Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticised an aid flotilla intercepted off Gaza by the Israeli military, saying on Thursday the activists' mission and a strike called in their support in Italy would do nothing to help Palestinians.
Israeli forces have boarded dozens of ships carrying hundreds of activists, including about 40 Italians, as they attempted to breach a maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Italian unions called a general strike for Friday in solidarity with the flotilla, while protests sprang up in a number of cities after news spread late on Wednesday that the ships were being halted.
Speaking on the sidelines of a European Union summit in Copenhagen, Meloni sarcastically suggested the planned strike was simply an excuse for unionists to have a nice weekend break.
"I would have expected that at least on such an important issue they would not have called a general strike on a Friday, because a long weekend and revolution don't go together," she said.
"I continue to believe that all of this brings no benefit to the people of Palestine," Meloni told reporters.
"On the other hand, it seems to me that it will bring many inconveniences to the Italian people," she added, referring to Friday's strike, as well as pro-Palestinian protests previously called for Saturday.
Italian unions have accused the government of not putting pressure on Israel to halt the war and to allow unfettered aid access into Gaza.
Addressing parliament on Thursday, Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Rome had backed Israel's right to self-defence.
However, he reiterated that Israeli operations in Gaza had gone beyond self-defence and had violated humanitarian law.
"Gaza is not Hamas. Palestinians are not Hamas," he said.
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Nokia chief executive Justin Hotard said artificial intelligence is fuelling a structural growth cycle similar to the internet expansion of the 1990s, but rejected fears that investor enthusiasm has reached unsustainable levels.
A delegation of ambassadors from NATO member states will visit Azerbaijan on 6–7 November, according to Report. The group will include envoys from 15 NATO countries.
The U.S. military conducted strikes against two vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing five alleged drug smugglers, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday. The operation marks an expansion of the Trump administration’s use of the armed forces in its counter-narcotics campaign.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 23 October, covering the latest developments you need to know.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Snapchat will start charging users who store more than 5GB of photos and videos in its Memories feature, prompting backlash from long-time users.
Talks between Thailand and Cambodia this week have made "meaningful progress", Thai defence minister Natthaphon Narkphanit said on Thursday, ahead of the potential signing of a broader ceasefire agreement.
The U.S. military conducted strikes against two vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing five alleged drug smugglers, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday. The operation marks an expansion of the Trump administration’s use of the armed forces in its counter-narcotics campaign.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 23 October, covering the latest developments you need to know.
European leaders aim to put on a show of support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Brussels on Thursday after a rollercoaster few days that saw Donald Trump announce and then back away from plans to meet Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
The Netherlands will vote on Wednesday, 29 October, after the collapse of the previous coalition, with far-right leader Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV) leading polls ahead of rivals focused on housing, healthcare and immigration.
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