Web Desk

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;

Europe

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.


Tension builds as Italy-Israel World Cup qualifying match faces protests

Reuters/AP

MADRID/ROME: Spain&#39;s Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, announced on Wednesday that he will send a military warship to protect the Sumud flotilla to Gaza after it was attacked by drones off Greece.His announcement follows Italy&rsquo;s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto&#39;s statement, who told parliament that Rome would send its second navy ship to escort the aid flotilla, according to Reuters.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S&aacute;nchez said in New York, where he has been attending the UN General Assembly, that Spain would dispatch a naval vessel from Cartagena &ldquo;with all necessary resources in case it was necessary to assist the flotilla and carry out a rescue operation,&rdquo; Reuters reported.&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; 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font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">S&aacute;nchez stressed that &ldquo;international law must be respected&rdquo; and that Spanish citizens had the right to sail safely through the Mediterranean.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Italy&rsquo;s sending rescue reinforcements&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Italy&rsquo;s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said Rome had activated the navy frigate&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fasan<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, which was heading to the area from north of Crete &ldquo;for possible rescue operations.&rdquo;&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He added: &ldquo;In a democracy, demonstrations and forms of protest must also be protected when they are carried out in accordance with international law and without resorting to violence,&rdquo; AP reported.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Italy&rsquo;s Foreign Ministry meanwhile reported its computer systems were hit by a &ldquo;mail bombing&rdquo; campaign after the flotilla urged supporters to pressure Rome into condemning the attack, saying the flood of emails hindered its crisis unit&rsquo;s work. Italian officials said 58 citizens, including lawmakers, were aboard the flotilla, AP reported.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The European Commission said freedom of navigation under international law &ldquo;must be upheld,&rdquo; while the UN Human Rights Office called for an investigation.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thunberg on the move&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Global Sumud Flotilla, involving about 50 civilian boats carrying lawyers, activists, and aid &mdash; including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg &mdash; is seeking to break Israel&rsquo;s naval blockade of Gaza.&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A spokesperson for March to Gaza Greece told Reuters the vessels were attacked by 12 drones in international waters 30 nautical miles (56 km) off the Greek island of Gavdos.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thunberg told Reuters earlier that drones had flown over them nightly: &ldquo;This mission is about Gaza, it isn&rsquo;t about us. And no risks that we could take could even come close to the risks the Palestinians are facing every day.&rdquo;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Attacks on Flotilla&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The flotilla has reported several attacks since it set sail from Spain on Sept. 1, including two while some of its boats were in Tunisian waters.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Activists have launched several flotillas aimed at breaking the blockade over the years, nearly all of them intercepted by Israel. Another vessel said it was attacked by drones in May in international waters off Malta. An overland convoy traveling across North Africa also attempted to reach the border but was blocked by security forces aligned with Egypt in eastern Libya.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2010, Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara, a boat participating in an aid flotilla attempting to breach the maritime blockade of Gaza, killing 10 Turkish activists in clashes on board.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Israel has criticized the flotilla as tacitly supportive of Hamas but did not comment on the drone attack on Tuesday as reported by Reuters.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since the war in Gaza began, more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities, with famine, mass displacement, and destruction continuing.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez arrives for a press conference in New York

Middle East

Spain and Italy will each deploy naval vessels to assist an international flotilla delivering aid to Gaza after it was attacked by drones off Greece.

Spain to send warship to protect Gaza aid flotilla

ROME: Thousands of workers and students across Italy joined a general strike and widespread demonstrations on Monday in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.&nbsp;Italy&rsquo;s grassroots unions called for the 24-hour general strike in both public and private sectors, including public transportation, trains, schools and ports.&nbsp;The strike caused disruptions across the country, with long delays for national trains and limited public transport in major cities, including Rome and Milan.&nbsp;The transit of goods was slowed or partially blocked by workers&rsquo; sit-ins and rallies in Italy&rsquo;s main ports of Genoa and Livorno. More than 20,000 people gathered in front of Rome&rsquo;s central station to protest the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.&nbsp;Unions and student organizations denounced &ldquo;the inertia of the Italian and EU governments.&rdquo;&nbsp;The Italian government, headed by conservative Premier Giorgia Meloni, a close Israeli ally in the EU, has more recently adopted a harsher tone on Israeli policies as domestic pressure mounted over the war. Italy, however, is not among the countries, including France, that will formally recognize a Palestinian state at this week&rsquo;s U.N. General Assembly.&nbsp;The creation of a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza has long been seen internationally as the only way to resolve the conflict, which began more than a century before Hamas&rsquo; Oct. 7, 2023, attack sparked the ongoing war in Gaza. Israel&rsquo;s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 65,100 Palestinians, according to Gaza&#39;s Health Ministry, displaced some 90% of the population, left much of the territory uninhabitable and pushed some areas into famine.

Thousands across Italy joined a general strike and widespread demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.

Articles tagged with "Italy"