The president of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, died early on Tuesday at a hospital in Italy, his spokesman has said.
The 65-year-old Italian had been seriously ill for more than two weeks due to an immune system condition.
"David Sassoli passed away at 1.15am on January 11 at the CRO in Aviano, Italy, where he was hospitalised," spokesman Roberto Cuillo wrote on Twitter. "The date and place of the funeral will be communicated in the next few hours."
The former television newsreader had been in hospital since December 26, with "a serious complication due to a dysfunction of the immune system", Mr Cuillo had said on Monday, announcing the cancellation of Sassoli's official activities.
Sassoli was also admitted with pneumonia for several weeks last September.
The European Parliament sits for a five-year term between elections but its president serves for half that time.
Sassoli had already indicated that he would not seek re-election.
He was born on May 30, 1956, in Florence.
Known as 'Il Presidente'
After a 30-year career as an Italian journalist, starting out in newspapers then moving to television and becoming a well-known anchor, Sassoli became a member of the European Parliament in 2009, and speaker in 2019.
He was a member of the centre-left Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, the second-biggest grouping in the Parliament after the centre-right European People's Party.
Although his role was that of speaker, he had the title of president of the European legislature. His arrival in the chamber was traditionally announced in Italian as "Il Presidente".
Unlike some EU officials, who speak in English and French during public appearances, Sassoli made a point of using Italian.
On Tuesday next week, MEPs are expected to hold the first round of voting for his successor.
Maltese politician Roberta Metsola, from the conservative European People's Party (EPP), is widely expected to be a candidate for the post.
'An outstanding president'
European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen, who heads the European Union's executive body, paid tribute to Sassoli, and said she was deeply saddened by his death.
"David Sassoli was a compassionate journalist, an outstanding President of the European Parliament and, first & foremost, a dear friend," she said on Twitter.
Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg sent his condolences.
"Saddened to hear of the death of EP President David Sassoli, a strong voice for democracy and NATO-EU cooperation," he said in a tweet.
Italian politicians on many sides paid tribute to Sassoli, and his death dominated morning news shows. Prime Minister Mario Draghi said his passing was shocking and praised him as profoundly pro-European.
"Sassoli was a symbol of balance, humanity and generosity. These qualities have always been recognised by all his colleagues, from every political position and every European country," Mr Draghi's office said.
Former prime minister Enrico Letta, who heads the Democratic Party, called Sassoli "a person of extraordinary generosity, a passionate European ... a man of vision and principles".
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
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