A roundup of the latest news on Thursday

Italian police raid home of new suspect in 18-year-old murder case

Italian police on Wednesday carried out a series of raids on properties linked to a new suspect in a 2007 high-profile murder case, according to news agency Ansa.

26-year Chiara Poggi was found bludgeoned to death in her family home in Garlasco, northern Italy, in August 2007. The crime and subsequent investigations and court trials received extensive media coverage at the time.

Poggi’s boyfriend, Alberto Stasi, was convicted of her murder in 2015 and is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence.

In March 2025, prosecutors opened an investigation into Andrea Sempio, a friend of Poggi’s brother, after new forensic tests showed that DNA found under the victim’s fingernails matched Sempio’s.

On Wednesday, police raided the homes of the suspect, his parents and two friends, confiscating laptops and mobile phones.

Agents were also seen combing a canal and the surrounding area in Tromello, a small town outside Garlasco, in a search for a possible murder weapon.

Italy’s national rail strike on Saturday called off

A national train strike originally planned for Saturday, May 17th, has been postponed to Friday, May 23rd, Italy’s transport ministry said.

Italian trade unions were persuaded to push the walkout back in order to avoid disrupting rail services ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration mass on Sunday, the ministry said in a statement.

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Approximately 250,000 faithful are expected to attend the service in St Peter’s Square, along with the heads of state and leaders from several European countries.

The Italian Open tennis championship in Rome and the Imola Grand Prix, both due to be held this weekend, were also cited as reasons for postponing the walkout.

The 23-hour strike, backed by national unions SGB and USB, is now set to be held on Friday, May 23rd, from 1am to 11.59pm.

The protest is expected to affect long-distance, regional and commuter routes run by state-owned operator Ferrovie dello Stato and private operator Italo, with the overall level of disruption expected to vary by region, city and operator.

Pope Leo XIV meets with Italy’s tennis star Sinner at Vatican

Pope Leo XIV received men’s tennis world number one Jannik Sinner at the Vatican on Wednesday morning.

Video released by the Vatican showed Sinner shaking the hand of the Chicago-born pope and handing him a racquet similar to his own.

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“Do you want to play a little bit?” Sinner asked after whipping out a ball.

Both men laughed, peering up at the gold fabric walls around them.

“We’d better leave it,” the pope joked.

Sinner, who’s currently competing in the Italian Open in Rome, was accompanied by members of his family and the president of the Italian Tennis Federation, Angelo Binaghi, during the official visit.

“The Pope’s passion for tennis is well known,” the head of the Vatican’s press office said in a statement.

Shortly after being made a cardinal in 2023, the former missionary in Peru told reporters he considered himself “an amateur tennis player”.

“Since I left Peru, I haven’t had many opportunities to play, but I can’t wait to get back on the court,” he added.

Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport said that the pope’s friends describe him as being a “formidable competitor” with “an excellent backhand”.

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Privacy group sends Meta cease-and-desist letter over use of data for AI training

A Vienna-based privacy campaign group said on Wednesday it had sent a cease-and-desist letter to Meta after the tech giant announced plans to train its artificial intelligence models with European users’ personal data.

The move comes after Meta said last month it would push ahead with plans to use personal data from Instagram and Facebook users in Europe for AI technology training from May 27th.

Despite having been hit with multiple privacy complaints in recent months, Meta has cited a “legitimate interest” in processing personal data for AI training.

The European Center for Digital Rights group threatened to file an injunction or class-action lawsuit against Meta should it decide to press ahead with its plans.

“Meta’s absurd claims that stealing everyone’s data is necessary for AI training is laughable,” the group’s founder Max Schrems said in a statement.

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“Other AI providers do not use social network data – and generate even better models than Meta,” he added.

Launched in 2018, the European Center for Digital Rights has started several court proceedings against technology giants in recent years, often prompting action from regulatory authorities.

With reporting from AFP.