Luciana Lamorgese

Strasbourg – Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović urged the Slovenian authorities in a memorandum published on Friday to put a stop to the deterioration of the situation regarding media freedom and freedom of expression in the country.

Italy is pushing EU partners to revive migrant burden-sharing deals as it seeks to stave off a summertime surge in landings from North Africa, Prime Minister Mario Draghi said Wednesday (12 May).

Migration has returned to the top of the political agenda in Italy after more than 2,200 asylum-seekers from Tunisia and Libya arrived on its tiny island of Lampedusa last weekend.

The EU's commissioner for home affairs, Ylva Johansson, on Monday (10 May) called for the bloc's countries to show "solidarity" with Italy after it took on more than 1,400 migrants arriving on boats over the weekend.

 Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese, and Health Ministers Roberto Speranza retained their mandates in the new government formed by Mario Draghi.

Ljubljana – Foreign Minister Anže Logar is expected to hold talks with his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio on Thursday, although virtually and not in-person as was originally scheduled, as Di Maio is self-isolating. Logar will nevertheless travel to Rome, as he is also scheduled to visit the Holy See on Friday.

Prosecutors have investigated Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and six members of his government over how they handled the coronavirus crisis, but have recommended the case be dropped, Conte's office said on Thursday.

More than one tonne of cocaine was seized from a banana container at the port of Gioia Tauro in the southern Italian region of Calabria. This was announced by Italian carabinieri and the financial police, BTA reported.

The container was traveling from South America and had to reach Germany. The drug found in it, totaling 1.2 tonnes, could be sold for at least EUR 250 million.