Rome

Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell says he will stay on the central bank's board of governors after his term as chair expires next month. The announcement keeps him involved in US monetary policy even as a successor takes over the top role, a move drawing attention amid ongoing debate over interest rates and the Fed's leadership transition.

Fabien Roussel, leader of the French Communist Party, has pledged not to attack Jean-Luc Mélenchon too harshly ahead of the presidential election. His campaign director, senator Ian Brossat, told La Tribune that "we will not fall into aggressiveness." The olive branch toward the veteran left-wing rival is drawing attention as the French left weighs unity against competition in the race.

An astronomer is tracking how Starlink satellites gradually sink in their orbits, using the drag they experience to measure the density of Earth's upper atmosphere. The approach turns a common headache for astronomers — the growing swarm of satellites — into a global measuring instrument, a 'planetary barometer' for atmospheric conditions that affect satellite lifetimes and space operations.

Students and school workers rallied outside Italy's parliament in Rome on Friday to protest a government decree that would cap foreign pupils at 30% per class and restrict face coverings in schools. Demonstrators say the rules stigmatise migrant students and undermine integration. The measures, backed by the Meloni government, have sparked a heated national debate over classroom composition and inclusion in Italian schools.

The UK Competition and Markets Authority has revised its plan for Google, proposing a 12-slot search choice screen for Android and Chrome users that would include AI assistants alongside traditional search engines. The proposal also requires clear attribution of publisher sources. It signals UK regulators moving to extend choice-screen remedies beyond search into the AI era.

Villa Europa, the European Union's diplomatic venue in Rome, hosted a visit by Cedric Villani, the French mathematician and politician. No further details about the purpose of the visit or the topics discussed have been made available. The event was announced by the European External Action Service.

A large American megachurch has dedicated a 62-foot statue of Jesus, one of the events highlighted in a weekly roundup of Christian history. The same feature notes the anniversary of Damasus becoming pope in the fourth century, a pontiff remembered for his ties to Rome's early Christian legacy.