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☆ Czech group PPF takes 9.1% stake in Germany's ProSiebensat.1
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PRAGUE/BERLIN, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Czech investment group PPF has taken a 9.1% stake in ProSiebensat.1 (PSMGn.DE), PPF said on Tuesday, becoming the German broadcaster's second-largest investor behind Italy's MFE-MediaforEurope (MFEB.MI). "PPF believes the digital transformation of ProSieben will create value for all shareholders," privately-owned PPF said in a statement. "PPF is looking forward to liaising with the management and supervisory board of ProSieben in this digitalization process." The group, which also owns the CME group that operates dozens of channels in six central and east European markets, is now controlled by Kellner's widow, Renata Kellnerova. Reporting by Jan Lopatka, Klaus Lauer and Christoph Steitz Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy brushes off criticism from Italy's Berlusconi
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy brushed off criticism from Silvio Berlusconi on Tuesday, saying Italy's ex-prime minister had not had to live under daily bombardment and blackouts caused by Russian air strikes. Zelenskiy was asked at a news conference with Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni about remarks by Berlusconi this month saying he would not want to meet Zelenskiy, blaming him for Russia's war in Ukraine. Berlusconi, leader of the conservative Forza Italia party that is part of Italy's ruling coalition, is an old friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Mr. Berlusconi, it seems to me, has never had his house bombarded with missiles every day. Russia launched a campaign of air strikes against Ukraine in October, striking critical infrastructure and causing regular blackouts and other power outages.

☆ Italian PM Meloni to visit Kyiv on Monday to meet Zelenskiy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will travel to Kyiv on Monday to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a political source said on Sunday. Meloni, who took office in October, had said she planned to visit Kyiv before the Feb. 24 anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. Despite friction on the issue within her rightist ruling coalition and divided public opinion, Meloni has been a firm supporter of Ukraine. Italy and France have recently finalised talks over delivery of an advanced air defence system to Kyiv in the spring. Reporting by Angelo Amante Writing by Gianluca Semeraro Editing by David Goodman and Gavin JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi Acquitted in Sex-Scandal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Eric Sylvers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The court’s decision clears Italy’s former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, 86, after a trial that lasted six years. MILAN—An Italian court on Wednesday acquitted the country’s former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of bribing witnesses in a previous trial where he faced charges of having sex with an underage girl. The court’s decision clears Mr. Berlusconi, 86, after a trial that lasted six years and concerned events that took place a decade ago. The court’s decision also absolved three dozen women, including Karima El Mahroug , the woman at the center of the case who at the time of the events was a nightclub dancer nicknamed “Ruby Heart-Stealer.”

☆ Italy's Berlusconi faces verdict in Bunga Bunga bribe case
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Emilio Parodi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The scandal over the so-called Bunga Bunga parties contributed to Berlusconi's downfall as prime minister in 2011, marking the end of his fourth government. The case was split between three cities because of where the various witnesses lived. The Milan case is the biggest and most high-profile. Prosecutors in Italy's financial capital last May requested prison time for the former prime minister as well as the confiscation of four houses and millions of euros. Berlusconi, 86, has acknowledged giving money to various of his guests, but said it was offered spontaneously as compensation for the reputational damage they had suffered by being associated with his infamous Bunga Bunga parties.

☆ Italy’s Berlusconi Attacks Ukraine’s Zelensky, Sparking a Storm in Rome
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Margherita Stancati | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Comments by Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian prime minister and a member of Italy’s right-wing governing coalition, immediately ignited a furor in Rome. ROME—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky , in a message read out during an Italian song contest over the weekend, “thanked the Italian people and their leaders” for supporting his country in its path to hoped-for victory. Hours later, it was clear some Italian leaders don’t support him at all.

"This result consolidates the centre-right and strengthens the work of the government," Meloni wrote on Twitter. However, fears inside the coalition that support might crumble for Meloni's two main partners proved unfounded. The result offered no comfort to the centre-left camp, comprising the Democratic Party (PD), the 5-Star Movement and so-called Third Pole, which is riven by mutual loathing. Italy's electoral laws at both a national and regional level favour parties that combine forces meaning Meloni's opponents face years in the wilderness unless they learn to work together. Reporting by Crispian Balmer and Angelo Amante; Editing by Gavin Jones and Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy's Berlusconi says he wouldn't seek meeting with Zelenskiy if PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi would not seek a meeting with Volodymir Zelenskiy if he were still head of government, because he blames the Ukrainian President for the war with Russia, he said on Sunday. Berlusconi said that if Zelenskiy had stopped attacking the two separatist republics of the Donbass the war would not have happened. "So I judge, very, very negatively, the behaviour of this gentleman", Berlusconi added. Berlusconi also urged the United States to put pressure on Zelenskiy and threaten to stop sending arms to Ukraine, while also promising a massive aid programme if it agreed to an immediate ceasefire. Reporting by Giselda Vagnoni; Editing by David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nicaraguan Catholic bishop sentenced to decades in prison, citizenship stripped
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Ismael Lopez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Alvarez, bishop of the Matagalpa diocese, was convicted of treason, undermining national integrity and spreading false news, among other charges. During Friday's court hearing it was also announced that he would be fined and stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship. Originally scheduled for late March, the sentencing of the bishop, widely known by the Catholic honorific monsignor, was sped up without explanation. Rolando Alvarez is irrational and out of control," Silvio Baez, a senior Nicaraguan bishop exiled in Miami, wrote on Twitter after the sentence. A cameraman for a Catholic television channel was also arrested with them.

☆ Italy's right poised to win regional vote after national triumph
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Lazio, which is centred on the national capital Rome, and Lombardy, home to the financial capital Milan, account for just over a quarter of the national population and generate a third of the Italy's total gross domestic product (GDP). Although victory seems assured, the vote might yet destabilise the ruling coalition if Meloni's Brothers of Italy party continues to cannibalise its partners. "We can't be held hostage by Brothers of Italy," said Angelo Ciocca, a European parliamentarian with the League. "We need a strong League that does not let the autonomy bill end up in the Roman swamps," he told Reuters. Polls are open on both Sunday and Monday, with voting due to end at 1400 GMT on Monday.

☆ Afghan women prosecutors once seen as symbols of democracy find asylum in Spain
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Afghan prosecutor S.M., who left her 4 years old daughter with her grandmother in Afghanistan while escaping to Peshawar, looks down in Islamabad, Pakistan, September 22, 2022. "Most Afghan women and girls that remain in Afghanistan don't have the right to study, to have a social life or even go to a beauty salon," Sharar said. due to fears over her safety and who specialised in gender violence and violence against children said, "I was the only female prosecutor in the province... The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it was not in a position to comment on specific cases. "The Government of Pakistan has not agreed to recognise newly arriving Afghans as refugees," UNHCR said in a statement.

☆ Factbox: How top Mafia boss Messina Denaro escaped justice for 30 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Alvise Armellini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

ROME, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Matteo Messina Denaro, a brutal Sicilian Mafia boss who was Italy's most wanted criminal before his capture on Monday, had been on the run for 30 years. Messina Denaro, 60, was the last runaway member of a generation of mobsters who masterminded a string of bombings and murders that terrorised Italy in the early 1990s. Nobody knows for sure, but there have long been suspicions that Messina Denaro had his back covered by politicians and other establishment connections. Crime writer Roberto Saviano has pointed out that a former junior justice minister, Antonio D'Ali, has been convicted for collusion with the Messina Denaro family. Messina Denaro was eventually caught outside a clinic in Palermo after police discovered he was sick with cancer.

☆ Spanish pets blessed by priests in annual ritual
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/7] "Lola" reacts upon getting blessed at San Anton Church during celebrations on the feast of Spain's patron saint of animals, Saint Anthony, in Madrid, Spain, January 17, 2023. REUTERS/Susana VeraMADRID, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Spanish pet owners took their animals to church on Tuesday where Catholic priests blessed them on the Day of St Anthony the Abbott, the patron saint of animals. A few dogs barked, but most animals waited patiently to be sprinkled with holy water on the steps of the baroque St Anthony's Church in central Madrid. Priest Angel Garcia then said Mass in front of dozens of pets inside, also to some barking from the pews. Reporting by Guillermo Martinez and Silvio Catellanos, writing by Andrei Khalip, editing by David Latona, Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/5] Health workers and their supporters protest against the public health care policy of the Madrid regional government, which they say is destroying primary care, in Madrid, Spain, January 15, 2023. REUTERS/Isabel InfantesMADRID, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of health workers protested in Madrid on Sunday over what they say is the destruction of the public health system by the conservative regional government. Dressed in white coats and banging drums, many chanted: "Cutting public health is criminal." Protesters say the regional government is dismantling public health services and favouring private health providers. In November, tens of thousands of people marched through central Madrid in support of health workers calling for better working conditions.

☆ Detained Nicaraguan Catholic bishop, Ortega critic to face trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANAGUA, Jan 10 (Reuters) - A prominent Catholic bishop in Nicaragua who has sharply criticized authoritarian President Daniel Ortega will go to trial while under house arrest, a judge ruled on Tuesday, in the latest clamp down on dissent in the country. Human rights organizations accuse Ortega's government of persecuting the Catholic Church. Another prominent cleric, Bishop Silvio Baez, is in exile in the United States along with a number of other priests who have fled. The president has accused Catholic leaders of trying to overthrow him in a "coup" following anti-Ortega street protests that began in 2018. But as tensions have intensified, Ortega officials have expelled Catholic nuns and missionaries and shuttered more than a dozen Catholic radio and television stations.

☆ Italian former Foreign Minister Frattini dies at 65
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Franco Frattini, who served twice as Italy's foreign minister and held several other cabinet posts, died on Saturday at the age of 65, Italian media reported. Frattini, who had been ill for some time with cancer, died in a Rome hospital. He was foreign minister under governments headed by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi 2002-2004 and 2008-2011 and held two other cabinet posts in governments headed by Berlusconi and Lamberto Dini in the 1990s. From 2004 to 2008 he was European commissioner for justice and at the time of his death he was president of Italy's Council of State, a consultative body that oversees public administration. He started his political activity as a member of the Socialist Party and later joined Berlusconi's center-right parties.

☆ Berlusconi-backed MFE notifies Austrian watchdog about Prosiebensat.1 holding
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ZURICH, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Italian businessman Silvio Berlusconi family's MediaForEurope NV vehicle has notified the Austrian competition authority about the "acquisition of de facto sole control of ProSiebenSat1 Media DE Deutschland" (PSMGn.DE), the competition watchdog said. MFE had no comment on the notification, which was first reported by German media portal DE24LIVE. The announcement, dated Dec. 13 on the Austrian regulator's website was made because ProSieben also operates in German-speaking Austria. MFE, controlled by the former Italian prime minister's family, has built, partly through derivatives, a 29.9% voting stake in its German rival, cementing its position as single biggest shareholder. "We haven't really seen ProSieben address the big challenges the industry faces: audience decline, digital transformation ... and the need for scale to compete with digital giants," MFE finance chief Marco Giordani told analysts.

☆ Democracy remains vulnerable despite a good year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

PARIS, Dec 12 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Aristotle said there are three good forms of government – monarchy, aristocracy and constitutional democracy – in which the rulers act for the common benefit. Rich democracies face two main threats: an external one from autocracies, such as China; and an internal one from demagogues. Both autocrats such as Chinese President Xi Jinping and demagogues such as former U.S. President Donald Trump have had a bad year. The world economy faces a tough decade. Until democrats provide some answer to this, they will be vulnerable to new waves of autocracy and demagogy.

☆ Elon Musk has authorized at least 17 senior execs from Tesla, SpaceX, and The Boring Company to work at Twitter, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

At least 17 Tesla, SpaceX, and Boring execs have been authorized to work at Twitter, CNBC reports. At least 11 senior Tesla executives have been authorized to work at Twitter, including Silvio Brugada, director of software engineering, and RJ Sekator, Autopilot project manager, CNBC reported. Musk also gave the green light for at least three senior SpaceX executives and a further three from The Boring Company to work at Twitter, CNBC said. Twitter, Tesla, SpaceX, The Boring Company, and the executives named in this report didn't immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment, made outside normal US operating hours. In October, CNBC reported that Musk was bringing in 50 Tesla engineers to work at Twitter, including five senior leaders.

☆ SpaceX, Tesla, and Boring Company execs are helping Elon Musk at Twitter, records reveal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Ever since, he has enlisted high-ranking executives and engineers from his other businesses, including SpaceX, Tesla and The Boring Company, to help out at the social media company, according to internal records obtained by CNBC and conversations with recent Twitter employees. Musk has also enabled partners from investment firms who participated in the Twitter buyout access to work within the social media company. In his testimony, Musk characterized Tesla employees' work for him at Twitter as "just a voluntary thing." He also said: "This was sort of an after-hours, just if you're interested in evaluating the -- helping me evaluate Twitter engineering, that would be nice. In addition to Tesla employees, Musk has also enlisted execs and employees from SpaceX, the reusable rocket and satellite internet services company he founded in 2002, to help him at Twitter.

☆ Italy lawmakers call off vote on extending Ukraine arms supplies
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Angelo Amante | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, former Prime Minister Mario Draghi's administration introduced measures that made it possible to send weapons to Kyiv without seeking parliamentary authorisation for each shipment. Support for Ukraine has been a contentious topic within the ruling coalition, which includes Meloni's Brothers of Italy, Matteo Salvini's League and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia parties. Earlier this month, a governing coalition official told Reuters that Italy was readying a sixth arms package for Ukraine, including air defence systems Kyiv had requested. The PD is also a supporter of Ukraine, while other leftist opposition forces want the government to shift focus from sending arms to stepping up diplomatic negotiations. Reporting by Angelo Amante, editing by Alvise Armellini, Alexandra Hudson and Conor HumphriesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukrainian avant-garde art finds refuge from war in Madrid
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Juan MedinaMADRID, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Ukrainian art has found a refuge in Madrid where a retrospective on the country's avant-garde in the early 20th century is showing works little known to the general public while offering them a safe haven away from the bombs. Aside from paying tribute to a little-known period in the history of Ukrainian art, the exhibition takes on particular relevance amid Russia's ongoing invasion of the country. "We wanted to do something in terms of showing Ukrainian art, but also taking Ukrainian art out of Ukraine and bringing it to Europe and to safety," Katia Denysova, one of the exhibit's three curators, told Reuters. When the curators saw the works had made it to Spain safe and sound, they were "beyond delighted", Denysova added. She now hopes that Ukrainian avant-garde art will tell the public a story of creation and resistance.

☆ Cuban singer-songwriter Pablo Milanés dies at 79
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

“The culture in Cuba is in mourning for the death of Pablo Milanes,” Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz tweeted Monday night. Milanés and Rodríguez in particular became close, touring the world’s stages as cultural ambassadors for the Cuban Revolution, and bonding during boozy sessions. “If Silvio Rodríguez and I got together, the rum was always there,” Milanés told El Pais in 2003. Cuba’s aging leaders “are stuck in time,” Milanés told Spanish newspaper El Mundo. “These freedoms have been seen in small doses, and we hope that with time they will grow,” Milanés told The Associated Press.

☆ Former Italian PM Berlusconi acquitted in bribery case
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Marco Carta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, Nov 17 (Reuters) - An Italian court on Thursday acquitted former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi of bribing a witness in a 2013 underage prostitution case, giving a boost to the veteran politician weeks after his return to parliament. party that is backing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's newly installed government, was eventually acquitted in that case. Berlusconi was eventually excluded from parliament in 2013 after his conviction in a tax fraud case. In a separate case pending at a Milan court, Berlusconi is accused of bribing 24 witnesses, mostly young guests at his evening parties. Last year a court in Siena acquitted Berlusconi of allegedly bribing another witness to his parties.

☆ Italy open to supplying air defence systems to Ukraine -official
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People demonstrate against Russia's invasion of Ukraine during a rally in Rome, Italy, November 5, 2022. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File PhotoROME, Nov 8 (Reuters) - The Italian government is readying a new arms package for Ukraine including air defence systems, a governing coalition official said on Tuesday. The Italian coalition official, who declined to be named, said Rome was ready to provide Ukraine with a variety of air-defence systems, including the medium-range Franco-Italian SAMP/T and Italian Aspide, as well as portable Stinger missiles. Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto spoke by phone on Monday with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and pledged to support Ukraine against Russia's invasion for "as long as necessary", a statement said. On Monday, Kyiv said it had received its first delivery of NASAMS air defence systems from the United States.

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