Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said her government is in talks with several private companies including Elon Musk's SpaceX over the country's telecoms security system. What consequences would a deal have if it went ahead?

From Nigel Farage to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, EU politicians are competing for the privilege of being Europe’s Trump whisperer.

Giorgia Meloni’s presence at Donald Trump’s inauguration aimed to reinforce her status as a privileged interlocutor with the new US administration. But this position carries risks for Italy and the EU.

Italy has resumed sending illegal migrants to its new Albania processing centre as Giorgia Meloni, the country’s prime minister, attempts to circumvent the European Court of Justice (ECJ...

"Giorgia Meloni has better relations with Trump than any other (major ... or to do with Elon Musk", she told AFP. In terms of other EU interlocutors, the bloc's institutional leaders have struggled to get facetime with Trump and his incoming team.

NEWS ANALYSIS. The blatant ideological convergence between the far-right Italian prime minister and the Donald Trump and Elon Musk duo could make the Italian leader the European bridgehead of a reactionary and nationalist international.

However, experts say Italian PM Giorgia Meloni may act as the bridge between Trump & EU. Meloni visited Mar-a-Lago earlier this month & is likely to attend the swearing-in ceremony. Watch for more ...

Among EU leaders, however, only Meloni is confirmed to have received a personal invitation to the event, bolstered by her personal relationship with Trump, whom she recently visited at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

European leaders hope that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni can persuade U.S. President Donald Trump not to impose tariffs on the EU and to continue supporting Ukraine, according to the Financial Times on Thursday.

In contrast, Ms Meloni is the leader of a nationalist party with protectionist instincts. ■ For more expert analysis of the biggest stories in economics, finance and markets, sign up to Money Talks, our weekly subscriber-only newsletter.

Migrants in Tunisia are being sold as slaves to Libyan gangs for as little as £10 per person with the complicity of the EU, a damning report claims. They are rounded up in towns and cities in Tunisia, kept in detention centres and then sold to militia and traffickers on the border with Libya.