Latest news with #AngeloAmante
The Star
06-07-2025
- Climate
- The Star
One dies in violent storm pounding Milan
MILAN (Reuters) -One person was killed by a falling tree near Milan, local firefighters said on Sunday, as a powerful storm battered the northern Italian city after days of high temperatures. The 63-year-old woman died in the town of Robecchetto con Induno, west of Milan, as she was returning from a walk with two other people who were injured in the incident and have been hospitalised, the firefighters said. Firefighters have dealt with about 50 incidents so far, with another 37 still pending. Most involve dangerous trees, flooded basements and taverns, and advertising billboards torn down by strong winds. According to Italian news agency Ansa, heavy rains also hit the eastern Veneto region, where bad weather swept areas around the cities of Belluno and Vicenza, as well as parts of Tuscany, where falling trees were also reported. While rain and gales pounded the north, temperatures remained close to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in much of southern and central Italy, including in Rome. Much of Europe has sweltered in an early summer heatwave which officials have linked to at least eight deaths on the continent. (Reporting by Sara Rossi; Writing by Angelo Amante; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Analysis-Italy's referendum flop bolsters Meloni, reveals divide on left over citizenship
By Angelo Amante ROME (Reuters) -Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni snubbed a referendum on easing citizenship laws but has emerged stronger from the vote as the leftist opposition failed to mobilise mass opposition to her right-wing government after nearly three years in power. A coalition of political parties, unions and civil society groups had promoted the five-question referendum. The proposals included halving the period of residence required to apply for Italian citizenship by naturalisation to five years from 10 as well as strengthening job protection rules. The 'Yes' vote prevailed but only around 30% of eligible voters cast their ballots, far fewer than the required 50% plus one of the electorate needed for the referendum to be valid, meaning Meloni can ignore the results. Key government ministers had encouraged their supporters to boycott the referendum while the opposition had hoped that a strong turnout could help build momentum in favour of political change and challenge Meloni's domination of Italian politics. "It has been a big defeat for the left, that strengthens the government," said Antonio Tajani, the deputy prime minister and leader of Forza Italia party, one of the coalition parties. Meloni, who took office in October 2022 at the head of a right-wing coalition, remains popular. A poll from SWG institute on Tuesday put her Brothers of Italy party at just above 30%, up from the 26% it won in a 2022 national election, while the main opposition centre-left Democratic Party (PD) was on 23%. "This was an attempt to deal a blow (to the government) and it seems to me that it has failed. I think there was hope among the promoters of a stronger anti-Meloni mobilisation," said Lorenzo Pregliasco, from YouTrend polling agency. YouTrend figures showed an average 12.9 million electors voted 'Yes' on the labour questions - slightly more than those who backed the centre-right coalition in 2022 - which the opposition hailed as the first building block of an alternative. Italy's next national election is not scheduled until 2027. DIVISION ON CITIZENSHIP RULES Tallies showed differences in voting between the labour-related measures and the question about easing citizenship rules, which was far more contentious given Meloni's hard line against mass migration. More than 85% of those who took part in the two-day vote backed stronger protection for workers but roughly a third opposed speeding up the procedures for gaining citizenship, indicating divisions also among progressive voters on the issue. "There is a part of the more moderate left-wing electorate that does not share the (progressive) parties' positions on migrants. They are not against them, but they want laws that can limit entry and citizenship," said polling expert Antonio Noto. Noto added that the data suggested some of Italy's right-leaning voters had defied calls from their parties' leaders to boycott the referendum and had likely helped boost the "No" vote on citizenship. Pollsters say the wealthy centres of cities including Milan and Turin strongly backed reforming the citizenship rules, while the number decreased in the suburbs, indicating that lower-income voters are more conservative on the issue. The failure of the referendum has dealt a major setback for groups fighting for the integration of migrants. Promoters complained of confusion and overlap with other issues, including the management of migratory flows and illegal arrivals. "The lack of information and misinformation on the citizenship question certainly affected the result, in terms of abstentions and votes against," said Anna Lisa Mandorino, who heads civil rights group Cittadinanzattiva.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Italian activists face trial for migrant sea rescue in legal first
By Angelo Amante ROME (Reuters) -A Sicilian judge has ordered six members of an Italian charity ship to stand trial on accusations of aiding illegal immigration, the first time crew members of a rescue vessel have faced such prosecution, the group's lawyer said on Thursday. The case centres on a 2020 operation where the Mare Jonio charity ship, operated by the Mediterranea NGO, picked up 27 migrants who had been rescued by a giant tanker in the Mediterranean Sea. The activists then brought them to Italy. The defendants include a doctor, the Mare Jonio's commander, and Luca Casarini, co-founder of the charity and a prominent left-wing activist. They all deny wrongdoing. "This is the first indictment of its kind," lawyer Serena Romano told Reuters. "All prior proceedings against NGO crews were shut down at the investigative stage or during preliminary hearings." The charges come as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who took office in 2022, continues her long-running campaign to reduce immigration flows across the Mediterranean. The six defendants, five men and one woman, are accused of facilitating illegal immigration after they agreed to pick up the group of migrants, who had been stranded aboard the Danish tanker Maersk Etienne for more than a month. At the time, neither the Maltese, Italian nor Libyan authorities had let the tanker bring the migrants ashore, according to Maersk Tankers, the operator of Maersk Etienne. The group had been rescued from a sinking wooden dinghy near Malta as they sought to reach Europe. The Mare Jonio took them to Sicily. According to the Ansa news agency, prosecutors allege the rescue was financially motivated. They cite a 125,000 euro ($140,000) payment from Maersk to Idra Social Shipping, which owns the Mare Jonio. Mediterranea denies the accusation, calling the payment a "transparent donation" to support rescue efforts. Casarini, who was a friend of the late Pope Francis, said the trial, ordered by a court in Ragusa, would offer an opportunity to scrutinise official conduct during the incident. "We will call as witnesses the ministers and authorities who decided to leave 27 human beings adrift in the middle of the sea," he said. Meloni's government, in power since 2022, has enacted policies aimed at reducing sea arrivals and limiting NGO rescue operations, though the case predates her administration. Some members of the ruling coalition have accused the judiciary of looking to sink government efforts to prevent migrant crossings, included repeated rulings that have thwarted attempts to detain irregular migrants in Albania. Earlier this year, several Mediterranea members, including Casarini, were targeted with spyware. The government has denied involvement and called for an inquiry. ($1 = 0.8868 euros)
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Italy urges Israel to stop offensive in Gaza, respect humanitarian law
By Angelo Amante ROME (Reuters) -Israel's continued assault on the Gaza Strip has become unacceptable and must stop immediately, Italy's foreign minister said on Wednesday, warning against any move to forcibly displace Palestinians from the enclave. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani spoke to parliament about the situation in Gaza amid mounting Western criticism of Israel, which invaded the Palestinian territory after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas on its southern communities. "The legitimate reaction of the Israeli government to a terrible and senseless act of terrorism is unfortunately taking absolutely dramatic and unacceptable forms, which we call on Israel to stop immediately," Tajani told parliament. Italy has been a vocal supporter of Israel but there has been growing unease within the right-wing coalition government over the relentless and long-running military campaign. In all, more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's air and ground war, Gaza health authorities say. "The bombing must end, humanitarian assistance must resume as soon as possible, respect for international humanitarian law must be restored," Tajani told a heated debate in the lower house of parliament. On Gaza, the government has come under attack from the opposition parties which have announced a demonstration in Rome on June 7, demanding sanctions against Israel and that Italy formally recognises the State of Palestine. "The levels of political, moral and intellectual squalor that all of you, Italian and European ruling classes, are reaching, will condemn you as those who are complicit in extermination, genocide and inhuman crime," said Riccardo Ricciardi, a lawmaker from the 5-Star Movement. Tajani said a Palestinian state could still be created following negotiations involving Israel, and Italy wanted to keep a dialogue open with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. But he reiterated that Italy was against displacing Palestinians from Gaza, an option U.S. President Donald Trump proposed earlier this year and which was swiftly rejected by Arab countries. "The expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza is not and will never be an acceptable option," Tajani said. He reiterated that Italy might be prepared to take part in an eventual Arab-led peacekeeping mission in Gaza.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Italy expects NATO to raise defence spending target to between 3.5% and 5% of GDP
By Angelo Amante, Giuseppe Fonte ROME (Reuters) -NATO will raise the defence spending target for its member nations to between 3.5% and 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) from the current 2% at the next alliance summit in June, Italy's Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said on Wednesday. Under pressure from the United States to raise its outlays on security, Italy said it would meet this year the 2% target through a series of accounting changes. Proposals have been drafted to boost Italy's defence budget while limiting any impact on its strained state coffers. "The Italian government will express itself and discuss its ideas (at the June summit), and there NATO will make a decision," Crosetto said, replying to questions in the lower house of parliament. Raising Italy's defence budget to a target level of 5% of GDP on paper would require more than 60 billion euros ($68 billion), a commitment that might be tough to meet for Italy, which sees its massive public debt rising to almost 138% of GDP in 2026 before edging down the following year. However, Crosetto said the defence budget ought to include a series of items that were already factored into the overall government budget, such as money spent for operational capabilities, communications and space policies. He also mentioned spending aimed at increasing the resilience of critical infrastructure and improving military mobility. In reply to the opposition in parliament, who believe boosting the defence budget would take money away from Italy's social spending, Crosetto said it was ultimately up to parliament to set out the target. "We are a parliamentary republic and the budget is discussed in this Chamber and voted on in this Chamber, so I will take note of what NATO decides and what parliament subsequently decides," he said. ($1 = 0.8822 euros)
