Italy's far-right Premier Meloni defies fears of harming democracy and clashing with the EU
When Giorgia Meloni took office a year ago as the first far-right premier in Italyโs post-war history, many in Europe worried about the prospect of the countryโs democratic backsliding and resistance to European Union rules.
Many of Italy's elite turn out for ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi's state funeral in Milan
Italyโs political, business and soccer elite bade farewell to former Premier Silvio Berlusconi with a state funeral inside Milanโs imposing Duomo cathedral.
Berlusconi's death leaves fate of his personal party, and Italy's government, in the balance
Silvio Berlusconiโs outsized hold on Italian political life over three decades had greatly diminished in recent years.
Former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi was also successful in soccer at AC Milan and Monza
Former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi dominated Italian soccer for decades just like he commanded the show in Italian politics.
Silvio Berlusconi, scandal-scarred former Italian leader, dies at 86
Silvio Berlusconi, the boastful billionaire media mogul who was Italyโs longest-serving premier despite scandals over his sex-fueled parties and allegations of corruption and bribery, has died at age 86.
Berlusconi readmitted to Italian hospital for planned medical checks
Silvio Berlusconi's doctors say the former Italian premier was admitted to a Milan hospital for planned medical checks related to his chronic leukemia.
Hospitalized Berlusconi makes first public statements
Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has made his first public statements since being hospitalized a month ago, delivering a video address from a Milan hospital to his Forza Italia political party.
Berlusconi's treatment for infection continues in hospital
The doctors caring for former Premier Silvio Berlusconi in a Milan hospital, where he is recovering from a lung infection, say his treatment continues now that he is out of intensive care.
Berlusconi's doctor says he's responding well to treatment
Silvio Berlusconiโs doctor, who is treating him for a lung infection, says the former Italian premier is responding well to treatment in an intensive care unit at a Milan hospital.
Berlusconi blames Ukraine war on Zelenskyy, chafes Meloni
Italian former Premier Silvio Berlusconi has once again put himself at odds with current Premier Giorgia Meloni by openly criticizing her for meeting with Ukraineโs leader, whom he blamed for the nearly year-old Russian invasion.
Thousands commemorate Italy's fascist dictator Mussolini
Several thousand black-clad fascist sympathizers chanted and sang in praise of Benito Mussolini as they marched to the slain Italian dictatorโs crypt Sunday, 100 years after Mussolini entered Rome and completed a bloodless coup that gave rise to two decades of fascist rule.
EXPLAINER: Is Meloni a far-right firebrand or moderate?
As Giorgia Meloni becomes Italyโs first female premier, the world is watching closely to see if she will emerge as a firebrand leader of a far-right party with neo-fascist roots or the more moderate right-wing politician who succeded in capturing 26% of the vote.
Italy's Meloni issues warning to Berlusconi over Putin ties
Italyโs presumed next premier, Giorgia Meloni, has issued a stark warning to Silvio Berlusconi that he risked losing influence in any new government over his friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He's back: Italy's Berlusconi wins Senate seat after tax ban
Italyโs former premier Silvio Berlusconi is making his return to Italyโs parliament nearly a decade after being banned from holding public office over a tax fraud conviction.
First female premier poised to take helm of Italy government
A party with neo-fascist roots has won the most votes in Italyโs national election, setting the stage for talks to form the countryโs first far right-led government since World War II, with Giorgia Meloni at the helm as Italyโs first female premier.
The politicians vying to lead Italy's next government
The main candidates in Italy's general election on Sunday to elect a new Parliament and determine who next governs the country include both familiar names and lesser-known ones.
Democrat Letta: Fear plays role in Italy's Brexit-like vote
With Italy's election looming, the main leader of the Italian center-left alliance says the gains of a Swedish populist party with neo-Nazi roots is one more indication that fear is driving the far-right's growth in Europe.
Yankees, LeBron James to invest in AC Milan soccer team
The New York Yankees are becoming a minority investor in Italian champion AC Milan, the second soccer team the baseball power will partially own after MLSโs New York City.
Italy's Meloni shocks opponents with alleged rape video
The far-right candidate who aspires to be Italyโs first female premier has come under fire from opponents for posting a pixelized video that purports to show a woman being raped by an asylum-seeker.
Far-right Italian leader Meloni rides popular wave in polls
Giorgia Meloni is riding a wave of popularity that next month could see her become Italyโs first female prime minister and its first far-right leader since World War II.
Italy's far-right Meloni on vote: I'm no danger to democracy
Italy's far-right leader Giorgia Meloni, who is leading in opinion polls ahead of next month's elections, is insisting she won't be a danger to democracy if she becomes the country's next premier.
Italy's president: Strong democracy crucial against fascism
Italy's president is urging Italians to reinvigorate their democracy as the country notes the 100th anniversary of an attack that paved Benito Mussolini's path to power.
EXPLAINER: Who gains or loses, what's next in Italy crisis
Italian Premier Mario Draghi's decision to turn in his resignation after his โunityโ coalition broke apart dramatically in Parliament was the latest step in a political crisis that could take months before a new government is solidly in place to lead the European Union's third-largest economy.
Italy heads to early election after Draghi's coalition fails
Italy is headed for an early election after its president accepted Premier Mario Draghiโs resignation and decided there was no possibility for cobbling together another government.
Italy enters into political uncertainty after 5-Stars balk
Italy is entering five days of political and financial uncertainty after the 5-Star Movement sparked a government crisis by withholding support on a government-sponsored bill.
Italy's Draghi meets with president amid 5-Star tensions
Italy's Premier Mario Draghi is meeting with Italyโs president to discuss the future of his government amid simmering tensions with a coalition member, the 5-Star Movement.
In wars cold and hot, the Moskva has sailed through history
The Russian warship now known as the Moskva began its life as the Slava, or โgloryโ in 1979 at the height of the Cold War in what was the Soviet republic of Ukraine.
Italy's president, 80, is recruited to stay on for 2nd term
Italian President Sergio Mattarella has been pulled away from his impending retirement and reelected to a second seven-year term as the countryโs head of state, ending days of political impasse as party leaders struggled to pick his successor.
![The Latest: Fauci says pandemic highlights racism's impact](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/jLJ82idYKQvG52WMpMf6W7FuTF0=/800x533/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65):fill(FFF)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/5IE7XKHUYBDQLJRL45BUBMIV4I.jpg)
The Latest: Fauci says pandemic highlights racism's impact
The immunologist who leads the COVID-19 response in the United States says โthe undeniable effects of racismโ have led to unacceptable health disparities that especially hurt African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans during the pandemic.
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Draghi takes helm in Italy, focused on pandemic recovery aid
Italian President Sergio Mattarella had tasked the former European Central Bank president with trying to form a government up to managing the the health, economic and social crises of the coronavirus pandemic. AdDraghiโs most-quoted words so far have been those uttered in 2012 when the euro-zone risked collapsing in a crisis of confidence and he vowed the European Central Bank would do โwhatever it takesโ to rescue the euro. The current head of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, tweeted her congratulations. Italy's health minister through the pandemic, Roberto Speranza, kept his post, the sole minister from a small left-wing party. ___This story has been corrected to show that employees applauded for Conte, not Draghi.
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Italy's Draghi wins support of 2 rival parties for new govt
Leader of the Five-Stars Movement Vito Crimi, 2nd from right, addresses the media at the Quirinale presidential palace in Rome Friday, Jan. 29, 2021. Draghi, 73, the former president of the European Central Bank completed a first round of talks with political parties this week. Another round is expected early next week on potential Cabinet ministers and a synthesis from Draghi of his vision for the new government. AdItaly's president tapped Draghi this week to form a government after the resignation of ex-Premier Giuseppe Conte, who lost support of a small but key coalition party. Salviniโs move to support Draghi puts him at odds with the far-right Brothers of Italy party and its leader, Giorgia Meloni.
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Italy's Conte: Draghi's new government should be political
Outgoing Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte waves as he leaves after meeting journalists outside Chigi palace Premier's office in Rome, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021. Draghi must rely on political support to pass measures aimed at helping Italy emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and revive its economy, already stagnant before being pummeled by lockdown measures. โI hope for a political government that is solid and has sufficient cohesion to be able to make political choices, because the urgencies of the country need political choices, they canโt be entrusted to technocrats,โ Conte said. Conte also pitched to two other parties from his unraveled coalition, the center-left Democrats and the leftist Free and Equal Party. His call for a political alliance appeared to indicate Conte intended to stay in politics, even while out of office.
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Draghi brings market savvy, gravitas to tame Italy's crises
FILE - In this Thursday, July 4, 2013 file photo, President of European Central Bank Mario Draghi smiles during a news conference in Frankfurt, Germany. Because it is Mario Draghi,โโ the deputy manager of the leading Milan Daily Corriere della Sera, Daniele Manca, said on Wednesday. He took a pragmatic approach during the financial crisis. Draghi joined the ECB as its third chief in 2011, just as Italy was engulfed in a debt crisis. The largely ceremonial role proves key in helping manage Italyโs all-too-frequent political crises, which require deft negotiations and unassailable knowledge of Italyโs constitution and institutions.
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Italy looks to 'Super Mario' Draghi to end political crisis
Former European Central Bank president Mario Draghi speaks to the media after accepting a mandate to form Italy's new government from Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Rome's Quirinale Presidential Palace, Wednesday Feb. 3, 2021. During his tenure at the European Central Bank, Draghi became known as โSuper Mario" for using new and sometimes unorthodox policy tools to solve the vexing debt crisis and other problems. โAs such, it will not vote in favor of a technical government headed by Mario Draghi,โ Crimi said in a statement. โIf they (the 5-Stars and the League) are going to somehow support Draghi then the government I think can be born," he said in an interview. โNow everyone of good will must welcome President Mattarella's appeal to support the government of Mario Draghi," he said Wednesday.
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Italian PM Conte works to cement majority after narrow vote
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte attends the debate at the Senate prior to a confidence vote, in Rome, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. With a reduced majority, Conte will have to cobble together support from outside the current coalition to pass legislation, including aid to help Italyโs pandemic-battered economy. Conteโs government on Tuesday survived what amounted to a confidence vote with a 156-to-140 win, with 16 abstentions. โThe numbers speak clearly,โ said Giorgia Melloni, head of the small but rising Brothers of Italy party. In the lower Chamber of Deputies, where the 16-month-old government holds a more comfortable margin, Conte won a first confidence vote on Monday.
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Italy's ex-premier Berlusconi in Monaco hospital for tests
FILE - In this Monday, Sept. 14, 2020 file photo, Silvio Berlusconi is flanked by his personal physician Alberto Zangrillo, left, as he talks to the media while leaving the San Raffaele hospital in Milan, Italy. Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi is hospitalized in the principality of Monaco for medical tests for heart problems, his press office confirmed on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. The 84-year-old three-time premier is expected to return home in a few days. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)MILAN โ Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has been hospitalized in the principality of Monaco to undergo medical tests for heart problems, his press office confirmed on Thursday. The 84-year-old three-time premier is expected to return home in a few days.
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Trump said to be improving but next 48 hours 'critical'
And yesterday with the team, while we were all here, he was not on oxygen,โ Conley said. Meadows himself had insisted Friday morning that Trump had only โmild symptoms" as the White House tried to project an image of normalcy. โPresident Trump remains in good spirits, has mild symptoms and has been working throughout the day,โ press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said late in the day on Friday. The first word that a close aide to Trump had been infected came from the media, not the White House. At the same time, the White House has been working to trace a flurry of new infections of close Trump aides and allies.
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Trump, stricken by COVID-19, flown to military hospital
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)WASHINGTON โ Stricken by COVID-19, a feverish and fatigued President Donald Trump was flown to a military hospital Friday night where he is being given Remdesivir therapy after being injected with an experimental drug combination in treatment at the White House. Also testing positive: Trumpโs campaign manager, Bill Stepien. โPresident Trump remains in good spirts, has mild symptoms, and has been working throughout the day,โ said press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Very early Friday, after returning from the Thursday afternoon New Jersey fundraiser, Trump stunningly tweeted, "Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Friday confirmed that the White House knew Hope Hicks, the aide, had tested positive before Trump attended the fundraiser.
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Berlusconi responding to virus drugs but in "delicate" phase
ROME Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi is responding optimally to COVID-19 treatment but is the most vulnerable type of patient and is in the most delicate phase of the virus, his personal doctor said Sunday. He checked into the San Raffaele hospital in Milan early Friday after testing positive for the virus earlier in the week. The patient is responding optimally to treatment," Zangrillo told reporters outside the hospital. Zangrillo suggested Berlusconi wouldn't be released anytime soon, recalling that the virus requires adequate treatment and takes its time.Berlusconi spent some of his summer vacation at his seaside villa on Sardinias Emerald Coast. To date, Berlusconi is believed to still be in a VIP ward of the clinic.
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The Latest: Beijing airport receives international flights
(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)BEIJING Beijings main international airport on Thursday began again receiving international flights from a limited number of countries considered at low risk of coronavirus infection. California State university at Chico also halted classes this week. State health officials are wary that festivities over the Labor Day holiday weekend could lead to renewed surges in COVID-19 infections. The number could be higher because some schools, including the states largest Georgia State University are not posting full reports publicly. ___PARIS New daily coronavirus cases in France have tipped above 7,000 for the second time in five days.
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Legacy of late Italian journalist stained by colonial past
Red paint and words in Italian reading racist", above, and "rapist are seen on a statue of late Italian journalist Indro Montanelli, who had acknowledged having had a 12-year-old Eritrean bride while stationed in the Italian colony in the 1930s, in a Milan park that bears his name, northern Italy, late Saturday, June 13, 2020. The statue of Montanelli has been a flashpoint in Italys Black Lives Matters protests, which have put renewed focus on Italys colonial past. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)MILAN Milans mayor on Sunday resisted calls to remove a statue from a public park of a late Italian journalist who had acknowledged having had a 12-year-old Eritrean bride during Italys colonial occupation in the 1930s. He was a great journalist, a journalist who fought for the liberty of the state, an independent journalist. She was a beautiful girl of 12 years, Montanelli told the 1969 talk show appearance, adding a smiling excuse me.
![AP Interview: Udinese and Watford owners wary of restart](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/pgCqsAdsZKtykk2ukbylYg5Ta30=/1600x1167/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-gmg.s3.amazonaws.com/public/OSELXNCDUZDMREOC5Y33ISD6J4.jpg)
AP Interview: Udinese and Watford owners wary of restart
He also asked Spadafora to lighten the responsibility of team physicians if players and club members get sick from the virus. They said to themselves, If something like that happens here, we would be responsible according to Italian law.WARY WATFORDPozzos family also owns English club Watford, which is opposing the Premier Leagues restart plans. Both Udinese and Watford are hovering just above their respective relegation zones. SUCCESS STORYThe Pozzos bought Watford in 2012 and quickly brought the club up from the second division to the Premier League. He attributed last seasons success and five straight campaigns in the Premier League partly to the familys strategy of sending players back and forth between Udinese and Watford, sometimes via loans.
![Trump court pick denounced feminists, gay-rights groups](https://sharedmedia.grahamdigital.com/photo/2019/08/22/Court%20generic%20gavel_1566511179345.jpg.jpg.jpg_22195213_ver1.0_1280_720.jpg)
Trump court pick denounced feminists, gay-rights groups
On Take Back the Night marchesWhile at Dartmouth, Menashi often covered Greek life and culture on campus for The Dartmouth Review. "For years, tony colleges have sneered at the military for worrying about open homosexuals in the ranks," Menashi wrote. Menashi wrote in December 1998, after the episode made national news, that no one carried toy guns and only one person sported an Afro. At the conclusion of the film, the white man breaks down crying from guilt," wrote Menashi. "Throughout the book contributors address the issue of cultural relativism, the most conspicuous example being the brouhaha surrounding Silvio Berlusconi's proclamation of the superiority of Western civilization over Islam," wrote Menashi.