Rome

Niger investigating $5 mn sale of largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth

It's the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth - a 25 gm meteorite that fetched more than $5 million at a New York auction last month, setting a world record. But in the West African nation of Niger, where the rusty-red rock was unearthed in the Sahara Desert, officials have launched an investigation into what they call possible illicit international trafficking, claiming it may have been smuggled out of the country. Sotheby's said the rock, named NWA 16788, was blown off the surface of Mars by a massive asteroid strike and travelled 140 million miles (225 million km) to Earth. It was discovered in the Sahara in northwestern Niger by a meteorite hunter in November 2023, according to the auction house. His identity was not disclosed. Nor was the identity of the buyer last month. Meteorite hunting is growing in arid Saharan countries like Niger. Though meteorites can fall anywhere on Earth, the Sahara has become a prime spot for their discovery in part due to the favourable clima

Pope Leo XIV declares 'I am Roman!' as he formally becomes bishop of Rome

Pope Leo XIV declared himself a Roman on Sunday as he completed the final ceremonial steps cementing his role as the bishop of Rome. The first American pope formally took possession of the St. John Lateran Basilica, which is Rome's cathedral and seat of the diocese, with an evening Mass attended by Roman priests and faithful. He then took the popemobile for a visit to St. Mary Major, where he prayed before Pope Francis' tomb and an icon of the Virgin Mary beloved to many Roman faithful. In his homily, Leo said he wanted to listen to them in order to learn, understand and decide things together. One of the many titles that Leo assumed when he was elected May 8 was bishop of Rome. Given his responsibilities running the 1.4-billion strong universal Catholic Church, popes delegate the day-to-day governance of running of the diocese of Roman to a vicar. Sunday's ceremonies at the St. John Lateran and a stop at St. Mary Major basilicas follow Leo's visit last week to the St. Paul Outsid

Iran and US hold fifth round of nuclear talks in Rome over enrichment

Iran and the United States prepared for a fifth round of negotiations over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme Friday in Rome, with enrichment emerging as the key issue. US officials from President Donald Trump down insist Iran cannot continue to enrich uranium at all in any deal that could see sanctions lifted on Tehran's struggling economy. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi early Friday insisted online that no enrichment would mean we do NOT have a deal. Figuring out the path to a deal is not rocket science, Araghchi wrote on the social platform X. Time to decide. The US will be again represented in the talks by Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Michael Anton, the State Department's policy planning director. While authorities haven't offered a location for the talks, another round in Italy's capital took place at the Omani Embassy there. Oman's Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi is mediating the negotiations as the sultanate on the Arabian Peninsula has been a trusted .

Trump, Melania to attend Pope Francis' funeral; Prince William may join

Pope Francis passed away on Easter Sunday following a prolonged illness and hospitalisation

Pope Francis faces new breathing issues, back on noninvasive ventilation

Francis had inhaled "copious" amounts of mucus in another setback in what has become a more than two-week battle to overcome a complex respiratory infection and pneumonia

Passengers of diverted New York to Delhi flight rebooked: Rome airport

Passengers of the Delhi-bound American Airlines flight from New York that was diverted to Rome due to a bomb alert on Sunday have been rebooked on other flights, a spokesperson of the Rome airport said on Monday. "Priority was given to the 66 travellers, mostly Indian citizens, who did not have an entry visa for Italy," the Leonardo Da Vinci Airport spokesperson said in a statement to PTI. According to the statement, they were accommodated in the airport lounges overnight and assisted by the US airline and Aeroporti di Roma staff. The flight, which had more than 200 people, was diverted to the airport on Sunday. "The passengers of American Airlines flight 292 from New York to Delhi, which was forced to turn back and land at Fiumicino Airport yesterday afternoon due to a bomb alert, have been rebooked on other flights departing from the Rome Fiumicino Airport today," the statement said. Further, it said the aircraft, now cleared for departure following security checks, will be ...

Why an American Airlines flight to Delhi with 199 passengers landed in Rome

Italian military officials dispatched two Eurofighter Typhoon jets to intercept and escort the aircraft as it entered Italian airspace

American Airlines flight to Delhi grounded in Rome for 15 hrs after threat

The aircraft was just two hours from its destination when it made an abrupt U-turn over the Central Asian country of Turkmenistan due to a "possible security issue"

American Airlines flight from New York to New Delhi diverted to Rome

An American Airlines flight from New York to New Delhi has been diverted to Rome, according to information on a flight tracking website. American Airlines flight AAL292 departed New York's JFK International Airport on February 22 and was scheduled to arrive in Delhi, but it has been diverted to Rome. According to information on flightradar24.com, the flight is expected to land shortly in Rome. According to the flight's status on American Airlines website, the flight AA 292 departed New York's JFK airport at 8:14 pm on February 22 and is estimated to arrive at the Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport in Fiumicino, Italy at around 5:30pm local time. Inquiries left with American Airlines as well as the Federal Aviation Administration regarding the status of the flight and the reason for diversion were not immediately answered.

Pope Francis treated for pneumonia as his health condition worsens

The 88-year old pontiff underwent additional exams on Tuesday, with a chest CT scan showed the onset of bilateral pneumonia

Tinkerman no more, as Ranieri leads Roma to Rome derby win over Napoli

Forget about the Tinkerman. Claudio Ranieri is the Derbyman now. Ranieri extended his perfect record in the capital derby as Roma beat Lazio 2-0 in Serie A on Sunday to give the Giallorossi a much-needed boost in what has been a difficult season. Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini scored the opener with a curling shot from the edge of the area and Alexis Saelemaekers finished off a counterattack to give Roma a two-goal advantage after 18 minutes. Ranieri improved his record to five wins in five derbies as Roma's coach. He's the team's third manager this season after Daniele De Rossi and Ivan Juric were both fired. His other derby wins came during his first stint as Roma's coach from 2009-11. He also coached his hometown club briefly in 2019. The coach is a legend of Rome. We all know it and we're all happy for him, Saelemaekers said. He took over the team in a tough moment, reset the entire group and improved the mentality. Ranieri has also won the three other big derbies in Italy i

Connectivity corridor will be game changer, says Jaishankar about IMECC

Reflecting on the historical and cultural ties between the two nations, he emphasised that India and Italy share a rich heritage

Why are France and Rome fighting over Emily from Emily in Paris?

Emily in Paris, a popular Netflix show, has pitted two countries against one another.

Madrid, Rome shut down tourist places as temperature rises to 40 degrees

The high heat in the continent is a result of an anti-cyclonic high pressure system, named 'Cerberus' by the Italian Meteorological Society

Piyush Goyal describes India as 'voice of developing countries' in Rome

Goyal further spoke on connectivity at the event and highlighted how India offers an oasis of opportunity with 1.4 bn people aspiring for a better quality of life

'Delhi-Rome direct flight to boost connectivity between India, Italy'

'We're increasing exports and imports between the two countries. Direct flight (between Italy and Delhi) will boost movement and relations between two countries'

CM Patnaik shares Odisha's achievements on food security at WFP HQ in Rome

Odisha Chief Minister Patnaik took the stage at the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) headquarters in Rome to share the transformational progress of the state on strengthening livelihoods

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik meets Odia diaspora in Rome during his visit

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik met with several people from the Odia diaspora in Rome, Italy on Thursday, the Office of the Chief Minister said

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik in Rome, meets Indian ambassador to Italy

In Rome, Patnaik will attend a function of the World Food Programme (WFP) and share transformative initiatives of Odisha in the field of food security and disaster management.

Monet painting, sold for $56.6 mn, becomes the most valuable view of Italy

Monet's previous record was $36.5 million (£29.6 million) achieved by Le Palais Ducal, sold at Sotheby's in London in 2019