy's Senate, Monza, Lombardy, ”, L’Aquila, Milan’s, Italian, Europe, Ukraine

CNN —Pope Francis has issued a message for the first time since undergoing abdominal surgery, asking the faithful to “keep me in your prayers.”“I sincerely appreciate the prayers and numerous expressions of closeness and affection received in the past few days,” the Pontiff said in a tweet posted Friday. I ask you to keep me in your prayers,” he added. The pope remains in Rome’s Gemelli hospital after undergoing abdominal surgery on Wednesday. On Friday afternoon, the pope “gathered in prayer and devoted himself to work” and in the evening he received the Eucharist, Bruni said. “Pope Francis is touched by the numerous messages that he continues to receive in these hours; in particular he intends to address his thoughts and his thanks to the children currently hospitalized, for the affection and love received through their drawings and their messages,” Bruni said.

Persons: Pope Francis, ” “, “, ”, Matteo Bruni, ” Bruni, Bruni, “ Pope Francis Organizations: CNN Locations: Rome’s Gemelli

Rome CNN —Pope Francis was recovering well in a Rome hospital on Thursday, the day after the 86-year-old had abdominal surgery that renewed health fears. “This wasn’t an urgent surgery,” Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the surgeon who operated on Pope Francis, said at a press conference. Pope Francis, seated in a wheelchair, attended a weekly general audience at the Vatican on June 7. Pope’s fragile healthThis operation is the latest in a series of health scares surrounding Pope Francis. Medical sources say that the intervention was likely related to the surgery Francis underwent in 2021, which removed half of his colon.

Persons: Rome, Rome CNN — Pope Francis, “, ”, Matteo Bruni, Francis, ” Dr, Sergio Alfieri, Pope Francis, ” Alfieri, Andreas Solaro, Alfieri, he’s “, –, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Bruni, Francis ’, Pope Francis now, Annatuli, Carina, State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Tarcisio Bertone, ’ ”, Pope Benedict XVI, Gregory XII, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: Rome CNN, Vatican, Gemelli, Reuters, Catholic, Papal, Getty, CNN, Spanish, ABC, State, Catholic Church Locations: Rome, AFP, The Prefecture, Mexico, Myanmar, Iraq, Ukraine

☆ Italy's birth rate is at a record low. Young Italians say they can't afford to have babies
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau Valentina Di Donato Antonia Mortensen | Barbie Latza Nadeau | Valentina Di Donato | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The birth rate in Italy has been declining steadily since the economic crisis in 2008, for reasons demographers agree is rooted in economic insecurity. In France, the birth rate is higher at 1.8 children per woman, according to figures for 2022 from its national statistics agency. The Catholic Church, which is a predominant political force, and the right-wing government under Meloni have both lamented the low birth rate, but have put up roadblocks to ways to remedy the situation. De Luca blames the government for not doing enough for the younger generation, in part because decades of low birth rates have made the youth a minority. Testa fears that the low birth rate is contagious.

CNN —A Polish mayor died after falling from a fourth-floor window of a hotel in Sardinia, Italy, the Polish Press Agency (PAP) reported on Tuesday. The mayor was not named by PAP or the spokesman for Fabrizio Mustaro, the investigator of the Cagliari police. Mustaro’s spokesperson said the man was sitting on the windowsill and lost his balance. The mayor, who was visiting with the Polish delegation, fell out of the window of the room where he was with a colleague, PAP reported. The 44-year-old Polish citizen died on the night of Monday into Tuesday morning.

Budapest, Hungary CNN —A far-right activist convicted of terrorism was among several prisoners pardoned in Hungary before the Pope’s official visit to the country this week, it has emerged. György Budaházy, convicted of terrorism in March, left prison on Friday night on horseback, authorities said. He was one of a number of prisoners pardoned by Hungarian President Katalin Novák before the Pope’s arrival. “Among others, the President of the Republic also pardoned those convicted in what was known as the Hunnia trial, for whom she decided to suspend their prison terms,” the statement added. On Saturday, Pope Francis began a three-day visit to Hungary – his second to the country.

☆ Pope says the Vatican is involved in a peace mission to end the war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Antonia Mortensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The Vatican is part of a peace mission to end the war in Ukraine, Pope Francis said Sunday. “The mission is in the course now, but it is not yet public. When it is public, I will reveal it,” Francis told reporters. Francis also heard testimony from refugees – many from Ukraine – and appealed to the importance of charity during his Budapest visit. On Sunday, the pontiff also told reporters that he was feeling better after being hospitalized in late March with a respiratory infection.

“I haven’t seen sunlight in what seems like a long time,” Li told CNN, a week after the protests broke out. In recent years, Beijing has extended its crackdown on dissent to the foreign platform, detaining and jailing Chinese Twitter users who criticized the government. TwitterLi received thousands of submissions a day – and up to dozens per second at the height of the protests. Journalists, observers and activists monitored his feed closely, and some of his posts were aired on televisions across the world. And then they went to our house at midnight to harass my parents,” Li said.

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