Just four months after leaving the League party, one of Meloni’s coalition partners, Vannacci says his new party, Futuro Nazionale, has attracted nearly 100,000 paying members and is polling at around 4% nationally, a level that could prove influential in a closely contested election.

The rise of the former paratrooper presents a strategic dilemma for Meloni. Embracing Vannacci could alienate moderate voters who have supported her efforts to reposition her government as a mainstream conservative force, while ignoring him risks allowing a rival on the right to gain further momentum.

Futuro Nazionale is due to be formally launched this weekend and is positioning itself as a nationalist alternative to the governing coalition, accusing Meloni and her allies of abandoning core right-wing principles.

“We represent that right which is not faded, not wavering, not fearful,” Vannacci said earlier this year, arguing that the government had softened its positions on European integration, migration and law-and-order issues.

The 57-year-old first gained national prominence after publishing a controversial book advocating traditional values while criticizing LGBTQ rights, migration and feminist movements. The publication led to criticism from Italy’s defense establishment and his suspension from active military service.

League leader and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini later brought Vannacci into the party, helping him secure election to the European Parliament in 2024. However, the alliance proved short-lived, with Vannacci leaving in February to establish his own movement.

Political analysts say his emergence is likely to intensify competition within Italy’s right-wing electorate.

Sofia Ventura, a political science professor at the University of Bologna, said Salvini’s decision to promote Vannacci had ultimately strengthened a future rival and could pressure both Salvini and Meloni to adopt tougher positions to retain conservative voters.

An SWG opinion poll published on Friday placed Futuro Nazionale at 4.6%, narrowing the gap with the League, which stood at 5.8%. The same survey showed a loose alliance of center-left parties marginally ahead of the governing coalition.

Vannacci has aligned himself in the European Parliament with nationalist and Eurosceptic forces, including Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD), a stance that has complicated prospects for cooperation with more moderate coalition partners such as Forza Italia.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, leader of Forza Italia, said he had no contact with Vannacci, although he did not rule out future discussions before the next election.

Since taking office in 2022, Meloni has sought to transform her Brothers of Italy party from a hard-right opposition movement into a governing force accepted by European and transatlantic partners. Her support for Ukraine and efforts to maintain constructive relations with Brussels have strengthened her international standing.

Vannacci’s platform challenges that approach. He combines criticism of the European Union with skepticism about Western military support for Ukraine and has argued against what he describes as unconditional backing for Kyiv.

His movement has already attracted eight lawmakers from coalition parties, highlighting concerns within government ranks that his influence could grow further.

Whether Futuro Nazionale develops into a lasting political force may depend on its ability to build a broader organization beyond Vannacci’s personal popularity. For now, however, his rise has added a new source of uncertainty to Italy’s increasingly competitive political landscape.

The visits will take the pontiff to two major gateways for African migrants seeking entry into Europe. Although migrant arrivals have fallen this year, particularly in the Canary Islands, immigration and integration remain contentious issues across Europe’s traditionally Catholic societies.

Church leaders and migrant advocates hope the trips will shift attention toward humanitarian concerns and the challenges faced by migrants rather than political disputes.

The pope is expected to meet migrants and pay tribute to those who died attempting dangerous sea crossings. His visit follows the migration-focused legacy of Pope Francis, who made Lampedusa the destination of his first pastoral trip outside Rome in 2013.

Catholic organizations in Spain and Italy continue to provide assistance to migrants arriving through Atlantic and Mediterranean routes, while debates over migration policy increasingly divide political parties and public opinion.

The visits come as European governments balance border control measures with growing calls from religious and humanitarian groups for a more compassionate approach toward migrants and asylum seekers.

The victims were found after firefighters extinguished a vehicle fire at a petrol station near the village of Amendolara in Calabria, a major agricultural region that employs large numbers of migrant laborers.

Investigators are treating the case as a homicide after surveillance footage reportedly showed two individuals blocking the vehicle’s doors from the outside before pouring a liquid into the van and setting it alight. The footage then showed flames engulfing the vehicle as the suspects fled the scene, according to Corriere della Sera newspaper.

Firefighters discovered the four bodies inside the minivan after bringing the blaze under control. Authorities have not publicly released the identities of the victims.

“This is definitely murder, we just have to work out the details,” local police chief Antonio Borelli was quoted as saying by Corriere della Sera.

The arrests come amid broader concerns over tensions within migrant communities working in Calabria’s agricultural sector. According to the newspaper, the area has recorded 14 arson incidents involving cars and minivans used by Pakistani migrants in recent months.

Investigators are examining whether the killings were linked to disputes over access to seasonal farm work, residency documentation, or accommodation, issues that have periodically generated friction among migrant workers in the region.

Calabria’s agricultural industry relies heavily on foreign labor, with migrant workers often employed in seasonal harvesting and farm-related activities across the region’s extensive farming districts.

Authorities have not disclosed additional details regarding the motive for the attack as the investigation continues.

Voting in the industrial city of about 62,000 residents has drawn national attention after the mayoral candidate of the right-wing League party included two Muslim candidates on his electoral list, a move that sparked controversy within the party and highlighted shifting demographic realities ahead of national elections next year.

Located in the Lombardy region amid factories and rice fields, Vigevano has a foreign-born population of roughly 15 percent, including large communities with roots in Egypt and Romania. The city also has a growing number of naturalized citizens and second-generation Italians whose political influence is becoming increasingly significant.

The League, led nationally by Matteo Salvini, currently governs the city. Salvini has advocated tough immigration policies and has argued that citizenship should be revoked from second-generation immigrants convicted of serious crimes. Against that backdrop, local mayoral candidate Riccardo Ghia drew attention by selecting two Muslim candidates in an effort to broaden the party’s appeal among immigrant-origin voters.

One of those candidates, Hagar Haggag, a 20-year-old Italian of Egyptian heritage, said she had faced threats and abuse since announcing her candidacy. She attributed much of the backlash to her decision to wear an Islamic headscarf.

Haggag said she had not experienced discrimination within the local League organization and noted that a previous League administration had permitted the opening of a Muslim prayer hall in a converted industrial building in 2022. She said her campaign was partly motivated by a desire to challenge stereotypes surrounding Muslim women and their participation in public life.

The second Muslim candidate, Ibrahim Hussein, serves as a spokesman for the local prayer hall and has described his candidacy as an example of successful integration. In public statements, he has argued that immigrants who respect Italian laws should be fully accepted within society.

Campaigning concluded on Friday with Ghia defending his decision, saying political participation should be based on respect for civic rules rather than religious identity.

The debate has revealed broader fractures within Italy’s governing coalition. While the national League leadership distanced itself from the Vigevano candidates, the ruling Giorgia Meloni’s party, Brothers of Italy, backed the local ticket. Coalition partner Forza Italia, generally regarded as more moderate on immigration issues, supported a separate mayoral slate.

The divisions have created an opening for Roberto Vannacci, a former League figure who recently launched the nationalist party Futuro Nazionale. During a campaign visit to Vigevano this month, Vannacci delivered a speech focused heavily on immigration and public security.

His local ally, lawyer Furio Suvilla, has campaigned on stricter security measures, including deploying the army to address public disorder around the city’s railway station and closing the Muslim prayer hall.
Political analysts say the contest reflects broader demographic and electoral shifts occurring across Italy.

According to sociologist Maurizio Ambrosini, candidates with immigrant backgrounds remain relatively uncommon in Italian politics compared with countries such as France and Germany, but several right-wing parties are increasingly seeking to attract voters and candidates from immigrant communities.

On the center-left, candidate Sabrine Hamrouni, whose father emigrated from Tunisia in the 1990s, said she hoped political fragmentation on the right would benefit her campaign.

Born and raised in Vigevano, she said questions of identity and belonging remain central for many residents with immigrant roots despite their long-standing ties to the city.

The election is being closely watched as an indicator of how Italy’s evolving social landscape may reshape political competition ahead of next year’s national vote.

The first U.S.-born pontiff traveled to Acerra, near Naples, where he urged people to reject “temptations of power and enrichment” linked to activities that damage the environment and communities. The visit came as the Vatican prepares to publish Leo’s first encyclical on Monday, a major teaching document expected to address artificial intelligence, warfare and workers’ rights.

Speaking before residents affected by decades of pollution, Leo said he had come to the region to “gather the tears” of families who had lost loved ones to illnesses linked to toxic waste contamination. He criticized what he described as the failure to curb environmental abuses and said those responsible had been allowed to act without accountability for too long.

Crowds gathered in Acerra’s main square to welcome the pope, waving Vatican flags and displaying photographs of relatives who had died. During his four-hour visit, Leo met with victims and reiterated concerns about what he called the “dizzying profits” earned by a small number of actors at the expense of public health, employment and future generations.

The area around Naples, commonly known as the “Land of Fires,” has for decades been associated with illegal dumping and burning of industrial waste. Waste management operations in parts of southern Italy were historically linked to private contractors, some of whom were alleged to have connections with the Camorra, the Naples-based organized crime network.

In January 2025, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Italian authorities had failed for years to adequately protect residents from the consequences of illegal waste disposal in the region, citing shortcomings dating back at least to 1988.

The court ordered Italy to develop a comprehensive database of contaminated sites and improve public communication about health and environmental risks.
Following the ruling, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni appointed a senior military official in February 2025 to lead a task force focused on environmental remediation efforts and assistance for affected communities.

Leo has increasingly adopted a more direct tone on social and environmental issues in recent months. His latest intervention places environmental protection and corporate accountability at the center of his public agenda ahead of the release of his first major papal document.

The four were among five Italian divers who went missing while exploring caves at a depth of about 50 meters in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, according to Italian authorities. The Maldives sets a recreational diving limit of 30 meters.

The body of a fifth Italian diver, identified as a diving instructor, was recovered earlier outside the cave system, Maldivian authorities said.

Search operations resumed Monday after being temporarily suspended following the death of Mohamed Mahudhee, a diver with the Maldives National Defence Force who died from decompression illness during the recovery mission on Saturday.

The Maldives National Defence Force said the first recovered Italian diver was found about 60 meters deep inside a cave estimated to extend roughly 200 feet in length. Officials believed the remaining divers were also trapped within the same underwater structure.

Three Finnish cave divers Sami Paakkarinen, Jenni Westerlund and Patrik Grönqvist joined the operation on Sunday, according to the diving safety organization DAN Europe.

The Finnish team coordinated with Maldivian military personnel and local officials in difficult sea conditions that complicated recovery efforts in the Indian Ocean archipelago, authorities said.

The incident has drawn attention to the risks associated with deep cave diving in the Maldives, a major global destination for recreational scuba tourism known for its coral reefs and underwater cave systems.

A rapidly growing population of peacocks roaming through the Adriatic seaside town of Punta Marina has become the center of an increasingly divisive debate among residents, prompting local authorities and animal welfare groups to intervene with educational campaigns, cleanup teams and plans for an official bird census.

The birds, which wander through residential streets, perch on rooftops and occupy abandoned gardens near a disused military barracks, have become a defining feature of the small coastal town near Ravenna.

For some residents and visitors, the peacocks are an attraction that adds character to the area. Others complain about noise, hygiene concerns and property disturbances during the breeding season.Federico Bruni, who owns a holiday home in Punta Marina, said he views the birds as part of the town’s identity.

“It’s no different to seeing a cat, really, they’re part of the fabric of the town,” he said while watching several peacocks roam near a public bench.The birds are especially active during mating season, when male peacocks emit loud calls and display their iridescent tail feathers in courtship rituals.

Some residents say the noise has become disruptive.“There are too many of them,” said Francesco, a local resident who declined to provide his surname.

He said the birds frequently enter private balconies and leave droppings around apartment entrances.“The main issue is the mating the screams are keeping people awake,” he said.

Another resident, Marco, described the growing amount of peacock excrement around residential buildings as unhygienic and argued the birds should be contained.Peacocks are native to the Indian subcontinent but have existed in parts of Europe for centuries.

Historians have linked their arrival on the continent to ancient trade routes and military campaigns associated with Campaigns of Alexander the Great. Today, established peacock populations can be found in several European countries, including England and Spain.

In Emilia-Romagna, peacocks also hold cultural significance. The birds appear in Byzantine mosaics throughout Ravenna, where they historically symbolized immortality and prestige. Ravenna Byzantine Mosaics

Residents say the origins of Punta Marina’s current peacock population remain unclear, though local accounts suggest a resident may have introduced them as pets more than two decades ago.“I heard that a male peacock, left to his own devices after the woman died, crossed paths with a female one in the old military barracks,” said Ilaria Sansavini, who runs a fresh pasta shop in the town.

“They mated and it all began from there.”For years, the birds primarily stayed within the pine forest surrounding Punta Marina. Local observers say their movement into residential areas accelerated during Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020, when reduced human activity allowed them to roam more freely. Residents also began feeding them more regularly during that period.

There is no official census of the population, but estimates cited by local groups suggest the number of peacocks increased from around 10 birds in 2018 to approximately 40 in 2023 and roughly 120 today.

Rosario Balestrieri, an ornithologist at the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station, said the nearby pine forest provides suitable nesting and shelter conditions for the birds, while supplemental feeding by residents has contributed significantly to population growth.

“The pine forest serves as a preferred habitat and nesting refuge,” Balestrieri said, adding that human feeding practices encouraged the birds to remain in populated areas.

Public attention intensified after a social media video featuring a local resident imitating peacock mating calls went viral, drawing national media coverage and prompting exaggerated reports about a so-called “invasion” of birds disrupting daily life.

A local police officer described some of those portrayals as overstated, saying there was no evidence of a public health emergency linked to the birds.

Still, the issue has placed pressure on Ravenna’s municipal authorities, who have struggled for several years to balance wildlife management with public concerns. An earlier attempt to relocate peacocks in 2022 faced opposition from animal rights advocates and some residents.

The city later partnered with Clama, a volunteer animal welfare group tasked with promoting coexistence between residents and the birds.Clama volunteers have distributed informational leaflets and installed signs across Punta Marina instructing residents and tourists not to feed the peacocks. Under local regulations, people caught feeding them may face fines.

“If they know it’s easier to come and snack on a sandwich in the town rather than having to forage for their own food in the pine forest, then of course they will keep coming back,” said Cristina Franzoni, a volunteer with Clama.

To reduce tensions, local authorities and volunteers have also introduced so-called “peacock rangers,” who respond to complaints by cleaning bird droppings from streets, private properties and vehicles.Municipal officials are now preparing the town’s first formal peacock census to better assess the scale of the population and determine future management measures.

According to Franzoni, several other Italian regions have informally offered to relocate or “adopt” some of the birds. However, she argued relocation could traumatize the animals and would fail to address the broader issue of human responsibility for their presence.

“We need to try to live with the animals instead of making them victims of our choices,” Franzoni said. “They didn’t choose to come here, we brought them here and so must respect them.”

An Iraqi migrant who travelled through multiple European countries hidden inside a locked compartment in a lorry said he feared he would die during the journey, describing the risks faced by people using smuggling networks to reach Western Europe amid ongoing instability and economic hardship in parts of the Middle East.

The man, said he fled Iraq after receiving threats and later attempted to reach the United Kingdom through irregular migration routes operated by smugglers.

His testimony offers a detailed account of the conditions migrants can face while attempting clandestine crossings between mainland Europe and Britain, a route that has remained under close scrutiny by European authorities.

According to the account, the migrant travelled with minimal belongings, carrying only a small backpack containing spare clothes and a mobile phone. He said the phone was intended as a last resort to contact police if smugglers abandoned him inside the concealed compartment.

The man said he and another migrant were locked inside a box-like space within a lorry for approximately 12 hours while travelling toward the French port city of Calais, one of the principal staging points for irregular crossings to Britain.

He described the conditions as physically severe, saying there was no opportunity to eat, drink or use a toilet during the journey.“After they get your money, smugglers don’t care if you live or die,” he said, describing the experience of relying on trafficking networks to move across borders.

European law enforcement agencies have repeatedly warned about the dangers associated with human smuggling operations. Europol and British authorities have documented cases in recent years in which migrants concealed in freight vehicles suffered dehydration, hypothermia and suffocation during cross-border journeys.

The English Channel route has become one of Europe’s most politically sensitive migration corridors, with governments in Britain and France increasing enforcement efforts against organised smuggling groups.The migrant said that by the time the lorry reached Calais and the compartment was opened, he felt close to death and was suffering from severely frozen feet.

He said the experience convinced him never again to attempt travel hidden inside a freight vehicle.After arriving in France, the man said the driver ordered the migrants to leave immediately.

According to his account, the second migrant went to stay with relatives, while he decided to continue travelling because he believed he remained at risk in France due to alleged connections between smugglers and individuals who had threatened him in Iraq.He later travelled by train through France and onward to Italy, where he is currently residing.

The migrant said he chose the region because he had heard it was easier there to obtain documents allowing legal employment.The account reflects broader migration patterns across southern Europe, where many asylum seekers and undocumented migrants seek temporary residence while attempting to secure work permits or asylum protections.

Italy remains one of the main entry and transit countries for migrants arriving in Europe through Mediterranean and overland routes.The migrant said he is still unable to work legally because he has not yet received the necessary documentation.

He described struggling financially and dealing with depression while attempting to establish stability in Europe.Despite the difficulties, he said his long-term objective remains returning legally to Britain, where he hopes to open a barber shop and live permanently through regular employment and tax-paying work.

He said he wants “a safe, legal and normal life.”His account also referenced the deteriorating security situation in his home region. He said his city in Iraq had recently been targeted by drones during regional hostilities involving Iran, Israel and the United States, which he said reinforced his belief that returning home would be unsafe.

Iraq has experienced periodic regional spillover from broader Middle East tensions, including drone and missile incidents linked to conflicts involving Iran-backed groups, Israeli military operations and U.S. regional deployments.

Security analysts have noted that renewed instability has contributed to continued outward migration pressures among some Iraqis, particularly younger people facing insecurity, unemployment and political uncertainty.

European governments have continued to tighten migration enforcement policies while simultaneously expanding efforts to dismantle organised smuggling networks operating across the continent. British authorities have increased cooperation with France and other European states to target criminal groups facilitating irregular Channel crossings, while rights organisations have argued that limited legal migration pathways continue to push vulnerable people toward dangerous alternatives.

Humanitarian organisations working with migrants in northern France and southern Europe have repeatedly warned that irregular migrants often face exploitation, violence and unsafe transportation methods while attempting to move between countries.

Aid groups say many migrants continue to undertake such journeys despite the risks because they believe they have limited alternatives.

The migrant’s testimony underscores the personal risks associated with clandestine migration routes that continue to operate across Europe despite intensified policing and border enforcement measures.

Modi’s six-day visit starts in the United Arab Emirates before continuing to the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy, with New Delhi seeking to secure energy supplies and deepen economic ties with Europe following the India-European Union free trade agreement finalized in January.

The trip comes as disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf maritime corridors continue to pressure energy-importing economies. India, the world’s third-largest oil buyer, typically sources nearly half of its crude imports through the strategic waterway.

India’s foreign ministry said discussions in the UAE would focus on “strengthening our energy security,” including cooperation on oil and liquefied petroleum gas supplies. The Gulf nation hosts an Indian diaspora estimated at 4.5 million people and remains one of New Delhi’s key energy partners.

Analysts said the visit reflects India’s broader push to diversify strategic partnerships while positioning itself as an alternative manufacturing and technology hub amid shifting geopolitical alignments and supply-chain realignments away from China.

“The recently concluded India-EU free trade agreement has already created momentum,” former Indian ambassador Anil Wadhwa told AFP, adding that India was seeking to position itself as a “trusted economic, technological and clean energy partner.”The European leg of the tour will focus heavily on trade and investment cooperation.

Modi is scheduled to meet Dutch leaders later on Friday for talks expected to cover bilateral trade, defense cooperation, semiconductors, water management, agriculture and healthcare.India and the EU concluded a landmark free trade agreement in January, which Modi described as the “mother of all deals.” European policymakers increasingly view India, the world’s most populous country, as a critical market and strategic counterweight in Asia.

In Sweden, Modi will attend a European business leaders forum alongside Ursula von der Leyen before traveling to Oslo for an India-Nordic summit, marking the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Norway in more than four decades.

Former Indian ambassador K.C. Singh said the Gulf leg of the visit also reflected changing regional alignments following escalating Middle East tensions.“A new international environment now prevails,” Singh told AFP, citing fractures within the Gulf Cooperation Council and growing strategic competition involving Iran, Gulf states, the United States and Israel.

Modi also met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in New Delhi on Thursday ahead of the trip, underlining India’s effort to maintain diplomatic engagement across rival regional blocs.Energy analysts said New Delhi could pursue agreements linked to strategic petroleum reserves and long-term LPG supply arrangements to reduce vulnerability to price shocks and shipping disruptions.

The Nordic portion of the tour is also expected to include discussions on Arctic cooperation and climate-linked shipping routes. India operates a research station on Norway’s Svalbard archipelago and has increasingly monitored the commercial and environmental implications of melting polar sea ice.

Indian lawmaker Shashi Tharoor wrote in the Indian Express that India and Nordic nations shared interests in preserving international stability “at a time when the turbulence of the Trumpian era has unsettled global norms.”

The final stop of Modi’s tour will be Italy on May 19, where he is expected to meet Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for talks on bilateral cooperation and regional security issues.

The contemporary art exhibition, one of the world’s most influential cultural events, has been overshadowed by geopolitical tensions linked to ongoing conflicts and international human rights disputes, triggering demonstrations outside national pavilions and deep divisions within the global art community.

Organizers said visitors attending the exhibition at Venice’s Giardini and Arsenale venues would instead vote for their preferred national pavilion and featured participant in the central exhibition, titled “In Minor Keys,” replacing the traditional jury-selected awards system.

The jury said its resignation was tied specifically to the participation of countries currently facing investigations by the International Criminal Court over alleged human rights abuses. Critics of the move argued that the decision was selective and politically inconsistent, with some artists and activists saying the United States should also have been scrutinized under similar standards.

British-Indian sculptor and artist Anish Kapoor criticized what he described as “the politics of hate and war,” reflecting broader tensions that have increasingly influenced major international cultural institutions.The Biennale’s main exhibition, “In Minor Keys,” had already been shaped by tragedy before its opening following the death in 2025 of curator Koyo Kouoh, whose vision for the event centered on themes of memory, identity and political fracture.

This year’s exhibition features participation from around 100 national pavilions, including several countries using the platform to address war, migration, colonialism and displacement through large-scale installations and multimedia works.

The controversy surrounding Israel’s and Russia’s inclusion reflects wider cultural disputes that have intensified across Europe and North America since the outbreak of wars in Ukraine and Gaza, where artists, museums and festivals have increasingly faced pressure over institutional partnerships, state representation and political neutrality.

Organizers said the audience-voted awards would be announced on the exhibition’s closing day on Nov. 22.