Free Republic

Italy’s Chamber of Deputies witnessed an unusual and symbolic protest when a lawmaker entered the chamber draped in a white sheet like a ghost, with the word “Referendum” written across the front. The stunt was led by Riccardo Magi, secretary of the liberal party +Europa, who used the theatrical gesture to denounce what he sees as an attempt by Giorgia Meloni’s government to suppress public debate and encourage voter abstention ahead of the national referendums scheduled for 8 and 9 June. A ghost haunts Italy’s parliament: theatrical protest against government. Credit: Italian Congress TV Italy’s Chamber of Deputies witnessed an...

Vice President J.D. Vance came face-to-face with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time since their Oval Office showdown earlier this year. The two attended Pope Leo XIV's first Sunday mass after being elected the new leader of the Catholic Church – and the first American to ever hold the top post in Vatican City. After the service, Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined Vance and Zelensky in Rome for talks aimed at advancing the goal of ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. 'The leaders discussed their shared goal of ending the bloodshed in Ukraine and provided updates...

Giorgia Meloni’s interpreter has apologized for faltering during a high-stakes meeting with Donald Trump earlier this week, prompting the Italian prime minister to jump in and translate her own comments about NATO and defense spending. Valentina Maiolini-Rothbacher, who was interrupted by Meloni when providing a translation at the White House meeting on Thursday, said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that the mishap was the “worst thing that can happen to an interpreter, a terrible setback.” Footage of the meeting shows President Trump asking Maiolini-Rothbacher for a translation of Meloni’s response to a question from an Italian...

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is due in Washington on Thursday to meet with President Donald Trump. She is expected to make a personal appeal for less punitive tariffs on European Union (E.U.) trade with the world’s biggest economy. Meloni is the first trans-Atlantic leader to sit down with Trump since he announced, and then quickly suspended, 20 percent tariffs on European exports. AFP reports Meloni — described by Trump as a “fantastic leader” who also aligns with his conservative views — has worked hard to keep communication channels open as Trump looks to rework trade with the E.U. through...

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has suggested that NATO’s Article 5 collective security protections be extended to Ukraine, without offering it full membership in the Alliance. She made this statement while speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the EU leaders' meeting in Brussels. "Clearly, the main issue is peace in Ukraine, and I believe we must all do everything we can to support the peace process, welcoming the U.S. initiative and those working towards peace. However, a just peace requires clear security guarantees," Meloni stated.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Pope Francis in hospital on Wednesday, a day after he was diagnosed with double pneumonia, saying that she had found him alert and responsive. "We joked as always. He hasn't lost his proverbial sense of humor," Meloni said in a statement.

Placebo frontman Brian Molko was charged Monday with calling right-wing Premier Giorgia Meloni a fascist and a Nazi at a concert in Turin in July 2023. The justice ministry gave Turin prosecutors the green light to charge Molko, a 52-year-old American-Scottish musician, with insulting Italian institutions on July 11 at Stupinigi. The alternative rock band’s singer will be liable to pay a fine if the charges stick.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is doubling down in the new year, emboldened by the right-wing expansion in the world with the historic election of Donald J. Trump in the US, and several developments in Europe – in Romania, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK… and many other nations. The ’most powerful person in Europe’ Meloni is riding this wave, reigniting her much-praised and much-maligned plan to send ‘asylum seekers’ (a.k.a. illegal migrants) to Albania for processing and posterior deportation. The right-wing government in Italy is bucking against the pressure from their own Globalist unelected Judicial system. Reuters reported: “Italy’s...

Italy is reportedly close to sealing a €1.5 billion (£1.25 billion) deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX that would provide the country’s government with secure telecommunications. Giorgia Meloni’s government is in advanced talks with the billionaire tech entrepreneur and, according to Bloomberg news, a deal has already been approved by Italy’s ministry and intelligence services. Ms Meloni has built a close relationship with the Tesla billionaire, describing him last week as a “genius” who had been wrongly presented as a “monster” because of his support for Donald Trump. On Monday, the Italian prime minister sought to play down speculation about an...

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni flew to Florida to meet with President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday, as the key European leader sought to buttress ties with Trump before his inauguration on Jan. 20. Members of Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort welcomed Meloni with applause after an introduction by the president-elect, according to videos shared on social media by reporters and others. Her trip comes days before she is to meet U.S. President Joe Biden during a visit to Rome from Thursday to Jan. 12. While no details of their meeting have been disclosed, Meloni had planned to talk with Trump about Russia's...

ROME — President Joe Biden has announced he will travel to Italy in January to meet with Pope Francis, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Italian President Sergio Mattarella. The White House said Biden spoke with Pope Francis by phone on Thursday, during which he “graciously accepted His Holiness Pope Francis’s invitation to visit the Vatican next month.” Pope Francis will receive Biden, only the second Catholic to serve as U.S. president, in the Vatican on January 10 to “discuss efforts to advance peace around the world,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

Italy’s prime minister appeared in court on Tuesday to demand punishment for two men who allegedly created deepfake pornographic videos of her and posted them online. Giorgia Meloni, who dialled into the courtroom by videolink, has demanded 100,000 euros (£84,000) in compensation, which she said she will donate to a fund that helps female victims of domestic violence. Roberto Scurosu, 73, and his son Alessio Scurosu, 40, from Sardinia, are accused of creating the fake videos featuring Ms Meloni and posting them to American porn websites in 2020, two years before she became prime minister. The videos were viewed millions...

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has exposed how leftists stay in power even when they lose elections.

Dividends have begun to pay off for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s migration strategy as figures have shown a near-two-thirds reduction of illegal arrivals over last year. Statistics released this week by the Italian Interior Ministry showed that 41,530 illegal immigrants landed on the country’s coasts since the start of the year. While still historically high, the figure represents a 64 per cent decline over the same period last year, when 114,513 were recorded reaching Italian beaches amid a massive wave of illegals pouring across the Mediterranean from North Africa, particularly Tunisia. The figures also show a drop compared to...

Locals had criticised the previous tax rules after rich expats buying property in Italy sent house prices spiking. Italy's government has approved an increase in the annual flat tax applied to income earned abroad by new fiscal residents in Italy. The annual fixed fee will jump to €200,000, from the current total of €100,000. Unpopular among locals, the tax arrangement is informally known as the "billionaires" tax or "the footballers scheme" - it is credited with attracting thousands of multi-millionaires to Italy. One high-profile individual who benefited from the system was Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo, who moved to Turin...

BEIJING (AP) – Italy and China signed a three-year action plan on Sunday to implement past agreements and experiment with new forms of cooperation, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on an official visit to the Chinese capital. Meloni is trying to reset relations with China as fears of a trade war with the European Union are interwoven with continued interest in attracting Chinese investment in auto manufacturing and other sectors.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni appeared visibly annoyed on Thursday while world leaders awaited the tardy appearance of President Joe Biden at the NATO summit in Washington, DC. Meloni checked her watch, appeared to realize she was not wearing a watch, rolled her eyes, looked heavenward in exasperation, and scowled. International media had a field day with Meloni’s unsubtle expressions of annoyance. The New York Post thought the episode was even more amusing because Meloni was not mugging for the cameras. She did not seem to realize she was on video until after she delivered the biggest eye roll since...

JUST IN: President Biden appears to start wandering off at the G7 summit and has to be handled back in. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was seen grabbing Biden to bring him back to the group. This wasn't the only awkward encounter between the two. Biden was caught on camera saluting Meloni before shuffling away. Clown show. Video: @RNCResearch

President Biden awkwardly saluted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as he arrived at the G7 summit in Italy on Thursday. Biden, 81, was the last of the world leaders to arrive at the venue in southern Puglia as he shuffled onto the stage where Meloni was waiting. The two spoke for a few moments before Meloni pointed toward a frame of the G7 logo, which each leader in attendance signed with a marker. As he began to walk off the platform, Biden raised his right hand over his eye and saluted his Italian counterpart.

talian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced Pope Francis will attend the G7 meeting in Italy this June, accepting an invitation from the Italian government in order to discuss artificial intelligence. In a video published on Friday afternoon, Meloni stated that the 87-year-old pontiff had accepted an official invitation from Italy to attend the event. “I am honored to announce today that Pope Francis will be attending the G7 working session dedicated precisely to artificial intelligence,” she stated in a video posted on X. “This technology can create great opportunities, but also brings huge risks,” said Meloni in a video...