
Pope Leo XIV affirms celibacy for priests, demands ‘firm' action on sex abuse
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Arab News
11 hours ago
- Arab News
Italy and Algeria agree to tackle terrorism and migration at summit
ROME: Italy and Algeria agreed to work together to fight terrorism and control migration during an intergovernmental meeting in Rome on Wednesday, documents showed, while companies signed off on deals on sectors including energy and telecommunications. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune at the 17th-century Villa Doria Pamphili, after a trip to Algiers by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in March. Algeria is Rome's leading trading partner in Africa, with trade worth almost 14 billion euros ($16.4 billion) while Rome's investments there amount to 8.5 billion, Italy said. According to a document seen by Reuters, a memorandum will be signed between Italy and Algeria on fighting terrorism and its financing. The document did not say which threats the countries were focused on. The two nations will also agree on a plan to coordinate the search and rescue operations for migrants who attempt the dangerous sea crossing from North Africa to Europe. Meloni's right-wing government was elected in 2022 on a mandate to curb migrant arrivals. On the business side, Italian energy group Eni this month signed a production sharing contract with oil and gas company Sonatrach worth $1.3 billion to explore and develop hydrocarbons in Algeria. A document said the two companies will sign an additional agreement on the sidelines of the summit to strengthen their cooperation. Eni buys gas from Sonatrach under a long-term contract that has made the north African country one of the key fuel suppliers for Italy after Rome severed ties with Russia's Gazprom following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. A separate deal will involve Submarine cable company Sparkle, a unit of Telecom Italia (TIM), which is set to be sold to a consortium led by Italy's Treasury later this year. Sparkle will sign a preliminary agreement with Algerie Telecom for a new subsea cable connecting the two countries. 'Algeria is a strategic partner, and we are working hard to make this partnership ever broader, stronger and more diversified,' Foreign Minister Tajani said during a speech at a business forum with over 400 companies from the two nations.


Arab News
12 hours ago
- Arab News
Italian celebrity chef questioned by antiterrorism unit over anti-Israel posts
LONDON: Italian celebrity chef Rubio, born Gabriele Rubini, has been questioned by Italy's antiterrorism police and had his electronic devices seized over a series of social media posts critical of Israel's actions in Gaza. A vocal pro-Palestine activist, Rubio was briefly detained and interrogated last week by Digos — Italy's antiterrorism division — on charges of inciting racial hatred, according to his friend and journalist Alberto Fazolo, who shared details of the case on Monday. Fazolo said Rubio's X account posts triggered the investigation, describing it as a 'blitz' aimed at obtaining data from his online activity, an operation usually carried out by a different police unit. 'Death to diplomats complicit in the genocide that has been ongoing for 77 years, death to colonialism, supremacism, racism, and anti-Muslim hatred. Death therefore to Zionism and the Jewish colony. Long live Palestine and the native Palestinian Semites,' one of them read. Fazolo said Rubio remains free but has lost access to his social media accounts and private messages during the investigation. Authorities are reportedly reviewing his Telegram and Signal chats as part of the probe. His accounts remain publicly visible, but he is unable to use them. 'Gabriele is free, he is keen to assure you that he is well,' Fazolo said. 'But for a while he will not have the opportunity to communicate through his channels or contact details.' Rubio has long been a controversial figure in Italy due to his outspoken criticism of Israeli policy and strong support for the Palestinian cause. Pro-Israeli groups have previously accused him of antisemitism, which Rubio denies. Earlier this year, he drew fresh backlash after urging his followers to submit war crimes complaints against Israeli Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, who was visiting Rome at the time. In May 2024, Rubio was violently assaulted outside his home by six unidentified attackers armed with bricks and hammers, an attack his supporters linked to his activism. Fazolo said Rubio has 'been persecuted for years' due to his efforts to raise awareness about what he calls the 'ethnic cleansing of Palestine.'


Arab News
3 days ago
- Arab News
Pope speaks against ‘forced' mass displacement of Gaza civilians
VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo warned against the 'indiscriminate use of force' and the 'forced mass displacement' of people in the Gaza strip in a phone conversation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday, the Vatican said in a statement.