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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Federal Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control, Mohsin Naqvi, announced that Pakistan, Italy, Spain, and Greece have agreed on a coordinated strategy to fight illegal migration, human smuggling, and drug trafficking, including a joint policy framework and a rapid-response mechanism. Naqvi, in a post on X on Thursday, wrote that he had a productive meeting in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-security-agencies-seize-over-135-million-in-nationwide-antismuggling-operations" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rome</a>&nbsp;with his counterparts from Italy, Spain, and Greece at the 4-nation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-navy-ship-seizes-drugs-worth-nearly-1-bn-in-arabian-sea" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">conference</a>&nbsp;on curbing illegal migration. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2026935215914975708&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=359767f66ae58c6eb6812d51c17a3cb8284785ef&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 652px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>&ldquo;Pakistan, Italy, Spain &amp; Greece agreed on a coordinated strategy against&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-customs-seizes-266000-worth-of-smuggled-goods-near-afghan-border" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">illegal migration</a>, human smuggling and narcotics, including a joint policy framework and rapid-response mechanism.&rdquo; &ldquo;European partners appreciated Pakistan&rsquo;s strong actions, noting a 47% reduction in illegal migration, and agreed on enhanced EU-supported capacity building,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Consensus also reached on promoting legal pathways to effectively counter illegal migration, repatriation of criminals to face the law, and holding the next meeting in Pakistan later this year,&rdquo; he said.

Foreign Affairs

Pakistani interior minister says ‘European partners appreciated Pakistan’s strong actions, noting a 47% reduction in illegal migration, and agreed on enhanced EU-supported capacity building.’

Pakistani, European ministers agree on coordinated strategy to combat illegal migration

MILAN:&nbsp;The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics officially open with a star-studded opening ceremony at the San Siro Stadium on Friday. The most geographically dispersed <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-skeleton-racer-appeals-for-olympic-spot-after-corrupted-qualifier" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Games in history</a> will start in Italy&#39;s economic capital at 1900 GMT with a three-hour extravaganza that takes in the three other sites spread across the Alps and the Dolomites. While details of the ceremony remain secret, the theme of harmony runs through it, threading together different elements from the financial hub of Milan to the snow-capped mountains of Cortina d&#39;Ampezzo. And for the first time, the 2,900 athletes will parade in the venues closest to where they will compete, in a bid to minimize travel. They will be in Cortina, Livigno and Predazzo. The opening ceremony is expected to draw a global audience of hundreds of millions and offers &quot;a unique platform to convey positive messages, not divisive ones,&quot; creative director Marco Balich promised. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;No distractions&#39;&nbsp;</h2>Balich, who also directed the Turin Winter Games curtain-raiser in 2006, intends to pay tribute to Italian design and fashion, with a special nod to the designer Giorgio Armani, who passed away last year. He said the ceremony &quot;will tell the story of a young and modern Italy, looking towards the future, without indulging in the Dolce Vita&quot;. American singer Mariah Carey, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and Chinese pianist Lang Lang are to perform. Dozens of dignitaries will attend, including US Vice President JD Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Vance met International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry, who is overseeing her first Games since her election in March, at a dinner for heads of state on Thursday. The United States hosts the next Olympics, the 2028 Summer Games, in Los Angeles. Coventry has said she hopes &quot;anything that is distracting from&quot; the Milan-Cortina Olympics will be put aside for the February 6-22 extravaganza. She was hinting at anger in Italy after it emerged that agents from the US immigration enforcement agency ICE will have an &quot;advisory&quot; role at the Games. Rome has denied that the agents will have any operational role on its soil. One of the most prominent US athletes, reigning Olympic snowboard champion Chloe Kim, took apparent aim at President Donald Trump&#39;s immigration crackdown as she arrived in Italy. Kim said in an Instagram post she was proud to represent a country that is &quot;strongest when it embraces diversity, dignity, and hope&quot;. &quot;My parents left South Korea in search of a better future for their family. They left behind everything they knew so that my sisters and I could have the chance to one day live the American dream,&quot; she added. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Speculation surrounds torchbearers </h2>The Olympic flame reached Milan on Thursday but organizers have tried to keep the identity of the final two torchbearers for the opening ceremony under wraps. They will simultaneously light two cauldrons inspired by Leonardo da Vinci&#39;s knots, one suspended under Milan&#39;s Arch of Peace, and the other in Piazza Dibona in Cortina. On Wednesday, it was reported it would be Alberto Tomba in Milan and Deborah Compagnoni in Cortina, two of Italy&#39;s most decorated alpine skiers. The sports program has already begun with curling and women&#39;s ice hockey, but not without hiccups. The women&#39;s ice hockey tournament experienced a setback when the match between Canada and Finland had to be postponed due to a virus that sidelined four Finnish players, who were suffering from vomiting and diarrhea. Other women&#39;s games did go ahead, with the USA starting their bid to better their silver medal from the 2022 Beijing Olympics by beating the Czech Republic 5-1. Meanwhile, the biggest star of these Olympics, American skier Lindsey Vonn, will on Friday get a chance&nbsp;to test her injured knee in training for the women&#39;s downhill in Cortina. Vonn&#39;s Olympic comeback at the age of 41 was almost derailed after she ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament in a race last week, but she insists she will compete.

Athletics

The opening ceremony is expected to draw a global audience of hundreds of millions and offers ‘a unique platform to convey positive messages, not divisive ones,’ creative director Marco Balich promised.

Italy set for 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony

ISLAMABAD: Italy has pledged full support for Bangladesh&#39;s democratic transition and the July Charter reform agenda, an Italian deputy minister said on Tuesday, following talks with the country&#39;s interim leader, the state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) reported.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2013603601386512602&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2Fnew%2F&sessionId=6a22852af20e5782161273426ab9c5b3a452b7a4&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 648px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2013603601386512602"></iframe></div></div>Italian Undersecretary for Defence Matteo Perego di Cremnago made the remarks during a courtesy call with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna, BSS said, citing the Chief Adviser&rsquo;s Press Wing. According to BSS, the two sides discussed trade and defence cooperation, migration, the upcoming general elections, European Union election observation, and the July Charter. &quot;Italy sees the Indo-Pacific region as the new center of global gravity and seeks to strengthen relations with countries in the region, including Bangladesh&#39;s growing economy,&quot; Perego said, highlighting potential areas for closer cooperation. Perego noted that while the Bangladeshi community has integrated well in Italy, concerns remain over illegal migration through the Mediterranean route. Professor Yunus emphasized the need to expand legal migration pathways to developed nations with aging populations, such as Italy and Japan. He reaffirmed his commitment to holding &quot;free, fair, transparent, and festive&quot; elections on Feb. 12, BSS said. Recalling long-standing ties with Italy, he said that before taking office as interim leader, he had helped design the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics as a social business event. The chief adviser praised the EU for deploying a large observer mission to monitor the vote and said he expects strong voter turnout, particularly among young people who were unable to participate in what he termed &quot;fake elections&quot; during 16 years of &quot;fascist autocratic regime&quot; rule. Professor Yunus sought Italy&#39;s continued support for Bangladesh&#39;s democratic transition and enhanced cooperation in defence, trade, and investment.&nbsp;

Italy’s Undersecretary for Defence, Matteo Perego di Cremnago, called on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna. Photo: Chief Adviser's Press Wing (taken from BSS)

Bangladesh

Italy has voiced support for the upcoming elections and expanding cooperation on trade and defense. It has also urged the establishment of legal migration pathways while raising concerns over irregular migration, BSS reported.

Italy backs Bangladesh's democratic transition, July Charter

ROME: One of the top designers of his era, Italy&#39;s elegance aficionado Valentino Garavani spent nearly half a century dressing the world&#39;s great beauties, from Jackie Kennedy to Princess Diana before his death Monday at age 93.&nbsp;&quot;Valentino Garavani passed away today at his Roman residence, surrounded by his loved ones,&quot; wrote his Rome-based foundation on social media.&nbsp;A funeral is planned for Friday in the Italian capital, with a lying in state on Wednesday and Thursday.&nbsp;Best known as just Valentino, the designer&#39;s creations -- many of them in &quot;Valentino red&quot; -- were worn by the who&#39;s who of the international elite, from Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and Nancy Reagan to Sharon Stone, Julia Roberts and Gwyneth Paltrow in recent years.&nbsp;When the empress of Iran, Farah Pahlavi, escaped the country during the 1979 revolution, she was wearing a coat made by Valentino.&nbsp;Dubbed &quot;the Sheik of Chic&quot; by Women&#39;s Wear Daily in the 1980s, Valentino was celebrated by the New York Times in 1997 for his &quot;single-minded dedication to glamour.&quot;&nbsp;On the catwalk and in his own life, Valentino exuded luxury down to the last detail of his immaculate hairdo and caramel tan.&nbsp;With his five pet pug dogs and a private jet, he shuttled between his Roman palace, New York apartment, chateau near Paris, chalet in Switzerland and his 50-metre (164-foot) yacht.&nbsp;Boyhood passionNamed after the star of silent cinema Rudolph Valentino, who was known for &quot;The Sheik&quot; among many other films, Valentino Garavani was born on May 11, 1932 in Voghera, a small town south of Milan. His father owned an electric cables business.&nbsp;As a boy he asked for made-to-measure shoes and was passionate about fashion. &quot;I have had this illness since childhood,&quot; he told the Italian edition of Elle magazine in 2007. &quot;I only like beautiful things.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;I do not like seeing men without ties, in a jumper, women with vulgar make-up and shapeless trousers. It is a sign of a bad education and a lack of self-respect.&quot;&nbsp;He left home when he was 17 to study at prestigious arts and fashion schools in Paris, where the decadent French style of Christian Dior had revitalised a grim post-World War II fashion industry and would deeply impact Valentino&#39;s later aesthetic.&nbsp;In 1952 he was hired by designer Jean Desses, who dressed wealthy clients including royalty, and five years later he went to work for Guy Laroche.&nbsp;Rome fashion empireIn 1960 Valentino opened his own fashion house in Rome -- at the time a thriving star-studded city thanks to its vast Cinecitta film studios that acted as a branch of Hollywood.&nbsp;He was assisted by his lover Giancarlo Giammetti, who had business know-how and would over the years transform the company into a global brand, shepherding it through successive buy-outs.&nbsp;&quot;Being the friend, lover and employee of Valentino for more than 45 years required a lot of patience,&quot; Giammetti said in the 2008 documentary, &quot;Valentino: The Last Emperor&quot;.&nbsp;Valentino turned heads immediately with his opening collection in 1962 in Florence, which already featured what would become his signature colour -- the deep rich &quot;Valentino red&quot;.&nbsp;JackieIn his first decade Valentino dressed the likes of Anita Ekberg, Sophia Loren and Liz Taylor, but it was a meeting with Jackie Kennedy in 1964 that would prove decisive.&nbsp;He transformed her wardrobe, and in 1968 she picked an ivory-coloured lace dress from his famous white collection for her second marriage to Greek shipping mogul Aristotle Onassis.&nbsp;It caused a sensation in the United States, and in 1970, Valentino was the first Italian designer to open a shop in New York. Over the years he would elevate the &quot;Made in Italy&quot; label to global prominence.&nbsp;&quot;I love a woman who eats food, who has a body, that is a woman and not a stick,&quot; he said, quoted in The New Yorker in 2005, and underscoring his preference for sensual, figure-hugging designs.&nbsp;Emperor bows outFor the 2006 Oscar-nominated Hollywood film &quot;The Devil Wears Prada&quot;, starring Meryl Streep as a powerful fashion editor, Valentino made a cameo appearance at the recreation of one of his shows.&nbsp;A year later and nearly a half-century after his first runway, he presented his last collection in Paris before retiring in January 2008.&nbsp;&quot;Valentino transported his audience to his world, where women in bubble gum pink cocktail dresses swing bags made of feathers and have high heels tied with satin ribbons and bows,&quot; said celebrated fashion critic Suzy Menkes in her write-up of the show in the New York Times.&nbsp;In 2011 the Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum opened, offering an immersive 3D experience into the history and creations of the fashion house, and giving the world its first-ever virtual fashion museum.&nbsp;&quot;At some point, you do get to the end,&quot; Valentino told The New Yorker in 2005 as he approached retirement. &quot;And when I do, I hope I will be remembered as a man who pursued beauty whenever he could.&quot;

Europe

Legendary Italian designer Valentino Garavani, famed for glamour and signature Valentino red, dressed icons from Jackie Kennedy to Princess Diana, built a global fashion empire died in Rome aged 93.

Valentino, Italy's fashion king who pursued beauty at every turn, dies at 93

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has secured a quota of 10,500 jobs in Italy over the next three years, enabling 3,500 Pakistani workers to be employed annually across sectors such as healthcare, hospitality, agriculture, and shipbreaking. According to a state-run Press Information Department press release issued on Saturday, Pakistan has secured a quota of 10,500 jobs from Italy. The press release said that over the next three years, 3,500 Pakistanis will travel to Italy annually for employment under seasonal and non-seasonal quotas. This includes 1,500 Pakistanis under the seasonal quota and 2,000 under the non-seasonal quota each year. Skilled and&nbsp;semi-skilledPakistan has been allocated job quotas for skilled and semi-skilled workers in the sectors of shipbreaking, hospitality, healthcare, and agriculture. Opportunities will be offered in fields such as welding, technician roles, chefs, waiters, housekeeping, nursing, medical technicians, farming, and agriculture. Italy is the first European country to allocate job quotas for Pakistan. Working group meeting&nbsp;The second meeting of the Joint Working Group between Pakistan and Italy will be held in Islamabad in February 2026, the PID press release said. A Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development spokesperson said Italy is the first European country to formally allocate a country-specific labor quota to Pakistan, calling it a landmark development in Pakistan-Europe labor cooperation, Radio Pakistan reported on Sunday.

Economy

It will allow 3,500 Pakistanis annually to work in healthcare, hospitality, agriculture, and shipbreaking; Italy is the first European country to grant a country-specific labor quota.

Italy allocates 10,500 jobs to Pakistanis over three years

ROME: Hundreds of metres of dinosaur tracks with toes and claws have been found in the Italian Alps in a region that will host the 2026 Winter Olympics, authorities said Tuesday.&nbsp;&quot;This set of dinosaur footprints is one of the largest collections in all of Europe, in the whole world,&quot; Attilio Fontana, head of the Lombardy region in northern Italy, told a press conference.&nbsp;The tracks, which are over 200 million years old, were discovered in the Stelvio National Park, in an area between the towns of Bormio and Livigno, which host part of the games.&nbsp;Nature photographer Elio Della Ferrera first spotted the imprints in September in an almost vertical rocky slope.&nbsp;Some measured up to 40 centimetres (16 inches) in diameter.&nbsp;The collection &quot;extends for hundreds of metres and also represents a series of animal behaviours, because in addition to seeing animals walking together, there are also places where these animals meet&quot;, Fontana said.&nbsp;Della Ferrera called in palaeontologist Cristiano Dal Sasso from Milan&#39;s Natural History Museum, who assembled a team of Italian experts to study the site.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s an immense scientific heritage,&quot; Dal Sasso said in the region&#39;s press release.&nbsp;&quot;The parallel walks are clear evidence of herds moving in synchrony, and there are also traces of more complex behaviours, such as groups of animals gathered in a circle, perhaps for defence.&quot; Sharp claws The tracks, currently covered by snow and off the beaten track, are preserved in Upper Triassic dolomitic rocks, dating back approximately 210 million years.&nbsp;Most of the footprints are elongated and made by bipeds. The best-preserved ones bear traces of at least four toes.&nbsp;That suggests they belong to prosauropods, herbivorous dinosaurs with long necks and small heads, which are considered the ancestors of the large sauropods of the Jurassic period like the Brontosaurus, the experts said.&nbsp;Prosauropods had sharp claws, and adults could reach up to 10 metres in length.&nbsp;There may also be tracks of predatory dinosaurs and archosaurs, the ancestors of crocodiles, the press release said.&nbsp;The prints are on an almost-vertical slope due to the formation of the Alpine chain.&nbsp;But when the dinosaurs walked through the area, it was formed of tidal flats that stretched for hundreds of kilometres, and the environment was tropical.&nbsp;&quot;The tracks were made when the sediments were still soft and saturated with water, on the broad tidal flats surrounding the Tethys Ocean,&quot; ichnologist Fabio Massimo Petti said, referring to a prehistoric ocean.&nbsp;&quot;The plasticity of those very fine calcareous muds, now transformed into rock, has in areas preserved truly remarkable anatomical details, such as impressions of the toes and even the claws,&quot; he said.&nbsp;The footprints were then covered by sediments which protected them, but with the uplift of the Alps and the erosion of the mountainside, they have been brought back into view.&nbsp;&quot;As the layers containing the tracks are diverse and overlapping, we have a unique opportunity to study the evolution of animals and their environment over time,&quot; geologist Fabrizio Berra said.&nbsp;&quot;Like reading the pages of a stone book.&quot;

Wildlife

Hundreds of metres of 210-million-year-old dinosaur footprints were discovered in Italy’s Alpine Stelvio National Park, revealing herd behaviour and sharp-clawed prosauropods in an area set to host the 2026 Winter Olympics, officials said Tuesday authorities.

'Immense' collection of dinosaur footprints found in Italy

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Minister for National Food Security, Rana Tanveer Hussain, highlighted the country&rsquo;s potential to become a regional leader in olive cultivation, with government initiatives focusing on improving sapling supply, research, processing, and global marketing standards. Addressing the participants at the 7th National Olive Festival in the federal capital Islamabad, he said Pakistan&#39;s climate was highly suitable for the cultivation of premium-quality olives, state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday. Olive council membership&nbsp;Hussain announced that Pakistan was expected to become a member of the International Olive Council within the next two to three months, which would enhance global recognition of Pakistan&#39;s olive industry. He said Pakistan had the potential to become a leading regional hub for olive cultivation and processing. Hussain stressed that the government was prioritizing the supply of quality saplings, research, modern oil extraction facilities, and overall improvement of the value chain. Italian support lauded&nbsp;The minister said upgrading olive packaging, branding, and marketing to international standards was essential. Appreciating the support of the Italian government for the development of Pakistan&#39;s olive sector, he said Italy was providing technical assistance and had also approved a 20 million Euros project for Pakistan.

Minister says Pakistan expected to become a member of the International Olive Council within the next two to three months, which will enhance global recognition of the country's olive industry.

Pakistan aims to become regional olive cultivation hub

ROME: A worker who was pulled from the rubble of a medieval tower that partly collapsed in Rome died on Tuesday, Italian media reported, citing hospital sources. The man, a Romanian national, had remained conscious during the long rescue operation before being hospitalized in critical condition, according to authorities. &quot;Resuscitation attempts were made for about an hour to save Octay Stroici,&quot; Italian news agency ANSA said, citing the Umberto I hospital. &quot;Despite this, spontaneous cardiac activity could not be restored,&quot; and his &quot;death was pronounced at 12:20 am.&quot; He had been helping to renovate the Torre dei Conti, which partially collapsed shortly before midday on Monday, sending rubble into the street and a thick white cloud of dust into the air. Three other workers were evacuated from the site earlier, one of them in critical condition, a spokesperson for the fire service told AFP. The tower is in a busy area, just off the Imperial Forum and close to the Colosseum, Italy&#39;s top tourist site. A second partial collapse of the tower about one and a half hours later sent up further billowing clouds of dust. After the first collapse, firefighters managed to &quot;put up some protection&quot; around the trapped man, so when the second collapse occurred he was shielded, Rome Prefect Lamberto Giannini said. One worker inside at the time of the first collapse told AFP he escaped from a balcony. &quot;It was not safe. I just want to go home,&quot; said the man, white dust covering his uniform, who gave his name as Ottaviano and his age as 67. The Torre dei Conti, dating from the early 13th century, was being restored with European Union funds. Monday&#39;s collapses affected a buttress and part of the tower&#39;s base, then part of the stairwell and the roof, Rome&#39;s Directorate of Cultural Heritage said in a statement. The phase of work launched in June 2025, which included asbestos removal, was practically complete. The directorate said an analysis undertaken on the start of the renovations had shown &quot;necessary safety conditions&quot; for the work to go ahead. The Italian government summoned Russia&#39;s ambassador after the Russian foreign ministry spokesperson made a link between the accident and Russia&#39;s support for Ukraine. &quot;As long as the Italian government keeps uselessly wasting taxpayers&#39; money, all of Italy will collapse, from the economy to its towers,&quot; said the spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, on Telegram. Italy&#39;s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, slammed Zakharova&#39;s remarks as &quot;shameful, unacceptable.&quot;

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson says “as long as the Italian government keeps uselessly wasting taxpayers' money, all of Italy will collapse, from the economy to its towers.”; Italy's foreign minister slams remarks as "shameful, unacceptable."

Worker dies after medieval tower partly collapses in Rome

Reuters

ROME: Italy&#39;s ruling Brothers of Italy party put forward legislation on Wednesday to ban the burqa and niqab in public spaces, part of a broader bill aimed at combating what it called &quot;cultural separatism&quot; linked to Islam.&nbsp;The bill, presented to parliament by lawmakers from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni&#39;s party, would prohibit garments covering the face in all public places, schools, universities, shops, and offices nationwide.&nbsp;The burqa is a full-body garment that covers a woman from head to foot, including a mesh screen over the eyes. The niqab is a veil for the face that leaves the area around the eyes clear.&nbsp;Violators would face fines of 300 to 3,000 euros ($350-$3,500).&nbsp;The legislation was aimed at combating &quot;religious radicalization and religiously-motivated hatred&quot;, the introductory text said.&nbsp;FRANCE FIRST EUROPEAN COUNTRY TO BAN BURQAS COMPLETELY&nbsp;France was the first European country to introduce a blanket ban on wearing burqas in public in 2011.&nbsp;The list has expanded significantly since, with more than 20 states around the world implementing some form of ban on the burqa and other full-face coverings in public, including Austria, Tunisia, Turkey, Sri Lanka and Switzerland.&nbsp;The European Court of Human Rights has consistently upheld these bans, including in 2017, when it upheld Belgium&#39;s bar on burqas and full-face veils, ruling that states may restrict such garments to protect &quot;living together&quot; in society.&nbsp;Regions of Italy already impose restrictions, such as the northern one of Lombardy, which imposed a ban on entering public buildings and hospitals with covered faces in late 2015.&nbsp;The legislation extends beyond face coverings to impose new financial transparency requirements on religious organizations that lack formal agreements with the Italian state.&nbsp;No Muslim organizations currently have such agreements, leaving Islam without the formal recognition granted to 13 other religious groups.&nbsp; Under the proposed law, unrecognized groups will have to disclose all funding sources, with financing restricted to entities that pose no threat to state security.&nbsp;The bill also introduces several new criminal provisions, including penalties for virginity testing, while strengthening punishment for forced marriages by adding religious coercion as grounds for prosecution.&nbsp;Meloni&#39;s coalition partner the League presented more limited legislation focusing on face coverings earlier this year.&nbsp; It is currently under review in a parliamentary commission and it was not clear if it would be merged with this new bill proposal.

Italy’s ruling party has proposed a law to ban burqas and niqabs in public, anyone breaking the rule could be fined 300 to 3,000 euros. 

New Italian bill targets Islamic face coverings and religious funding

ROME: Israel&rsquo;s World Cup qualifying match at Italy next week is expected to attract more pro-Palestinian protesters outside the soccer stadium in Udine than ticket-holding spectators inside the arena.&nbsp;Protesters already approached the gates of Italy&rsquo;s training center in Florence last week to demand that the match isn&rsquo;t played because of the war in Gaza, part of a national strike that saw millions of activists take to the streets.&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not going to be a calm environment,&rdquo; Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso acknowledged Tuesday from inside the Coverciano training center that was targeted. &ldquo;There will be 10,000 people outside the stadium and 5-6,000 inside the stadium.&rdquo;&nbsp;As of Monday, only 4,000 tickets were sold for next Tuesday&rsquo;s match at Stadio Friuli.&nbsp;While UEFA had been considering suspending Israel over the war and Udine Mayor Alberto Felice De Toni had called for the game to be postponed, with Italy desperately attempting to avoid failing to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup, the four-time champion doesn&rsquo;t plan to risk not playing.&nbsp;&ldquo;We have to play this match. Because if we don&rsquo;t, we&rsquo;ll lose it 3-0,&rdquo; Gattuso said, referring to the rule for forfeited matches. &ldquo;(Italian soccer federation) president (Gabriele) Gravina explained that very well.&rdquo;&nbsp;There was also tension on the field between the two squads after the final whistle when Italy edged Israel 5-4 in a nine-goal thriller last month in neutral Hungary, where Israel has been playing its &ldquo;home&rdquo; matches during the war.&nbsp;The protesters in Italy and elsewhere have also been reacting to an international aid mission blocked by Israeli forces.&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s upsetting to see what&rsquo;s happening to innocent people and children,&rdquo; Gattuso said. &ldquo;It hurts your heart.&rdquo;&nbsp;Italy and Israel are level six points behind group leader Norway, with only the first-place finisher in the group to qualify directly for next year&rsquo;s tournament in North America.&nbsp;The second-place finishers progress to a playoff, the stage where Italy was eliminated by Sweden and North Macedonia and ruled out of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, respectively.&nbsp;&nbsp;Israel could also face protests during a visit to Norway on Saturday.&nbsp;The Norwegian soccer federation pledged to give its profits from ticket sales for the game in Oslo to humanitarian work in Gaza by Doctors Without Borders.&nbsp;Italy played Israel in Udine last October in the Nations League. That game went off without incident amid a heavy police presence and despite a pro-Palestinian demonstration before the game. Italy won 4-1.

Football

Protests are expected during next week’s Italy-Israel World Cup qualifying match in Udine, raising security concerns amid anger over the Gaza war and increasing calls for the game’s cancellation.


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