Southern Europe: Society

European governments organized repatriation efforts for citizens stranded in the Middle East due to travel disruptions. Italy flew 127 citizens home from Oman and Dubai on a charter flight to Milan, an operation that drew domestic political criticism. Defense Minister Crosetto, who was in Dubai during the crisis, apologized for what he termed an "error," while Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended him.

Domestically, Meloni suffered a political setback as voters rejected her proposed constitutional reforms in a referendum. The defeat coincided with her attendance at the funeral of longtime political figure Umberto Bossi. In Rome, a protest march against the government saw demonstrators burn images of Meloni and Justice Minister Carlo Nordio.

Separately, a secretive conference in Rome hosted by billionaire Peter Thiel, featuring lectures on the Antichrist, drew attention from the Catholic Church and prompted questions in parliament. In regional affairs, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is being framed in some media as a primary political opponent to Donald Trump in Europe, a dynamic the Spanish government reportedly views as beneficial for mobilizing left-wing voters.