Meloni condemns Russian drone incursion into Poland, Italy set to be world’s largest wine producer this year, and more news on Thursday.
Italy to remain world’s largest wine producer
Italy was set to retain its spot as the world’s largest wine producer this year, according to estimates presented by the Italian agriculture ministry on Wednesday.
Italian winemakers were expected to produce 47 million hectolitres of wine and must this year, up by 8 percent compared to 2024, the ministry said.
France, the world’s second-largest producer, was expected to produce 37.4 million hectolitres, followed by Spain, with 36.8 million hectolitres.
Italy regained the title of largest wine producer in the world last year, after it temporarily lost it to France in 2023 following a disastrous harvest plagued by extreme weather and fungal diseases.
Italy’s agriculture ministry said it expected production to register a 19-percent year-on-year increase in the south in 2025, noting that heavy spring rainfall had replenished the region’s groundwater reserves, helping crops withstand an early summer.
The northeast of the country, including Veneto, had a more difficult year, it added, citing changeable weather and vine diseases among the main reasons.
Meloni condemns ‘unacceptable’ Russian drone incursion into Poland
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the incursion of Russian drones into Polish territory on Wednesday as an “unacceptable” violation of NATO airspace.
An as-yet-unspecified number of Russian drones crossed into Poland during an attack on neighbouring Ukraine early on Wednesday.
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Polish authorities later said its air force had shot down the drones with the backing of NATO military aircraft, including Italian and Dutch fighter jets.
“I express full solidarity with Poland following Russia’s serious and unacceptable violation of Polish and NATO airspace,” Meloni said in a statement.
Deputy PM Antonio Tajani also slammed the drone crossings, calling them an “offence against the security of the entire Euro-Atlantic area.”
Russia has so far denied responsibility for the incident, with its defence ministry saying that it didn’t intend to hit any targets in Poland.
Vatican to host free music concert this weekend
The Vatican was set to host a free concert in St Peter’s Square on Saturday as part of the closing ceremony for the World Meeting on Human Fraternity, an event bringing global leaders and civil society together to promote dialogue and peace.
Titled ‘The Grace of God’, the event was set to include performances by Pharrell Williams, Andrea Bocelli, John Legend and Jennifer Hudson, among others.
Rome authorities said in a statement that the concert would be streamed live on Disney+, Hulu and ABC News from 9pm Italian time.
They also said the event would include a light show operated by over 3,000 drones.
American artist Pharrell said in late August that the concert would be “a rare cultural moment where the world stops and collectively tunes in.”
“It is a message of unity and grace for all of humanity,” he added.