Jul 27, 2026, 11:30 AM UTC

The Italian government convened a cabinet meeting to pass an interim decree designed to lower fuel prices, particularly diesel, ahead of peak August travel. The initial bridge measure will precede a second, broader intervention utilizing a mobile excise tax mechanism, contingent on final July value-added tax revenue figures.

Under the planned measures, the government aims to keep diesel prices below two euros per liter by applying an excise discount funded through surplus VAT revenues and a potential increase in tobacco taxes. Additionally, targeted financial assistance will be delivered through a social card for vulnerable households. Minister for European Affairs Tommaso Foti urged caution due to international market volatility, noting that "in the Gulf, every day everything can change."

Sources: Corriere della Sera, Il Messaggero, Il Sole 24 Ore.

Former US President Barack Obama is scheduled to return to Scotland for a live public appearance focused on the future of democratic governance. The event will take place on Wednesday, October 14, at Glasgow's OVO Hydro, coming less than three weeks before key United States midterm elections.

During the event, the 44th American president is anticipated to cover topics concerning America's political trajectory, international leadership, and democratic stability. The visit represents a major international engagement for Obama ahead of the upcoming voting cycle in the United States.

Sources: The Herald.

Italian Senate President Ignazio La Russa has stated that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni would be a "great good" for the nation if she were to become head of state. Speaking on the future leadership of the country, La Russa praised the prime minister's qualifications for Italy's highest constitutional office.

However, the Senate leader clarified that he does not believe Meloni currently intends to seek the presidential office in 2029. The role will become open at the end of the seven-year mandate of the current president, 85-year-old Sergio Mattarella. The remarks come amidst broader Italian political debates surrounding executive power and constitutional reforms.

Sources: Rzeczpospolita

Polish prosecutors have reportedly submitted a request to extradite former Justice Minister and Prosecutor General Zbigniew Ziobro from the United States. Ziobro faces charges connected to alleged financial irregularities in the management of the state Justice Fund.

The extradition move follows a series of legal steps within Poland. A district court approved Ziobro's arrest in February, prompting an official arrest warrant after he left the country. Although prosecutors subsequently sought a European Arrest Warrant, the Warsaw Regional Court declined to issue one in July. Ziobro, who had traveled abroad prior to the initial arrest ruling, remains overseas as legal proceedings against him progress.

Sources: Rzeczpospolita

Turkey’s newly established YENİ Party has unveiled its first official district headquarters sign on a container in Antakya, Hatay, a region severely devastated by the February 6 earthquakes.

The formation of the party follows a judicial decision declaring the Republican People's Party's (CHP) 38th Ordinary Congress null and void. In response to the legal ruling, party leader Özgür Özel and 90 members of parliament resigned from the CHP to establish YENİ Party, which has now assumed the position of the country's main opposition force.

Speaking on the party's rapid nationwide organizational push, Özel emphasized that while office buildings are currently being secured across Turkey, commencing operations from a temporary container in Hatay holds profound symbolic priority for the new movement.

Sources: Cumhuriyet.