Vatican told to butt out on LGBT move
MILAN -- Premier Mario Draghi defended the independence of Italy's parliament Wednesday in the face of formal objections by the Vatican to a proposed measure that would extend discrimination protections to LGBT people.
"Ours is a secular country," Draghi said in an address to the Senate. "Therefore, it is not a religious state."
Many Italians have expressed concern and anger over Vatican interference after its secretary of state delivered a formal communication last week objecting to a proposal that would add women and people who are gay, transgender or have disabilities to those protected under a law banning discrimination and punishing hate crimes. It has been stalled in the Senate by right-wing lawmakers since being passed in the lower house in November.
The letter indicated the Vatican's concern that the law would limit Catholics' right to express their religious beliefs as guaranteed by treaties establishing diplomatic relations between Italy and the Vatican. It notes that the law would require Catholic schools, like their public counterparts, to organize activities on a national day to fight discrimination against gay and transgender people.
Draghi, who received a Jesuit education, emphasized that Italy's legislative process has the necessary protections to ensure that any laws respect both the Italian Constitution and any international agreements.
Fight in Mexico prison fatal to 6 inmates
MEXICO CITY -- A fight between two rival groups of inmates at a prison on Mexico's Gulf coast Tuesday left six prisoners dead and nine wounded.
Police in the state of Tabasco said the riot occurred in the patio of a prison in the state capital, Villahermosa.
Police said the inmates used home-made weapons, which in Mexico usually consist of crude blades fashioned from bits of metal, spoons or hacksaw blades.
Authorities said they had regained control of the facility, but did not provide further information on the condition of the wounded.
Drug gangs, including remnants of the old Zetas cartel, operate in Tabasco, and their members often fight rivals in prison.
Ivorian gets life for subverting 'security'
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- An Ivory Coast court has sentenced prominent opposition figure and former prime minister Guillaume Soro to life in prison for "undermining the security of the state."
The criminal court in the West African country's largest city, Abidjan, also ordered the dissolution of Soro's political movement, which was created after he resigned as speaker of the legislature in 2019.
Soro, who lives in exile in France, was tried in absentia. An international arrest warrant has been issued against Soro and five others living outside the country.
The former president of the National Assembly and 19 others were prosecuted for an "attempt to attack the authority of the state" as well as "dissemination of false information" that discredited the institution and its functions.
Soro reacted to the verdict, calling it unjust.
"I totally reject these unfair verdicts, pronounced outside all the rules of law and dictated only by political considerations," he said in a statement on Twitter.
Soro said the goal of the trial is to remove him from Ivory Coast's politics, and that it demonstrates a compromised judiciary.
Space recruiting draws 22,000 hopefuls
PARIS -- The European Space Agency said it was "blown away" by the record number of applicants -- more than 22,000 -- hoping to become the continent's next generation of astronauts, including more women than ever and some 200 people with disabilities.
In releasing the results of a new recruitment drive aimed at more astronaut diversity, the agency acknowledged Wednesday that it still has work to do on gender balance. Just 24% of the applicants were women, up from 15% at the last hiring drive in 2008.
The hiring campaign didn't specifically address ethnic diversity, but stressed the importance of "representing all parts of our society." The agency received applications from all 25 member nations and associate members, though most were from France, Germany, Britain and Italy.
The agency specifically sought out people with physical disabilities for a first-of-its-kind effort to determine what adaptations would be necessary to space stations to accommodate them.
The competition is fierce. Just four to six people will be chosen as Europe's next astronauts, with a reserve team of about 20. The candidates will undergo intensive screening over the next year, with a final decision expected in late 2022.
