Tag: Italy

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Trump turns on Meloni; says he is ‘shocked’ by Italian leader


Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni lacks courage and has let Washington down, U.S. President Donald Trump told an Italian newspaper on Tuesday, delivering a ‌blunt public rebuke to one of his closest European allies.

Meloni had been a vociferous supporter of Trump, but she distanced herself from him after he went to war with Iran in February, and on Monday she openly criticized ‌him for lashing out at Pope Leo, saying his verbal assault ⁠was “unacceptable”.

Trump responded in an interview with Corriere della Sera, saying Meloni was “very ⁠different from what I ⁠thought” and denouncing her for refusing to help re-open the Strait of Hormuz, which has ‌been blocked by Iran.

“I’m shocked by her. I thought she had courage. I was wrong,” he was ⁠quoted as saying in the Italian-language article.

The White ⁠House declined to comment on the reported quotes. Meloni’s office also declined to comment, but politicians of all stripes rallied to her defence, including Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, head of the coalition Forza Italia party.

“We are, and will remain, sincere supporters of Western ⁠unity and steadfast allies of the United States, but that unity is built on loyalty, ⁠respect and mutual frankness,” he said, applauding Meloni ‌for denouncing Trump’s attack on the pope.

“On Pope Leo XIV, she said exactly what all of us Italian citizens think,” he added in a statement on X.

Trump’s criticism marked a dramatic change in tone toward Meloni, the only European leader to attend ‌his inauguration in 2025 and whom he had hailed as “a great leader” just one month ago.

On Tuesday he accused her of failing to back U.S. efforts to tackle Iran’s nuclear program and guarantee energy flows through the Gulf, saying she wanted America “to do the job for her.”

Asked about her condemnation of his comments on Pope Leo, he said: “She is the one who is unacceptable, because she does not care whether Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow Italy up ​in two minutes if it had the chance.”

The reprimand capped a tumultuous month for Meloni, who lost a crunch referendum on judicial reform in March and then saw her ‌political ally Viktor Orban ousted from power in Hungary.

The U.S.-Israeli war in the Gulf threatens to upend the economy with surging energy costs and is hugely unpopular with Italians, putting Meloni on a collision course with Trump.

Seeking to distance ‌herself from the conflict, she refused to let U.S. fighters use an air base in Sicily ⁠for combat operations in Iran last ⁠month and on Tuesday, she suspended a military ​cooperation pact with Israel.

Trump said the surge in energy prices should have encouraged Italy, ⁠which is heavily dependent on ‌oil and gas imports, to help re-open the Strait of Hormuz.

“They pay ​the highest energy costs in the world and are not even ready to fight for the Strait of Hormuz… They depend on Donald Trump to keep it open,” Trump said. (JapanToday)

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Italian PM condemns ally Trump over ‘unacceptable’ Pope criticism

Donald Trump’s remarks about Pope Leo XIV were “unacceptable”, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said.

The US president accused the pontiff of being “WEAK on Crime and terrible for Foreign Policy” in a long Truth Social post, later telling reporters he was “not a big fan”.

“The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn every form of war,” Meloni said in a statement.

Meloni, who is a Catholic and heads a right-wing coalition government, is a close ally of Trump and had so far been reluctant to condemn the US president’s harsh criticism of Pope Leo.

Italian opposition parties have criticised Meloni for failing to speak out promptly.

Her coalition partner Matteo Salvini, the leader of the populist League party, said that “attacking the Pope… doesn’t seem like a useful or intelligent thing to do.”

After Trump’s remarks, the Pope told reporters en route to Algeria that he did not want to get into a debate with Trump but would continue to promote peace.

Pope Leo has said he has “no fear” of the Trump administration and will continue to speak out against war after the US president launched an unusual and scathing attack over his stance on the Iran conflict.

He has been a staunch critic of the Iran war, calling Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian civilisation “unacceptable” and calling for him to find an “off-ramp” to end the conflict.

On Monday, Trump doubled down on his criticism, saying he would not apologise to the “very weak” Pope.

In general, it is rare for a Pope to directly address statements by world leaders.

There are more than 70 million Catholics in the US, about 20% of the population. They include Trump’s Vice-President JD Vance.

Trump’s comments came as the pontiff embarked on an 11-day trip to Africa, his second major foreign trip since being elected last year.

The US president wrote in Sunday’s post that the Pope “should get his act together” and said he was “weak on nuclear weapons”, apparently referring to Tehran’s attempts to become a nuclear power, cited as one of the reasons for the US and Israel going to war with Iran.

He also suggested that the pontiff was elected “because he was American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J Trump”.

“If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”

Asked by reporters to explain the post, he later said: “I don’t think he’s doing a very good job, he likes crime, I guess.”

Trump added: “He’s a very liberal person, and he’s a man who doesn’t believe in stopping crime, he’s a man who doesn’t believe we should be toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon so they can blow up the world.”

In response, the Pope told reporters on board his plane to Algiers that he did not see his role as that of a politician but as one of spreading the message of peace.

“I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do,” he told reporters.

“I don’t want to get into a debate with [Trump],” he added. (BBC)

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Italy’s football chief resigns after World Cup disaster

The head of Italy’s football federation resigned on Thursday, falling on his sword after the men’s national team failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.

Gabriele Gravina revealed he would step down as the country’s top football official following a meeting held at the FIGC’s headquarters in Rome on Thursday.

Italy fell at the play-offs again on Tuesday, this time after a penalty shoot-out against Bosnia and Herzegovina and will miss this summer’s finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The shock waves of the latest humiliation for one of the world’s most important football nations forced Gravina, 72, to go back on his initial plans to wait until a FIGC board meeting next week to announce a decision on his future.

The FIGC said in a statement a vote for a new president will be held on June 22, with Giovanni Malago, the former long-time head of the Italian Olympic Committee, who was president of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics organisation committee, among the names in the hat.

Gravina’s resignation also means Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso could resign, as it was Gravina who asked the 2006 World Cup winner to stay on beyond the end of his current contract, which expires in the summer.

He was elected FIGC president in October 2018, becoming the permanent replacement for Carlo Tavecchio, who stepped down following Italy’s first World Cup play-off defeat to Sweden the previous year.

The highlight of his reign was Italy’s thrilling triumph at Euro 2020, when an Azzurri team that under Roberto Mancini went unbeaten for 37 matches beat England at Wembley to be crowned kings of the continent.

But two World Cup qualification failures and a dismal defence of the European title left Gravina with little choice but to resign as Italy shines in other sports while being left behind in football.

Gravina also caused anger on Tuesday by referring to other sports as “amateur” and “state sports” compared to football due to the large number of athletes, particularly Olympians, who are nominally employed by different arms of Italy’s armed forces and police.

Italy claimed a record 30 medals at the recent Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, including 10 golds, and left the 2024 Summer Games in Paris with 40 medals.

The Mediterranean nation also has top performers in a wide variety of other sports, with tennis star Jannik Sinner, a four-time Grand Slam winner, the most obvious example. (Punch)

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Italy out as Bosnia and Herzegovina reach World Cup 2026 on penalties

Four-time champions Italy will miss out on a third consecutive World Cup final after losing on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina in their European qualifying playoff for the 2026 edition.

With the match level at 1-1 after extra time, Bosnia secured the spot kicks 4-1, as the Italians, reduced to 10 men in the first half of normal time, crumpled under the pressure.

Esmir Bajraktarevic hit the winning spot kick in Zenica, where the Bosnians booked a place in Group B, as well as matches against cohosts Canada, Switzerland and Qatar, and plunged Italy into a new nightmare.

Italy took the lead in the 15th minute through Moise Kean’s fine first-time finish, curled home from the edge of the box.

The Italians were reduced to 10 men, however, when Alessandro Bastoni saw red for a professional foul, denying the home side a clear goal-scoring opportunity by chopping down Amar Memic four minutes before half-time.

After relentless pressure thereafter, they found their way to level terms, with Haris Tabakovic pouncing on a loose ball in the box following a corner.

Italy missed their first and third kicks of the shootout, while the home support were electrified as their side rifled in the four kicks they were required to take.

Italy are the first former winners to fail to qualify for three consecutive World Cup finals. Their last win in the tournament was in 2006, when current manager Gennaro Gattuso was part of the national team.

Bosnia, meanwhile, reached their second World Cup finals, and first since 2014, in front of a passionate crowd, which was sent delirious by Bajraktarevic’s decisive penalty. (AlJazeera)

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Nine arrested in Italy for allegedly raising millions for Hamas

Italian police have arrested nine people accused of raising around €7m (£6m) for Hamas over more than two years.

The money was ostensibly collected as humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians, a police statement said, but was instead sent to the militant group via a “complex fundraising system”.

Alongside the arrests, police say they have seized more than €8m (£7m) in assets as part of the investigation.

Police say the suspects are “specifically accused of carrying out financing operations believed to have contributed to terrorist activities”.

The arrests were made as part of a joint initiative between Italy’s counter-terror police and financial police.

The investigation began after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack in southern Israel.

Police say they analysed “a series of reports of suspicious financial transactions” involving some of the suspects in the lead up to the attack.

Investigators uncovered a “complex” system of fundraising, which was headquartered in Genoa with branches in Milan, the statement adds.

“The suspects collected donations intended for the civilian population of Gaza, however, it emerged that over 71% of these funds were diverted to Hamas’s coffers to finance its military wing and support the families of suicide bombers or those detained for terrorism,” the police statement says.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said the most well-known of the arrested suspects was Mohammad Hannoun, the president of the Palestinian Association in Italy.

Piantedosi thanked police for their work in a post on X, but also noted that “the presumption of innocence… must always be recognised at this stage”.

Mr Hannoun said that he is “neither closely nor remotely” related to Hamas but has always supported them.

“I have always declared with utmost transparency that I am a Palestinian citizen and publicly support the legitimate resistance of the Palestinian people,” he told reporters. (BBC)

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Mariah Carey to perform at Milan Cortina opening ceremony

Mariah Carey is going to add some American pop-star pedigree to the opening ceremony for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

The local organizing committee announced on Monday that the 56-year-old Carey — the “All I Want for Christmas is You” singer — is the first international star named to perform in the Feb 6 ceremony at Milan’s San Siro soccer stadium.

“Ci vediamo a Milano” — ‘See you in Milan’ — Carey said on Instagram.

Carey sang the U.S. national anthem at the 2002 Super Bowl but has never performed at the game’s halftime show. She has won six Grammy awards.

Carey has recorded 19 No. 1 hits, according to Billboard, which lists her as the fourth-greatest recording artist of all time, trailing the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Elton John.

A crowd of 60,000 spectators is slated for the opening ceremony, with millions more expected to watch on television.

“Mariah Carey fully represents the emotional atmosphere that accompanies the run-up to the Games,” the committee said. “Music is a universal language that attracts different stories and sensibilities, and intertwines with the opening ceremony’s theme of harmony.”

The only other detail announced for the ceremony so far is that there will be a tribute to the late fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who died at his home in Milan in September at the age of 91.

The Games will be spread over northern Italy, and simultaneous but smaller opening ceremonies are to be held in three mountain clusters as well.

The main ceremony will put a spotlight on the San Siro, which is home to the Inter Milan and AC Milan soccer clubs. It is set to be torn down and replaced by a new stadium after the Games.

Internationally acclaimed ballet star Roberto Bolle will headline the closing ceremony, which is slated for Verona’s ancient Roman Arena on Feb 22. (JapanToday)

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Belgium beats France to reach last four of Davis Cup following Alcaraz withdrawal

Belgium reached the semifinals of the Davis Cup after winning both singles matches against France in Bologna, where fans have been denied star power following injured Carlos Alcaraz’s late withdrawal.

Raphael Collignon and Zizou Bergs came through respective singles clashes against Corentin Moutet and Arthur Rinderknech to set up a potential clash in the last four with holders and hosts Italy.

Collignon came back from a set down to beat world number 35 Moutet 2-6, 7-5, 7-5, while Bergs saw off Rinderknech, France’s highest ranked player at 29 in the world, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).

The two wins for Belgium mean that the scheduled doubles match featuring Belgium’s Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen against Benjamin Bonzi and Pierre-Hugues Herbert will not be played.

Italy will be favored to face Belgium in the semifinals ahead of Wednesday’s match against Austria in front of a passionate crowd in northern Italy.

The Azzurri will be without stars Jannik Sinner — recent winner of the ATP Finals — and Lorenzo Musetti, who were key to the 2023 and 2024 Davis Cup triumphs for the Mediterranean nation.

Both players sit in the top 10 of the men’s single rankings and their absence makes Italy’s match with Austria more difficult to call.

There was more bad news for the tournament as world number one Alcaraz also pulled out of the tournament on Wednesday morning with a hamstring injury suffered against Sinner in their ATP Finals showdown on Sunday night.

The six-time Grand Slam champion said in the aftermath of that defeat that his hamstring hadn’t affected him, even though it was strapped up during a medical time out.

But he has dropped out of the tournament two days before Spain’s quarterfinal with Czech Republic, leaving the beleaguered event without the hoped-for stardust.

The highest ranked player at the Davis Cup finals is former Olympic champion Alexander Zverev, ranked three in the world.

But the German, whose country faces Argentina on Thursday, recently blasted the current format, calling it “an exhibition tournament”.

He wasn’t the only one to criticize the tournament, with Sinner saying during the ATP Finals that he “never unfortunately played the Davis Cup, the real Davis Cup”, and suggested each edition be played over two years.

Ross Hutchins, the head of the International Tennis Federation which organizes the Davis Cup, insisted that the absences of three headline players were “three specific cases” and not a sign of the tournament being snubbed by the sport’s stars.

Hutchins cited Musetti saying that the imminent birth of his second child played a part in his decision, but the world number eight said last week that the physical and emotional stress of a long season was the main reason for his withdrawal.

Sinner dropped out in order to get an extra week of close-season rest after completing a complicated campaign by retaining the ATP Finals. (JapanToday)

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2027 Rugby World Cup draw set for Dec 3

The draw for an expanded 2027 Rugby World Cup will take place on December 3, organizers said Wednesday, with host Australia confirmed as kicking off the tournament at Perth Stadium.

Twenty-four teams will be divided into six pools of four, with 52 games across six weeks from October 1 to November 13. A round of 16 will be played for the first time.

The last World Cup in France, won by South Africa, featured 20 teams.

“I’m thrilled to see the tournament draw date revealed,” said World Rugby chairman Brett Robinson. “Expanding the men’s Rugby World Cup to 24 teams is a landmark moment for our sport. It means more nations, more matches, and more opportunities for fans around the world to connect with rugby.”

World Rugby rankings at the end of the November international window will be used to determine which teams head each of the six groups, making every win crucial ahead of the draw.

South Africa are currently ranked one ahead of Ireland, New Zealand, France, England and Argentina, with hosts Australia seventh. Scotland, Fiji and Italy round out the top 10.

The top two from each pool plus the four best third-placed teams will qualify for the knockout phase.

“The introduction of a round of 16 will deliver even more knockout rugby, ensuring every match counts and every team has the chance to make history,” said Robinson.

“Importantly, we’ve been able to achieve this within a streamlined tournament window that protects player welfare while enhancing the spectacle. This is a huge step forward for rugby and a reflection of the game’s global growth.”

Sydney had already been announced to host the final and both semi-finals, along with a third-place playoff and a string of other knockout and pool stage games.

The rest of the schedule is split between Brisbane, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Adelaide and Townsville.

Some 2.5 million tickets will go on sale in February, with one million priced under A$100 (U.S.$66) in a bid to make it the most family-friendly tournament yet. (JapanToday)

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European soccer body UEFA moves toward vote to suspend Israel

European soccer body UEFA is moving toward a vote to suspend its member federation Israel over the war in Gaza, people familiar with the proposal told The Associated Press on Thursday.

A majority of UEFA’s 20-member executive committee is expected to support any vote in favor of suspending Israeli teams from international play, two sources told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

Such a step would prevent Israeli national and club teams from playing in international competitions including next year’s World Cup. Israel’s men’s team is set to resume its World Cup qualifying campaign in two weeks with away games against Norway and Italy.

It is unclear whether world soccer body FIFA will support excluding Israel given the close relations between FIFA’s leader, Gianni Infantino, and President Donald Trump.

The Trump administration’s support to secure the World Cup, and process visas for players, officials and potentially hundreds of thousands of visiting fans, is seen as key to FIFA delivering a successful tournament in the U.S., Canada and Mexico next year.

A State Department spokesperson said it will work to stop any efforts that tried to ban Israel’s team from the World Cup.

FIFA’s ruling council is scheduled to meet in Zurich next week. The 37-member council includes eight from UEFA.

FIFA declined to comment on Thursday. Infantino is based this week at FIFA’s satellite office in Trump Tower in Manhattan while attending events on the fringes of the United Nations General Assembly.

Calls to exclude Israel from soccer and other sports have increased in recent weeks amid an outcry over the humanitarian toll of its military campaign in Gaza. Last week Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Israel should be banned from international sports events just like Russia, which was sidelined after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Earlier this week seven independent experts working with the U.N. Human Rights Council urged FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israel from international competitions.

UEFA and its president Aleksander Ceferin signaled a tougher view on Israel last month when banners saying “Stop Killing Children. Stop Killing Civilians” were placed on the field in front of the Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham teams ahead of the Super Cup game in Udine, Italy.

The discussion about whether to ban Israel from international sports comes as Israel faces increasing criticism and isolation over its military campaign, launched in response to the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

Last week, Israel was accused of committing genocide in Gaza by an inquiry commission commissioned by the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Israel’s sports and culture minister, Miki Zohar, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the head of Israel’s soccer federation, Moshe Zuares, have been working “intensively behind the scenes” to block efforts to oust Israel from UEFA, Zohar’s office said Thursday. “The right step now is to act responsibly with the professionals and not to make statements, and this is how all the parties involved in the efforts are acting. We will address this later.”

The decision to ban Russia in 2022 was partly driven by a swath of UEFA member federations refusing to play scheduled games against Russian opponents. No national or club team in Europe has so far refused to play an Israeli opponent, though soccer leaders in Norway and Italy have publicly expressed their unease in recent weeks.

The Norwegian soccer federation also pledged to give its profits from ticket sales for the Oct. 11 game in Oslo to humanitarian work in Gaza by Doctors Without Borders.

Both Italy’s Gabriele Gravina and Lise Klaveness of Norway are elected members of the UEFA executive committee which could vote on suspending Israel. Zuares, the Israeli soccer federation president, is also on the panel as is Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, a member of the Qatari government who is president of European champion Paris Saint-Germain.

Israel enraged Qatar, an influential U.S. ally that has been a key mediator throughout the war, with a Sept. 9 airstrike targeting Hamas leaders in Doha, the Qatari capital.

At the Champions League final in May, PSG fans displayed a banner saying “Stop Genocide in Gaza” in French. UEFA did not open a disciplinary case despite having rules against political messaging inside stadiums.

On Wednesday evening in Greece, Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv played PAOK in the UEFA-organized Europa League. There were pro-Palestinian protests outside the stadium in Thessaloniki and a “Stop Genocide” banner displayed inside. (JapanToday)

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Italian fashion icon Giorgio Armani dies at 91

Italian fashion legend Giorgio Armani, king of a high-end lifestyle empire, has died at the age of 91, “surrounded by his loved ones”, his company said on Thursday.

“With infinite sorrow, the Armani Group announces the passing of its creator, founder, and tireless driving force: Giorgio Armani,” it said in a statement.

The best-known contemporary designer, Armani, opened his fashion house in Milan in 1975, quickly rising to the top of the industry and going on to dress the stars.

His funeral will be private, the group said, but well-wishers can pay respects beforehand at a funeral chamber open on Saturday and Sunday in Milan.

“Il Signor Armani, as he was always respectfully and admiringly called by employees and collaborators, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones,” the company said.

“Indefatigable to the end, he worked until his final days, dedicating himself to the company, the collections, and the many ongoing and future projects,” the company said.

Armani had cancelled his menswear show in Milan this year due to health reasons. He also missed the Paris Armani Prive show on doctors’ orders.

“My doctors advised more rest, even though I felt ready.”

He added that he had “followed and overseen every aspect of the show remotely”, stressing: “I approved and signed off on everything you will see.”

The Italian icon was credited with inventing red-carpet fashion, but also moved into a younger and less expensive range through Emporio Armani, and opened luxury hotels.

His death came just weeks ahead of celebrations marking 50 years of his eponymous label.

Italy’s Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli led the tributes, paying homage to “a leading figure in Italian culture, who was able to transform elegance into a universal language”.

“His understated and innovative style redefined the relationship between fashion, cinema, and society, leaving an indelible mark on contemporary culture,” he said.

“He was not only a master of fashion, but also a recognised ambassador of Italian identity around the world.” (Punch)