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☆ Italy's Meloni visits flood-hit Emilia-Romagna region
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, May 21 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited flood-hit areas of northern Italy on Sunday after returning early from the G7 summit in Japan to lead the response to the disaster. Around 36,000 people have been forced to leave their homes, and many of those who remained in flooded areas were left without electricity. Agriculture has been hit hard in an area which grows fruit such as peaches, kiwis and apricots, as well as corn and grain. Meloni had left the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima a day earlier than scheduled, saying her conscience would not allow her to stay away longer. The Italian government will hold a cabinet meeting on Tuesday to decide on measures to help people to cope with the emergency.

☆ As Greece Votes, Leader Says Blocking Migrants Built ‘Good Will’ With Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Jason Horowitz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of Greece has been accused of illegally pushing asylum seekers back at sea. He has acknowledged that the state’s intelligence service wiretapped an opposition leader. He has consolidated media control as press freedom in Greece has dropped to the lowest in Europe. It is the sort of thing that the guardians of European Union values often scorn in right-wing populist leaders, whether it be Giorgia Meloni of Italy or Viktor Orban of Hungary. “I’m helping Europe on numerous fronts,” Mr. Mitsotakis said in a brief interview on Tuesday in the port city of Piraeus, where, in his trademark blue dress shirt and slacks, the 55-year-old rallied adoring voters on crowded streets.

HIROSHIMA, Japan, May 20 (Reuters) - Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy brought his call for support against Russia's invasion to a Group of Seven (G7) summit on Saturday to Japan, where leaders agreed to tighten sanctions against Moscow and pare back exposure to China. 'MEETINGS WITH FRIENDS'[1/7] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrives at Hiroshima airport for attending the G7 leaders' summit in Mihara, Hiroshima prefecture, western Japan May 20, 2023., in this photo released by Kyodo. As well as bilateral meetings with G7 leaders, Zelenskiy will also meet the leaders of India and Brazil, two countries that have not distanced themselves from Moscow. Zelenskiy is due to hold a session on Sunday with the G7 before a broader session with the Global South attendees. Reporting by Reuters G7 team in Hiroshima; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ G-7 aims to rein in risks from China, awaits Zelenskyy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to arrive in Hiroshima on Saturday to drum up support for his country's defence effort. The G7 nations are looking to "de-risk, not decouple" from China, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters in Hiroshima. In a draft of the final communique seen by Reuters, G7 leaders agreed that China's status as the world's second-largest economy meant they had to continue to cooperate. "We do not seek to thwart China's economic progress and development," the leaders said in the draft, which is subject to change. China has voiced concern that the summit would turn into a "political show" against Beijing.

☆ Meloni to leave G7 a day early to tackle Italy flood crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attend a meeting during the G7 leaders' summit in Hiroshima, Japan May 20, 2023 Ukrainian Presidential Press... Read moreHIROSHIMA/ROME, May 20 (Reuters) - Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is set to leave the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima a day earlier than scheduled to lead the response to flooding which hit the north of her country this week, two sources said on Saturday. Torrential rains devastated the eastern side of the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, killing 14 people, causing billions of euros worth of damage and hitting agriculture particularly hard. Italy's government will hold a cabinet meeting on Tuesday to decide on measures to help people to cope with the emergency. Earlier in the day, Meloni thanked the G7 leaders and everyone from other countries who had expressed solidarity with Italy and those affected by the flooding. Reporting by Katya Golubkova and Angelo Amante, writing by Gianluca Semeraro, editing by Gavin Jones and Giles ElgoodOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy's Emilia-Romagna governor says earthquake 'lessons' to help flood recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A view of a submerged sculpture due to floodwaters after heavy rains hit Italy's Emilia Romagna region, in Lugo, Italy, May 19, 2023. REUTERS/Claudia GrecoMILAN, May 19 (Reuters) - Italy's Emilia Romagna region will recover from the devastating floods that hit this week by taking from lessons learned from the 2012 earthquake, its governor said Friday, as the death toll from the disaster rose to 14. "Nothing will stop", the governor told reporters, referring to business, tourism and other activities in the wealthy northern region. Reuters video footage from the town of Lugo in Emilia-Romagna showed cars submerged in water and flooded homes, as some residents rode bicycles or paddled through the watery streets. Heavy rains followed months of drought which had dried out the land, reducing its capacity to absorb water, meteorologists said.

☆ Berlusconi says his 'nightmare is over' after 6-week hospital stay
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We'll wait for you on the field to fight many battles together," Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni - whose coalition includes Berlusconi's Forza Italia party - wrote on Twitter, welcoming her ally's discharge. Berlusconi served as prime minister in 1994-1995, 2001-2006 and 2008-2011. In more recent years, Berlusconi's health markedly deteriorated, with open-heart surgery in 2016 and numerous hospital admissions since contracting COVID-19 three years ago. During his latest hospitalisation, Berlusconi remained politically active, appearing in two video messages this month in which he looked frail but insisted he was ready to return to work. There is no designated heir to replace Berlusconi at the helm of Forza Italia, and it is far from clear if the party can stick together without his leadership.

☆ Fact Check-Ukrainian coat of arms predates use of trident symbol by far-right nationalists
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Ukrainian coat of arms, a trident, is an official symbol of the country and dates back over a thousand years. The blue shield with a gold trident-like symbol is seen on the Military of Defense of Ukraine site and is currently listed as the country’s official coat of arms (here). FAR-RIGHT NATIONALISTS ADOPTED THE SYMBOLFar-right Ukrainian nationalists during the pre-WW2 era “naturally used symbols that were historically associated with Ukraine,” Mark Pitcavage, senior research fellow at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Center on Extremism said, including what is now the Ukrainian coat of arms. The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), was founded in 1929 to “liberate Ukraine from Soviet rule and create an independent Ukrainian state,” according to Reuters reporting from 2015 (here). While far-right Ukrainian nationalists have used the trident symbol, the symbol is from a millennium earlier, is on Ukraine’s coat of arms, and is not proof Zelenskiy is connected to extremists.

☆ Debt conundrum gives Italy weak hand in EU talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

After inflation hit 40-year highs in the West last year, global rate-setters, including the European Central Bank, launched a dramatic series of interest rate hikes. Unless there is a sudden series of interest rate cuts, the cost of servicing Italy’s debt could stay well above 4% of GDP for years. To fight that, Meloni’s government will have to shrink the public deficit and bring Italy back to the healthy pre-pandemic habit of keeping a primary budgetary surplus excluding debt interest payments. As long as Italy’s debt is not spiralling out of control, markets won’t worry too much. Yet even if Meloni chooses a milder approach, Italy’s unresolved debt challenge risks giving her a weak negotiating hand in Brussels.

☆ Three dead and thousands evacuated as floods hit northern Italy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Firefighters and rescuers are seen next to boats during rescue operations in Faenza, Italy after floods hit Italy's northern Emilia-Romagna region, in this handout image released May 17, 2023.... Read moreROME, May 17 (Reuters) - At least three people died and thousands were evacuated from their homes as devastating floods hit Italy's northern Emilia-Romagna region, authorities said on Wednesday, warning that worse may be yet to come. Emilia-Romagna officials said three dead bodies had been found in the towns of Forli, Cesena and Cesenatico, while three people were missing. Those who live in areas close to watercourses should move to higher floors," regional chief Stefano Bonaccini said on Facebook. The northern city of Ravenna, close to the Adriatic coast, was also badly affected. The torrential rains followed months of drought which dried out the land, reducing its capacity to absorb water and worsening the impact of the floods, meteorologists said.

☆ 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.

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, scheduled for this weekend, has been canceled and the site evacuated. An aerial view of flooded houses in Cesena, where residents had to climb onto rooftops to escape high water levels. Water levels on northern Italy’s Lake Garda fell to record lows in February, with Venice experiencing unusually low tides. Formula 1 race canceledFormula 1 has announced the cancellation of this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix because of heavy flooding in the region, citing safety concerns. The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is the first event of the Formula 1 season in Europe and was scheduled to take place this weekend.

MILAN, May 15 (Reuters) - Australian fund Macquarie (MQG.AX) is raising legal hurdles over a plan backed by Italy's Treasury for state lender CDP to join forces with U.S. fund KKR (KKR.N) in a deal to buy Telecom Italia's landline grid (TIM) (TLIT.MI), three sources said on Monday. But Macquarie is now raising legal issues about a possible alliance between CDP and KKR, three sources close to the matter told Reuters on Monday. CDP and Macquarie are co-investors in Open Fiber, a smaller rival to TIM. One of them said Macquarie was aiming to improve its offer with CDP ahead of the June 9 deadline. Separate sources with knowledge of the matter had said this month KKR had expressed its willingness to work further on its bid.

Foreign holdings of Italian government paper increased in February after 10 consecutive monthly declines, according to Bank of Italy data. "This is a magic moment for Italian bonds," he told Reuters. The share of Italian government debt held by foreign investors fell to below 20% at the end of 2022 from around 50% before the 2008 financial crisis, Bank of Italy data shows. The Italian Treasury has already taken steps to shore up demand for its bonds as the ECB retreats, by boosting purchases among domestic households and companies. Together, Italian families and firms now hold around 215 billion euros, or 9%, of Rome's debt, UniCredit's Cazzulani said, the highest level since mid-2015.

☆ Ukraine rebuilding would be small wager for Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The irony is that effort had started when Russian President Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea in 2014, thus ensuring that Ukraine would firmly aspire to belong to Europe. The war inflicted severe damage on Ukraine, with GDP down 30% last year according to the International Monetary Fund. Rebuilding Ukraine will require help, expertise and guidance – and a lot of time and money. And the United States, Japan and multilateral organisations such as the IMF will continue to flank Europe in its efforts to rebuild Ukraine. Nevertheless, it is in Europe’s interest to play a major part in Ukraine’s reconstruction before the country is accepted as a formal candidate member of the EU.

BERLIN, May 14 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked Germany for its support as he met with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday in his first visit to the country since Russia's invasion. Zelenskiy arrived in Berlin from Rome, where he met separately on Saturday with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Pope Francis. "In the most challenging time in the modern history of Ukraine, Germany proud to be our true friend and reliable ally," Zelenskiy wrote in the guest book of the German presidency. Zelenskiy last visited Germany for the Munich Security Council in February last year just before the war broke out. Germany was constrained in its support for Ukraine at that time both by its energy dependence on Russia and a pacifism rooted in its bloody 20th century history.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskyy thanks Germany for support in visit to Berlin
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (left) says goodbye to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (right), as he departs the Bellevue Palace on May 14, 2023, in Berlin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Germany for its support as he met with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday in his first visit to the country since Russia's invasion. Zelenskyy arrived in Berlin from Rome, where he met separately on Saturday with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Pope Francis. Zelenskyy last visited Germany for the Munich Security Council in February last year just before the war broke out. Germany was constrained in its support for Ukraine at that time both by its energy dependence on Russia and a pacifism rooted in its bloody 20th century history.

☆ Zelensky Meets With German Leaders After Their Massive Weapons Pledge
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Erika Solomon | Vivek Shankar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Zelensky’s trip to Germany follows a visit to Rome, where peace negotiations were a major theme in meetings with Pope Francis and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Ukrainian and German officials have privately said that Mr. Zelensky might be hoping to persuade Mr. Scholz to play a more influential role when it comes to European support for the war, or even in mediating a peace settlement. Later on Sunday, Mr. Zelensky is expected to travel to city of Aachen in western Germany to receive the prestigious Charlemagne award on behalf of himself and the Ukrainian people. The award is bestowed on those who have done the most to promote European unity. Russian missile strike hits Ternopil in western UkraineRussia fired missiles at the Ternopil region in western Ukraine, Ukrainian officials on Sunday, hitting the hometown of Ukraine’s Eurovision group during the song contest and demonstrating Moscow’s ability to launch attacks far from the front lines.

☆ Zelensky Arrives in Italy for Meeting With Pope Francis
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Jason Horowitz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Weeks after Pope Francis bewildered the Ukrainian government with talk of a secret peace mission, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine arrived in Rome on Saturday for meetings with Francis and Italian officials, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Mr. Zelensky’s visit comes at a potentially pivotal moment in the war against Russia, as Ukrainian forces make advances near the key eastern city of Bakhmut ahead of a widely anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive. The Ukrainian leader called his trip to the Italian capital — which was placed under a no-fly zone — “an important visit” for his country’s “approaching victory.” The Vatican confirmed that Mr. Zelensky would meet with Francis on Saturday. Before that, the Ukrainian flag was raised alongside the Italian flag atop the presidential palace in Rome as Mr. Zelensky met with Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella, who told Mr. Zelensky that it was an “honor” to have him in Rome and that “we are fully at your side.”

☆ Zelenskyy meets with Pope Francis at Vatican, says he sought backing for his peace plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Pope Francis meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Studio of Paul VI Hall on May 13, 2023 in Vatican City, Vatican. Francis, using a cane for his knee problem, came to greet the Ukrainian president before ushering him into a papal studio near the Vatican's audience hall. And he said he asked Francis to come aboard Ukraine's peace plan. "I also talked about our Peace Formula as the only effective algorithm for achieving a just peace,″ Zelenskyy said. Zelenskyy, who also met Italian President Sergio Mattarella, is a one-day trip in Rome, including an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican.

Kyiv estimates nearly 19,500 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied Crimea since February 2022, in what it condemns as illegal deportations. "We must make every effort to return them home," Zelenskiy said in a Tweet afterwards, saying he had discussed it with the pope. Zelenskiy also said he asked the pope to "join" Kyiv's 10-point peace plan. [1/6] Pope Francis shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, at the Vatican, May 13, 2023. Zelenskiy flew to Rome on an Italian government plane that was escorted over Italian airspace by fighter jets.

Speaking to reporters in Rome after meetings with his Italian counterpart and Italy’s prime minister, Zelensky said Ukrainian forces were “preparing very seriously.”“There will definitely be very serious steps. Earlier, Zelensky met with Pope Francis, who has been outspoken in his support for an end to the war in Ukraine. Vatican News/APZelensky said last week that his country still needs “a bit more time” before it launches the counteroffensive, in order to allow some more of the promised Western military aid to arrive in country. Russian attacksAs Zelensky toured Europe, Russia’s assault on Ukraine continued. In western Ukraine, at least 21 people were injured following Russian strikes on the city of Khmelnytskyi in the early hours of Saturday, Ukrainian authorities said.

☆ Italian corporate activism has a long way to go
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, May 10 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Fighting opaque governance at Italy’s state-backed companies is proving a tough nut to crack. That’s a victory for the Italian Treasury – the utility’s top investor with 23.6% – which managed to install oil and gas veteran Paolo Scaroni as chairman, along with other board members. The Italian state is in dire need of improving the way it picks its corporate representatives. But to confront Rome, investors will need to make a good case. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Italy calls for clearer apology from France over migration 'insult'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, May 7 (Reuters) - Italy remains dissatisfied with the apologies offered by Paris after a French minister accused Rome of mishandling the influx of migrants, Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Sunday. "Clearer words are needed," Tajani, who is member of the conservative Forza Italia party, told Italian state-owned television RAI in an interview. "I hope that the French government changes its position and that an apology comes that represents a contrast to the positions adopted by the Interior Minister. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said last week that Italy's right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had been "unable to solve the migration problems on which she was elected". Tajani called off a visit to Paris at the last minute on Thursday in a sign of protest over what he considered an "insult" to Italy.

ROME, May 5 (Reuters) - Italy's Treasury is open to reducing its 64% stake in Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) (BMPS.MI) through one or more share sales on the market, three people briefed on the matters told Reuters. After rescuing MPS at a cost of 5.4 billion euros ($6 billion) for taxpayers, Rome pumped another 1.6 billion into the Tuscan bank last November when it covered 64% of a 2.5 billion euro capital raise. MPS had to raise fresh capital to fund staff exits and replenish its capital reserves after the Treasury failed to clinch a sale of the bank to UniCredit (CRDI.MI) in 2021. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said several times that MPS's privatisation should foster the creation of several large banking groups in the country. ($1 = 0.9081 euros)Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte in Rome and Valentina Za in Milan; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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