Latest news with #AngeloAmante
Yahoo
6 days ago
- 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)
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Work on long-debated bridge to Sicily could begin in coming months
By Angelo Amante and Giuseppe Fonte ROME (Reuters) -Work to build a giant bridge connecting the Italian mainland to the island of Sicily is expected to begin over the summer, the infrastructure minister said on Monday, vowing to block any attempt by criminal groups to infiltrate the costly project. The project has been talked about for decades as a way to help develop the impoverished south of Italy but appeared to have been killed off for good in 2013, when the company created to oversee its construction was closed down as part of a drive to curb state spending and rein in public debt. However, Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini, the leader of the co-ruling League party, made it a priority and the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has set aside 13.5 billion euros ($15.2 billion) to build it. "If we are particularly, I won't say clever, but lucky and consistent, summer 2025 is the one for the works," Salvini told a press conference. The CEO of the bridge company, Pietro Ciucci, said the project still needed a final green light from a state committee overseeing strategic infrastructure and he hoped to submit the request by the end of June. The construction, by a consortium led by Italy's Webuild, would be some 3.6 km (2.2 miles) long, feature a central span measuring 3.3 km, and connect Sicily to the southern Calabria region. It has become a highly divisive issue in Italy. The bridge draws fierce criticism from those who question the wisdom of building it in an earthquake zone and those who say it would be a waste of money harmful to the landscape, amid fears that the Cosa Nostra and 'Ndrangheta gangs based in the area could infiltrate the works to reap huge profits. But the project also has strong support from those who believe a fast rail and road connection as an alternative to the current ferry crossing of the Strait of Messina would boost southern Italy. Salvini rebuffed security concerns, saying the bridge would be able to withstand the forces of nature, and maintained that refusing to implement projects in mafia-tainted areas would amount to a "state surrender" to the criminals. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said a centralised anti-mafia body would make checks on companies involved, with a focus on those sectors particularly exposed to mob infiltration, such as the disposal of waste materials. ($1 = 0.8883 euros)
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pope who? Election of first US pontiff stuns St. Peter's crowd
By Angelo Amante and Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - When Cardinal Dominique Mambertì appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and uttered the fateful Latin phrase "Habemus Papam" (We have a pope), more than a hundred thousand people cheered. When he read out the new pope's name in Latin - Robertum Franciscum Prevost (Robert Francis Prevost) - the crowd fell silent. Many had no clue that the first U.S. pope in the history of the 2,000-year Church had just been elected. In some cases, it was reporters who told people in the crowd who the new pope was. "I had absolutely no idea who he was. I was hoping for an African pope so more parts of the world would be represented," said Veronica Genovese, a Roman. "I came here from work. I was expecting an Italian. I don't know who he is," said Federica Bonomi, another Rome resident. The initial reaction was similar to when Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Poland was elected the first non-Italian pope in 455 years in 1978. Because of the difficulty even the cardinal who announced the name had in pronouncing Polish many in the crowd 47 years ago thought an African had been elected. The crowd on Thursday quickly warmed to the new pope when he appeared on the balcony. He delivered his first address as pontiff in fluent Italian and Spanish, mentioning his former diocese of Chiclayo, Peru. He did not say anything in English or mention the country of his birth. AMERICANS IN CROWD THRILLED Still, Americans in the crowd of more than 100,000 were ecstatic. "I'm just thrilled. I hope this can bring to America a more loving community. I think there's a lot of hate in America, there's a lot of racism. I have experienced it. It's very sad,' said Lailah Brown, 28, an African American from Seattle, who was on a religious pilgrimage with her sister. Brown said she hoped the new pope could encourage more Americans to follow Jesus' example. "I hope America does not embarrass the pope. America does very embarrassing things that go against the Bible and I'm just hoping that we can start living more biblically and love others not based on who they love or their skin colour but because they are our neighbours,' she said. An American woman from Long Island in New York, who gave only her first name, Geena, said she hoped the new pope would help bring unity to the United States and the world. Among the most pleasantly shocked Americans in the square were two foreign exchange students in Italy - Mackenzie Coy, 20, and Ella Buchanan, 19. They and the pope share the same hometown. "Some very lovely young lady came up to us to shake our hands and told us he was from America. 'Il papa è Americano!' (the pope is American) she told us,' Coy said. "Some said he was from Canada, and some said he was from Peru," she said, mentioning the South American country where Prevost spent nearly two decades. "We were just trying to put the pieces together and we started hearing people say 'Chicago, Chicago' and we were so thrilled."
