The central bank has hiked rates at the fastest pace ever over the past year in a bid to cool inflation after Russia's war in Ukraine sent energy and food prices surging.

ROME, ITALY - Building on growing momentum to tackle environmental problems by addressing the ways in which our food and fiber are produced, the Global Environment Facility has approved 26 projects led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). "To achieve the 2030 Agenda we need...

The German group will sell AirPlus to Sweden's SEB Kort Bank.

Paris. France -- The candidature of Saudi Arabia (for Riyadh), South Korea (Busan) and Italy (Rome) for World Expo 2030 would be decided in an election in November this year, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) said on Tuesday. At the 172nd General Assembly of the BIE on Tuesday, Member...

The EU offered a 900-billion-euro aid package -- contingent on Tunisia reaching an IMF deal. But Tunisian President Kais Saied has repeatedly refused "diktats" from the IMF and the US has led accusations that the birthplace of the Arab Spring is falling to authoritarianism after the dissolution of parliament and...

The EU is ready to offer Tunisia a 900-million-euro package plus 150 million euros in immediate support, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said. Aside from trade and investment, it would help Tunisia with border management and to combat human trafficking, with support worth 100 million euros this year,...

"Discussions will focus on the bilateral relations between the EU and to Tunisia," Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said. "An agreement on cooperation in the areas of the economy, energy and migration will be at the heart of those discussions."

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Rome backed efforts to secure an IMF bailout for Tunisia and support to tackle its growing migrant problem. She was speaking after talks in Tunis with President Kais Saied whose country is going through a dire financial crisis, political tensions. Tunisia is also a...

Venice, Italy - More than 20 of the world’s leading architects, designers, and future thinkers led a major opening event for NEOM’s first international exhibition in Venice. The exhibition marks the launch of the concept of Zero Gravity Urbanism and the design principles behind THE LINE, NEOM’s groundbreaking linear city....

G7 leaders, including the heads of nuclear-armed Britain, France and the United States, arrived at the city's Peace Park to a sodden red carpet welcome from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is from Hiroshima. The leaders were also scheduled to speak with survivors of the bomb, which killed some 140,000...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia--Saudi Arabia is keen to deepen trade and economic ties with Italy from the current volume of trade estimated to be around US$8 billion. In this connection, the members of the Saudi business sector delegation, represented by the Saudi-Italian Business Council, concluded their visit to Italy, during which...

Leaders in the United States and Europe sent congratulations to Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla on their coronation on Saturday, while China called for "cooperation" and "peace". Charles III was crowned monarch of the United Kingdom and 14 Commonwealth realms on Saturday at Britain's first coronation for 70...

Paris, France--Sales of new cars jumped last month in Europe, surpassing the level of one million for the first time since June 2021, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association published on Wednesday. New car registrations hit 1,087,939 in March, an increase of 28.8 percent from the same month...

The Observatory, which has a wide network of sources on the ground in Syria, said fighters riding motorbikes also attacked a group of shepherds in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, killing five and seizing their livestock. Two other shepherds were kidnapped, the war monitor said.

The UN's food agency said it was suspending work in Sudan after three staff were killed in the Darfur region, as fighting raged between the army and paramilitaries. "I am appalled and heartbroken by the tragic deaths of three WFP employees on April 15," Cindy McCain, executive director of the...

Tunisia has recovered 14 bodies of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa in the Mediterranean, bringing to 24 the number of dead after their boat headed for Europe sank, the coastguard said. The spokesman for the National Guard announced that 41 Tunisian migrants, including five women and nine children, had been "rescued"...

Tunisia reached a deal in principle in October with the IMF for nearly $2 billion to shore up its sinking economy but the bailout still needs approval by the IMF board, which is pressing for reforms, primarily on the economy. Tunisia is heavily indebted and facing high inflation and unemployment.

They were among 37 people aboard the vessel which had left from Tunisia's coast and then "sank on Friday afternoon", Faouzi Masmoudi, the court spokesman in Sfax city, told AFP, adding that 17 people were rescued.

TUNIS, TUNISIA - Tunisia's coastguard said Friday it had intercepted over 14,000 migrants trying to reach Europe from January to March, more than five times the number of those who attempted the trip in the first quarter of 2022. "Coast guard patrols prevent 501 clandestine attempts to cross the maritime border...

Meta is accused of exploiting its dominant position in the market "by asking SIAE to accept an inadequate economic offer, but without providing the appropriate information to assess its actual fairness," the watchdog said.

ROME, ITALY  -  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a US$23.7 million contribution from the Norwegian government to scale up its response to humanitarian crises and emergencies. The contribution represents the largest single un-earmarked funding of its kind to date. The funds will be...

Italy became the first western country to take such action against the popular chatbot. The country's Data Protection Authority said US firm OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, had no legal basis to justify "the mass collection and storage of personal data for the purpose of 'training' the algorithms underlying the operation...

Several shipwrecks have left dozens of migrants dead in the country that serves as a key conduit for migrants seeking to reach nearby European shores. It comes after President Kais Saied made an incendiary speech last month, accusing sub-Saharan Africans of representing a demographic threat and causing a crime wave...

Following last month's rail tragedy, Greece's prime minister said that he would discuss with Italy safety improvements on Geek trains run by an Italian state company. The Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told reporters that he will discuss the way in which the Italian government will be able to support the...

The boat carrying 38 people had set off Thursday from near Sfax and was attempting to reach Italy, said Fawzi El Masmoudi, a court spokesman in the port city. Sub-Saharan African migrants residing in Tunisia have been living in fear since an incendiary speech by President Kais Saied speech last...

Abu Dhabi, UAE--ADQ has launched a vertical farming project in partnership with ZERO, a technology company based in Italy. Dubbed as the ZERO project, it is the first of several controlled environment agricultural concepts that will be housed in the AgTech Park and will aim to enhance indoor farming locally,...

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell had warned Monday that if crisis-torn Tunisia "collapses economically or socially then we will be in a situation where new flows of migrants will come to Europe". An EU delegation arrived in Tunisia on Tuesday to examine "the political and socio-economic situation" and...

The love for espresso is the relic of the Italian colonial rule in Libya. Tripoli is dotted with cafes, all equipped with sophisticated Italian coffee machines.

Boxing and other combat sports were banned by Moamer Kadhafi. Officially, authorities considered boxing too violent.

Italy's coastguard said the boat in distress was in Libya's search-and-rescue zone, and that the deadly episode laid bare "the inactivity" of other countries in the Mediterranean. The latest disaster in the Mediterranean comes exactly two weeks after a shipwreck off Italy's southern coast of Calabria that killed at least...

ROME, ITALY - Over 1,000 migrants were brought to safety at two Italian ports on Saturday after the overcrowded boats they were on encountered problems in the Mediterranean, news reports said. The rescues came the same day as a body was discovered of the 74th victim of the deadly shipwreck...

ABU DHABI, UAE -  The United Arab Emirates and Italy on Saturday announced the enhancement of their  bilateral relations to the Strategic Partnership level. The announcement came during a meeting between President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan  and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Al Shati Palace in Abu...

LONDON, UK-  Six European countries on Saturday called on Israel to stop expanding its settlements in  Palestine's West Bank. Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland have also jointly condemned the recent attack on Israeli citizens by Palestinian groups. In a joint statement, they said, "We urge the Israeli government...

TUNIS, TUNISIA -  A goalkeeper at a top-flight Tunisian football club has reached Italy as a clandestine migrant, his club said Friday, as the dire economy pushes thousands into making similar journeys. "Due to the financial crisis facing the club, and difficult living conditions (in Tunisia), the goalkeeper of Avenir Sportif...

Given that these bots still make factual blunders, often show bias and could even spout libelous statements, some are clamoring for them to be tightly controlled.

Vegetable oil prices fell 2.9 percent, stemming from subdued global import demand for palm and soy oils and ample export availabilities of sunflower seed and rapeseed oils.

Bank said it would pay out US$5.6 billion to shareholders.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrived in the Libyan capital Tripoli for talks on energy and migration, Libyan state media said. Meloni's trip - her second to a North African country this week - is the first by a European leader to war-battered Libya since her predecessor Mario Draghi's visit...

Rome, Italy-- The Saudi Export-Import Bank has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Italian Export Credit Agency (SACE) which aims to empower Saudi exporters and international investors and enhance the Saudi-Italian trade exchange.The MoU was signed by EXIM Bank CEO Eng. Saad bin Abdul Aziz Alkhalb and SACE CEO...

Algiers, Algeria--Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni agreed Monday to strengthen energy cooperation with Africa's top gas exporter Algeria, the latest European country seeking supply deals to help reduce reliance on Russia. "Facing the great energy crisis that Europe in particular is experiencing, Algeria could become a leader in production, certainly African...

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and several ministers arrived in Algeria on Sunday, state media reported, ahead of meetings with top officials in the gas-exporting giant.

Doha, Qatar--Doha Port has received the Italian cruise ship Costa Toscana of Costa Cruises, as part of the cruise's first tour in the Arabian Gulf region. The cruise ship has a capacity of about 6,500 visitors, and features a water park, 13 swimming pools and hot tubs, 13 restaurants and...

Russia's President Vladimir Putin said he was "an eminent religious and state figure, a convinced defender of traditional Christian values".

TEHRAN, IRAN  - Iran has summoned the Italian ambassador to protest "interventionist" policies, the foreign ministry said late Thursday, a day after Rome called in Tehran's envoy over its response to nationwide protests. The Islamic republic has been gripped by protests since the September 16 death in custody of Mahsa Amini,...

Iraq's prime minister appealed to visiting Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni for closer economic ties with his oil-rich country suffering from power cuts and decaying infrastructure. Meloni, who leads the eurozone's third-largest economy, is on her first bilateral trip outside Europe. She is on a pre-Christmas visit to Italian troops posted...

ROME, ITALY - The world's ability to nourish its burgeoning population is under threat and without broader socioeconomic and environmental change, sustainable agrifood systems will be impossible to achieve, according to a new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) issued Saturday. The report, "The...

While Europe scrambles to replace Russian energy supplies in the wake of the war in Ukraine, Slovenia has signed a three-year deal with Algerian state energy firm Sonatrach to buy gas via a pipeline through Italy from January. Slovenian foreign minister attended the signing ceremony along with her Algerian counterpart.

Chairman Alfredo Altavilla was accused of obstructing an offer by US investment fund Certares, Delta Airlines and Air France-KLM in favor of a proposal by Germany's Lufthansa and shipping group MSC.

It will run new flights to Europe and Asia in 2023.

Rome, Italy— Italy will allow an NGO ship carrying 179 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean to dock so medics can carry out health checks, the country's foreign minister said Friday. Antonio Tajani said that German NGO SOS Humanity's vessel Humanity 1 would head for Catania, Sicily, and "be able to stay...