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☆ Bus crash near Italian city of Venice kills at least 21 people, including Ukrainian tourists
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Firefighters work on the site of a bus accident on October 3, 2023 in Mestre, near Venice. A bus carrying foreign tourists including Ukrainians crashed near the Italian city of Venice when it fell from an elevated street Tuesday, killing at least 21 people and injuring 18 others, authorities said. Four of the injured were in serious condition following the accident in the Mestre borough, on the mainland opposite the historic old city of Venice, said Renato Boraso, a Venice city official. Boraso confirmed that some of the victims are Ukrainians, and said the bus was bringing tourists to a camping site. According to local media, the bus fell a few meters before crashing close to Mestre's railway tracks, where it caught fire.

Persons: Renato Boraso, Michele Di Bari, Boraso, Luigi Brugnaro, Giorgia Meloni Organizations: Venice Locations: Mestre, Venice

“This process is not behind schedule.”The July agreement included a pledge of 105 million euros ($110 million) earmarked for migration. As arrivals increased last month, the European Commission announced it would send an initial 127 million euros ($133 million) to Tunisia. Apart from migration, the bulk of the funds are contingent on Tunisia reaching agreement with the International Monetary Fund on stalled loan negotiations. In April, he called the terms “diktats from abroad.”Supporters, including Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, have hailed Europe's agreement with Tunisia as a regional model. Since taking power in 2019, Saied has repeatedly characterized sub-Saharan African migrants as violent and a threat to Tunisia.

Persons: Kais Saied, ” Saied, Saied, Marcus Cornaro, Saied's, “ We're, ”, Giorgia, ___ Sam Metz Organizations: —, Monday, European Union, TAP, EU, UNHCR, European Commission, International Monetary Fund, World Bank Locations: TUNIS, Tunisia, — Tunisia, Europe, Rome, Tunisian, Italy, North Africa, Italian, Germany, Europe’s, Rabat, Morocco, Georgia

In the latest of a long string of tremors, a 4.0-magnitude earthquake hit the region of Campi Flegrei (Phlegraean Fields) Monday. Experts at INGV have warned authorities and residents that tremors could intensify in the near future as seismic activity continues. However, they have clarified that the intensity of the tremors doesn’t imply an increased or imminent risk of a new eruption. The Campi Flegrei area extends west from the outskirts of Naples to the Tyrrhenian Sea. The city of Naples is surrounded by volcanoes on both sides: Campi Flegrei to the west, and Mount Vesuvius to the east.

Persons: INGV, ”, De Astis, “, Flegrei, Giorgia Meloni, Nello Musumeci, ” De Astis Organizations: ROME, National Institute of Geophysics, INGV, Associated Press, National Research Council Locations: Italian, Naples, Campi, Flegri, Europe, Pozzuoli, Vesuvius, Herculaneum, Southern Campania, –

☆ Italy pins hopes on new retail bond issue, following deficit hike
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Sara Rossi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Italy will launch its second BTP Valore bond reserved for retail investors on Monday as it seeks to boost domestic holdings of its debt. The Treasury attracted more than 18 billion euros in June for its debut "BTP Valore" issue, setting a fresh record for Italian retail bonds. According to several market sources, the new 5-year note -offering a 0.5% loyalty bonus - will attract orders worth around 10 billion euros ($10.56 billion). On Friday, the Italian 5-yr BTP bond yield stood at around 4.2% . Last month, Belgium raised a record 21.9 billion euros with a similar issue designed to compete with bank deposits.

Persons: J.P, Morgan, Antonio Cesarano, Giorgia Meloni, Sara Rossi, Gavin Jones Organizations: MILAN, Treasury, Global, Thomson Locations: Italy, Rome, Belgium

In its issuance programme for the fourth quarter released late on Friday the Treasury raised its estimate for gross debt issuance this year to 333 billion euros ($351.95 billion). That compared with its forecast of 310-320 billion euros made at the start of the year. Germany reduced its needs in the fourth quarter by 31 billion euros ($32.59 billion). The Treasury has so far covered around 80% of its 2023 gross funding needs, it estimated on Friday. For the fourth quarter, the Treasury estimated gross issuance of medium and long-term bonds at around 60 billion euros, with issuance net of redemptions seen at a negative 12 billion euros over the same period.

Persons: JP Morgan, Analysts, Italy –, Giorgia Meloni, Giuseppe Fonte, Gavin Jones Organizations: European Union, Treasury, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Italy, Rome, MILAN, ROME, Germany, Portugal, France, London

☆ Germany hits back at Elon Musk after he wades in on migrant debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Germany has hit back at Elon Musk after the billionaire businessman waded into the country’s debate on migration. Musk reshared a post on the platform X, formerly Twitter, that criticized German NGO operations in the Mediterranean for “unloading illegal immigrants” in Italy. The post also called for a victory for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the next elections. “There are currently 8 German NGO ships in the Mediterranean Sea collecting illegal immigrants to be unloaded in Italy. Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty ImagesMusk’s comments come with Berlin locked in a spat with Italy over NGO sea operations.

Persons: Elon Musk, waded, Musk, “, ” Musk, Odd Andersen, Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, Olaf Scholz, ”, ” Meloni Organizations: CNN, Elon, Radio Genoa ”, Foreign, Immigration Authority, Getty, Italian, ”, European Union Locations: Germany, Italy, Eisenhuttenstadt, Berlin, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Croatia, Slovenia, Valletta

☆ Italy plans 21-billion euro asset sell-off to keep debt in check
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Giuseppe Fonte | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Italy aims to raise at least 1% of gross domestic product (GDP), or roughly 21 billion euros ($22.2 billion), through asset sales between 2024 and 2026, the Treasury said in its Economic and Financial Document (DEF) published on Saturday. The plan is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's efforts to keep in check the euro zone's second-largest debt pile as a proportion of GDP, while investors keep a close eye on Rome's creaking public finances. The new targets factor in the proceeds of asset disposals expected in the next three years, the DEF said, showing that without the sell-off plans the debt burden would probably rise. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said in the document that the stake sales would involve companies that are subject to privatisation commitments already agreed with the European Commission. This is a reference to bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) (BMPS.MI), which was bailed-out in 2017 at a cost of 5.4 billion euros for taxpayers.

Persons: Giorgia, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Giorgetti, Giuseppe Conte, Giuseppe Fonte, Helen Popper Our Organizations: Treasury, Economy, European Commission, Monte, Thomson Locations: Italy, Siena

☆ Elon Musk attacked German support for migrants and promoted a call to support a far-right extremist political party
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Germany has responded to an attack from Elon Musk, saying it's "saving lives" by helping migrants. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAdvertisementElon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, attacked Germany's center-left governing coalition for supporting migrants on Friday and boosted a call for the German people to support a far-right extremist party instead. In the post shared by Musk, the account lamented the presence of humanitarian groups in the Mediterranean Sea that rescue migrants from distressed vessels. AdvertisementAdvertisementGermany alone has accepted more than 6 million migrants since 2013, many having arrived by sea from countries such as Libya and Turkey.

Persons: Elon Musk, —, Germany's, Giorgia Meloni, Olaf Sholz —, Musk, Der Spiegel, Chancellor Sholz's, Lukas Kaldenhoff, Kaldenhoff, Musk's, Tony Gonazales Organizations: Service, SpaceX, UN, DW, Social Democrat Party, United Nations, European Union, SOS, SOS Humanity, Republican Party, White House, Republican Locations: Germany, Europe, Berlin, Italy's, Nazi, Nazi Germany, Africa, Italy, Libya, Turkey, South Africa, Russia, Ukraine, Starlink, Kyiv, United States, Eagle, , Texas, Mexico

☆ Donatella Versace slams Italian government’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Marianna Cerini | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Milan CNN —Just days after Milan Fashion Week, Donatella Versace is making headlines not for her — albeit well-received — Spring-Summer 2024 collection but for her stance on the Italian government’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies. Our government is set on taking away the rights of individuals to live as they wish,” Versace said. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s far-right-led coalition has pushed for ongoing measures to restrict LGBTQ rights. Many Italians are with us.”Versace, however, has long been a vocal advocate for gay rights. During her speech on Sunday, the designer recalled her late brother Gianni Versace coming out to her as gay when she was 11 years old.

Persons: Milan, Milan CNN —, Donatella Versace, Giorgia Meloni’s, Versace, ” Versace, Meloni’s, Andrzej Iwanczuk, Alessandro Zan, Zan, Donatella Versace’s, ”, ” Gabriele Piazzoni, “ Versace, Giorgia, ” Fabrizio Marrazzo, “ She’s, hasn’t, “, Marrazzo, Gianni Versace Organizations: Milan CNN, Milan, Catholic, CNN, Italy’s Gay Party, Capri Holdings, Versace Foundation Locations: Milan, Italy, Padua, Italian

☆ EU talks migration as Italy, Germany worry over increased arrivals
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] An Italian Coast Guard vessel carrying migrants rescued at sea passes near a tourist boat, on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 18, 2023. REUTERS/Yara Nardi Acquire Licensing Rightsサマリー Higher arrivals, looming elections put migration high on agendaFocus on whether Berlin backs proposed new EU 'crisis mechanism'Some propose Egypt for next migration deal after TunisiaBRUSSELS, Sept 28 (Reuters) - The European Union's migration ministers meet in Brussels on Thursday to discuss how to handle migrants arriving by sea as Italy and Germany worry over increased immigration, with Berlin launching border controls inside Europe's zone of open travel. "There is a lot of unrest in (the) direct neighbourhood of Europe," said one senior EU diplomat. The EU has been pushing tougher anti-immigration policies since more than a million people reached its southern shores in 2015, catching the bloc by surprise and overwhelming security and reception capacities in countries including Italy. The 27-member governments have since struggled to modernise their shared asylum and migration rules - including the "crisis mechanism" - especially as they want to look in control for their voters ahead of a pan-EU parliamentary election in 2024.

Persons: Yara, Giorgia Meloni, Nancy Faeser, Faeser, Gabriela Baczynska, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Italian Coast Guard, REUTERS, Berlin, Italy's, EU Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Egypt, Tunisia BRUSSELS, Brussels, Germany, Berlin, Tunisia, Europe, EU, Poland, Czech Republic, Bavaria, East, Africa, Asia

☆ Italy’s fiscal weakness toughens its green plight
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni looks on, on the day of the state funeral of the former Italian President and senator, Giorgio Napolitano in Rome, Italy, September 26, 2023. Rome also cut its GDP forecasts to 0.8% and 1.2% over the next two years, from 1% and 1.5% before. The ballooning deficit is chiefly a result of ill-fated renovation incentives introduced by previous governments and amounting to some 140 billion euros, or 7% of Italy’s GDP. Record-high euro zone interest rates are also increasing the cost of servicing Italy’s mammoth debt, seen at 140% of GDP by year-end. The risk is that Rome's green transition becomes a victim of its fiscal challenges.

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, Giorgio Napolitano, Yara, Europe’s, Lisa Jucca, ’, quagmire, Neil Unmack, Streisand Neto Organizations: Italian, REUTERS, Reuters, X, Thomson Locations: Italian, Rome, Italy, Ukraine

The Treasury will issue new economic targets on Wednesday providing the framework for a budget in which Meloni will attempt to keep her tax-cutting promises while also lowering the fiscal deficit. "This budget is Meloni's first real economic test since she came to power last October," said Tim Jones, euro zone analyst for market consultancy firm Medley Advisors. Meloni has much less room for manoeuvre than when she hiked deficit targets in her first budget a year ago. Episodes targeting airlines and investors in Italy's 307- billion-euro ($326.74 billion) bad loan market have followed a similar pattern. Meloni subsequently said no measures were planned regarding non-performing loans, but her party's proposal is still before parliament and uncertainty persists.

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, Tim Jones, she's, Morgan Stanley, Reuters.G Rome, Roberto Perotti, Meloni's, Valentina Za, Francesco Canepa, Giuseppe Fonte, Sara Rossi, Gianluca Semeraro, Ed Osmond, Giselda Organizations: Treasury, Advisors, European Central Bank, Reuters, Ryanair, Milan's, Bank of, ECB, Thomson Locations: ROME, Italy, Greece, Rome, Italian, Italy's, Brussels, EU, Milan

☆ Meloni’s Italian job is a lesson for EU’s right
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

This is particularly true of Meloni’s surprise decision in August to tax what she called “unjust profits” by domestic banks. Ill-fated tax credits for building renovations introduced by a previous executive are expected to balloon to up to 150 billion euros, UniCredit analysts reckon. That’s 30 billion euros higher than what the current government predicted in April, or around 1.5% of GDP. That’s Meloni’s biggest Italian lesson for parties like Vox and AfD. CONTEXT NEWSThe Italian Treasury will present new economic targets on Sept. 28, which will be the framework for the country’s 2024 budget.

Persons: Spain’s, Benito Mussolini’s “, Rome ”, Ursula von der Leyen, Meloni, Vladimir Putin, –, Silvio Berlusconi, Matteo Salvini – Meloni, ”, Mario Draghi’s, it’s, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Liz Truss, Meloni’s, Vox, Giorgia Meloni, Francesco Guerrera, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, NATO, European Union, EU, Commission, Economy, Italian Treasury, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, Ukraine, Kyiv, China, Greece, Brussels, British, Italian

☆ Italy to raise 2024 deficit goal to 4.1%-4.3% of GDP, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Giuseppe Fonte | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Italy's government plans to raise its 2024 budget deficit target to between 4.1% and 4.3% of gross domestic product (GDP), up from the 3.7% goal set in April, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday. The fiscal gap next year is, however, seen below 4% of GDP under current trends. That allows leeway worth several billion euros which will help Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to fund measures in the upcoming 2024 budget. Italy is also preparing to raise this year's budget deficit above the current target of 4.5% of GDP due to the growing impact of costly fiscal incentives for home improvements. Separate sources last week said the updated 2023 goal would be in the region of 5.5% as a proportion of GDP.

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, Chris Reese, Mark Potter Organizations: Reuters, European Central Bank, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Italy

☆ Explainer: What's at stake in Telecom Italia grid deal?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TIM is selling NetCo, a venture comprising both TIM's domestic fixed-access network and international wholesale telecoms operator Sparkle. TIM's landline network covers nearly 89% of the country's households and its fibre cable stretches over 23 million kilometres across the country. Beyond TIM's grid, a second major network is being rolled out by Open Fiber, a company controlled by CDP and Australian investment group Macquarie. There had long been talks of trying to combine TIM's network with Open Fiber but competition concerns have hampered such a deal so far. With its 24% voting stake, Vivendi could throw a spanner in the works at any TIM shareholder meeting to vote on a deal or challenge it in the courts.

Persons: Yara, Pietro Labriola's, Giorgia, Elvira Pollina, Keith Weir, Anil D'Silva Organizations: REUTERS, KKR, Italian Treasury, Telecom Italia's, TIM, WHO, Vivendi, Treasury, Trade, Macquarie, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy

☆ Italy criticises Germany for funding migrant charity groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A woman reacts, as she disembarks from a vessel after being rescued at sea, on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 18, 2023. The review of the applications has already been completed in two cases," the spokesperson told Reuters, saying the funding amounted to between 400,000 and 800,000 euros ($426,000-$852,160) for each project. Latest interior ministry data shows over 132,000 migrants have reached Italy by boat so far this year against around 69,000 in the same period of 2022. On Saturday, charity SOS Humanity said in a statement it would receive around 790,000 euros from the German government. ($1 = 0.9388 euros)Reporting by Angelo Amante in Rome and Friederike Heine in Berlin; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatarsieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yara, Guido Crosetto, Italy's Crosetto, Berlin, Giorgia Meloni's, Angelo Amante, Friederike Heine, Emelia Sithole Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, La, SOS Humanity, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Rome, La Stampa, Berlin

ROME, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Italy plans to revisit its contested windfall tax on banks by giving lenders the option to boost their reserve buffers instead of paying the levy, a draft amendment seen by Reuters showed on Saturday. Bank shares tumbled before the economy ministry clarified that it would not collect more than 0.1% of lenders' total assets. More importantly, instead of paying the tax, banks can boost their non-distributable reserves by earmarking an amount equivalent to two and a half times the levy. Such an option is expected to exempt cooperative banks from the tax, as they usually put aside a large part of their profits as reserves. In the current version, the tax would apply if NIM grows by 5% in 2022 and 10% in 2023 from 2021 levels.

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, NIM, Jan Harvey Organizations: Reuters, European Central Bank, Bank, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Italy, Rome, Frankfurt

☆ Germany's Baerbock joins chorus criticizing EU migration deal with Tunisia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Migrants rescued at sea walk after disembarking from a vessel, on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 18, 2023. "Democracy, human rights and the rule of law must guide us in our cooperation - something that was not given suitable consideration, in the agreement with Tunisia," she wrote. "The MoU (memorandum of understanding) with Tunisia cannot become a template for further agreements," she added. 'SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AND ABUSES'Asked to comment on the letters, a European Commission spokeswoman said the EU executive consulted member states enough. On Friday, the EC announced 60 million euros ($64 million) in support for the Tunisian budget and a further 67 million euros ($71 million) in assistance on migration.

Persons: Yara, Annalena Baerbock, Kais, Giorgia Meloni, Baerbock, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Oliver Varhelyi, Viktor Orban, Meloni, Gabriela Baczynska, Howard Goller Organizations: Migrants, REUTERS, UNITED, EU, Commission, Reuters, European Commission, EC, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Germany, EU, Tunisia, Netherlands, Tunis, Africa, Egypt, Hungary, East, Geneva, Ukraine

☆ Former Italian president Napolitano dies aged 98
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Former Italian President and senator Giorgio Napolitano speaks following a talk with Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, Italy, April 13, 2018. REUTERS/Tony Gentile/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Former Italian president Giorgio Napolitano, a onetime communist who helped to steer his country through a debt crisis in 2011, died on Friday aged 98. Condolences poured in from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office, other politicians, the Vatican and beyond. Napolitano became president in 2006 and was elected for an unprecedented second seven-year term in 2013. Reporting by Angelo Amante; writing by Keith Weir and Angelo Amante Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Giorgio Napolitano, Sergio Mattarella, Tony Gentile, Giorgia, Pope Francis, Napolitano's, Clio Bittoni, Napolitano, Pope Benedict XVI, Francis, Mario Monti, Silvio Berlusconi, Enrico Letta, Angelo Amante, Keith Weir, Gareth Jones Organizations: Italian, REUTERS, Rights, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, Italian

☆ KKR asks Telecom Italia to extend deadline for grid bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Tim logo is seen at its headquarters in Rome, Italy November 22, 2021. REUTERS/Yara Nardi Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Sept 22 (Reuters) - U.S. fund KKR (KKR.N) has asked Telecom Italia (TIM) to push back a Sept. 30 deadline to submit a multi-billion euro binding offer for the phone group's landline network until Oct.15, TIM said on Friday. TIM's board will review the request at a meeting on Sept. 27, the company said in a statement. The U.S. fund's preliminary bid valued the business -- dubbed NetCo -- at around 23 billion euros ($24.5 billion)including debt and taking into account a number of variables. ($1 = 0.9404 euros)Reporting by Elvira Pollina, editing by Alvise ArmelliniOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yara, TIM's, Giorgia, Elvira Pollina, Alvise Organizations: REUTERS, KKR, Telecom Italia, TIM, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, U.S

☆ Asylum Seekers in Italy Told to Pay to Avoid Detention
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Crispian BalmerROME (Reuters) - Asylum seekers in Italy will have to pay 4,938 euros ($5,259) to avoid detention while their request for protection is being processed, the government said on Friday, in a measure apparently aimed at deterring migrants. At present migrants to Italy who apply for asylum are free to move within the country while their application is reviewed, but the government decree published on Friday said they would have to pay a type of bail to stave off the threat of detention. "They are looking to make detention for migrants the norm, but it is hard to see how they can do that," she told Reuters. At present there are 10 repatriation centres in Italy, which have a current capacity of just 619. In 2022 Italy reviewed 52,625 asylum requests, rejecting 53.5% of them, according to official data.

Persons: Crispian Balmer ROME, Giorgia Meloni's, Anna Brambilla, Meloni, Luca Zaia, Crispian Balmer, Alex Richardson Organizations: Association, Immigration, Reuters, League Locations: Italy, Veneto, Rome, Africa, Europe

☆ Asylum seekers in Italy told to pay to avoid detention
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] An Italian Coast Guard vessel carrying migrants rescued at sea passes between tourist boats, on Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 18, 2023. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Asylum seekers in Italy will have to pay 4,938 euros ($5,259) to avoid detention while their request for protection is being processed, the government said on Friday, in a measure apparently aimed at deterring migrants. "They are looking to make detention for migrants the norm, but it is hard to see how they can do that," she told Reuters. At present there are 10 repatriation centres in Italy, which have a current capacity of just 619. In 2022 Italy reviewed 52,625 asylum requests, rejecting 53.5% of them, according to official data.

Persons: Yara, Giorgia Meloni's, Anna Brambilla, Meloni, Luca Zaia, Crispian Balmer, Alex Richardson Organizations: Italian Coast Guard, REUTERS, Rights, Association, Immigration, Reuters, League, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Veneto, Rome, Africa, Europe

☆ Conservative women leaders make their entrance at the UN General Assembly
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Stephanie Fillion | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

United Nations CNN —When Jacinda Ardern brought her baby Neve to the United Nations for the 2018 General Assembly, then-New Zealand Prime Minister became an emblematic figure of modern women in politics. But women attending the annual top rendezvous of diplomacy have remained a minority, and the UN General Assembly this year is no different. “This perpetuates the cycle,” Susana Malcorra, a former foreign minister of Argentina and president of Global Women Leaders Voices, said. Of course, not all the women leaders attending UNGA are on the far side of the political spectrum. It was Čaputová’s last General Assembly as president of her country, as she announced a few months ago she won’t seek reelection in 2024 for personal reasons.

Persons: Jacinda Ardern, Neve, ” Susana Malcorra, Katalin Novak, Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, “ Meloni, ” Richard Gowan, Katalin Novák, Viktor Orbán, it’s, Novák, Orban, Novak, ”, Mike Segar, Dina Boluarte, Peru’s, Pedro Castillo, Boluarte, UNGA, Zuzana, Maia Sandu, Nataša Pirc Musar, –, Sheikh Hasina, Mia Mottley, Bob Marley, Xiomara Castro, Ursula von der Leyen, Kristalina Georgieva, Ngozi, Natalie Portman Organizations: United Nations CNN, United Nations, Zealand, UN, Assembly, Global, Italian, Ukraine, Crisis, United Nations Security Council, Reuters, Security Council, Slovenia, Big Apple, European Commission, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization Locations: New York, Argentina, Italy, Ukraine, Slovakia, Moldova, Barbados, New York City, Honduras

☆ Germany's Baerbock Joins Chorus Criticizing EU Migration Deal With Tunisia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Gabriela BaczynskaUNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock joined a growing chorus of critics of the European Union's new migration deal with Tunisia, saying human rights and procedural faults ruled it out as a blueprint for the future. Her letter to the EU executive European Commission highlights the EU's inner conflict between those pursuing ever-tougher policies to stop illegal immigration and others who emphasize humanitarian considerations and labor market gaps. But in her letter dated Aug. 2, Baerbock expressed "incomprehension" at what she said were insufficient consultations with other countries in the 27-nation bloc. 'SERIOUS VIOLATIONS AND ABUSES'Asked to comment on the letters, a European Commission spokeswoman said the EU executive consulted member states enough. On Friday, the EC announced 60 million euros ($64 million) in support for the Tunisian budget and a further 67 million euros ($71 million) in assistance on migration.

Persons: Gabriela Baczynska, Annalena Baerbock, Kais, Giorgia Meloni, Baerbock, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Oliver Varhelyi, Viktor Orban, Meloni, Howard Goller Organizations: Gabriela Baczynska UNITED NATIONS, Reuters, EU, Commission, European Commission, EC, Human Rights Locations: Tunisia, Italy, Netherlands, EU, Tunis, Africa, Egypt, Hungary, East, Geneva, Ukraine

☆ Italy sees 2023 budget deficit overshoot at around 5.5% of GDP, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Giuseppe Fonte | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reacts at a news conference for her government's first budget in Rome, Italy November 22, 2022. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Italy sees its 2023 budget deficit overshooting at around 5.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) from the current 4.5% target, sources told Reuters, pushed up by high interest rates and accounting adjustments regarding costly tax credits. The 3.7% target currently established for next year's fiscal gap is also set to be revised upwards, two sources close to the matter said. However, national statistics bureau ISTAT said any revisions to GDP data for the first and second quarter of this year are likely to be no more than marginal. Italy will unveil its new economic projections next week in the Treasury's annual Economic and Financial Document (DEF).

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, Remo Casilli, Giorgia, Gavin Jones, Toby Chopra Organizations: Italian, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Eurostat, Treasury, ISTAT, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy

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