Latest news with #IlMessaggero
Local Italy
2 days ago
- Politics
- Local Italy
Italy's Meloni to host Macron in Rome amid reconciliation rumours
The Italian prime minister was to host a one-on-one meeting with the French president on Tuesday evening in what Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper called a "turning-point summit". "Meloni reconciles with Macron," said Il Messaggero daily, describing the meeting as a "thaw". It was Macron who proposed the visit, according to his team, "because it is his role to bring Europeans together and he is also keen to work with her". The meeting comes just weeks after the tense relations between the pair were exposed at a summit of European leaders in Albania on May 16th. Meloni was in Tirana but didn't attend a meeting including Macron, the leaders of Germany, Britain and Poland, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Meloni said she didn't join them because she opposes the idea of sending European troops to Ukraine to enforce any potential peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow. Macron later said the Italian premier's behaviour was based on a "misunderstanding". "The discussion we were having was a discussion to achieve a ceasefire," he said, adding that there was no mention of sending troops to Ukraine. Unity of the West During a joint press conference in Rome with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on May 17th, Meloni called on her European counterparts to "abandon selfishness" and focus on "the unity of the West". There have been tensions between Paris and Rome since Meloni swept to power in October 2022, including an early spat over migration and another at the G7 summit in Italy last year over abortion rights. But the European Union's second- and third-largest economies are facing similar challenges, as they both grapple with the war in Ukraine and US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs against the bloc. Political commentators have noted that Macron and Meloni have strengths that could prove useful to one another, paving the way for a potential reconciliation. Italy has less influence on the diplomatic stage than France, which has nuclear weapons and a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. But Meloni can rely on a privileged relationship with Trump and US Vice President JD Vance, both of whom have referred to her as a "friend" who shares their conservative values and hardline policies against migration. On May 18th, Meloni hosted talks in Rome between Vance and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen – the first at such a high level since Trump announced punishing tariffs against the bloc. During the meeting, Vance hailed Meloni's role as a "bridge-builder between Europe and the United States". That may not have escaped Macron, for whom international diplomacy has become one of the only areas where he can still hope to exert influence before the end of his term in 2027. As for Meloni, whose approval ratings are at over 45 percent after two and a half years in power, she too has an interest in reconciling with Macron, as frequent clashes with the French head of state risk undermining the international stature she has worked hard to project. By AFP's Gildas Le Roux
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Report – Juventus Eyeing Up Shock Raid For Inter Milan Coach If Conte Stays At Napoli
Report – Juventus Eyeing Up Shock Raid For Inter Milan Coach If Conte Stays At Napoli Juventus are eyeing up a shock move for Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi if their top target Antonio Conte stays at Napoli. This according to today's print edition of Milan-based newspaper Il Messaggero, via FCInterNews. They report that Bianconeri owner John Elkann would be ready to give the Inter coach a call. Advertisement Juventus look set for another summer of big changes. After the unsuccessful tenure of Thiago Motta as Bianconeri coach and then the narrow qualification for the Champions League under Igor Tudor, the Turin giants will search for a new coach. Reportedly, Antonio Conte is the top target for the Juventus bench. There have been rumours for months that Conte could leave Napoli after just a season in charge. And in that event, Juventus would be ready to pounce. Juventus Eye Up Shock Inzaghi Move If Conte Stays At Napoli MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 16: Simone Inzaghi, Head Coach of FC Internazionale, gives instructions during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Quarter Final Second Leg match between FC Internazionale Milano and FC Bayern München at San Siro on April 16, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by) However, Il Messaggero notes, there is no guarantee that Conte will be available this summer. Advertisement Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis has been trying to convince the former Inter, Chelsea, and Juventus coach to remain at the club. Conte has not yet made a final decision. However, if he does decide to remain in Naples, it will leave Juventus looking elsewhere. And according to Il Messaggero, one truly shock option could be a swoop for Inter coach Simone Inzaghi. Inzaghi would certainly be a proven and high-profile option. And Inter would be far from keen to allow their coach to join bitter rivals Juventus, putting it mildly. However, Inzaghi's future at the Nerazzurri has been in some doubt in recent weeks. Particularly after the massive money offer from Al-Hilal. Therefore, report Il Messaggero, Juventus owner Elkann could look to capitalize on this uncertainty. He would be ready to sound out a shock move for Inzaghi.
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
UniCredit's Russia Unit May Attract Bids From UAE-Based Firms
United Arab Emirates-based companies have reached out to Italy's government with plans for a possible bid for Italian lender UniCredit SpA 's Russia unit. Mada Capital and Asas Capital plan to jointly establish a special purpose vehicle which would buy the asset, according to a document seen by Bloomberg. The project will be assisted by Inweasta group and the sale process could take between six to eight months, the document shows. The news was reported earlier by Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.
Local Italy
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Local Italy
FACT CHECK: Is air travel in Italy really becoming more pet-friendly?
Earlier this month, Italy announced that it had updated its air travel regulations for pets, allowing medium and large dogs to travel in the cabin alongside their owners for the first time. Italy's civil aviation authority ENAC confirmed the policy change in a press release that said pets could now be transported in cabins 'beyond the current limit of 8-10 kg'. "From now on dog and cat owners will have less difficulty flying with their four-legged friends," said Transport Minister and Deputy PM Matteo Salvini on his social media accounts. "Promise kept!" he added. The announcement was hailed by various travel news sites as a " landmark move set to transform pet-friendly travel" and a " pet travel revolution". Il Messaggero newspaper even went so far as to argue the move could have "significant economic repercussions" for the country, enabling Italy to become a European capital for pet tourism. But a closer look reveals that the rule change is unlikely to bring about the revolution these headlines suggest. As political fact-checking site Pagella Politica pointed out, the measure doesn't actually require airlines operating in Italy to increase their weight limit for pets, but merely gives them the option of doing so. Many airlines don't allow pets to travel on their planes at all unless they are service animals; for customers of these companies, the rule change won't make any difference. The new rules also say that pets "must be placed in approved carriers, which can also be placed on seats, without obstructing emergency exits or crew operations," and that these "must be secured with belts or specific anchoring systems." This means any carrier brought into the cabin must be able to fit on a plane seat, usually around 40-50cm in width: not large enough to contain a Labrador, let alone a Saint Bernard. Publicity stunt Salvini needs an easy win: his hard-right, anti-immigrant League party has waned in both popularity and influence in recent years, and is now polling at just over 8 percent, compared to 34 percent in 2019. When joining PM Giorgia Meloni's coalition government in 2022, he pushed hard to become interior minister, but instead found himself shunted into the unglamorous role of minister for transport and infrastructure. Since then, he has spent much of his time trying to cement his legacy through a contested project to build a bridge over the Strait of Messina, while periodically making headlines for arguing with other members of his own coalition. It's not surprising then that he'd make the most of the opportunity to win some support by throwing his weight behind as uncontroversial a campaign as increasing rights for pets and their owners.
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Time of India
Pope Leo's ex-gym trainer reveals he was shocked on learning his client was a cardinal
Credit: X/@ATradCatholic What would your reaction be if someone you'd been casually coaching at the gym suddenly appeared on TV as the new leader of the Catholic Church? For Valerio Masella , a 26-year-old personal trainer in Rome, the surprise was almost too surreal to believe. In an interview with Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, Masella recounted the moment he realized that the man he'd trained for two years—known simply as 'Robert' at the gym—had just become Pope Leo XIV . 'Here in the gym, no one knew that Robert, now Leo XIV, was a cardinal, least of all me who trained him,' he said. Credit: X Robert Prevost , now the spiritual leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, had been working out regularly at a gym near the Vatican. According to Il Messaggero, the cardinal kept a low profile, often visiting several times a week dressed in informal clothes. Masella admitted he had assumed his quiet, respectful client might be a professor. 'He came in informal clothes. However, he was always kind, never nervous or irritated. A truly serene and balanced person,' he said. Then came the moment everything clicked. 'Seeing him on TV, I recognized him immediately. I couldn't believe it,' Masella said. 'Basically, I trained the future pontiff: it's incredible, but for me, he was a client like any other, and he behaved like all the clients of this gym.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 3 Reasons to Plug This Into Your Home Today elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Learn More Undo Masella even vouched for the Pope's fitness credentials. 'For a man of his age… exceptional,' he said. 'Typical of someone who has never stopped playing sports, with an excellent ratio of muscle mass, bone mass, and fat mass.' In a separate interview with the Catholic News Agency, the president and founder of the Omega Fitness Club, Alessandro Tamburlani, expressed his joy at the news. 'My joy was doubled or tripled. Joy to finally have a new Holy Father after the obligatory period of mourning we went through. And joy also to know that he's a good person and, moreover, someone we all already knew here at the gym,' Tamburlani said. He added that Pope Leo's lifestyle sends a powerful message. 'He's a good example of someone who manages to combine spirituality and sports training.' Pope Leo XIV, as per reports, is a known tennis enthusiast. Earlier this week he even met with world No. 1 tennis player Jannik Sinner, who gifted him a racket—perhaps one destined for the Vatican's own tennis court. Know the Pope Robert Francis Prevost, 69, has officially become the 267th pope, taking the name Leo XIV. His election marks a historic moment: he is the first American-born pontiff to ascend to the throne of St. Peter. Though born in Chicago in 1955 to a family of Spanish and Franco-Italian heritage, Pope Leo XIV is deeply connected to Latin America. After being ordained in 1982, he moved to Peru just three years later, beginning a decades-long mission that would define much of his pastoral legacy. While technically the first pope from the United States, many within the Church see him equally as a cardinal shaped by Latin America. Leo XIV holds Peruvian citizenship and is remembered with affection for his grassroots work in the country's underserved communities. In Trujillo, a coastal city in northwestern Peru, he spent ten years both as a parish priest and a seminary professor, forging close ties with locals and championing the marginalized. Despite his long service abroad, he regularly returned to his hometown to continue his ministry in Chicago, where he served as a prior and maintained deep connections with the community that first formed his faith. Now, as Pope, he brings a unique blend of American roots, Latin American missionary spirit, and global pastoral experience to the Vatican.
