Trump 'Shocked' by Italian PM as She Defends Pope Leo and Denounces Iran War | ABC NEWS

Apr 15, 2026 | Donald Trump has lashed out at Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after she expressed solidarity with Pope Leo. Meloni was considered a close ally of Trump. She attended his inauguration and visited Mar-a-Lago. The US President gave several critical remarks to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera in which he criticised the right-wing prime minister for not supporting the US-Israel war in Iran.

Italy Denies Use of Sicily Airbase to US Planes Carrying Weapons for Iran War

THE GUARDIAN: Defence ministry says US failed to request authorisation in time for parliament to give approval as required by international treaty

Italy has denied the use of an airbase in Sicily to US military planes carrying weapons for the war in Iran after the US did not follow the required authorisation procedure.

A source at the Italian defence ministry confirmed a report in Corriere della Sera that “some US bombers” had been due to land at Sigonella – one of seven US navy bases in Italy – before heading to the Middle East, but that use of the base had been denied because the US sought authorisation to land only while the aircraft were already en route to Sicily.

The source said this meant there was not enough time to seek approval in parliament, as is required for aircraft landing on naval bases with weapons.

According to treaties established in the late 1950s, the US navy bases can be used for logistical and training purposes but not as transit hubs for aircraft used to transport weapons for war unless in an emergency situation. » | Angela Giuffrida in Rome | Tuesday, Marcj 31, 2026

Has Meloni Turned against Trump over Iran as Key Referendum Tests Her Leadership?

Mar 23, 2026 | Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s criticism of the US-Israeli war on Iran has exposed cracks in her relationship with US President Donald Trump.

She was supposed to be Europe’s ‘Trump whisperer’ but Meloni has even compared the Iran war to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Italian public opinion is firmly against being drawn into the conflict and this weekend Meloni faced a key test of her leadership with a crucial referendum on judicial reform.

So, has Meloni chosen domestic loyalty over transatlantic relations?

Joining Enda Brady for this discussion:

Riccardo Alcaro, Head of Research of the Programme at the Istituto Affari Internazionali
Marta Grande, Former President of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the Chamber of Deputies of Italy
Amy Frederiksen, Republican Strategist

Secretive Tech Mogul Peter Thiel Brings His Antichrist Lectures to the Vatican's Doorstep | DW News

Mar 22, 2026 | The American entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel has travelled to Rome to host a closed-door lecture series on the Antichrist, mixing theology with technology and politics. The event, held near Vatican City, drew criticism from Catholic figures and institutions, many of whom rejected his ideas as extreme. The visit has underscored tensions between his techno-libertarian worldview and the Church’s more cautious stance on AI and global governance. So what's behind Thiel's fascination with the antichrist? With analysis from Fritz Espenlaub, host of the six-part Deutschlandfunk podcast series Die Peter Thiel Story, and Vatican expert Massimo Faggioli from Trinity College Dublin.

Palermo Palaces in Peril | ARTE.tv Culture

Jan 18, 2026 | The fair city of Palermo boasts around a hundred ancient palazzi, symbol of the city’s identity, a testament to its rich history, and a firm favourite with tourists. But the Sicilian capital's penniless aristocrats are finding it hard to maintain their grand homes.

The Italian state, which imposes costly obligations on these listed buildings, does not offer them any aid.

Palermo Palaces in Peril | ARTE.tv Culture
Available until 22/12/2030

Italy's Right-wing Government: Policies against Rainbow Families | DW Documentary

Mar 30, 2025 | Italy's right-wing government is legislating against rainbow families. Children with two mothers or two fathers don’t align with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's conservative family ideal. Same-sex couples now see themselves threatened by discrimination at the hands of the state.

Daniela and Valentina are a lesbian couple from Padua. They’ve been in a registered civil partnership since 2019. Their daughter Caterina was born in August 2022. She was conceived through a sperm donation in Denmark. Their family’s happiness seemed perfect - until the new government under Giorgia Meloni came to power.

This is because rainbow families challenge the right-wing government's understanding of a ‘natural’ family. It says that in the case of same-sex couples, only the biological parent can be registered on the birth certificate. As a result, the public prosecutor's office in Padua has challenged the birth certificates of several children in court - including Caterina's. If the judges declare the birth certificate invalid, the non-biological mother will lose all her rights.

If Daniela's name is removed from the birth certificate, this will have far-reaching consequences. She’ll only be able to collect her child from school with a power of attorney. Travelling abroad alone with her child will be practically impossible. And she’ll no longer be able to make any decisions at a doctor’s appointment: "That's state power. They tell me with a few lines and cold words that I don't exist, that I have to step aside,” says Daniela.

Italy’s right-wing government is defending the traditional Catholic family at the expense of minorities. Anything that doesn’t conform to this norm is discriminated against and criminalized. In this country, it’s illegal for same-sex couples to adopt, traveling abroad for surrogacy is banned and same-sex marriage is still illegal.


One needs muffles to listen to Giorgia Meloni railing against gays and rainbow families! For Giorgia, it’s okay to have a baby outside of wedlock. Unmarried mothers aren’t a problem. But to have a baby inside a rainbow family is truly beyond the pale, and is totally unacceptable. I think It must be because Giorgia is such a devout Christian. — © Mark Alexander

Friends and Family of Valentino Bid Farewell to Fashion Giant

January 23, 2026 | Famous faces from the worlds of fashion and film descended on Rome on Friday to bid farewell to legendary Italian designer Valentino Garavani, who died on Monday at 93. — By Monika Cvorak
Watch the NYT video here.

Wise Man? King? In Naples, Trump Joins Jesus in Nativity Displays.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: For generations, Italian craftspeople have built scenes depicting Jesus’ birth, sometimes including figures of celebrities. This year, some are adding statuettes of President Trump.

President Trump has likened himself to a king, a dictator for a day and an emperor.

Now, during Christmas in Naples, he can be remade as one of the three wise men.

On Via San Gregorio Armeno, a street in the center of this ancient port city in southern Italy, shops have for generations sold meticulously crafted carvings of Nativity scenes — sometimes adorned with miniature statues of contemporary celebrities. For years, figures of Diego Maradona, the Argentine soccer star who played for the city’s leading team, have been perennial top sellers, as have statuettes of Silvio Berlusconi, the media tycoon and four-time Italian prime minister.

This Christmas, models of Mr. Trump are the new front-runners.

Mr. Trump “is very loved,” said Michele Buonincontro, who founded a studio and shop 32 years ago to make and sell the traditional Neapolitan Nativity scenes known as presepi. Three rows of Trump figures, wearing dark suits with red ties and crowned with bright yellow helmets of hair, stood on a table in a workshop at the back of Mr. Buonincontro’s shop. Some of Mr. Buonincontro’s clients insert figurines of Mr. Trump into Nativity scenes as one of the three wise kings who brought gifts for the newborn Jesus, he said. “I am not saying he is a saint, but he is connected to religion, to religiosity,” Mr. Buonincontro added.

At Naples Cathedral, where an elaborate Nativity scene is set inside a chapel near the front of the church, the Rev. Federico Battaglia, secretary to the archbishop of Naples, said he saw no reason Mr. Trump wouldn’t fit in.

Jesus was born “under the Empire of Augustus,” said Father Battaglia, referring to the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus. If Jesus were born today, he added, it might be “under the Empire of Trump.”

“Augustus was the most powerful man of his time," he said, “as Trump is of ours.” » | Motoko Rich | Reporting from Naples, Italy | Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Italian Parliament Unanimously Votes to Make Femicide a Crime | BBC News

Nov 26, 2025 | Deputies in the Italian parliament have voted unanimously to introduce the crime of femicide – the murder of a woman, motivated by gender – as a distinct law to be punished with a life sentence.

In a symbolic move, the bill was approved on the day dedicated to the elimination of violence against women worldwide.

The idea of a law on femicide had been discussed in Italy before but the murder of Giulia Cecchettin by her ex-boyfriend was a tragedy that shocked the country into action.

Giorgia Meloni ‘Disgusted’ at Posting of Photos of Her and Other Women on Porn Site

THE GUARDIAN: Italian platform Phica closes after sharing altered images of PM, her sister, opposition leader and others

The Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has said she is “disgusted” that photos of her and other women were posted on a pornographic website, and called for the perpetrators to be swiftly identified and “punished with the utmost firmness”.

Images of Meloni’s sister, Arianna, and the opposition leader, Elly Schlein, were also discovered on the Italian platform Phica, which had more than 700,000 subscribers before its managers closed the site on Thursday, blaming users for “using the platform incorrectly”.

The photos, accompanied by vulgar and sexist captions, were taken from either personal social media accounts or public sources without consent and altered to zoom in on body parts or depict the women in sexual poses. Dozens of women have come forward to file complaints about Phica and similar platforms since the scandal was exposed this week by several prominent women. » | Angela Giuffrida in Rome | Friday, August 29, 2025

Related article here.

CORRIERE DELLA SERA:

Giorgia e Arianna Meloni, la rabbia per i siti sessisti. La premier: «Disgustata, nessuno sconto»: L'indignazione delle sorelle Meloni per i siti dove foto di donne ignare vengono commentate con insulti sessisti. La premier: «Bisogna denunciare». Arianna: «C’è una società del click che rovina le vite delle persone» »

Outrage in Italy over Porn Site with Doctored Images of Prominent Women

THE GUARDIAN: Altered photos of women including Giorgia Meloni were posted on site along with vulgar and sexist captions

A pornographic website that posted doctored photos of a host of high-profile Italian women including the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and the opposition leader, Elly Schlein, has sparked outrage in Italy.

The photos, accompanied by vulgar and sexist captions, were either harvested from personal social media accounts or public sources before being altered and published on the Italian platform Phica, which has more than 700,000 subscribers.

Images of female politicians from across party lines had been taken during rallies or TV interviews or while the women were in their bikinis on holiday. They had been altered to zoom in on body parts or suggest sexual poses. They were featured in the site’s “VIP section”. » | Angela Giuffrida in Rome | Thursday, August 28, 2025

Jewish Father Attacked by Mob at Italian Service Station

THE GUARDIAN: Man said chants began when a cashier shouted ‘Free Palestine’ after noticing he and his son were wearing kippahs

A Jewish father and his six-year-old son were targeted by a mob on Sunday chanting “Free Palestine” and “murderers” at a service station near Milan, with the man eventually pushed to the floor and repeatedly kicked, in the latest of a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents across Europe.

According to the victim – a 52-year-old French Jew who lives in France and gave his name only as Elie– the incident began when a cashier shouted “Free Palestine”, upon noticing that he and his son were wearing kippahs. » | Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo | Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Italy One of Five ‘Dismantlers’ Causing ‘Democratic Recession’ in Europe, Report Says

THE GUARDIAN: Civil liberties report warns that Italy along with Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovakia intentionally undermining rule of law ‘in nearly all aspects’

Italy’s government has profoundly undermined the rule of law with changes to the judiciary and showed “heavy intolerance to media criticism”, in an emblematic example of Europe’s deepening “democratic recession”, a coalition of civil liberties groups has said.

A report by the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) said Italy was one of five “dismantlers” – along with Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovakia – that “intentionally undermine the rule of law in nearly all aspects”. » | Jennifer Rankin in Brussels | Monday, March 17, 2025

Giorgia Meloni? One word comes to mind: hypocrisy. – © Mark Alexander

Italy Is Facing an Economic Crisis with a $3 Trillion Debt Tsunami Looming

Feb 23, 2025

Giorgia Meloni: “I Am a Woman, I Am a Mother, I Am Italian, I Am a Christian…”

Did you know these things? If you didn’t, you do now! I wonder how Giorgia, the Christian, would react if one of her children turned out to be gay? Sono una donna cristiana

The Dictators: Mussolini | Full Documentary

Dec 26, 2024 | Power, control, and terror are the hallmarks of dictatorship. This series explores 20th-century tyrants, starting with Benito Mussolini. From his humble beginnings as the son of a blacksmith to becoming Italy's fascist leader, Mussolini's reign was marked by violence and brutality. As the founder of fascism and a key figure in Italy's expansionist policies, he was responsible for up to 1 million deaths and immense suffering. His life and legacy reflect the devastating impact of authoritarian rule and the dark side of political ambition.

Cast: Guy Walters, Lisa Pine
Director: Ben Sempey
Licensed through EM Productions Ltd


With fascism on the rise again, we all need to familiarise ourselves with the dangers that lie ahead. – © Mark Alexander

Viva La Meloni: The Reign of the Far Right

Jan 6, 2025 | Report by Valérie Dupont, produced by RTS Radio Télévision Suisse

Italy ranks 46th worldwide for press freedom. The only European country on the list, Giorgia Méloni's Italy has no love for the press, not for progressive individual rights for migrant or LGBT people. Her direct communication via social networks highlights her ideological and societal battles, which perfectly fit the conservative tones of her tagline "God, Fatherland and Family".


Fascism is gaining ground right across Europe and right across America, too, alas. People never learn from the mistakes of the past. Regarding Italy, Giorgia Meloni hates gays, it seems. But this is to be expected, of course. After all, she is such a good Christian. The exemplar extraordinaire. – © Mark Alexander

Elon Musk Told ‘Not to Interfere’ in Migrant Policy by Italy’s President | BBC News

Nov 15, 2024 | Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella has told Elon Musk “not to interfere” in the country’s politics, after the billionaire waded into a debate over Rome's migrant policy.

Mr Musk commented on a ruling by Italian judges that curbed Italy's controversial deal with Albania over processing migrants, writing on X that this decision was “unacceptable”, and that these judges “need to go”.

In an unusual move, President Sergio Mattarella indirectly responded to Musk in a statement.



Democracy has turned toxic! I wonder why? – © Mark Alexander

Becoming Il Duce: Mussolini's Fascist Revolution | Full Documentary | Episode 1

May 25, 2024 | In the fall of 1922, former teacher and journalist Benito Mussolini had only recently been elected to parliament when he seized power. His legal coup d’état, which began on 24 October in Naples, was a masterstroke. Standing before 40,000 Fascist party members, he issued an ultimatum to the fragile Italian parliamentary monarchy: “Either they hand us the power, or we will descend on Rome!” The militants, wearing black shirts and armed with clubs, headed for the capital. Following on from this legendary march on Rome, Mussolini headed up a totalitarian regime that lasted two decades.

The first episode of this portrait of Il Duce will explore how Mussolini took power and consolidated it until the Second Italo-Ethiopian War in the mid-1930s. He was a populist leader in terms of how he spoke to the Italian people, and a dictator in terms of how he exerted his power. He came from the extreme left but governed from the extreme right. Mussolini invented the new ideology of fascism and was helped in his mission by the business community who wanted an end to left-wing rule. Despite his brutality, he sought to please the Italian people, promising them a return to the grandeur of Rome. He enjoyed undeniable success for several years, both at home and abroad, until his inevitable downfall.

Documentary: Mussolini, The First Fascist – Episode 1: The Word and the Cosh (2021)
Direction: Serge de Sampigny
Production: Histodoc

Tiny House with Erotic Frescoes Uncovered in Pompeii

THE GUARDIAN: Paintings include one depicting a scantily clad Phaedra, mythological queen of Athens, and her stepson Hippolytus

A tiny house featuring erotic frescoes is the latest discovery in the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. Experts say the exquisitely decorated abode, called the House of Phaedra after the mythological queen of Athens, sheds light on the changing architectural styles in the first century AD but is also further proof that the residents of Pompeii had an appetite for sensual art.

The vividly coloured wall paintings include one depicting a sexual encounter between a satyr and a nymph on a bed and one of a scantily clad Phaedra and her stepson Hippolytus, whom, according to Greek legend, she accused of rape after he spurned her advances. Another fresco features gods presumed to be Venus and Adonis. » | Angela Giuffrida in Rome | Friday, October 25, 2024