Today in Italy: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Italy announces new rules on AI use, Italian warship shoots down two drones in Red Sea, police raid AC Milan headquarters, and more news from Italy on Wednesday.
Italy to bring in new rules on AI use
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday announced a one-billion-euro investment fund to promote homegrown Italian artificial intelligence (AI) projects and said "ethical rules" were needed to govern the technology's use.
Speaking at an AI technology conference in Rome, Meloni said Italy was working on its own legislation, complementary to the EU's world-first law expected to be approved on Wednesday, to "establish some principles," news agency Ansa reported.
The announcement came as Italy prepared to host a meeting of G7 technology ministers on Thursday, with AI at the top of the agenda.
Italy blocked the use of AI chatbot ChatGPT in March 2023 over data privacy concerns, before lifting the ban a month later.
Parents face trial for dressing son as Fascist youth
A couple in Forlì, Emilia Romagna, may face trial after dressing their son up as a member of the Italian Fascist youth movement Ballila at an event marking the 100th anniversary of Mussolini’s March on Rome in October 2022.
Prosecutors requested trial for the parents along with ten others who attended the event in Predappio, Mussolini’s birthplace, on charges of apology of Fascism and incitement to racial hatred, Italian media reported on Tuesday.
A judge was to evaluate the case in a pre-trial hearing on May 17th, according to reports.
Though Italy has laws against support for Fascism, or defending fascist ideals, they are rarely enforced.
Police raid AC Milan over club sale to US fund
Italy’s financial police on Tuesday raided the headquarters of the AC Milan football team as part of an investigation into the sale of the Serie A giants to American investment fund RedBird, AFP reported.
AC Milan confirmed the raid following earlier reports from Italian news agencies, saying that the club itself was not being investigated, but that current CEO Giorgio Furlani and his predecessor Ivan Gazidis were.
The club added that the pair were being probed for "incorrect communication" to Italian football’s supervisory bodies over the team’s change of ownership in 2022, and that Milan were "cooperating fully with the investigative authorities".
US fund RedBird acquired Milan from fellow US group Elliott Management in August 2022 for 1.2 billion euros.
Italian warship shoots down two drones in Red Sea
An Italian warship shot down two drones in the Red Sea as part of a European operation against attacks on shipping by Yemen's Huthi rebels, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.
"As part of the European Union operation Aspides, the Caio Duilio shot down two aerial drones in self-defence," the ministry said in a statement reported by AFP.
Italy currently has operational command of the Aspides mission, which was launched by the EU last month in an effort to protect international shipping in the Red Sea, AFP reported.
Iran-backed Houthis, who control Yemen’s capital Sanaa, have been attacking ships in the Red Sea since November following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
EU warns countries must adapt to global heating
EU countries need to step up preparedness after 2023 was recorded as hottest year yet, European Commission officials said on Tuesday.
"Europe is the fastest warming continent since the 1980s - the warming here was about twice the global rate," commission vice president Maros Sefcovic said.
He cited a first European climate risk assessment published on Monday that said EU GDP could be reduced by around seven percent by the end of the century because of climate consequences, AFP reported, and presented recommendations for member states, including more budgeting for climate emergencies.
Officials pointed to recent disasters around the EU, including deadly wildfires and severe flooding in Italy, to underline the urgency.
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Italy to bring in new rules on AI use
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday announced a one-billion-euro investment fund to promote homegrown Italian artificial intelligence (AI) projects and said "ethical rules" were needed to govern the technology's use.
Speaking at an AI technology conference in Rome, Meloni said Italy was working on its own legislation, complementary to the EU's world-first law expected to be approved on Wednesday, to "establish some principles," news agency Ansa reported.
The announcement came as Italy prepared to host a meeting of G7 technology ministers on Thursday, with AI at the top of the agenda.
Italy blocked the use of AI chatbot ChatGPT in March 2023 over data privacy concerns, before lifting the ban a month later.
Parents face trial for dressing son as Fascist youth
A couple in Forlì, Emilia Romagna, may face trial after dressing their son up as a member of the Italian Fascist youth movement Ballila at an event marking the 100th anniversary of Mussolini’s March on Rome in October 2022.
Prosecutors requested trial for the parents along with ten others who attended the event in Predappio, Mussolini’s birthplace, on charges of apology of Fascism and incitement to racial hatred, Italian media reported on Tuesday.
A judge was to evaluate the case in a pre-trial hearing on May 17th, according to reports.
Though Italy has laws against support for Fascism, or defending fascist ideals, they are rarely enforced.
Police raid AC Milan over club sale to US fund
Italy’s financial police on Tuesday raided the headquarters of the AC Milan football team as part of an investigation into the sale of the Serie A giants to American investment fund RedBird, AFP reported.
AC Milan confirmed the raid following earlier reports from Italian news agencies, saying that the club itself was not being investigated, but that current CEO Giorgio Furlani and his predecessor Ivan Gazidis were.
The club added that the pair were being probed for "incorrect communication" to Italian football’s supervisory bodies over the team’s change of ownership in 2022, and that Milan were "cooperating fully with the investigative authorities".
US fund RedBird acquired Milan from fellow US group Elliott Management in August 2022 for 1.2 billion euros.
Italian warship shoots down two drones in Red Sea
An Italian warship shot down two drones in the Red Sea as part of a European operation against attacks on shipping by Yemen's Huthi rebels, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.
"As part of the European Union operation Aspides, the Caio Duilio shot down two aerial drones in self-defence," the ministry said in a statement reported by AFP.
Italy currently has operational command of the Aspides mission, which was launched by the EU last month in an effort to protect international shipping in the Red Sea, AFP reported.
Iran-backed Houthis, who control Yemen’s capital Sanaa, have been attacking ships in the Red Sea since November following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
EU warns countries must adapt to global heating
EU countries need to step up preparedness after 2023 was recorded as hottest year yet, European Commission officials said on Tuesday.
"Europe is the fastest warming continent since the 1980s - the warming here was about twice the global rate," commission vice president Maros Sefcovic said.
He cited a first European climate risk assessment published on Monday that said EU GDP could be reduced by around seven percent by the end of the century because of climate consequences, AFP reported, and presented recommendations for member states, including more budgeting for climate emergencies.
Officials pointed to recent disasters around the EU, including deadly wildfires and severe flooding in Italy, to underline the urgency.
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