#giorgia-meloni

#giorgia-meloni

An uncanny resemblance has prompted authorities to investigate a restored fresco in a church in Rome: An angel that seems to now bear the face of Italy's conservative prime minster, Giorgia Meloni. The story has been making waves in Italy since it was published in daily paper la Repubblica on January 31. The report claimed an angel in the Basilica of St Lawrence in Lucina had been altered to resemble the 49-year-old far-right politician.

As leader of the ECB in 2012, Draghi was hailed as the saviour of the euro when he faced down markets during the sovereign debt crisis, famously declaring he would do "whatever it takes" to stabilise the currency. In Brussels, EU chief Charles Michel led tributes to Draghi at the summit table, thanking him for his work and "artful phrases, and a concise, brief and powerful style".

One of the more striking images from June's G7 summit showed a small group of world leaders engaged in an impromptu and informal evening chat at the venue's restaurant. In the foreground of that photo was a familiar blond head: Giorgia Meloni. During her three years as the Italian prime minister, Meloni has moved beyond her hard-right populism, not to mention her fascism-adjacent origins, to earn at least the respect of other leaders Keir Starmer among them for her pragmatism and flexibility.

During a private exchange with French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni went viral for rolling her eyes, signaling her discontent.