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☆ Joining China's Belt and Road was an 'atrocious' decision, Italian minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Italy's biggest container port Gioia Tauro is seen from a helicopter in the southern Italian region of Calabria, November 8, 2012. REUTERS/Alessandro BianchiROME, July 30 (Reuters) - Italy made an "improvised and atrocious" decision when it joined China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) four years ago as it did little to boost exports, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said in an interview published on Sunday. The BRI scheme envisions rebuilding the old Silk Road to connect China with Asia, Europe and beyond with large infrastructure spending. "The decision to join the (new) Silk Road was an improvised and atrocious act" that multiplied China's exports to Italy but did not have the same effect on Italian exports to China, Crosetto told the Corriere della Sera newspaper. Because it is true that China is a competitor, but it is also a partner," the defence minister added.

Persons: Gioia Tauro, Alessandro Bianchi ROME, Guido Crosetto, Crosetto, Joe Biden, Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, Alvise Armellini, David Evans Organizations: Gioia, REUTERS, Initiative, Italian, della Sera, TG5, Thomson Locations: Italian, Calabria, Italy, China, Asia, Europe, Beijing, TG5 Italian

☆ Brazil's Lula discusses peace, poverty and inequality with pope
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSVATICAN CITY, June 21 (Reuters) - Pope Francis met Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday and discussed a range of common concerns including peace, poverty, inequality and the environment, the Vatican said. Underscoring this sentiment, the pope gave Lula a bronze sculpture with the inscription: "Peace is a fragile flower." Pope Francis and Lula have both repeatedly called for a halt to the fighting and pitched their respective offices as potential peace brokers. I think too few people are talking of peace," Lula told Corriere della Sera newspaper in an interview published on Wednesday. Lula met a number of Italian leaders during his brief visit to Rome, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Edgar Pena Parra, Pope Francis, Lula, Corriere, Jair Bolsonaro, Giorgia Meloni, Sergio Mattarella, Crispian Balmer, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: General Affairs, State, Vatican, Handout, REUTERS VATICAN CITY, Corriere della Sera, Thomson Locations: Vatican's, Ukraine, Russia, Rome, Paris

MILAN, June 14 (Reuters) - Merger and acquisition speculation has lifted shares in MFE (MFEB.MI), the late Silvio Berlusconi's TV business, following his death, but a number of obstacles stand in the way of any rapid deal. With a 19.8% MFE stake, Vivendi (VIV.PA) is widely seen as the natural buyer for MFE. This week's rally has lifted the market value of the whole of MFE to 1.8 billion euros. Any accord between Vivendi and Fininvest would require overcoming the deep distrust between the two groups after years of courtroom battles sparked by a failed 2016 TV deal. Like Fininvest, Vivendi faces a loss on any potential sale of its MFE stake given the gap between book and market prices.

Persons: Silvio Berlusconi's, Vincent Bollore, Urbano, Pier Silvio Berlusconi, Fininvest, MFE, Emilio Parodi, Valentina Za, Barbara Lewis Organizations: MILAN, Vivendi, Reuters, della Sera, U.S, Warner Bros ., VIVENDI, FININVEST, Fininvest, MFE, Thomson Locations: MFE, Urbano Cairo, Germany's ProSiebenSat, Italy, Spain, Rome, Netherlands

☆ Italy prepares to bid farewell to Berlusconi with grand funeral
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A person leaves a letter among flowers and football memorabilia near Villa San Martino, the residence of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, to which his body was transported following his death, in Arcore near Milan, Italy, June 13, 2023. REUTERS/Yara NardiMILAN, June 13 (Reuters) - Italy was preparing on Tuesday to bid farewell to former premier Silvio Berlusconi, a scandal-prone billionaire who dominated the country's politics, business and soccer world for at least three decades. "Italy without Berlusconi," the country's largest circulation newspaper, Corriere della Sera, wrote on its front page, dedicating more than 30 pages of coverage to the event. Corriere said Berlusconi had been well enough to watch on television Saturday's Champions League soccer final between Inter Milan and Manchester City. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a TV interview on Monday that she had spoken "at length" with him that day.

Persons: Silvio Berlusconi, Nardi, Berlusconi, Sera, Corriere, Giorgia Meloni, Antonio Tajani, Tajani, Berlusconi's, Giuliano Urbani, Meloni's, Sergio Mattarella, Alvise, Ed Osmond Organizations: Italian, REUTERS, AC Milan, Monza, Saturday's Champions League, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Berlusconi's Forza Italia, Forza, La Repubblica, Meloni's Brothers, Thomson Locations: Villa San, Arcore, Milan, Italy, Nardi MILAN, Raffaele, Milan's, Washington

☆ Photos: Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has died at a Milan hospital at the age of 86, his press office confirms. In April he was diagnosed with leukemia, according to Corriere della Sera, a leading Italian newspaper. The controversial media tycoon served three stints as Italy's prime minister, most recently between 2008 and 2011, before being banned from politics for six years following a conviction for tax fraud. Berlusconi can arguably be called the godfather of modern populism, having launched his Forza Italia party in 1994. Berlusconi also owned the soccer club AC Milan for more than 30 years, harnessing the power of the beautiful game with his Forza Italia slogan, which had been a chant of Italian soccer fans.

Persons: Silvio Berlusconi, Berlusconi Organizations: Italian, della, Forza Italia, AC Milan Locations: Milan, Italian, Italy's Senate, Monza

☆ 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

☆ 4 people died after a boat sank on a picturesque lake. All of the passengers had connections to Israeli and Italian intelligence.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Four people died in a boating accident on Italy's Lake Maggiore last month in a violent storm. All 21 passengers were linked to Israeli and Italian defense and intelligence work. All 21 passengers on the 52-foot houseboat were currently or formerly tied to Israeli and Italian defense and intelligence work, officials said, per CNN. Two of those who died had worked for the Italian intelligence authority. Lake Maggiore Mbdortmund/Wikimedia CmmonsSeveral companies that produce both military and civilian technology use are located in Lombardy, the BCC reported.

Persons: —, Benjamin Netanyahu, it's Organizations: Authorities, Service, CNN, Reuters, Wikimedia, BCC, BBC, Guardian, BBC News, New York Times Locations: Maggiore, Russian, Israel, Swiss, Italy's Lombardy, Ticino, Lake, Mbdortmund, Lombardy, Switzerland, Milan

☆ Italy to allow ChatGPT to return if OpenAI takes 'useful steps'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, April 18 (Reuters) - Italy's data protection watchdog is ready to allow the return of the ChatGPT chatbot at the end of April if its maker OpenAI takes "useful steps" to address the agency's concerns, the authority's chief Pasquale Stanzione said in an interview published on Tuesday. Microsoft Corp-backed (MSFT.O) OpenAI took ChatGPT offline in Italy in late March after the watchdog temporarily restricted its personal data processing and began a probe into a suspected breach of privacy rules. "We are ready to reopen ChatGPT on April 30 if there is a willingness on the part of OpenAI to take useful steps. The data protection body led by Stanzione last week set out a list of demands which it said OpenAI must meet by April 30 to address its concerns. Italy was the first western European country to curb ChatGPT, but its rapid development has attracted attention from lawmakers and regulators in several countries.

☆ Pope wants light shed on 40-year-old mystery of missing Vatican girl
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The daughter of a Vatican usher whose family lived in the Vatican, Orlandi, then 15, failed to return home on June 22, 1983 following a music lesson in Rome. The case, which has been the subject of on-and-off investigations in Italy and the Vatican, has drawn fresh worldwide attention following the release late last year of the Netflix series "Vatican Girl". In January, Vatican chief prosecutor Alessandro Diddi reopened a previous inconclusive Vatican investigation after he inherited files from his retired predecessor. Emanuela's older brother Pietro and the family lawyer, Laura Sgro, were meeting with Diddi in the Vatican on Tuesday afternoon. In an interview in Corriere della Sera ahead of the meeting, Diddi said Pope Francis wants "the truth to emerge without any reservations".

China and Russia have declared a "no limits" partnership and Xi has sought to position China as a mediator in the Ukraine conflict. [1/3] Members of Ukrainian special forces engage in zeroing their weapons prior to a mission, amid Russia?s attack on Ukraine, in the region of Bakhmut, Ukraine, April 6, 2023. But Ukrainian border guard Levko Stek, speaking in a video clip amid explosions, said Ukrainian forces did not sense any "ammunition hunger" on the Russian side. Ukrainian military expert Oleksander Musienko said Russian forces were "exhausted and cannot maintain the same pace of attacks" that they launched in February. "The Russian forces are preparing to organise defensive positions.

☆ Italy ex-premier Berlusconi has leukaemia, source says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Forza Italia leader and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi attends a session of the upper house of parliament ahead of a confidence vote for the new government, in Rome, Italy, October 26, 2022. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneMILAN, April 6 (Reuters) - Four-times Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has been diagnosed with leukaemia, a source close to the matter said on Thursday. The source confirmed a report by the Corriere della Sera daily. The 86-year-old Berlusconi has been treated in intensive care since Wednesday in a cardiac unit of Milan's San Raffaele hospital, after suffering breathing problems. Reporting by Milan newsroom, editing by Alvise ArmelliniOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Why Florence has a complicated relationship with the over 15,000 American college students who come every year
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Bianca Giacobone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Over 15,000 US students spend some time studying in Florence, Italy every year. Over 15,000 American students flock to the city every year, according to local newspapers, with estimates of 18,000 for 2023. Back in 2016, it was estimated that American universities bring over 150 million euros to the economy of Tuscany, Florence's region, per year. And, according to plenty of social media complaints and local reports, American students could be more considerate of the city that hosts them. Once, she asked some American students to keep it down a little, and one of them told her to buy some earplugs.

Worries about potential contagion had also slammed bank shares in Asia and Europe as investors re-examined their risks, despite assurances from U.S. President Joe Biden and other global policymakers that the financial system is safe. In Europe, where some see lenders as less vulnerable, the banking index (.SX7P) first fell then recovered to rise 2.7%. Asian banking stocks had extended their declines overnight, with Japanese banks hard-hit despite reassurances from the Bank of Japan said about their capital buffers. Regulator FDIC had moved swiftly to close New York's Signature Bank SBNY.O as well as taking control of SVB. Citing people familiar with the matter, the WSJ said the investigators are also examining stock sales that SVB Financial Group's executives made days before SVB failed, adding that the Justice Department's probe involves the department's fraud prosecutors in Washington and San Francisco.

Banking giants Citi (C.N), Wells Fargo (WFC.N) and JP Morgan (JPM.N) were also 1%-3% higher in the pre-market. Japanese financial institutions have sufficient capital buffers to absorb losses caused by external factors, including risks caused by SVB's collapse, the Bank of Japan said. Traders currently see a 50% chance of no rate hike at that meeting, with rate cuts priced in for the second half of the year. The prospect of higher rates had been "the reason investors have been really excited about Japan bank stocks", Ikeda added. We just ask for a little bit of time because of the volume," FDIC employee Luis Mayorga told waiting customers.

☆ Pope says Ukraine war fuelled not just by 'Russian empire'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VATICAN CITY, March 10 (Reuters) - The war in Ukraine is driven by the interests of several "empires" and not just of Russia's, Pope Francis said in an interview published on Friday. Francis said the conflict was fuelled by "imperial interests, not just of the Russian empire, but of empires from elsewhere". He expressed a readiness to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin to call for peace. Extracts were published on Friday by Italian dailies La Repubblica, La Stampa and Corriere della Sera. I have less physical resistance, the knee (problem) was a physical humiliation, even if the recovery is going well now," he said.

Feb 19 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview published on Sunday that Ukraine would maintain its months-long defence of the eastern city of Bakhmut, mindful of the price paid in human lives. Bakhmut, in the frontline Donetsk region, had a pre-war population of 70,000 but now Ukrainian officials estimate fewer than 5,000 civilians remain. It is important for us to defend it, but not at any price and not for everyone to die," Zelenskiy told the daily. Russian forces have besieged Bakhmut since July when they captured two major towns farther north. "There are no grounds at this time for the Ukrainian military to leave Bakhmut.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Zelenskiy says Russia suffers extraordinary losses
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DIPLOMACY* U.S. President Joe Biden will visit Poland over Feb. 20-22 to mark the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. * Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will travel to Kyiv on Monday to meet Zelenskiy, a political source in Rome said on Sunday. Meloni, who took office in October, has said she planned to visit Kyiv before the anniversary of Russia's invasion. * The United States has concluded that Russia has committed "crimes against humanity" during its nearly year-long invasion of Ukraine, Vice President Kamala Harris said. * U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China's top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi at a Munich conference of consequences should China provide material support to Russia's invasion, while Harris said Chinese support would reward aggression.

☆ Italy faces new drought alert after another dry winter
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Weeks of dry winter weather have raised concerns that Italy could face another drought after last summer's emergency, with the Alps having received less than half of their normal snowfall, according to scientists and environmental groups. Italian rivers and lakes are suffering from severe lack of water, the Legambiente environmental group said on Monday, with attention focused on the north of the country. Last July Italy declared a state of emergency for areas surrounding the Po, which accounts for roughly a third of the country's agricultural production and suffered its worst drought for 70 years. "We need to recover 500 millimetres in the north-western regions: we need 50 days of rain," he added. Latest weather forecasts do however signal the arrival of much-needed precipitation and snow in the Alps in coming days.

☆ Intel CEO: new chip plant decision by year-end, not sure to be in Italy - press
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MILAN, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Intel (INTC.O) CEO Pat Gelsinger told Italian daily Corriere della Sera on Friday that Italy was only one of several countries being considered to host a new chip plant, and a decision should be reached by the end of the year. In her end-of-year news conference in December, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she considered an investment by Intel in Italy as highly strategic and would schedule a meeting with the company to explore ways to facilitate it. Alessia Pe, editing by Gavin JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy's rhythmic gymnastics coach to keep job despite abuse claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, Jan 12 (Reuters) - The coach of Italy's female Olympic gymnastics team will keep her job in spite of ongoing investigations on the alleged psychological abuse and mistreatment of young athletes over their weight and eating habits. In a Thursday decision, sports authorities confirmed Emanuela Maccarani as coach, but stripped her of the added role of technical director of Italy's women national rhythmic gymnastics training centre in the northern city of Desio. Sports and civilian prosecutors are probing Maccarani and her assistant Olga Tishina on the back of former team athletes' allegations that they were bullied and mocked. "It's my own decision," Gherardo Tecchi, head of Italy's national gymnastic federation, said, adding it was made after consultation with the head of Italy's Olympic committee Giovanni Malago. Maccarani, who was indicted by the national gymnastics federation's judicial body this month, denied any wrongdoing in an interview on Tuesday with the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

☆ 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.

☆ Italy’s Meloni will dodge EU collision on budget
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, Nov 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Rightist Italian premier Giorgia Meloni will avoid a fiscal row with Brussels. Her first ever draft budget, to be discussed on Monday, targets a deficit of 4.5% of GDP in 2023. The bulk of Italy’s extra borrowing will go to fight the energy crisis, which has cost Rome 75 billion euros this year. Both measures are nowhere near the outlandish promises Meloni and her allies made before the elections. Rome will also limit the budget impact by cutting a popular welfare scheme by perhaps 1 billion euros and by extending a windfall tax for energy companies.

☆ New Italian government's budget to boost spending to fight energy crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Past attempts to do that have ended in disaster," Industry Minister Adolfo Urso told La Stampa newspaper on Sunday. Meloni has already said that roughly two thirds of the additional spending power would be used to help companies and households survive record-high gas and electricity bills. This comes on top of some 75 billion euros splashed out in 2022 to tackle surging energy prices. But ministers say they will be fiscally prudent, and avoid the budget errors that unseated Britain's former prime minister Liz Truss. Once the cabinet approves the budget, parliament will have until Dec. 31 to pass it into law.

☆ Lufthansa still interested in buying into ITA Airways
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) is still interested in buying into state-controlled Italian carrier ITA Airways, a spokesman said on Friday, despite reports that its original partner in the mooted deal had pulled out. The spokesman declined to comment on reports that it had entered ITA's so-called data room to review the financial status of the company. Italy in August picked a group led by U.S. private equity fund Certares, backed by Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA) and Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N), for exclusive talks on buying a majority stake in ITA Airways. Complicating the situation, a senior MSC executive, Pierfrancesco Vago, told investors in Doha last week that MSC was no longer interested in ITA Airways, according to Swiss magazine Travel Inside. Certares had no contact with ITA Airways and Italy's Treasury since the end of October, a source close to the matter said.

☆ Signals that Russia might abandon a crucial occupied city are likely a trap, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian sources suggested that its forces are about to retreat from the strategic city of Kherson. Western intelligence — and some statements from Russia — have noted moves suggesting that Russia may be about to abandon the city, a strategic and symbolic prize should Ukraine reclaim it. Russian soldiers guard an area as a group of foreign journalists visit in Kherson, Kherson region, south Ukraine, May 20, 2022. "While there's some commotion and movement going on, it's not decisive," Kateryna Stepanenko, an ISW Russia analyst, told The Hill. "It doesn't appear that Russians have at this moment entirely given up Kherson city."

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