ROME (AP) — In a landmark judgment, Italy’s supreme court has affirmed that a child born with dual citizenship—Italian and another nationality—retains Italian citizenship even if their parent subsequently naturalizes in another country. This significant legal decision is set to bolster the citizenship claims of descendants of Italian expatriates across the globe.

The court’s ruling resolves a persistent legal quandary known as the “Minor Issue,” which has impacted thousands of cases where ancestry-based citizenship was in question. Many of these cases involve families who emigrated from Italy between the late 1800s and early 1900s, authorities highlight.

Announced Sunday and released to the public on Wednesday, the decision was handed down by the Court of Cassation’s top panel, responsible for clarifying conflicting legal interpretations.

At the heart of this legal conundrum was a debate about whether minors automatically forfeited their Italian citizenship when their Italian parent acquired a foreign nationality.

A restrictive reading of the law, first adopted by the judiciary in 2023, led to the rejection of many applications from subsequent generations. Authorities perceived this as a break in the continuous line of citizenship inheritance.

What the court decided

In its new ruling, the court said that under Italy’s historical citizenship laws, children who were already Italian citizens by birth under the principle of “iure sanguinis,” or citizenship by bloodline, did not automatically lose their Italian citizenship when a parent became a citizen of another country.

The court clarified that children born in countries that automatically grant citizenship at birth — including the United States — retained their Italian citizenship even if their parents later naturalized there. Because they remained Italian citizens, they could pass that citizenship on to subsequent generations.

The ruling represents a reversal of recent practice

Lawyer Marco Mellone, who represented applicants in the case, explained that the ruling reversed a restrictive interpretation that had blocked citizenship claims in recent years, many by U.S. citizens.

What the decision means for people of Italian ancestry

The decision could have broad implications for descendants of Italian emigrants, particularly in North and South America, where large Italian diaspora communities have ancestral ties to Italy. Mellone estimated that several hundred thousand families may have been affected by the restrictive interpretation adopted in recent years.

Legal experts say the judgment is likely to strengthen the position of applicants whose claims were rejected solely because of the Minor Issue and provide authoritative guidance to judges handling pending cases. The ruling could also influence how Italian administrative authorities and consulates assess future citizenship applications.

Whether the Interior Ministry and Italian consulates formally adjust their practices to reflect the court’s interpretation remains unclear. However, decisions issued by the panel — known as the “Sezioni Unite” or United Sections — carry particular weight because they are intended to resolve conflicting interpretations of the law.

Mellone noted that “there’s no one above” the panel, which has only very rarely reversed decisions.

The ruling comes as Italy faces growing demand for citizenship by descent and legal disputes over the scope of ancestry-based citizenship rights.

Separately, a law championed by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani that restricts citizenship transmission through more distant generations has been referred to the European Union’s Court of Justice, with proceedings expected next year.

A newly implemented dress code by a Florida school district has stirred discontent among parents as it prohibits girls from donning leggings.

On July 20, Hillsborough County Public Schools, which serves the Tampa Bay area, unveiled the rule disallowing spandex or leggings “unless worn as an undergarment or covered by clothing that extends to at least mid-thigh.”

As a result, middle and high school girls may only wear leggings beneath a large shirt or sweater that stretches to their knees or longer.

This policy has caught parents off guard, causing frustration due to its announcement just weeks before the new school year starts on August 10.

Oleg Martens, a dad of two daughters, has spearheaded a petition in opposition to the dress code, amassing close to 2,200 signatures by Wednesday afternoon.

‘I find this rule particularly personal as it targets female students disproportionately,’ Martens wrote in the petition, adding that it appears to violate a different Hillsborough County Public Schools Policy. 

According to the father, that violated policy states: ‘Dress code expectations shall be applied equally to all students and will not be enforced differently based on a student’s body type, gender, race, ethnicity, disability, or any other protected characteristic.’ 

Towards the end of the petition, he wrote: ‘Let us send a strong message to the Hillsborough County Schools Board that this decision must be reversed.’ 

In addition to the petition, the Hillsborough County school board received ‘an onslaught of emails’ from outraged parents, board member Jessica Vaughn told the Tampa Bay Times.

As a result, the board voted to try to amend the dress code at its next meeting. She said she agreed with the emails that said the new policy seems discriminatory towards women. 

‘I think it’s important to be responsive to the public when we get these things,’ Vaughn said.

Chief of Schools Rick Grayes said the policy change resulted from conversations with middle and high school students, who he said ‘brought up their concerns’ about leggings when it came to the topic of dress codes. 

But many parents questioned if that was the case and where the concerns came from.

Martens, the father who organized the petition, told the Tampa Bay Times that he and other parents want to know ‘what data was used, what peer review studies, what empirical data was used’ when establishing the new policy. 

Morgan Thomas, the mother of a seventh and tenth grader, told the outlet that students already contend with restrictive dress codes and have adopted wearing leggings in response to existing restrictions around wearing shorts. 

‘We want to make these kids dress in something that’s totally impractical for the weather, and so they’ve gone to wearing leggings as an alternative, which covers all of the skin,’ Thomas said. 

‘Now they’re saying, “Oh, well, that’s not good enough, now you basically have to wear your father’s oversized T-shirt over your leggings, too,”‘ the mother added. 

Whitney Brewer, a mother with three daughters in the school system, told the Tampa Bay Times that to her, the new policy even comes across as ‘weird, icky almost.’ 

She said she has seen people say that they would not want to have male teachers or students in classrooms where girls are wearing leggings or other skin-tight clothing. 

‘Why are we even thinking about that?’ Brewer asked. ‘Maybe they shouldn’t be teaching if this is a problem… Maybe we teach our sons to focus on school and not worry so much about a girl wearing workout pants and a T-shirt.’ 

The school board will vote on whether to amend the new policy next Tuesday, just six days before the beginning of the school year.  

In a significant crackdown on human trafficking coinciding with the 2026 FIFA World Cup, federal agents arrested over 900 suspects and rescued 180 victims, including 30 children. This was announced by the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday.

The impressive tally of 905 arrests was the result of operations spearheaded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. This effort was in collaboration with the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking and various law enforcement agencies at the federal, state, and local levels.

“While attendees of the FIFA World Cup delighted in the event’s festivities, ICE’s dedicated officers were busy dismantling human trafficking schemes in the tournament’s host cities nationwide,” stated DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis in an official release.

She further emphasized, “Federal law enforcement successfully apprehended over 900 individuals linked to these crimes and freed nearly 200 victims. Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Mullin, our commitment to eradicating human trafficking networks remains steadfast.”

One of the biggest cases unfolded Friday in Dallas, where HSI agents arrested eight people accused of running an adult bookstore that investigators said had secretly operated as a brothel for more than 20 years.

The investigation began in 2023 and found that thousands of adults and children were allegedly sold for sex through the business, according to DHS. Investigators identified dozens of victims. One victim was murdered in 2024, and a defendant in that case was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

The eight suspects face charges that include conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and money laundering conspiracy. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.

In another case, HSI agents in San Francisco, working with the FBI and local police, rescued two girls believed to be victims of human trafficking. One of them had been missing from Bakersfield, California, since November 2025, according to DHS.

The trafficking cases were part of a broader security effort during the World Cup.

DHS also said its agencies seized more than 700 unauthorized drones, inspected more than 19,000 vehicles headed to stadiums and fan festivals and confiscated hundreds of thousands of counterfeit World Cup merchandise items worth more than $33 million.

If Tarik Skubal’s time with the Detroit Tigers is indeed coming to a close, he will leave behind a legacy cherished by the team’s fan base.

During what might have been his final outing for the Tigers against the Orioles this past Wednesday, Skubal marked a significant milestone by striking out Taylor Ward in the first inning. This strikeout was a notable achievement as it brought Skubal’s career tally to an impressive 1,000 strikeouts, just days before the looming August 3 trade deadline.

The Detroit crowd erupted into applause, giving Skubal a standing ovation as they captured the moment with their smartphones, celebrating both the pitcher and his milestone.

Adding to the occasion, Comerica Park’s jumbotron prominently displayed an image of Skubal accompanied by his autograph and the words, “1,000 career strikeouts. Tarik Skubal.”

With free agency on the horizon after the 2026 season and contract extension talks stalling last offseason, Skubal’s future with the Tigers has been clouded by trade rumors throughout the year.

While the Tigers’ 22-40 start made it likely Skubal would be dealt, their recent hot stretch — going 29-17 in the last 46 games entering Wednesday’s finale against the Orioles — has delayed a decision, though he could still be on the move. 

The 29-year-old has been linked to contenders like the Dodgers and Brewers as they seek pitching reinforcements ahead of likely playoff appearances. 

It’d be a significant loss for the Tigers, as Skubal has been their rotation anchor since 2024 and has provided them consistency no other starter has. 

Skubal has led the AL in ERA the last two seasons while earning consecutive Cy Young awards. 

With Skubal, the Tigers made the playoffs for consecutive seasons for the first time since 2013-14. 

Though the Tigers are still below .500, they’re not entirely out of the playoff picture yet entering Wednesday 3.5 games out of the AL wild card.

Heart-wrenching footage from a home surveillance camera has surfaced, capturing children playing innocently while their father, a Texas restaurateur, muttered abusive remarks to himself and schemed a tragic murder-suicide.

On May 4, Matthew Mitchell, 52, fatally shot his wife, Thy, 39, and their two children, Maya, aged eight, and Max, four, in their $1.2 million home in Houston before turning the gun on himself.

Ring cameras installed throughout the Mitchell residence reveal poignant glimpses into the family’s final days, featuring video snippets from April 17 to the tragic day of May 4.

The collection of footage includes tender moments shared between the parents and their children, filled with laughter, smiles, and games of charades that capture the family’s joyful interactions.

In one touching clip, Maya lightly tiptoed into Mitchell’s home office, endearingly inquiring, “Daddy? How do you spell ‘appreciation day’?”

The eight-year-old was working on a card for her teacher.

Max, surrounded by a collection of toys, swayed back and forth in a rocking chair ahead of the morning school run. 

‘Is it show and tell, mama?’ he asked, sitting in the chair. He let out a disappointed ‘oh’ when Thy informed him that his class was not having the activity that day.

In another clip, Max told his father: ‘I love you, dada.’ 

The hours of footage shows how, to Thy and her children, nothing was out of the ordinary – but for Mitchell, those final days were dark. 

The 52-year-old owner of Traveler’s Table was facing massive financial struggles and accusations of fraud in the lead up to the killings, a new lawsuit filed by Thy’s parents, Thuy Mai and Lan Huong Tran, alleged.

The footage, submitted as evidence in a wrongful death suit against Mitchell’s estate, begins on April 17 and shows the unsuspecting family living their lives as normal.

Over the next 16 days, Mitchell exchanged ‘I love yous’ with his wife and children, but when they were not around he was audibly plotting their murders.

His breakdown appears to have begun on the afternoon of April 24, when Mitchell paced back and forth in his living room and admitted that their financial situation was ‘too far gone.’

‘We can’t stop it. Losing our money. Is there even a remote hope? Not even if I was strong enough,’ he said in one clip.

He said he was considering ‘ending my life now’ and openly admitted to being dishonest with his wife, the video showed.

‘What am I doing?’ he questioned. ‘Am I just going to try to lie to her?’ 

On April 27, he had apparently decided the only solution was to end their lives.

‘I gotta kill everybody,’ he said that evening, following hours of panicked pacing, self-criticisms and pleading for an answer.

His apparent breakdown began late that morning as he reflected on the demise of his ‘great life.’

He sat in his living room repeatedly saying how this ‘should never have happened,’ and by noon, he was begging for a solution. 

‘I just want out of this. I want out of this. Please, please, please,’ he said.

‘I wanted to spare her pain. Spare my kids the pain. There’s no way to figure this out.’

‘I just need to do it. I could have done it last night. Now I have to wait all over again.’

He voiced his fears of being ‘sued into oblivion’ and being forced to ‘stay in this torture chamber every day.’ 

‘What’s happening to me? What’s happening to me? What’s happened?’ he said. 

‘You’ve got to end it. You can’t fix any of this. You’re not strong enough.’

Pacing in and out of Max’s room, he said: ‘Do I take everything? There’s no chance. This is so f*****g stupid – I’m so f*****g stupid. I f****d my kids up. I f****d myself up. Now I get it. Jesus Christ. Holy f***. Holy f***.’

He sat down in his son’s rocking chair, looking down at his lap as if he was reviewing a document.

‘There’s so much money. There is so much money. No wonder. No wonder.’

Three days later, Mitchell seemed to question his plan. 

He weighed his ‘options’ over and over again, but by the afternoon he decided: ‘End it. End it. You can’t help anyone now. You’ve done quite enough.’

By May 3, he appeared to have come to terms with his decision to kill his family and himself. 

‘I can’t stop myself. I can’t stop it for them. I can’t stop it for… I’m in such a deep hole. I’m sorry, Mr Mai.’ 

The children were last seen alive on camera on May 3 around 10.15pm as Mitchell helped them brush their teeth and get ready for bed, the lawsuit alleged.

He was seen moving throughout the home between 3am and 4am the next day, the complaint said.

Police found the family dead inside the residence around 5.26pm on May 4. Officers said Maya and Max’s bodies were found in their beds.

The lawsuit claims that Mitchell ‘planned and plotted the murders of his wife and children in order to avoid public shame stemming from financial failure and fraud he had committed.’

The complaint further accuses Mitchell and his mother, Bettie Mitchell, of conspiring to hide $1.4 million in funds from Thy by moving them into an account controlled by Bettie before the murder-suicide.

The alleged transfer of funds was intended to keep the money away from ‘those who might seek to recover them based on likely bankruptcy and the fraud [Mitchell] had previously committed.’

Mitchell’s sister Meredith was also enlisted to help execute the transfer, the complaint alleged.

Bettie allegedly returned the funds back to their original accounts after the murders in an attempt to ‘conceal her, Meredith and Matthew’s attempts to hide and protect the money,’ the filing read.

Thy’s parents are seeking damages for wrongful death, punitive damages and a court-created trust over Mitchell’s estate.

The Daily Mail has approached Bettie and Meredith’s attorney for comment. 

Mitchell was the owner of Houston restaurants Traveler’s Table and Traveler’s Cart, which is slated to close on Friday.

According to his biography on his restaurant’s website, Matthew studied in France, Italy and at Oxford University in England, and early in his career, he worked as a journalist in London and New York City.

When he returned to Texas, he attended Rice University and entered the pharmaceutical industry.

He was then the president and CEO of the Texas Center for Drug Development, Inc, a clinical research company.

He went on to open Traveler’s Table with his wife Thy, a restaurateur and board member of the Texas Restaurant Association.

In September 2025, the couple was named Restaurateurs Of The Year in Houston.

In a bold move amidst mounting international pressure, Myanmar’s government has sanctioned the death penalty for internet scammers. This decision comes merely months following the FBI’s extensive $8 billion enforcement action targeting scam networks originating from the nation, as reported by state-run media outlets.

The legislation, officially known as the Anti-Online Scam Law, passed through Myanmar’s parliament on Tuesday. This law authorizes capital punishment for individuals partaking in any fraud that involves acts of violence, torture, unlawful arrests or detention, or any other form of cruel treatment. The Global New Light of Myanmar, a publication jointly managed by a private firm and the nation’s Ministry of the Interior, detailed these provisions in their report.

Myanmar, also referred to as Burma, has emerged as a hub for online scams, with nefarious players luring migrants across Asia under the guise of legitimate employment. These victims are often coerced into scam operations, confined, and stripped of freedom.

Back in May, the FBI announced a significant operation against a criminal faction in Myanmar, known as the “Democratic Karen Benevolent Army.” This effort led to the seizure of 127,000 Bitcoin, equating to a staggering $8 billion value by July of that year.

The scammers, who allegedly have ties to Chinese organized crime, had been specifically targeting Americans in their operations, extracting over $3 million from one elderly American, the FBI previously told News Media.

In 2025, Chinese, Thai and Burmese authorities liberated more than 7,000 people from locked compounds in Burma.

While the new Anti-Online Scam Law only mandates the death penalty for offenses that lead to another person’s death, the law mandates 10 years in prison for any instance of forced labor in relation to cybercrime.

The law’s approval also comes two days before the United Nations International Organization for Migration’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. This year the international body will commemorate the day on July 30 under the theme “Trapped Behind the Scam.”

“People trapped in scam compounds are victims of trafficking, forced to commit crimes through violence, threats and coercion. They deserve protection, not punishment,” IOM Director General Amy Pope said in a statement. “We must work together to support survivors, stop traffickers and close the gaps these criminal networks exploit. No country can tackle this alone.”

The United Nations estimates that South Pacific scams resulted in the loss of over $114 billion in 2025.

The Purdy clan is preparing to welcome a new member.

San Francisco 49ers star quarterback Brock Purdy, along with his wife Jenna, joyfully revealed on Wednesday that their family of three will soon become four, as they are eagerly anticipating the arrival of their second child.

The couple took to Instagram to share this heartwarming announcement, posting several adorable family photos alongside their eldest child. The post was captioned with, “Another blessing on the way 🤍,” capturing the excitement of this new chapter in their lives.

The announcement sparked an outpouring of affection from friends, who filled the comment section with congratulatory messages and best wishes.

“Ahhhh Congratulations you guys!!! 😍😍,” commented Kristin Juszczyk, wife of San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, joining a chorus of well-wishers celebrating the joyful news.

“Congratulations,” the 49ers’ official Instagram page added.

Brock and Jenna welcomed their first child, Millie Joleen Purdy, in July 2025, and they said in an Instagram post at the time that her addition immediately made their life “a whole lot sweeter.”

Brock and Jenna began dating several years ago, and got married in March 2024.

Jenna has been seen supporting Brock throughout his rise to stardom with the Niners. Most recently, she shared that she and her daughter took in the signal caller’s big January playoff victory over the Eagles in Philadelphia.

Purdy, who’s in the middle of a 5-year, $265 million contract with the Niners, has looked good at the outset of Niners training camp this year, according to former NFL player Chase Daniel.