Latest news with #GeorgiaMeloni
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
French official tells paper Arab countries will condemn Hamas, trying to get Palestinian statehood recognized
PARIS -Arab countries will for the first time condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament early next week at a United Nations ministerial event in New York, a move meant to lure more European countries to recognize Palestinian statehood, France's foreign minister said on Saturday. In an exclusive interview with French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot said the move was part of a long-planned initiative between France and Saudi Arabia. "For the first time, Arab countries will condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament, which will seal its definitive isolation. European countries will in turn confirm their intention to recognize the State of Palestine. Half of European countries have done so, all others are considering it," Barrot told the JDD. "The British Prime Minister has stated his intention to do so. Germany is considering it at a later stage. We will launch an appeal in New York for other countries to join us in order to set in motion an even more ambitious and demanding process that will culminate on September 21," Barrot added. On Thursday French President Emmanuel Macron announced France would formally recognize the state of Palestine at the U.N. General Assembly on September 21, drawing condemnation from the U.S. and Israel. Earlier on Saturday Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni called it counterproductive to recognise a Palestinian state before it is established. On Friday a German government spokesperson said there were no plans to recognise a Palestinian state in the short term. At the upcoming United Nations event on Monday and Tuesday, France and Saudi Arabia plan to lay out a proposed post-war roadmap leading to a two-state solution covering security, reconstruction and governance, which will be compatible with the Abraham Accords negotiated by U.S. President Trump, Barrot said. The French minister added that in coming weeks the European Commission would take a tougher stance on Israel and demand a stop on building of any new settlement projects in the West Bank, and also an end to militarized policing of humanitarian aid distribution. Barrot also called on fellow European countries to demand a removal of the financial blockade on the Palestinian authority so it can receive 2 billion euros he said it is owed. Solve the daily Crossword
Hans India
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Over 40 injured in gas station explosion in Italy's Rome
Rome: An explosion ripped through a gas station in eastern Rome on Friday morning, injuring more than 40 people, local media reported. According to local authorities, the explosion took place at a gas station on Via Gordiani in the Prenestino district of eastern Rome. While none of the injured are in critical condition, five people were hospitalised for treatment. Some of the casualties included rescue workers responding to the scene. Preliminary findings from the local fire department suggest the explosion may have been triggered by a pump detaching from a tanker truck. Authorities are conducting further investigations. A spiral of smoke was seen rising into the sky from a distance of approximately three or four kilometers, around 8 am. A small explosion at the gas station made the rescue operations difficult initially, but it was soon followed by a much powerful explosion, one which was heard in many areas in Italy's capital city. The shock wave of the explosion was reported to be around 200 metres. Rescue teams are using a helicopter and a foam truck, Italian daily Il Foglio reported on Friday afternoon. It also added that among the injured were operators, a firefighter, local residents who live in the area of Via Romolo Balzani, and around eight police officers. The strong smell of gas initially led to the timely intervention and rescue of the local residents, moving them as far away as possible from the site, to areas that were less densely populated. Flames after the explosion reached a warehouse behind the petrol station and also caused damage to nearby buildings. The Prime Minister of Italy, Georgia Meloni has connected with the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, who will be visiting the site of the explosion. The Italian leader is being updated constantly by the authorities, with particular detail and attention to the people injured in the incident. "I am closely following the consequences of the explosion that occurred this morning at a gas station in the Prenestino neighborhood, in Rome. I have spoken with the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, and I remain in constant contact with Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano and the relevant authorities to monitor the evolution of the situation," Meloni posted on X. "I express my solidarity with all the injured - including law enforcement officers, firefighters, and healthcare workers - and extend my heartfelt thanks to all those engaged in rescue and safety operations," she added.
France 24
23-06-2025
- General
- France 24
Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro dies aged nearly 99
Born in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna on June 23, 1926, Pomodoro began investigating solid geometric forms in the early 1960s. He created monumental spheres, cones, columns and cubes in polished bronze, whose perfectly smooth exteriors split open to reveal interiors that were corroded, torn or simply hollowed out. This "contrast between the smooth perfection of the geometric form and the chaotic complexity of the interior" became his trademark, the Milan-based foundation said on its website. Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said on X that Pomodoro, who died at his home in Milan on Sunday, had "sculpted Italy's soul". "The art world has lost one of its most influential, insightful and visionary voices," added foundation director Carlotta Montebello. Pomodoro was one of Italy's most prominent contemporary artists. He won numerous awards and taught at Stanford University, Berkley and Mills College in the United States. His iconic works grace public spaces the world over -– at the Vatican in Rome, the United Nations and the Guggenheim Museum in New York, UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the Universal Exhibition in Shanghai and Trinity College Dublin.
Business Recorder
20-06-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Meloni trumpets plan to boost African economies at EU summit
ROME: Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni on Friday will host European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in Rome for a summit aimed at boosting African economies in a bid to curb illegal migration to the bloc. Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party has prioritised cutting irregular immigration, has launched a 5.5-billion-euro ($6.3-billion) plan targeting 14 countries including Ethiopia, Ivory Coast and Senegal to support industries from energy to health care. Irregular border crossings detected into the European Union stood at 239,000 last year, down 38 percent from an almost 10-year peak in 2023, according to European border agency Frontex. Meloni's plan aims to strengthen trade relations between Italy and African nations in the energy sector particularly, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine has forced Rome to seek new supplies of oil and gas. Rome also wants a stake in financing a railway line between Zambia and Angola, and is planning a 65-million-euro investment in biofuel production in Kenya. Kenyan President William Ruto has praised the plan as 'ambitious', but noted 'that investment alone is not enough' and African economies continue to be burdened by debt. African Union chief Moussa Faki Mahamat has also warned that the continent 'cannot rely solely on promises that are often broken'. Experts say that Italy has 'promised too much' by implying that these investments could reduce the number of migrants by creating jobs and growth. 'The funding that Italy can provide is not at the right scale,' Giovanni Carbone, head of the University of Milan's Africa programme, told AFP. The plan serves to benefit the interests of 'large companies in the Italian fossil fuel industry', said Simone Ogno from the NGO ReCommon. Italy's PM Meloni says not the right time yet for EU-US summit Major Italian companies are already involved in the plan, including oil giant Eni, electricity carrier Terna and agro-industrial group Bonifiche Ferraresi. Undocumented migration via the Central Mediterranean route – between North Africa and Italy – saw around 67,000 migrant arrivals in 2024, Frontex said, down 59 percent from the year prior.
News.com.au
18-06-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
G7: World leader's epic eye roll in front of Donald Trump
A world leader at the G7 summit in Canada has been caught giving an eye roll so large you could practically hear it – and right in the vicinity of Donald Trump. It happened just hours before the US president bailed on the meeting of world leaders, being held in the mountain resort of Kananaskis, west of Calgary, a day early. The Group of Seven is an annual gab fest between leading democratic economies. Canada is hosting with the UK, US, France, Germany, Japan and Italy in attendance. Australia is a special guest nation at the G7 this year despite not being part of it. But Mr Trump's early departure means Anthony Albanese will now not meet the US president. However, he will still hold meetings with many world leaders including Canada's Mark Carney, the UK' Kier Starmer and Germany's Frederick Merz and Japan's Shigeru Ishiba. On Monday, local time, the leaders of the seven core countries in the G7 met for a roundtable discussion. Before the discussions began, the media were allowed into the room. Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni could be seen leaning into French President Emmanuel Macron has he whispered something towards her, covering his mouth with his fist so no one could pick up his words. She listens attentively, turns to Mr Macron and gives him the thumbs up. At the same time, Mr Trump could be seen looking on saying a few words to Canadian PM Carney and the UK's Sir Kier Stammer. Still looking at Mr Macron, Ms Meloni then very obviously eye rolls in the French president's' direction. It's not entirely obvious what Mr Macron was talking to Ms Meloni and what the eye roll was for. It's certainly not been the only awkward moment at the G7. Even before Mr Trump's rush back to Washington DC, Mr Carney cut the US president off as the press peppered him with questions. Mr Trump has told reporters he thought Russia should be readmitted to the forum. That's despite it being kicked out in 2014 after it invaded Ukraine's region of Crimea. As Mr Trump continued to talk to reporters, Mr Carney butted in. 'I am going to exercise my role as G7 chair since we have a few more minutes with the President and his team and then we actually have to start the meeting to address some of these big issues'. And with that he bustled the US president away which is likely not something Mr Trump issued too. Asked on Monday if it was appropriate to invite Russia Vladimir Putin to the next G7 in France next year, Anthony Albanese has a simple response: 'No'.
