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☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ The party's over for illegal raves, Italy's new government says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Italy's new right-wing government signalled on Monday it would crack down on unlicensed rave parties, with organisers risking jail terms of up to six years for staging such events. Under proposals agreed by her government, those behind such parties could in future face between three and six years in jail, and would have the equipment used at the raves confiscated. "Happy Halloween to everyone, apart from those from half of Europe who came to cause chaos in Modena in Italy with an illegal rave party," said Matteo Salvini, leader of the League party on Twitter. The League is part of Meloni's coalition, which extends to her hard-right Brothers of Italy party and the mainstream conservative Forza Italia of ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi. ($1 = 1.0118 euros)Reporting by Angelo Amante; Writing by Keith Weir; Editing by Alvise Armellini and Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 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.

☆ Monza's Mari discharged from hospital after supermarket stabbing
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 30 (Reuters) - Serie A soccer player Pablo Mari has been discharged from hospital after he was stabbed in an attack in an Italian supermarket earlier this week, his club Monza said on Sunday. Mari faces at least two months out of the game after an operation on Friday for stab wounds. Milan's Niguarda hospital said its trauma team had reconstructed two muscles in the back of the 29-year-old Spanish centre-back, who is on loan at Monza from Premier League club Arsenal. "Pablo Mari was discharged from the hospital this morning, returned home and now begins a period of absolute rest," the club said in a statement, also thanking the staff at the hospital. Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Only way to peace is helping Ukraine fight, Italy's PM says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The only way to facilitate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is helping Kyiv to defend itself militarily, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told parliament on Wednesday. "Peace can be achieved by supporting Ukraine ... it is the only chance we have for the two sides to negotiate," Meloni told the Senate ahead of a confidence vote on her newly appointed rightist government. Meloni has repeatedly pledged support to Kyiv, while her coalition allies Silvio Berlusconi and Matteo Salvini have been much more ambivalent on the issue due to their historic ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meloni said that while the arms Italy supplies to Ukraine are not decisive for the outcome of the war, they are vital for Italy to maintain its international credibility. Reporting by Angelo Amante, editing by Gavin JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"Anyone who believes it is possible to trade Ukraine's freedom for our peace of mind is mistaken," Meloni said. The government is Italy's most right-wing administration since World War Two and former close ties between Moscow and both Berlusconi and Salvini have raised concerns over its foreign policy. Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani attend the lower house of parliament ahead of a confidence vote for the new government, in Rome, Italy, October 25, 2022. Meloni's supporters gave her a standing ovation after her 70-minute speech, with some chanting: "Giorgia, Giorgia". A similar ballot is expected in the upper house Senate on Wednesday, where Meloni also enjoys a clear majority.

☆ Italy’s new boss is missing a trick on tax evasion
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A proper fight against endemic tax evasion would give her much-needed ammunition. Meanwhile, plans to allow Italians to retire earlier would likely cost more than 10 billion euros annually. She could target untaxed domestic revenue, which amounted to 100 billion euros in 2019. A serious effort to tackle tax evasion would materially help her fiscal position. The approach offers upfront windfalls but does not discourage tax evasion in the long term.

☆ Far-right leader Giorgia Meloni sworn in as Italy's first female prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Giorgia Meloni was sworn in as Italy’s first woman prime minister on Saturday alongside her cabinet team, giving the country its most right-wing government since World War II. Meloni, head of the nationalist Brothers of Italy, swept to victory in an election last month as part of a coalition that included Forza Italia, led by former premier Silvio Berlusconi, and Matteo Salvini’s League. “I swear to be faithful to the republic,” the 45-year-old Meloni said under the crystal chandeliers of a frescoed chamber, before shaking hands with President Sergio Mattarella. Her government, the 12th this century, replaces a national unity administration led by former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi. After days of often tense, behind-the-scenes talks, Meloni unveiled her team on Friday, giving five ministries each to her junior partners, the League and Forza Italia, while reserving nine cabinet posts for her own party.

☆ 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.

☆ Italy's Meloni sworn in at head of right-wing government
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Italy's newly elected Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reacts during the swearing-in ceremony at the Quirinale Presidential Palace, in Rome, Italy October 22, 2022. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneROME, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Giorgia Meloni was sworn in as Italy's first woman prime minister on Saturday alongside her cabinet team, giving the country its most right-wing government since World War Two. Meloni, head of the nationalist Brothers of Italy, swept to victory in an election last month as part of a coalition that included Forza Italia, led by former premier Silvio Berlusconi, and Matteo Salvini's League. "I swear to be faithful to the republic," the 45-year-old Meloni said under the crystal chandeliers of a frescoed chamber, before shaking hands with President Sergio Mattarella. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Crispian Balmer and Angelo Amante; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy's far-right leader Giorgia Meloni forms new government
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A presidential palace official announced that Ms Meloni and her Cabinet would be sworn in on Saturday. Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, a party with neo-fascist roots, secured the most votes in Italy’s national election last month. Meloni made no public comments before leaving the Quirinal presidential palace. Giorgia Meloni, center, leaves the Quirinale Presidential Palace in Rome on Friday. Berlusconi and Salvini are long-time admirers of Russian President Vladimir Putin; Meloni staunchly backs Ukraine in its defence against the Russian invasion.

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