Italian court grants parental rights to same-sex couples who use IVF abroad
Italy's constitutional court ruled Thursday that partners in same-sex female couples who use in vitro fertilization abroad can both be legally recognized as parents. LGBTQ rights advocates welcomed the decision as a narrow win, in a country where same-sex couples face a concerted push by the ruling conservative government to keep them from becoming parents.
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Bloomberg
12 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Italy Delays Decision on Probe Into Chinese Influence at Pirelli
Italy is delaying a decision on whether Pirelli & C. SpA 's largest investor, state-backed Sinochem International Corp., breached rules designed to limit China's influence over the tire manufacturer. Giorgia Meloni's government extended the deadline for an administrative ruling by 60 days to July 31, because the 'considerable amount of information gathered requires careful assessment,' according to a document seen by Bloomberg.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Starmer condemns two nights of 'mindless' N.Irish violence
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined Northern Irish authorities on Wednesday in condemning what he called two nights of "mindless" violence targeting foreigners. The unrest that has injured 17 police officers has included rioters throwing petrol bombs, fireworks and bricks, while homes as well as businesses have been attacked. The violence was triggered by the arrest of two teenagers accused of attempting to rape a young girl. The pair appeared in court on Monday where they asked for a Romanian interpreter. "We strongly condemn the racially motivated violence witnessed in recent days and make an urgent appeal for calm across society," said ministers from every party in the UK province's power-sharing executive in a joint statement. Residents had been "terrorised" and police injured, they added, urging people to reject the "divisive agenda being pushed by a "destructive" minority. Starmer joined them in condemning "mindless attacks". Six people were arrested during the second night of riots in the town of Ballymena, around 48 kilometres (30 miles) northwest of Belfast, and other places. "Hate-fuelled acts and mob rule do nothing but tear at the fabric of our society -- they resolve nothing and serve no one," said Chief Constable Jon Boutcher. Police will not confirm the ethnicity of the two teenagers who remain in custody, but areas attacked on Monday included those where Romanian migrants live. Four houses were damaged by fire, while rioters smashed windows and doors of homes and businesses. "Police officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks in their direction," the Police Service of Northern Ireland said in a statement. - 'Terrifying' scenes - Some of the 17 officers injured had required hospital treatment. Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour while a sixth was detained on suspicion of disorderly behaviour in Newtownabbey, 30 kilometres away, one of four other places including Belfast where protests erupted. Tensions in Ballymena, which has a large migrant population, remained high throughout the day on Tuesday. Residents described the scenes as "terrifying" and told AFP that those involved were targeting "foreigners". Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson on Tuesday denounced the violence as "racist thuggery" and said it had been "clearly racially motivated and targeted at our minority ethnic community and police". The unrest comes as immigration is increasingly a hot-button issue across the United Kingdom -- England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland -- and in the neighbouring Republic of Ireland. Some 20 percent of Ireland's 5.4-million population is now foreign-born. Official data showed a population increase fuelled by migration of around 100,000 in the year to April 2024 -- the largest since 2007. The last census in 2021 put the number of people in Northern Ireland who identified as Roma, a distinct ethnic group whose population is largely concentrated in eastern and central Europe, at around 1,500 or 0.1 percent of the population. The official figures do not indicate how many are longstanding residents or recent immigrants but the census put the number of Romanian-born people living in the province at 6,612. bur-har/jkb/jm
Associated Press
a day ago
- Associated Press
Spain's economy minister says 'overtourism' challenges need to be addressed
MADRID (AP) — Spain could receive as many as 100 million tourists this year, according to some projections, which the country's economy minister said poses challenges for the country's residents that the government can no longer afford to ignore. Last year, Spain received a record 94 million international visitors, making it one of the most visited countries in the world. 'It's important to understand that these record numbers in terms of tourism also pose challenges,' Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said in an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press. 'And we need to deal with those challenges also for our own population.' Tourism is a key sector for the Southern European nation's economy, which grew faster than any major advanced economy last year at 3.2%, and is projected to grow at 2.4% this year, according to the Bank of Spain, well ahead of the expected eurozone average of 0.9%. But a stubborn housing crisis in which home and rental costs have skyrocketed in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and elsewhere has led to growing frustration about one aspect tied to tourism in particular: the proliferation of short-term rental apartments in city centers. The country has seen several large protests that have drawn tens of thousands of people to demand more government action on housing. Signs at demonstrations with slogans such as 'Get Airbnb out of our neighborhoods' point to the growing anger. In response, the government recently announced it was cracking down on Airbnb listings that it said were operating in the country illegally, a decision that the company is appealing. 'We are a 49 million-inhabitants country,' Cuerpo said. The record numbers of tourists illustrate the 'attractiveness of our country, but also of the challenge that we have in terms of dealing and providing for a good experience for tourists, but at the same time avoiding overcharging (for) our own services and our own housing,' he said. The Bank of Spain recently said the country has a deficit of 450,000 homes. Building more public housing is critical to solve the problem, Cuerpo said. Spain has a lower stock of public housing than many other major European Union countries. 'This is the key challenge for this term,' the minister said of the country's housing woes. On the possibility of more U.S. tariffs on EU goods, the top economic policymaker for the eurozone's fourth-largest economy said he believed the EU still wanted to reinforce economic ties with the U.S. 'From the EU side, we are constructive but we are not naive,' Cuerpo said, adding that the bloc would pursue 'other routes protecting our firms and industries' if no agreement with the Trump administration can be reached. A 90-day pause on tariffs announced by the EU and the U.S. is slated to end on July 14. About halfway through that grace period, U.S. President Donald Trump announced 50% tariffs on steel imports. The U.S. has also enacted a 25% tariff on vehicles and 10% so-called reciprocal tariffs on most other goods. On how Spain's current housing woes got here, the minister said a steep drop in construction in Spain following the 2008 financial crisis played a role. So did population growth due to immigration, Cuerpo said, and pressures from an increase in the number of tourists. While building more housing is key, the minister advocated for an all-of-the-above approach, including regulating Spain's housing market and short-term rental platforms. 'For us, there's no silver bullet,' he said.
