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☆ Why are far-right parties on the march across Europe?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Far-right parties are propping up coalitions in Finland and Sweden. Afraid of losing voters to UKIP (and other far-right parties), the governing Conservatives ended up adopting many of its positions. Chesnot/Getty Images Europe/Getty ImagesConversely, far-right parties have attempted to sanitize some of their rhetoric, hoping to appear a more credible electoral prospect. Leon Neal/Getty ImagesA different type of populismAnd so the recent successes of far-right parties cannot be explained by dramatic shifts in public opinion. A lot depends on the ability of mainstream parties – particularly on the left – to build tents big enough to accommodate their differences, rather than compromising with far-right parties to prop up their coalitions.

Persons: Donald Trump, –, Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel’s, Mario Draghi, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Viktor Orban, Andrej Babis, Czech Michael Bloomberg, Czech Donald Trump, Meloni, Mussolini, Nigel Farage, Jack Taylor, Farage, Jean, Marie Le Pen, Marine, Lionel Jospin, Jacques Chirac, Petteri Orpo, Sanna Marin, Vilhelm Junnila, Ulif Kristersson, Mark Rutte’s, Pen, Chesnot, Philippe Marlier, ” Le, Matteo Salvini, Vladimir Putin, Tino Chrupalla, Alice Weidel, Thomas Lohnes, Omer Messinger, Larry Bartels, Boris Johnson, Leon Neal, Giorgia Meloni, Odd Andersen, Orban, Kaczynski, Rutte’s, Pedro Sanchez Organizations: CNN, White, Channel, European Central Bank, Italy’s, Vox, UK Independence Party, UKIP, European Union, EU, Conservatives, National, Socialist, Socialists, Finns Party, Swedish, Sweden Democrats, Rassemblement National, University College London, Lega, Ukraine, Russia, Former British, Italy's, NATO, Getty, Spain’s Locations: United Kingdom, United States, Europe, Brussels, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Germany, Czech, France, Finland, Sweden, Austria, European, Netherlands, Russian, Oxfordshire, Vilnius

☆ Opinion: Why Lindsey Graham was booed by a Trump rally crowd
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Dean Obeidallah | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But what GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham was subjected to at former President Donald Trump’s rally Saturday in Graham’s home state of South Carolina was far worse than I ever personally witnessed. However, Graham soon began to grasp that a large segment of this Trump crowd — some of whom were yelling “traitor” — was not kidding around. Later when Trump took the podium, he needled Graham, saying, “You know you can make mistakes on occasion,” adding, “Even Lindsey down here, Sen. Lindsey Graham.” When the crowd began to boo again, Trump “half-heartedly defended“ Graham, according to The Greenville (South Carolina) News. When Trump declared that everyone makes a “mistake,” including Graham, it appeared that the mistake was not being fully loyal to Trump. Trump supporters boo and heckle Graham during Saturday's campaign event for the former president in the senator's home state of South Carolina.

Persons: Dean Obeidallah, GOP Sen, Lindsey Graham, Donald Trump’s, Graham, ” —, ” Graham, “, Trump, President Trump, …, don’t, needled Graham, Lindsey, Sen, ”, boo, “ Graham, “ We’re, we’re, We’re, heckle Graham, Sean Rayford, —, Vladimir Putin, he’s, “ I’m, Jason Stanley, Facebook Stanley, ” Stanley, ‘, ’, Ruth Ben, “ Strongmen, Mussolini, Putin, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Ben, Ghiat Organizations: CNN, GOP, Trump, Fox News, ABC, Yale University, NPR, KCRW, Twitter, Facebook, ” New York University, Representatives, US Locations: Graham’s, South Carolina, Greenville, Manhattan, Pickens County , South Carolina

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

☆ Republican response to Trump indictment shows they're stitching their own straitjacket
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Ronald Brownstein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The roar of outrage from Republican leaders to that indictment restored Trump’s grip on the party after frustration over his role in the GOP’s disappointing 2022 midterm elections had loosened it. Repeating the pattern from other moments of maximum threat to Trump, the GOP response has been marked by a pronounced communications imbalance. (The poll was conducted after Trump’s indictment in Manhattan but before the recent federal charges.) At another point Trump insisted, “These criminals cannot be rewarded” – presumably by frightening Republican voters away from nominating him. Yet, Robinson believes, by echoing Trump’s claims of unfair treatment, the other candidates are encouraging Republican voters to accept his framing of the race.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Trump, Kevin McCarthy, South Carolina Sen, Lindsey Graham, Trump’s, Chris Christie, Asa Hutchinson, –, William Barr, John Bolton, John Thune –, ”, he’s, Ruth Ben, Ghiat, thrall, “, “ Strongmen, Mussolini, Silvio Berlusconi, Berlusconi, machina, Bill Kristol, Jack Smith, Fani Willis –, Dave Wilson, Craig Robinson, “ Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Jennifer Horn, ” –, “ They’ve, Donald Trump, ” Robinson, Robinson, Asa Hutchison, ” Kristol, Biden, Nikki Haley –, Mike Pence, Pence, she’s, ” Ben Organizations: CNN, Republican, Trump, GOP, Marxist, Republicans, NPR, PBS, Marist, Whites, CBS, Forza Italia, New York University, District, Iowa Republican Party, New, Georgia GOP, “, Trump “ Locations: Manhattan, South Carolina, lockstep, Fulton County , Georgia, New Hampshire, Georgia, America, Thune, Trump, Trump’s, South Africa, Chile

☆ Opinion: Before Trump or Viktor Orban, there was Italy’s Berlusconi
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Ruth Ben-Ghiat | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —“I’m the most persecuted man in all of history,” then-Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi claimed in 2009, just after Italy’s constitutional court stripped him of immunity from prosecution, leaving him vulnerable as he faced yet another corruption trial. Berlusconi, the three-time Italian prime minister who died this week at 86, wrote the script for an authoritarian style of leadership within a democracy. The flamboyant billionaire owner of a business, media and sports empire, Berlusconi privatized Italian television in the 1980s. Italian television had been limited to three state-owned RAI national networks, but by the 1980s Berlusconi’s Mediaset conglomerate owned the three largest private channels. Berlusconi also raised fears in Italians about the loss of “tradition,” using the specter of Italian demographic decline to justify anti-immigrant policies that preceded those of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and other far-right leaders.

Persons: Ruth Ben, “ Strongmen, Mussolini, CNN — “, ”, Silvio Berlusconi, Berlusconi, Benito Mussolini —, Vladimir Putin, Marcello Dell’Utri, Publitalia, Ferdinando Meazza, “ Mussolini, ” Berlusconi, Viktor Orban, Fininvest, Sergei Chirikov, Donald Trump, “ Organizations: CNN, New York University, Italian, Forza Italia, National Alliance, Italian Social, Northern League, AC Milan soccer, RAI, AC Milan, Milan, Milan's, Italian Communist Party, British, Kremlin, Getty, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Italian, Milan, Milan's San Siro, Italy, Western Europe, Hungarian, Moscow, AFP

☆ 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

☆ Silvio Berlusconi’s memorable quotes and quips
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Here are some of his memorable quotes and quips:DEC 2022: Berlusconi tells players of his Monza soccer team he would bring "a bus of whores into the locker room" if they managed to beat a top Serie A rival. FEB 2006: "I am the Jesus Christ of politics," Italian media quoted Berlusconi as telling supporters. Mussolini sent people on holiday in (internal) exile," Berlusconi tells Britain's Spectator magazine, replying "yes" when asked if he thought the World War Two dictator was "benign". You'd be perfect," Berlusconi told German lawmaker Martin Schulz, who was heckling him during his debut at the European Parliament. OCT 2001: Berlusconi causes outcry in the Muslim world when he says the West "should be conscious of the superiority of our civilisation."

Persons: Silvio Berlusconi, Berlusconi, Vladimir Putin, Putin, de Silvio Berlusconi, Remo Casilli, Barack Obama, Christ, Tarja Halonen, Mussolini, Mr Schulz, You'd, Martin Schulz, Josep Pique, Conor Humphries Organizations: Monza, Serie, Food Safety Authority, Britain's Spectator, Rome, Thomson Locations: whores, West, Ukraine, Milan, Abruzzo, Rome, Italie, United States, Finnish, Italy, Spain

☆ Silvio Berlusconi, a Showman Who Upended Italian Politics and Culture, Dies at 86
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Jason Horowitz | Rachel Donadio | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

He and his party, which built Italy’s center-right coalition when he entered politics in 1994, had become increasingly irrelevant. In 2018, the conservative leadership moved to Matteo Salvini, the hard-right leader of the nationalist League party (formerly the Northern League party). By 2020, the once marginal post-Fascist party Brothers of Italy had outperformed Mr. Berlusconi’s once powerful Forza Italia. But Mr. Berlusconi still dreamed big. In the most right-wing government since Mussolini, Mr. Berlusconi argued that he would keep a toe in the center.

Persons: Matteo Salvini, Berlusconi’s, ” Mr, Berlusconi, ”, Mario Draghi, “, ’ ” Cristian Romaniello, Mr, Draghi, Meloni, Mussolini Organizations: nationalist League party, Northern League, Brothers, Forza Italia, Salvini’s League, “ Fascists, Star, European Central Bank, Five Star Locations: Italy

☆ The Many Twists, Quotes and Scandals of Silvio Berlusconi
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Alan Yuhas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“I am the Jesus Christ of politics,” he said in 2006. “I am a patient victim, I bear everything, I sacrifice myself for everyone.”A sex scandal and public exhaustionBut Mr. Berlusconi’s bombastic personality, the accusations of corruption and his chaotic tenure grated on a public tired of debt and inequality. And he continued to outrage. Visiting earthquake survivors in the Abruzzo region in 2009, he said, “They should look at it as a weekend of camping.” The next year, the Vatican’s official newspaper condemned him for telling a “deplorable” joke about Jews and the Holocaust. That same year, he told people at a motorcycle show that it is “better to be fond of beautiful girls than gay.”

Persons: Benito Mussolini “, “ Mussolini, ”, “, “ I’ve, Christ Organizations: European Union, Finns Locations: Italy, Finnish, Finland, Parma, Abruzzo

☆ Opinion: Why Erdogan’s win isn’t all it seems
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Opinion Ruth Ben-Ghiat | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In the run-up to the first round of voting, Erdogan’s interior minister, Süleyman Soylu, tellingly likened the election to the 2016 attempted coup. Off the back of Erdogan’s win, we can expect Turkey to draw even closer to Russia, which supplies more than one-third of its petroleum and oil products. So look for Erdogan to follow whatever geopolitical path benefits his Russian patron, including continued opposition to Sweden joining NATO. Erdogan’s economic policies have contributed to horrific inflation: over 80% in October, a 24-year record, and still at 44% last month. For all his bluster about modernizing Turkey, Erdogan has created an environment of fear, hostility and economic hardship.

☆ Roman Emperor Caligula's massive party ships were not burned by the Nazis during World War II, researchers say. A US artillery unit was to blame.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

For decades, many believed the Nazis were responsible for the destruction of Caligula's Nemi ships. While many believed the Nazis burned them during World War II, a new book finds that a US artillery unit was responsible for their destruction. At the time, it was widely believed that Hitler's Nazis were responsible for the burned ships. But a new book shines a light on their history — claiming it was a US artillery unit that burned the vessels. "Whoever is doing the fighting, war is always destructive"US soldiers with mortar shells scrawled with anti-Hitler chalk messages, 1943.

☆ Italian minister Francesco Lollobrigida 'ethnic replacement' claim sparks fury in Italy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Rome CNN —The brother-in-law and close political ally of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has warned that Italy’s low birth rate and an increase in irregular immigration could lead to “ethnic replacement,” sparking anger from the country’s opposition. Francesco Lollobrigida remarks comes in response to a recent report which found Italy has one of the world’s lowest birthrates with fewer than 400,000 births in 2022. Yes to helping births, no to ethnic replacement. Meloni’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and she has yet to make a public statement. Matteo Salvini, a junior partner in Meloni’s coalition of far-right and center-right parties, had previously tweeted about the threat of “ethnic replacement” in 2017, and Meloni had used the term in political speeches in 2016.

☆ A tech boss appointed by Italy's prime minister resigned after quoting a speech from fascist dictator Mussolini in an internal email
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The boss of an Italian state-owned tech firm resigned after quoting Mussolini in an internal email. Anastasio was appointed by right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in November. Anastasio, who was appointed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in November, sent an inauguration email to board members quoting Mussolini, who ruled Italy as a dictator from 1922 to 1943. In the original speech, Mussolini asserted his power over Italy as dictator and admitted to murdering his opponent Giacomo Matteotti, a politician who had criticized the government. Meloni became Italy's first female Prime Minister in October and heads the far-right Brothers of Italy party.

[1/4] Cast member John Malkovich attends a photocall to promote the movie 'Seneca' at the 73rd Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, February 20, 2023. "Seneca - On the Creation of Earthquakes" seeks an answer to this question, both very contemporary and eternal, in the last night of the first-century Roman philosopher's life, after he learns the Emperor Nero has ordered his death. "He talks a lot," said Malkovich. "And sometimes it was hard not to think, OK, but die and, you know, be quiet." He asks his young wife, played by an ethereal Lilith Stangenberg, to die with him to lend theatrical weight to his death and his dictums.

☆ Fact Check-Altered image of Adolf Hitler shaking hand with alien figure shared online
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A digitally altered image of the former German Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler appearing to shake hands with an alien has been shared by users online, providing fodder for conspiracy theory accounts. The grainy image shows Hitler to the right in uniform with Nazi insignia viewable across his upper arm with an alien figure viewable to the left of frame. (here)The image is digitally altered. The original image shows Hitler shaking hands with Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini. The original photograph shows Hitler shaking hands with Mussolini.

☆ Trump's biggest accomplishments and failures from his 1-term presidency
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

He repeatedly attacked the media, leading UN experts to warn that Trump's rhetoric raised the risk of violence against journalists. Though President Joe Biden was the clear winner of the 2020 election, Trump refused to concede. Even as world leaders began to congratulate Biden, a major sign of Biden's legitimacy, Trump continued to deny reality. After the violence, Trump released a video acknowledging that a new administration would take over, but he did not explicitly concede. Every president prior to Trump allowed for a peaceful transition of power after they'd served two terms or lost an election.

☆ 'Pinocchio' review: A reimagined story is beautiful but comes with too many strings attached
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The mere title “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” announces that this stop-motion animated movie reflects the keen eye and visual style of the directing auteur, with a healthy dose of revisionism and reimagining baked into that. Yet despite its beauty, several of those narrative touches don’t fully work, leaving behind a movie that’s aesthetically lovely but narratively uneven. Perhaps foremost, del Toro makes the ill-advised decision to incorporate songs into the story, although he keeps interrupting them, which might speak to a certain lack of conviction about that particular aspect. It’s around that point where del Toro (who shares directing credit with animator Mark Gustafson) appears determined to connect this “Pinocchio” to larger and more ambitious themes. “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” premieres December 9 on Netflix.

☆ First nationwide map of Italy's fascist monuments goes online
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Alvise Armellini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A man walks past a bas-relief depicting fascist leader Benito Mussolini in the EUR neighbourhood of Rome, Italy, known for its fascist architecture, October 19, 2022. The "places of fascism" website (www.luoghifascismo.it) was unveiled on Tuesday by the Istituto Nazionale Parri, a Milan-based historical research institute, following four years of research. It lists famous landmarks, such as the obelisk in Rome marked in giant lettering with "Mussolini Dux" (Mussolini leader), as well as more obscure memorials up and down the country. Italy has a complicated relationship with its fascist past, now under greater scrutiny as Giorgia Meloni, a hard-right politician with a teenage past as a Mussolini fan, was sworn in as prime minister last month. Reporting by Alvise Armellini; editing by Crispian Balmer and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Jamie Raskin: Trump thought he could enter the Capitol on January 6 'like Mussolini being carried on the shoulders of his supporters'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

He said Trump likely thought he would enter "like Mussolini being carried on the shoulders of his supporters." "I imagine that he thought that he would enter like Mussolini being carried on the shoulders of his supporters and enter the Capitol," Raskin said, likening Trump to the Italian fascist dictator. Raskin was speaking after Secret Service agent Robert Engel — who was with Trump during the riot — testified to the House panel on Thursday. Raskin added that Trump was "adamant that he be able to join the mob and approach and enter the Capitol with them." The House panel in October unanimously voted to subpoena Trump, following several hearings chock-full of damning testimony about the former president's conduct on January 6, 2021.

☆ 'Spirited' review: Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds try their hands (and feet) at musical comedy in 'A Christmas Carol' spoof
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —For those wondering who would build a giant holiday musical-comedy around Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds, the “produced by Will Ferrell” credit provides a helpful clue. “Spirited” tries turning “A Christmas Carol” on its head, and while it’s big and boisterous, the movie (hitting theaters before Apple TV+) isn’t consistently irreverent enough to feel like much more than a streaming stocking stuffer. Of course, playing with Charles Dickens’ oft-told tale brings a lot of shorthand to the proceedings, with Ferrell as the Ghost of Christmas Present, who stumbles upon Reynolds’ fast-talking Clint Briggs, a media consultant introduced trying to commoditize Christmas. Present identifies him as a candidate to become their next “perp,” offered a Scrooge-like shot at redemption. “Spirited” premieres November 11 in select US theaters and November 18 on Apple TV+.

☆ Italy's Meloni picks Nazi-armband lawmaker as junior minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Galeazzo Bignami, a lawmaker of the rightist Brothers of Italy party who sparked outrage in 2016 after a newspaper published a picture of him wearing a Nazi swastika on his left arm, was named junior infrastructure minister on Monday. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who personally announced Bignami's appointment at a news conference, is the leader of Brothers of Italy, a group which traces its roots to the post-fascist Italian Social Movement (MSI). He has long been part of the Italian hard-right but has spent part of his political career in former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's more moderate Forza Italia. Bignami will serve under the right-wing League party leader Matteo Salvini, who is the infrastructure minister and deputy prime minister. Reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Howard GollerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Key ministers in new Italian Meloni government
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

ROME, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government was sworn into office on Saturday. Here the profiles of some of the key figures:ECONOMY MINISTERGiancarlo Giorgetti, 55, is a veteran political wheeler-dealer viewed as a moderate and relatively pro-European member of his right-wing League party. He was not Prime Minister Meloni's first choice for the job. He held posts in centre-right governments led by Berlusconi and recently served as president of the influential parliamentary intelligence committee. Meloni insisted on him for the job, overcoming resistance from Berlusconi who wanted a Forza Italia member in the ministry.

☆ Italy's first female prime minister leads the most far-right government since the fascist era of Mussolini
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Giorgia Meloni has become Italy's first female Prime Minister. Her new government is set to be the most right-wing since the era of Benito Mussolini. She's previously said, "No to the violence of Islam, yes to safer borders, no to mass immigration." Her new government has already shown signs of political tensions, with the leader of the Forza party, former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, having left a note in public view at the opening of Parliament calling the new prime minister as overbearing, domineering, arrogant, and offensive, according to Politico. League leader Matteo Salvini, Meloni's other far-right ally, has also long been seen as a Putin admirer, reported the BBC.

☆ (OFFICIAL) Key ministers in new Italian government
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Italy's newly appointed Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks to the media following a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale Palace in Rome, Italy October 21, 2022. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneROME, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Giorgia Meloni's Italian government will be sworn in on Saturday at 10 a.m. (0800 GMT). Here the profiles of some of the key figures:ECONOMY MINISTERGiancarlo Giorgetti, 55, is a veteran political wheeler-dealer viewed as a moderate and relatively pro-European member of his right-wing League party. He was not Prime Minister Meloni's first choice for the job. Meloni insisted on him for the job, overcoming resistance from Berlusconi who wanted a Forza Italia member in the justice ministry.

ROME — Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian leader who recently returned to frontline politics, has reconnected with his old friend Russian President Vladimir Putin with an exchange of gifts and “sweet” letters over his recent birthday. “I reconnected with President Putin — a little bit, well a lot,” the 86-year-old reportedly said during a conversation with lawmakers from his center-right Forza Italia party, according to Italy’s LaPresse news agency which published the comments. Meloni needs the support of Forza Italia to keep its majority in the Senate and the lower house of parliament. ... Berlusconi who reconnects with the invader of Ukraine?”It’s not the first time Berlusconi has seemingly defended Putin with whom he has a long and friendly history. Later he backtracked, saying his words had been “oversimplified.”Berlusconi responded with a joke when asked about his latest comments by reporters, although his Forza Italia party tried to distance itself from the comments.

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