“Italians,” the great 20th-century Italian writer Ennio Flaiano once remarked, “always rush to the aid of the victor.” But what happens when there’s no clear victor? Or no coherent ideological line between government and opposition? Then where do you run?
Flaiano’s line has come to mind lately as we’ve watched Italy shift its tone and focus to adjust to a new reality: its recent switch from a right-wing government to a leftish one, one with the same anti-establishment party, the Five Star Movement, at its core, and the same prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, at its head.
Much has been made of how Conte has taken the time-honored Italian tradition of trasformismo—switching allegiances depending on how the wind blows—to entirely new dimensions. But it’s been particularly fascinating to observe how the press has changed its tone.
Iraq's Minister of Oil Thamir al-Ghadhban speaks during the Iraq Energy Forum (IEF) in Baghdad, Iraq, on Sept. 14, 2019.
Students hold placards to demand strong action on the climate crisis in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Sept. 14, 2019.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa (R) greets Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta during the official funeral ceremony held for Zimbabwe's former leader Robert Mugabe, who passed away in a Singapore hospital at the age of 95, at National Sport Stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Sept. 14, 2019.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić attends Military Academy cadets graduation ceremony in front of the Parliament building in Belgrade, Serbia, on Sept. 14, 2019.
Smoke is seen following a fire at Aramco facility in the city of Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia, on Sept. 14, 2019.
Traditional masked dancers perform on the fourth day of Indra Jatra festival at Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Sept. 14, 2019.
Opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido (C) waves during a rally at Baruta neighborhood in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sept. 14, 2019.
President Muhammadu Buhari (L) of Nigeria and Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana pose after the opening ceremony of ECOWAS G5 security summit in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on Sept. 14, 2019.
Than Htay, chairman of military backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) speaks as he attends the party's fifth Central Committee meeting at the party's headquarters in Naypyidaw, Myanmar on Sept. 14, 2019.
People gather to enjoy the annual Autumn fair in Tandarei, Romania, on Sept. 14, 2019.
A member of the military gestures as mourners arrive to attend a state funeral for Zimbabwe's longtime ruler Robert Mugabe at National Sport Stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Sept. 14, 2019.
Central American migrants wait in line to receive food in an encampment in Matamoros, Mexico, on Sept. 14, 2019.
A clown performs during the presentation of the new fantasy steampunk circus show 'Pendulum of Time' at the Ukrainian National Circus in Kiev, on Sept. 14, 2019.
Thousands of citizens holding Turkish flags and shouting slogans, attend a rally to protest against terror attacks of PKK terrorist group, in Van, Turkey, on Sept. 14, 2019.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks during a rally in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, on Sept. 13, 2019.
Syrian Christians celebrate the Feast of the Holy Cross at the Church of the Holy Cross in Damascus, Syria, on Sept. 13, 2019.
The casket carrying the body of former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is carried to the military chopper after lying in state at the Rufaro stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Sept. 13, 2019.
Porcelain figures rest among the remains of a shattered house in Freetown, Bahamas, on Sept. 13, 2019. A new storm is threatening the Bahamas just two weeks after Hurricane Dorian hit the islands.
A resident looks on past broken glass of his house in Semarang, Indonesia, on Sept. 14, 2019, following an explosion at a police warehouse that reportedly stored World War II-era munitions.
Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (C) speaks to journalists, after he was questioned at the State Investigations Bureau in Kiev, Ukraine, on Sept. 13, 2019. Local media reported that Poroshenko was questioned in the case of the nationalization of PrivatBank and capture of Ukrainian sailors in the Kerch Strait.
Venezuelan politician Juan Guaidó, who many nations have recognized as the country's rightful interim ruler, poses for a picture while attending a political rally in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sept. 13, 2019.
A protester writes "Resignation" on a banner during a demonstration outside Bulgarian National Radio building in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Sept. 13, 2019. The protest was held against the state-run broadcasters' management after a journalist, known for covering the country's corruption-prone judicial system, was suspended from her job.
A priest covers the ears of living goddess, Kumari, as soldiers fire guns as a part of rituals during the Indra Jatra festival, an eight-day event that honors Indra, the Hindu God of rain, in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Sept. 13, 2019.
Slovenian Finance Minister Andrej Bertoncelj arrives at the informal meeting of ministers for Economic and Financial Affairs, ECOFIN and EuroGroup in Helsinki, Finland, on Sept. 13, 2019.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy delivers a speech during the Yalta European Strategy (YES) annual meeting in Kiev, Ukraine, on Sept. 13, 2019.
A health worker measures the dosage of malaria vaccine in Ndhiwa, Kenya, on Sept. 13, 2019, during the launch of malaria vaccine in the country.
People take pictures of the monument of Soviet World War II commander Ivan Stepanovich Konev in Prague, Czech Republic, on Sept 12, 2019.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the 2019 House Republican Conference Member Retreat dinner in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., on Sept. 12, 2019.
Michelle and Melania’s Shared Hell: The Role of First Lady
First ladies are such minutely scrutinized figures that no president’s mate has proved immune to criticism during her time in the White House.
Doctors in Italy have been forced into life-or-death decisions over who should receive intensive care, with virus cases piling up around the country. One Italian medic warned that the public may be underestimating the 'epidemiological disaster' because of warnings not to panic.
Director general of the World Health Organisation Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says measures to stop the spread of coronavirus are taking a toll on finances worldwide, as the international Covid-19 case count passes one million.
A sinking tube well is seen in a 'haor' in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Sept. 13, 2019. Haor is a prominent Asian wetland rich in biodiversity. It submerges underwater during monsoon.
Kosovo President Hashim Thaci (L) shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prior to their meeting at the latter's office in Tokyo, Japan, on Sept. 13, 2019.
An officer of Romania's General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) smiles during festivities celebrating the Romanian Firefighters Day in Bucharest, Romania, on Sept. 13, 2019.
Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani gestures during his election campaign rally in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sept. 13, 2019.
Jury members of Singapore, Iran, South Korea and China, walk on the blue carpet at the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre during the opening ceremony of the 17th Pacific Meridian International Film Festival of Asia-Pacific Countries in Vladivostok, Russia, on Sept. 13, 2019.
A firefighter prepares to extinguish the fire in the houses and fields of Pulang Pisau Regency in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, on Sept. 13, 2019. Illegal blazes to clear land for agricultural plantations have raged across Indonesia's Sumatra and Borneo islands as recent satellite data showed that the number of forest fires have jumped sharply, adding concerns on the smog across South-East Asia and the impact of increasing wildfires outbreaks worldwide due to global warming.
Members of military backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) attend the fifth Central Committee meeting at the party's headquarters in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, on Sept. 14, 2019.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan speaks during an interview with Reuters in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sept. 13, 2019.
Bells toll at ground zero to mark 9/11; Trump at Pentagon
Americans commemorated 9/11 with solemn remembrances and vows to "never forget" 18 years after the deadliest terror attacks on American soil.
In fact , in Italy the biggest fear, as course after course appears, is that you entirely forget you are there on business. If you have the energy, you can always do These cultural challenges exist side by side with the problems of doing business in a foreign language. Language, of course, is full of difficulties
When Trump pressed him on whether he would therefore “close down the oil industry,” Biden replied that he would “transition from the oil industry” as part of a broader climate agenda involving renewed membership in the Paris climate accords and other international efforts.
Laser beams coming from the residential buildings in Kowloon district are seen as anti-government protesters gather at Lion Rock in Hong Kong on Sept. 13, 2019.
Relatives accompany patients suffering from dengue at a hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan, on Sept. 12, 2019.
Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman attends an OPEC-JMMC meeting in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Sept. 12, 2019.
A Turkish military convoy heads toward an observation point near the town of Maar Hitat, Syria, on Sept. 12, 2019.
Stranded passengers wait on the floor of the arrival hall at Alicante Airport, Spain, on Sept. 13, 2019.
Police officers stand guard during a demonstration against economic measures of Argentine President Mauricio Macri's government, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sept. 12, 2019.
A fire is seen on a tract of Amazon jungle in Porto Velho, Brazil, on Sept. 12, 2019.
Open gates at the Les Halles station in Paris, France, during a one-day strike of public transport operator, RATP employees, over French government's plan to overhaul the country's retirement system, on Sept. 13, 2019.
Paris court finds Saudi princess guilty in beating case
A French court found the only daughter of Saudi Arabia's King Salman guilty of complicity in violence Thursday for ordering her bodyguard to detain and strike a plumber for taking photos at the Saudi royal family's apartment in Paris.
First, I did not write the report and I am not responsible for the report. I have gone over the report with a fine tooth comb and can find nothing factually wrong with the report. Everything is cited and documented. Arguably the only weakness is that we do not have internal emails between Chinese
E. Lifelong learning does not mean spending all my time reading. It is equally important to get the habit of asking such questions as ‘what don’t I know about this topic, or subject?’, ‘what can I learn from this moment or person?’, and ‘what more do I need to learn?’ regardless of where I am, who I am talking
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy poses for a picture during a meeting with Ukrainian sailors, who were detained by Russia in the Kerch Strait and released in the recent Ukraine-Russia prisoners swap in Kiev, Ukraine, on Sept. 12, 2019.
Garment workers during a protest demanding arrears, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Sept. 12, 2019.
Kenya's acting Finance Minister Ukur Yatani speaks during a budget planning meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 12, 2019.
Laborers work during the restoration of the Shubra Palace in Cairo, Egypt, on Sept. 12, 2019.
(L-R) Slovakia's Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán pose for a photo at the start of the Visegrád Group (V4) meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, on Sept. 12, 2019.
Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro attends a rally against U.S. President Donald Trump in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sept. 12, 2019.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin (not in picture) at the Bocharov Ruchei state residence in Sochi, Russia, on Sept. 12, 2019.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the 2019 House Republican Conference Member Retreat dinner in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., on Sept. 12, 2019.
Ambassador James Franklin Jeffrey, U.S. Special Representative for Syria Engagement and Special Envoy for the Global Coalition to defeat ISIS, during a meeting with delegations of Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Britain and the U.S. on Syria's situation at the UN office in Geneva, Switzerland, on Sept. 12, 2019.
Iran diplomat warns of 'all-out war' if hit for Saudi attack
Iran diplomat warns of 'all-out war' if hit for Saudi attack
Colombia's President Iván Duque Márquez (L) speaks as European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini listens during a news conference in Bogota, Colombia, on Sept. 12, 2019.
Supporters of former President Robert Mugabe leave after attending the lying in state of Mugabe's body, at the Rufaro Stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Sept. 12, 2019.
Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei (C) and Sadrist Movement Leader Muqtada al-Sadr (R) attend a mourning ceremony marking the day of Ashura in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 11, 2019.
Masked dancers perform a traditional dance during the Indra Jatra Festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Sept. 11, 2019.
A coffin carrying the remains of Zimbabwe's former President Robert Mugabe arrives from Singapore at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Sept. 11, 2019. T
The ambassador of Romania, Gabriela Dancau (L), and the president of the Senate, Manuel Cruz, greet each other before a meeting in Madrid, Spain, on Sept. 11, 2019.
People gather at the scene of a reported Russian air strike at the village of al-Daher in Idlib province, Syria, on Sept. 11, 2019.
Volunteers are seen at the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Service (KNBTS) during the week-long blood donation drive in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 11, 2019.
Shiite pilgrims walk through the Bab al-Raja gate of the Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala, Iraq, on Sept. 11, 2019. More than 30 pilgrims were killed and dozens injured during a stampede in the shrine, which occurred the day before during Ashura commemorations.
People collect drinking water from a deep tube-well in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Sept. 12, 2019.
Indonesia's presidential honorary guard officers carry a coffin of former President B.J. Habibie in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sept. 11, 2019.
Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (R) and Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard (L) take part in a call with U.S. President Donald Trump at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico, on Sept. 11, 2019.
A Filmmaker Set Out to Understand the Japanese Right. Now He’s Being Sued.
Any reference to the women can raise the conservatives’ ire. Last month, organizers of an international art fair in Nagoya closed an exhibition after receiving terrorist threats over a statue symbolizing one of the Korean comfort women. Mr. Dezaki, his supporters and outside historians say the lawsuit over his film shows how nationalists seek to silence those who challenge them, while at the same time using any outlet they can to spread views that run counter even to an official 1993 Japanese government apology to the comfort women.“The overarching theme of the film is, why do they want to erase this history?” the 36-year-old Mr.
Nigerians returning from South Africa, due to the recent violence targeted at foreigners, arrive at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria, on Sept. 11, 2019.
Czech Republic's President Miloš Zeman (L) listens to his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vučić during a press conference in Belgrade, Serbia, on Sept. 11, 2019.
Togo President Faure Gnassingbé arrives at the Bandaranaike International airport in Katunayake, Sri Lanka, on Sept. 11, 2019. He is in Sri Lanka for a two-day state visit.
Judge Mohamed Shirin Fahmi (C) reads out a verdict and sentence as he presides over the retrial of members of the Muslim Brotherhood on charges of espionage, in Cairo, Egypt, on Sept. 11, 2019.
Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo gives a briefing at The Heritage Foundation in Washington D.C., U.S., on Sept. 11, 2019.
Greece's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias (R), meets his Bulgarian counterpart, Ekaterina Zakharieva, in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Sept. 11, 2019.
People sing and carry flags during the religious procession marking Ashura in Karachi, Pakistan, on Sept. 10, 2019.
Firefighters attempting to extinguish a fire at an industrial zone in Dagon Seikkan township in Yangon, Myanmar, on Sept. 10, 2019.
Supporters of former President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe (1924–2019) place his portrait next to that of current President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Sept, 10, 2019.
Paul Njoroge of Kenya holds the picture of his daughter as he gets a hug during a vigil on the six-month anniversary of the crash of a Boeing 737 Max 8, killing 157 people, in Ethiopia on March 10, which has resulted in the grounding of hundreds of the planes worldwide, outside of the Department of Transportation, in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 10, 2019.
Iran says it will destroy any aggressor
Iran says it will destroy any aggressorDUBAI, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Iran will pursue any aggressor, even it carries out a limited attack, and seek to destroy it, the head of the elite Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday, after attacks on Saudi oil sites which Riyadh and U.S officials blamed on Tehran.
Incoming European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addresses a media conference at EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Sept. 10, 2019.
A police outrider leads a hearse transporting the body of former President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe from the Singapore Casket funeral parlor in Singapore on Sept. 11, 2019, to head to an airport and be flown back to Zimbabwe for burial.
Apple CEO Tim Cook delivers the keynote address during an Apple special event in Cupertino, California, U.S., on Sept. 10, 2019. Apple unveiled several new products including an iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro.
A view of an explosion from an Israeli air strike near Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, in retaliation for rocket fire across the border, on Sept. 11, 2019.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Herman Gref, CEO of Russian bank Sberbank, in Moscow, Russia, on Sept. 10, 2019.
Amin H. Nasser, CEO of oil company Saudi Aramco, speaks during the 24th World Energy Congress (WEC) in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on Sept. 10, 2019.
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe (L) and spiritual leader of Dawoodi Bohras, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, attend a meeting in Colombo on Sept. 10, 2019.
Iranian people burn a tent as they re-enact a scene from the Battle of Karbala during a ceremony marking Ashura in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 10, 2019.
People lighting up candles at Hussaini Dalan to make a wish on the day of Ashura in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Sept. 10, 2019.
Slovenia's Prime Minister Marjan Šarec (L) and Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev shake hands during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, on Sept. 10, 2019.
Schoolboys walk back home on the first day of the school term in Kuwadzana, Zimbabwe, on Sept. 10, 2019.
A young girl dressed as the Living Goddess Kumari participates in the Kumari Puja festival, in which young girls pose as the Living Goddess Kumari and are worshiped by people in belief that their children will remain healthy, in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Sept. 11, 2019.
A Shi'ite Muslim girl sits on the shoulder of her father as they attend the religious procession ahead of Ashura (a day of mourning) in Lahore, Pakistan, on Sept. 9, 2019.
A man walks past a mural of late President Robert Mugabe in the low-income neighborhood of Mbare, known to have many supporters of Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Sept. 9, 2019.
Damaged buildings and cars are seen in the wake of Hurricane Dorian in Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco, Bahamas, on Sept. 9, 2019.
Men carry containers at a gas station in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Sept. 9, 2019. The country has been facing acute fuel shortages.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (R) and his Croatian counterpart Gordan Grlić-Radman give a joint press conference at the Foreign Office in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 9, 2019.
Israeli soldiers set up a tank near Kibutz Merom in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on the border with Syria on Sept. 9, 2019.
Former UN head Ban Ki-moon speaks at the launch of a report on climate adaptation by the Global Commission on Adaptation in Beijing, China, on Sept. 10, 2019.
Shiite Muslims offer noon prayers during a religious procession on the ninth day of the holy Islamic month of Muharram in Karachi, Pakistan, on Sept. 9, 2019.
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks after the parliament voted on whether to hold an early general election in London, England, on Sept. 10, 2019.
Devotees take part in a mourning procession marking the day of Ashura in Kars, Turkey, on Sept. 9, 2019. Muslims observe the Ashura to commemorate the martyrdom of Prophet Muhammad's grandson Imam Hussein, who was killed in the battle of Karbala in modern-day Iraq in 680 A.D.
A forensic technician stands next to a police van following a shooting in Dordrecht, Netherlands, on Sept. 9, 2019.
Centum Investment Company CEO James Mworia speaks during an interview with Reuters at the Two Rivers Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 9, 2019.
Protesters take part in a demonstration against an exhibition backed by Russia's embassy in Bulgaria, titled "75 years since the liberation of Eastern Europe from Nazism," in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Sept. 9, 2019.
Black-clad Shiite Muslims attend a mourning ceremony a day ahead of Ashura at the old main bazaar, in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 9, 2019.
Nepal's Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali (R) and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi talk to each other as they arrive to exchange MoU in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Sept. 9, 2019.
Ghanaian peacekeepers with the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol along the border between Lebanon and Israel in the town of Ramyeh, Lebanon, on Sept. 9, 2019.
Russian-Ukrainian journalist and head of RIA Novosti Ukraine news portal Kyrylo Vyshynsky speaks during a press conference in Moscow, Russia, on Sept. 9, 2019.
A woman struggles with her umbrella against heavy rain and wind caused by Typhoon Faxai in Tokyo, Japan, on Sept. 9, 2019.
President Donald Trump participates in a briefing on Hurricane Dorian at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in Havelock, North Carolina, U.S., on Sept. 9, 2019.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement to the media on the Iranian nuclear issue at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem on Sept. 9, 2019.
Vehicles and rickshaws wade through the waterlogged streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh, after a heavy rainfall almost caused a standstill in the city, on Sept. 9, 2019.
Emergency responders work to rescue crew members from a capsized cargo ship in St. Simons, Georgia, on Sept. 9, 2019.
A handout picture provided by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Sept. 9, 2019, shows the newly appointed Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman giving oath in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Asma Mohamed Abdalla (R) the newly appointed Sudanese Foreign Minister meets with her Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Khartoum, Sudan, on Sept. 9, 2019.
Shiite Muslims gather outside the golden-domed shrine of Imam Moussa al-Kadhim during a Muharram procession in Baghdad, Iraq, on Sept. 9.
Children hold their hands on their chests as the national anthem is played during festivities marking the beginning of the school year at the Ferdinand I school in Bucharest, Romania, on Sept. 9, 2019.
Security personnel cordon the area during the Shiite Muslim religious procession on the first Muslim month of Muharram in Karachi, Pakistan, on Sept. 8, 2019.
Cornel Feruta (R), the acting head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, shakes hands with Ali Akbar Salehi, director of Iran's nuclear energy agency, in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 8, 2019.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (C) arrives at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Sept. 9, 2019, for a three-day official visit.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel looks at an installation during the official opening of the new Bauhaus Museum, built for the centenary of the founding of the Bauhaus, in Dessau, Germany, on Sept. 8, 2019.
Members of the Hindu community hold a handcrafted clay idol as they take part in the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival in Nakuru, Kenya, on Sept. 8, 2019.
A fisherman navigates the Amazon River near Leticia, Colombia, a community on the river where the borders of Colombia, Peru and Brazil meet, on Sept. 8, 2019.
Shiites gather to pray at the Imam Abbas mosque in the central city of Karbala, Iraq, on Sept. 8, 2019, marking the eighth day of Muharram ahead of Ashura.
A migrant waves his hand in the air on a rubber boat some 14 nautical miles from the coast of Libya in Mediterranean Sea on Sept. 8, 2019. Humanitarian groups SOS Méditerranée and Doctors Without Borders have successfully rescued 50 migrants and brought them aboard the Ocean Viking.
A damaged scaffolding at the construction site of a parking garage at Haneda Airport following the passage of Typhoon Faxai, in Tokyo, Japan, on Sept. 9, 2019.
LGBT activists hold signs and rainbow flags as they march through the city center in Sarajevo, during Bosnia and Herzegovina's first-ever Gay Pride parade, on Sept. 8, 2019.
Muslim women pilgrims of the Dawoodi Bohra community take part in a ceremony in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Sept. 8, 2019, in the run up to Ashura.
Revelers wearing traditional costume dance during the Nativity Virgin (Virgen de Natividad) festival, one of the most important traditional celebrations in Cusco, Peru, on Sept. 9, 2019.
A Catholic priest preaches during a Sunday Mass dedicated to late Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe in Kutama, Zimbabwe, on Sept. 8, 2019.
American and Turkish soldiers walk together during a joint U.S.-Turkey patrol near Tel Abyad, Syria, on Sept. 8, 2019.
Coverage of Matteo Salvini has been instructive: The leader of the right-wing, nativist League party was riding high in the polls—and in the media—until he brought down the government last month in a bid for early elections, and failed, at least for now, after his rivals teamed up to block him. In the 15 months in which Salvini was interior minister, he had taken up all the media oxygen in the country with his constant campaigning, his Donald-Trump-inspired calls for “Italians First,” and his more-than-harsh stance on immigration—blocking ports so ships that had rescued migrants at sea couldn’t dock, and passing new security measures that further criminalized boats that rescued migrants. (The new government may roll back elements of the legislation.)
All Italian governments generally help dictate the line of the state-run news broadcaster, the RAI, and through the latest government, Italian television news was led by stories of immigrants, often people of color, who had committed crimes. This also seeped into newspaper coverage, which has less of an impact in shaping public opinion but has always been a barometer of power dynamics and business interests. This is not new: During the nearly two decades that Silvio Berlusconi dominated Italy in three stints as prime minister, he too set the agenda of much of the RAI.
Yet it was the Italian press and, perhaps more importantly, his private television channels which were key in cultivating the viewership that then became his electorate. Berlusconi’s channels were also crucial to helping Salvini.
When it seemed Salvini was on the way up, when he seemed to stand a chance of coming to power, powerful commentators were cautious with him, and respectful. Two days before elections for the European Parliament in May, a friendly host on a Berlusconi-owned channel interviewed Salvini, gushing that he looked very healthy and suntanned, effectively letting him give a campaign speech, and didn’t ask him any hard questions. As they were wrapping up, he handed her a rosary—part of a campaign strategy to win over devout Catholic voters.
After Salvini’s party placed first in those elections, with 34 percent of the vote, Maurizio Costanzo, one of Italy’s most famous television hosts, also on a Berlusconi channel, had Salvini on his show, and let him talk about how he’d gained weight on the campaign trail. Costanzo’s has never been a confrontational show, but still, he didn’t call Salvini out on any of his statements about how the European Union was subjugating Italy or how Europe ran the risk of being “replaced” by immigrants.
Italians have a pretty astute sense of how to interpret the media—or they did when it was clear who was in Berlusconi’s camp and who wasn’t. Things are more complicated today with the populists, who see themselves as part of a post-ideological landscape in which they have no use for the mainstream press. They prefer to use social media to communicate with the people directly, so the only way to get access as a “mainstream” journalist is to basically embed within the parties and drink the Kool-Aid, or as much of it as you can bear. Which isn’t great for democracy.
It’s not surprising that perhaps the most significant piece of reporting to emerge during Salvini’s tenure didn’t appear in an Italian publication. BuzzFeed News published a scoop with audio recordings of a secret meeting last fall in Moscow between associates of Salvini, discussing an energy deal that allegedly would have funneled money to the League, in violation of Italian campaign-finance laws. The deal didn’t happen, but Italian prosecutors have opened an investigation. (Italy’s Espresso, a center-left weekly magazine, broke the story in February, but BuzzFeed had the audio.)