Italy to host 2027 America's Cup in Naples: PM
Three-times defending champions New Zealand said in March they would no longer seek to host the next edition, citing a lack of economic support from the government.
"The choice of Italy is a choice that makes us proud, because it is a recognition of the very identity of our nation. Without the sea, in fact, we would not be what we are," Meloni said in a statement on Thursday.
"We look forward to welcoming the America's Cup. Italy will rise to this challenge and show the world once again what it is capable of."
New Zealand retained the title by winning the 37th America's Cup in Barcelona last October over Britain for their fifth triumph.
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Sky News AU
5 days ago
- Sky News AU
Meloni. Trump brutally clash with Macron over recognition of Palestinian state
European leaders are divided over Palestine. Yes, Italy's Giorgia Meloni and France's Emmanuel Macron have clashed over their opinions on Palestine's statehood.
Perth Now
23-07-2025
- Perth Now
City of Fremantle pitch to celebrate Dockers success
The Fremantle Dockers' purple patch of form has already got the City of Fremantle looking at how it will celebrate if they make the finals. Fans' hopes of the Dockers making September AFL finals action took a boost last weekend with the team's sensational one-point win over ladder leaders Collingwood in Melbourne. Fremantle council now has its eyes on finals glory and has asked city staff to formalise celebrating the Dockers' participation in the AFL and AFLW finals series and grand final as part of its draft economic strategy 2025-2030. Past celebrations of the AFL Dockers making the finals included painting the median of the cappuccino strip purple, live-streaming the game on a big screen outdoors and painting the Fremantle Football Club's logo on the grass slope of the Walyalup Civic Centre. City of Fremantle workers painting part of South Terrace purple ahead of the Dockers' apperance in a preliminary final. Credit: City of Fremantle The council now wants to formalise its recognition of sporting achievements but it will be tight timing this September for any Dockers' celebrations, which will be planned only once it is confirmed they will be seeing finals action. The city will also look at how it can broaden the idea to celebrate significant achievements by other sportspeople or clubs with a Fremantle connection. Past events the council has tried to align with have included a Leeds United exhibition match, the Women's Soccer World Cup and the anniversary of Australia's America's Cup win. The push to do more has been led by Cr Adin Lang, who admitted he might be counting his chickens this year but Freo fans had asked why the city had not celebrated previous Dockers' finals campaigns. As well as a bit of fun, he said it could also provide a boost for the local economy. 'When we first painted the cappuccino strip and as energy grew, so did the support around town and a lot of businesses got involved,' Cr Lang said at last month's council meeting. 'A lot of shopfronts were purple and there was streamers and balloons everywhere. The festivities I thought really showed we were behind the team and it's a low-cost economic driver to bring people to Fremantle. 'A couple of years back when we were last in finals it was, 'what are we going to do, when are we going to do it' and we painted the embankment here of the building. 'Celebrations are a bit ad hoc and there's definitely a community drive or want for something a bit more formalised.' News. Crowds gather at The Federal Hotel in Fremantle to watch the AFL semi final match between the Collingwood Magpies and Fremantle Dockers. Fans applaud David Mundy after the final siren in his last game. Credit: Jackson Flindell / The West Australian As well as the potential economic boost, Cr Geoff Graham said public displays of support could galvanise the Dockers. 'The Dockers will think 'crikey, the bloody City of Fremantle is right behind us, we've got to perform better and perform for the people of Fremantle',' he said. 'I know they're trying their guts out every week but little things like this can help the morale of the side and the morale of the club and the morale of the supporters, and there's no better place to do it than in Fremantle. 'Not saying that the Dockers are going to make the grand final but it doesn't matter whether they make the grand final or just the first round, it's still something that we should celebrate.' Mayor Hannah Firzhardinge said she was now 'petrified' the Dockers would now lose the rest of their games, 'as they did the last time we bought any purple paint'. Freo's Cappuccino Strip. Credit: unknown / johnnzoz/instagram 'But I shall trust that that is superstition, not logic, and that they're doing very, very well, so fingers crossed,' she said. Cr Graham said other achievements that could be celebrated include Minjee Lee's victory last month at the PGA Championship. The win brought her number of major titles to three, which Cr Graham said put her in the 'echelon of golfing'. He said although she went to school in Rossmoyne, she was part of the Royal Fremantle Golf Club. 'You don't get anything bigger than what she's done,' he said. 'The Royal Fremantle Golf Club is actually in Central ward; people aren't aware of that, so it is part of Fremantle so therefore we can claim her.' Ms Fitzhardinge said Madeira in Portugal had recognised the achievements of soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo by erecting a statue of him. 'One part of its anatomy is shinier than all the rest because people believe it's good luck to touch Ronaldo, which was a little disturbing,' she said. 'I'm not sure we need any giant statues but it is an interesting thing to consider.' Cr Jemima Williamson-Wong said it had been suggested the city have a purple fountain. 'I don't know where we would put such a purple fountain but I guess this report will tell us if that is economically viable and smart,' she said. Cr Andrew Sullivan said the strategy would enable the city to put activities and events into place quickly. 'What we realistically need to be able to achieve in this festival city, this city that likes to celebrate and likes to have activities going on in the street and in the venues and the like, is the capacity to always be able to relatively quickly or over a long period of time put on a show,' he said. 'What I hope that comes from this is a really clear strategy . . . for how to make sure that we can virtually flick a switch to celebrate whatever it is that we want to celebrate at that particular moment.' A city officer's report said the city annually prepared for the Dockers making it to the finals and holding an event such as closing the cappuccino strip would cost about $100,000.
News.com.au
17-07-2025
- News.com.au
Strike on Gaza's only Catholic church injures several people
A strike on Gaza's only Catholic church injured several people on Thursday, the territory's civil defence agency and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said, as Italy's prime minister slammed "unacceptable" Israeli attacks on civilians. The raid came as Gaza's civil defence agency reported that Israeli strikes killed 18 people across the Palestinian territory on Thursday. "The Holy Family Church in Gaza has been struck by a raid this morning. There are several injuries in the place including the Parish Priest, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli," Jerusalem's Latin Patriarchate said in a statement. It added that no fatalities had been confirmed but that the church had sustained damage. Gaza's civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that a strike on the Catholic church resulted in injuries, including the priest. The Israeli military said it was "looking into it" when contacted by AFP. - 'Serious act' - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that "Israeli strikes on Gaza have also hit the Holy Family Church", a parish in Gaza City with which the late Pope Francis had regular contact throughout the war. "The attacks against the civilian population carried out by Israel for months are unacceptable," Meloni said in a post on X. "No military action can justify such behaviour." Out of the Gaza Strip's population of more than two million, about 1,000 are Christians. Most of them are Orthodox but according to the Latin Patriarchate, there are about 135 Catholics in the territory. Since the early days of the war which erupted in October 2023, members of the Catholic community have been sheltering at the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza City, and some Orthodox Christians have also found refuge there. Pope Francis repeatedly called for an end to the war. In his final Easter message, a day before his death on April 21, he condemned the "deplorable humanitarian situation" in the Palestinian territory. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Thursday denounced "a serious act against a Christian place of worship". "I offer my sincere condolences to Father Romanelli, who was wounded in the raid," he posted on X. - 'Totally unacceptable' - Monsignor Pascal Gollnisch, the head of Catholic charity l'Oeuvre d'Orient, told AFP the raid was "totally unacceptable". "It is a place of worship. It is a Catholic church known for its peaceful attitude, for being a peacemaker. These are people who are at the service of the population," he said. "There was no strategic objective, there were no jihadists in this church. There were families, there were civilians. This is totally unacceptable and we condemn in the strongest possible terms this attitude on the part of Israel." More than 21 months of war have created dire humanitarian conditions for Gaza's population, displacing most residents at least once and triggering severe shortages of food and other essentials. The war was triggered by a Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 58,573 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
