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Italian authorities have seized €20m (£17.3m) of assets in Tuscany, including property, vineyards, and olive groves, allegedly bought with money embezzled from the actor Ursula Andress.Andress, 90, had filed a complaint in her native Switzerland alleging a “progressive and significant depletion of her assets” by individuals charged with managing her finances, Italy’s financial crimes police said in a statement on Thursday.Prosecutors in the Swiss canton of Vaud built a picture of a “systematic misappropriation of financial resources” worth about 18m Swiss francs carried out through multiple, opaque transactions, the police said. The money was traced to Italy, where prosecutors in Florence took up the case and police began following the paper trail.They tracked it to San Casciano in Val di Pesa, near Florence, and a real-estate complex consisting of 11 units and 14 plots of land used as vineyards and olive groves, as well as works of art and other assets, the statement said. The judge for preliminary investigations of the court of Florence ordered the seizure of the entire illicit profit, up to the amount of CHF 18,000,000, to be enforced against the identified assets.No suspects were identified in the statement. Andress surged to fame thanks to a scene in the 1962 James Bond movie Dr No, in which she emerged from the sea on to a Caribbean beach in a white bikini, knife at her hip and a seashell in each hand.

A jury in the United States has ordered social media giant Meta to pay $375m for harming children's mental health and making them vulnerable to sexual exploitation.The verdict, handed down in New Mexico after a six-week trial, marks the first time a US state has successfully sued Meta over child safety issues. State authorities accused Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, of failing to protect minors.Jurors sided with state prosecutors who argued that Meta prioritized profits over safety and violated parts of New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act. The jury agreed with allegations that Meta made false or misleading statements and engaged in 'unconscionable' trade practices that unfairly took advantage of the vulnerabilities and inexperience of children.The case involved testimony from 40 witnesses, including employees-turned-whistle-blowers, and reviewed hundreds of documents, reports, and emails. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez called the verdict 'a historic victory for every child and family who has paid the price for Meta's choice to put profits over kids' safety.'Meta has stated that it will appeal the verdict, with a spokesperson saying, 'We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal. We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and are clear about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors or harmful content.'A second phase in New Mexico's proceedings against Meta is scheduled to begin in May, when a judge will hear the state's claim that the company should be ordered to pay additional penalties and make specific changes to its platforms and company operations.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has conceded defeat in a referendum on her justice reforms, confirming she will continue as prime minister despite the setback.With almost all votes counted, the provisional result showed the 'No' camp at about 53.5 percent, and 'Yes' at about 46.5 percent, with a higher-than-expected turnout of more than 58 percent.Meloni stated that 'The Italians have decided. And we respect this decision,' adding that the result was 'a lost opportunity to modernise Italy.'Her government had aimed to change Italy's constitution to separate the roles of judges and prosecutors and reform their oversight body, but critics argued it was a political power grab that failed to address real challenges.The referendum campaign was marked by intense opposition within the judiciary, with over 80 percent of members of Italy's National Magistrates Association staging a one-day strike last year.