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Giorgia Meloni sworn in as Italy’s first woman prime minister

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Giorgia Meloni sworn in as Italy’s first woman prime minister

Far-right leader Giorgia Meloni was sworn in as Italian prime minister on Saturday, to become the first woman to head a government in Italy.

Meloni took the oath before President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, once home to popes and kings of Italy.

Her post-fascist Brothers of Italy party — Eurosceptic and anti-immigration — won the September 25 legislative polls but needed outside support to form a government.

Meloni’s appointment is an historic event for the eurozone’s third largest economy and for Brothers of Italy, which has never been in government.

It won 26 percent of the vote last month, compared to eight and nine percent respectively for her allies Forza Italia and the far-right League.

Meloni’s list of 24 ministers, including six women, revealed a desire to reassure Italy’s partners. She named Giancarlo Giorgetti as economy minister, who served under the previous government of Mario Draghi.

Giorgetti, a former minister of economic development, is considered one of the more moderate, pro-Europe members of Matteo Salvini’s League.

Meloni also named ex-European Parliament president Antonio Tajani, of Forza Italia, as foreign minister and deputy prime minister.

Salvini will serve as deputy prime minister and minister of infrastructure and transport.

That appointment is likely to disappoint Salvini, who wanted Meloni to give him the role of interior minister again after he previously held the post between 2018 and 2019.

The position went instead to a technocrat, Rome prefect Matteo Piantedosi.

A formal ceremony for the handover of power from Draghi to Meloni will take place on Sunday before the premier leads the first cabinet meeting.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Meloni on her appointment.

Read Also: Giorgia Meloni set to become Italy’s first woman PM

“I count on and look forward to constructive cooperation with the new government on the challenges we face together,” she tweeted on Saturday, while European Parliament speaker Roberta Metsola tweeted in Italian that “Europe needs Italy”.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban meanwhile tweeted: “Congratulations @GiorgiaMeloni on the formation of your government! Big day for the European Right!”

The consultations to cobble together a government had been overshadowed by disagreements with her two would-be coalition partners over Meloni’s ardent support for Ukraine since the Russian invasion, whereas the leaders of Forza Italia and the League are both considered close to Moscow.

A recording was leaked in which Italy’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi — who heads Forza Italia — talks about his warm ties with Moscow and appeared to blame the war in Ukraine on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Berlusconi says the comments were taken out of context.

Salvini, meanwhile, is a long-time fan of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has criticised Western sanctions on Russia.

Despite her Eurosceptic stance, Meloni has been firm about her support for Ukraine, in line with the rest of the European Union and the United States.

But the tensions add to concerns that Meloni’s coalition, held together by the need for a parliamentary majority, will struggle to maintain unity.

Giorgia Meloni sworn in as Italy’s first woman prime minister
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Trump Victory Sparks Celebration in Florida, Disappointment for Harris Supporters

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Trump Victory Sparks Celebration in Florida, Disappointment for Harris Supporters

Jubilant supporters celebrated Donald Trump’s apparent victory in Florida early Wednesday as he claimed a return to the White House, despite most major news networks holding off on officially calling the race.

At an event in Palm Beach, Trump supporters reveled in the win projected by Fox News, cheering as the former president declared a “political victory that our country has never seen before.”

“I feel extraordinary,” said 68-year-old supporter Ted Sarvanis, dancing with arms in the air. “This is the greatest American political story in the history of the country.”

Joined by running mate J.D. Vance, Trump took the stage, celebrating his projected win. The atmosphere at the convention center was electric, with supporters sporting “Make America Great Again” caps and mingling in formal attire and Trump-themed clothing.

“I feel relieved. I was a little bit scared because you never know how things are going to turn out,” said Stacy Kurtz, 45.

In contrast, a far different scene unfolded for Vice President Kamala Harris’s supporters at Howard University in Washington, where they were hoping for a Democratic win.

As the night wore on and Trump gained electoral votes in key battleground states, disappointment swept through the crowd.

“I am scared, I am anxious now,” said Charlyn Anderson earlier in the evening.

Democratic watch parties in places like Atlanta and Pennsylvania grew somber as results rolled in, with Lynn Johnson, 65, expressing concern, “It’s going to be dangerous if he wins. I don’t feel safe.”

While Trump’s supporters celebrated a comeback, the mood among Democrats was marked by worry and disbelief.

“He’s a terrible candidate, so it just doesn’t make sense,” said Harris supporter Ken Brown.

The contrasting scenes highlighted the nation’s deep political divide on election night.

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Israel President Vows To Strengthen US-Israel ‘Ironclad Bond’ As Trump Claims Victory

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Israel’s President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday vowed to strengthen his country’s “ironclad bond” with the United States as he congratulated Donald Trump, who claimed victory in the US election.

“Congratulations to President @realDonaldTrump on your historic return to the White House… I look forward to working with you to strengthen the ironclad bond between our peoples, to build a future of peace and security for the Middle East, and to uphold our shared values,” Herzog said in a statement.

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Russia hosts 2-day BRICS summit in Kazan

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Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting a summit of the BRICS inter-governmental organisation in the city of Kazan from Tuesday to Thursday.

The summit brings together 24 heads of state and government and is seen by Putin as part of an initiative to create a new world order to end the dominance of the U.S…

Prominent among the guests was Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Representatives from a total of 32 countries would attend.

The original members of BRICS are, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa have been joined by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia and Iran among others.

The status of Saudi Arabia is yet unclear.

Russia, which currently chairs the organisation, announced that Saudi Arabia would be accepted as a member country at the start of the year.

But there has been no confirmation from Riyadh, and Saudi Arabia would be represented at the summit by its foreign minister.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said Saudi Arabia’s status would be cleared up at the summit.

Turkey is to participate as an interested party.

Speaking ahead of the summit, Putin said a central aim would be promoting financial cooperation and providing an alternative to the SWIFT network, through which international payments are routed.

Many Russian banks were banned from the network after its invasion of Ukraine.

Setting up a joint bank is also on the BRICS agenda.

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