Italy resumes migrant transfers to Albania as navy vessel heads to centers with 49 people

ROME — Italian navy vessel Cassiopea has embarked 49 migrants during its patrols in the Mediterranean and is transferring them to new processing centers in Albania, the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Sunday. This is the third attempt to process adult male migrants in Albania after the first two transfers under a controversial […]

Continue Reading

Italian bank Monte dei Paschi launches 13 billion euro takeover bid for peer Mediobanca

ROME — Italian bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena announced Friday it was launching a 13.3 billion euro ($13.9 billion) takeover bid for larger peer Mediobanca in a surprise move that could reshape the country’s banking sector. The offer values shares in investment bank Mediobanca at 15.99 euros each, a 5% premium on their closing […]

Continue Reading

Italy’s Meloni to leverage strong ties with Trump — but as president whisperer or Trojan horse?

ROME — After forging unexpectedly fond ties with U.S. President Joe Biden, Italy’s right-wing Premier Giorgia Meloni is poised to leverage a more natural alliance with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump that positions her as a key interlocutor between the U.S. and Europe. Weeks before his inauguration, Meloni met Trump at his Mar-a-Lago retreat, a visit […]

Continue Reading

Italy’s justice minister seeks to revoke the arrest of an Iranian based on a US warrant

ROME — Italy’s justice minister has asked an appeals court to revoke the arrest of an Iranian citizen wanted by the U.S. over a drone attack in Jordan that killed three Americans a year ago. Mohammad Abedini is scheduled to appear at a Milan court on Wednesday in connection with his bid for house arrest […]

Continue Reading

Meloni says Italy is exploring deals on telecoms security, but denies private talks with Musk

ROME — Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni said Thursday that her government is in talks with several private companies, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX, over the country’s telecoms security system, but denied having discussed the issue privately with Musk. “I never talked about this with Musk. It’s not my habit to use my public role to do […]

Continue Reading

Italian journalist Cecilia Sala detained by police while reporting in Iran

ROME — An Italian journalist who was reporting in Tehran has been detained by the Iranian police, Italy’s foreign ministry said in a statement Friday. Cecilia Sala was reporting in the Iranian capital when she was detained on Dec. 19, the ministry said, adding that it was working with Iranian authorities “to clarify the legal […]

Continue Reading

Italy’s privacy watchdog fines OpenAI for ChatGPT’s violations in collecting users personal data

ROME — Italy’s data protection watchdog said Friday it has fined OpenAI 15 million euros ($15.6 million) after wrapping up a probe into the collection of personal data by the U.S. artificial intelligence company’s popular chatbot ChatGPT. The country’s privacy watchdog, known as Garante, said its investigation showed that OpenAI processed users’ personal data to […]

Continue Reading

Europe’s anti-torture watchdog slams Italy over migrant detention abuses

ROME — The Council of Europe’s anti-torture committee on Friday released a report criticizing Italy’s treatment of migrants in local detention centers, citing cases of physical ill-treatment, excessive force and the use of psychotropic drugs on detainees. The report by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) follows an April visit to four […]

Continue Reading

Pope Francis calls for investigation to determine if Israel’s attacks in Gaza constitute ‘genocide’

ROME — ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has called for an investigation to determine if Israel’s attacks in Gaza constitute genocide, according to excerpts released Sunday from an upcoming new book ahead of the pontiff’s jubilee year. It’s the first time that Francis has openly urged for an investigation of genocide allegations over Israel’s actions […]

Continue Reading

Police clash with students in Turin as anti-government rallies draw support across Italy

ROME — At least 15 police officers were taken to hospital on Friday following clashes in Turin with students protesting against Italy’s far-right government of Giorgia Meloni. The demonstration in the northern Italian city was one of several held across the country, including in Rome and Milan, on what the organizers dubbed “No Meloni Day.” […]

Continue Reading