Italian opposition calls for elections as ruling coalition faces second major rejection of flagship policies this year

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Giorgia Meloni’s ruling coalition has pledged to persevere with its flagship plans to overhaul Italy’s electoral system after a parliamentary setback provoked calls for snap elections.

In a secret ballot in the lower house on Tuesday, an amendment to a key aspect of the reforms was defeated by a single vote, with an estimated 20-25 members of the coalition breaking ranks.

Die Opposition jubelt: Italiens Ministerpräsidentin verliert eine Abstimmung zum neuen Wahlrecht – weil Stimmen aus dem eigenen Lager fehlen. Das könnte auch mit dem Namen Berlusconi zu tun haben.

Ihre Regierungspartei wollte es ermöglichen, einzelne Kandidaten auf der Liste ihrer Partei nach vorn zu wählen. 188 Abgeordnete stimmten gegen den Entwurf der Regierungspartei, 187 dafür. Die Opposition fordert Melonis Rücktritt und Neuwahlen.

With her popularity flagging and a general election looming, the Italian PM sees a strategic advantage in the rupture

If Giorgia Meloni thought that she could put her April spat with Donald Trump over the pope’s criticism of the US war on Iran behind her, she had not banked on the US president’s capacity to bear a grudge.

Trump reignited tensions by telling an Italian TV journalist that the Italian PM had “begged” him for a picture at the recent G7 meeting in France. The Spanish newspaper El País suggested that Trump’s feathers had been ruffled by a video at the same meeting, showing Meloni appearing to scold him. In any case he doubled down on his tale in a Truth Social post, adding that Meloni wanted the photo to boost her flagging approval ratings, which he blamed on her failure to support the US in the Iran war.

Riccardo Alcaro is head of research at IAI, Istituto Affari Internazionali in Rome

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Cristina Guarda says delegation was denied access to cells in offshore detention facility, at which six people have attempted suicide

An Italian MEP has questioned whether the Italian government is trying to “hide the truth” about conditions at an offshore migrant detention centre in Albania after a delegation she was part of said they were prevented from conducting a full inspection.

Cristina Guarda, from Italy’s Greens and Left Alliance (AVS), said staff at the Italian-run facility in Gjadër had refused to give MEPs from the Greens/EFA group key information, such as how many people were being held at the centre, and that they had not been allowed to access their cells.

Der Gipfel der Allianz in Ankara gilt als schicksalhaft. Friedrich Merz lud deshalb vier Staats- und Regierungschefs zu einer Vorbesprechung ins Kanzleramt. Besonders emotional wurde es für einen.

Die Wirtschaft des G-7-Staates schwächelt, aber besser als in Deutschland läuft es in Italien allemal. Und Ministerpräsidentin Giorgia Meloni punktet jetzt sogar in Brüssel.

US-Präsident Trump und Italiens Ministerpräsidentin Meloni, einst politische Verbündete, streiten über „komplett erfundene Behauptungen“. Endet hier ihre besondere politische Freundschaft?

US president provokes outrage as PM says he ‘totally invented’ story in interview with Italian media

Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has said Donald Trump “totally invented” a story about her after the US president claimed she begged him to take a photo with her during the G7 summit.

The two former allies had appeared to be getting their relationship back on track by having several one-to-ones on the sidelines at the gathering in Évian after falling out in April over the US-Israeli war in Iran.

Giorgia Meloni hatte den G-7-Gipfel auf ihrer Seite, als sie ihren Abschied von der Zigarette bekannt gab. Aber möchten wir wirklich abstinente Italiener in der EU?

In einem Luxushotel am Genfer See bekommt Donald Trump ein spezielles Wellness-Programm.  Der Präsident soll nach seinem Iran-Deal wieder ins Team Westen geholt werden. Die Ukraine darf ein wenig Hoffnung schöpfen.

Beim Gipfel in Évian werden die Europäer bei Trump für die Nato werben, einen Platz bei den Ukraine-Verhandlungen beanspruchen und wissen wollen, was der US-Präsident mit Iran ausgehandelt hat.

In Süditalien werden vier Erntehelfer bei lebendigem Leib verbrannt – offenbar, weil sie einen gerechten Lohn gefordert haben.

Italiens Ministerpräsidentin feiert die neuen EU-Regelungen beim Thema Migration als Erfolg für sich – und sieht auch ihre umstrittenen Albanien-Zentren bestätigt. Nun geht Rom offenbar noch einen Schritt weiter.

Macron, Merz and von der Leyen among those due to gather in Montenegro for talks on integration of six countries

European leaders will seek to show six western Balkan countries that they have a real chance of joining the EU one day, despite splits over how to handle enlargement of the 27-member bloc.

Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, Giorgia Meloni and Ursula von der Leyen are among more than 30 leaders expected to gather in the Montenegrin coastal resort of Tivat on Friday for summit talks. The focus will be on integrating the six Balkan countries – among them Montenegro and Albania – more deeply into the EU single market, paving the way for them to join the bloc.

Seven Bangladeshi-Italian candidates stand for Venice’s council as community faces far-right hostility – while voters demand an end to overtourism and neglect

Rhitu Miah, one of seven candidates from the Bangladeshi-Italian community standing in Venice’s local election, is used to brushing off racist or sexist comments. But she was taken aback by the virulence of the negative comments online when she announced she would run for the council – potentially making her one of the first people of Bangladeshi origin ever elected in the lagoon city’s administration.

“There were hateful messages – one person told me to get on a camel and go back to my own country,” says Miah, an Italian citizen who moved to Venice with her family at three years old, through her father’s job at the Fincantieri shipyard, a huge importer of labour from Bangladesh. “I tried to let it be and reply with a smile … but it was difficult not to cry. This is also a reason why I’m running [to combat these prejudices].”

Aktivisten der Hilfsflottille für Gaza beschweren sich über öffentliche Erniedrigungen und Misshandlungen in Israel. Italien und Frankreich bestellen die israelischen Botschafter ein. Und Deutschland?

Itamar Ben-Gvir führt Teilnehmer einer Hilfsflottille nach Gaza vor laufenden Kameras gefesselt und auf Knien vor. Seine Anhänger feiern ihn als Helden, doch Israels Ansehen schadet er.

In Modena in Norditalien ist ein Mann mit einem Auto in Passanten gefahren. Ob es ein Terrorattentat war, ist noch unklar. Die politischen Reaktionen sind trotzdem schon deutlich.

As continent faces tough headwinds, leaders are bearing brunt of delivering bad news to frustrated electorates

“People hate you,” the adviser informed his leader. A think-piece in a daily newspaper noted that “almost everyone agrees on one thing: they don’t like him”.

The recent disastrous set of local election results in the UK built on Keir Starmer’s longstanding reputational problem: only 11% of Britons believe he has been a good or great prime minister, and nearly 60% believe he has been poor or terrible, according to polling by YouGov.