Italy's foreign ministry said on Thursday the United States had sharply lowered proposed duties on several Italian pasta makers following a reassessment of their U.S. activities.
In October, the United States said that 13 Italian pasta companies would face an extra 92% duty - on top of the regular 15% rate on most EU imports - from January 2026, accusing two producers in particular, La Molisana and Garofalo, of selling pasta at unfairly low prices.
However, after a review, the U.S. Department of Commerce cut the tariff for La Molisana to 2.26%, while Garofalo's rate was set at 13.98%, the Italian foreign ministry said in a statement.
The remaining 11 producers, which were not individually examined in the review, face a tariff of 9.09%.
"The recalculation of the duties is a sign that U.S. authorities recognise our companies' constructive willingness to cooperate," the foreign ministry said.
It added that the full conclusions of the U.S. review would be released on March 11, adding that the ministry would continue to provide help to the companies affected in the coming weeks.
The threatened pasta tariffs had been an embarrassment to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who had hoped that her close ties with U.S. President Donald Trump would shield Italian companies from any additional tariffs.
Italy's total pasta exports were worth over 4 billion euros ($4.7 billion) in 2024, according to data from national statistics agency ISTAT. The U.S. market was worth almost $800 million to Italian firms.
The MTA’s new “modern” fare gates have claimed yet another victim, this time catching the head of a 5-year-old girl, sending her to the hospital with swelling, according to her mother and the FDNY.
The kid’s head got stuck between the doors at the Broadway-Lafayette station around 1:40 p.m. on Dec. 19.
She was taken to New York Presbyterian hospital, according to the FDNY, who said the child had been freed from the terrifying experience by the time first responders arrived.
Her mother told PIX11 a bystander helped free the young girl.
The girl’s head got stuck in new subway gates like these.Christopher Sadowski
Disturbing video of the aftermath showed the young girl’s brother screaming and crying after being separated from his family amidst the chaos.
The incident comes aftera viral videoshowed a woman with her head stuck between the new turnstile doors at the same station.
After the video was posted, a technician at a Bronx station told The Post the only way to free someone from the gate’s jaws is to shut off the automated door and open it manually.
Despite the mishaps, the MTA is still running the $1.1 billion test of the new gates the agency has consistently described as “modern.”
The designs are meant to keep people from sneaking in without paying the $2.90 fare, according to the MTA, but fare beaters are easily defeating the technology, while other riders are trapped and injured by the new quick-moving doors.
The new turnstiles are meant to prevent fare evasion, which cost the MTA almost $1.1 billion in 2024.Christopher Sadowski
“The new fare gates are a pilot program using technology from transit systems around the world. As we evaluate their performance, we’re learning more every day about how to design modern, effective fare gates for New York City,” a spokesperson from the MTA said Wednesday.
The MTA issued the exact same statement Monday when The Post witnessed half a dozen people defeat the technology, with one MTA worker telling a reporter she has seen people get their heads or belongings stuck in the swiftly closing gates.
An unidentified woman is seen with her head stuck in the new MTA turnstile at the Broadway Lafayette station in a video posted to Instagram by Subway Creatures.Instagram / @jmbp000
After a December board meeting, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber said the MTA had been working for two weeks to install and test the gates.
At the Barclays center station in Brooklyn, a straphanger showed how to evade a fare with the newly installed turnstiles made specifically to combat fare evasion.Obtained by NYPost
“We want to make sure that they’re operating properly,” he told reporters Dec. 17.
The MTA will pilot three different kinds of fare gates, all designed to curb fare evasion, at 20 stations throughout New York City, with installation at 150 stations planned from 2026 onward.
The Post asked the MTA Wednesday if the transit agency was keeping track of how many riders had been injured since the gates launched. A spokesperson did not respond.
The MTA issued a press release on New Year’s Eve of “25 Things the MTA Is Proud of in 2025.” The release did not mention the “modern” fare gates.
In past years, CES in Las Vegas has highlighted such groundbreaking technologies as electric salt spoons and Tasers that double as MP3 players.
But, increasingly, the annual event is moving beyond gimmicky inventions to be a major player in the world of artificial intelligence.
It will kick off on January 5 with a speech from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang that sources say will describe a roadmap for how Nvidia’s full stack will drive the next industrial revolution — accelerating both generative AI and physical AI.
“The Jensen keynote speech is front and center in terms of strategic direction for AI,” Wedbush analyst Dan Ives told me. “It’s not just everyone in tech and markets watching, but everyone around the world.”
Huang, who has been attending CES on and off for nearly a quarter century, will open the event with what sources describe as a roadmap for how Nvidia’s full stack will drive the next industrial revolution.REUTERS
He added, “This kicks off the consumer AI revolution. AI technology is coming to consumers globally this year.”
Huang has been attending CES on and off for nearly a quarter century. Last year, he also gave the keynote.
Artificial intelligence investment made up as much as 92% of U.S. GDP growth in the first half of 2024, according to Harvard economist Jason Furman. CES will have an outsized impact this year.
Lisa Su — the CEO of semiconductor designer and developer company AMD — will also keynote. She’s transformed AMD from a struggling chipmaker into a serious Nvidia competitor with a market cap exceeding $200 billion
Over the years, CES has been home to some gimmicky technology — robot dogs, electric salt spoons that use current to make food taste saltier and Tasers that doubled as MP3 playersZUMAPRESS.com While AMD holds just a fraction of Nvidia’s market share in AI accelerators, Su is expected to announce new chips aimed at enterprises looking for alternatives to Nvidia’s premium-priced GPUs.
While chips get much of the attention, Huang will emphasize physical AI in his keynote, highlighting how that can extend far beyond robotics to be used in everything from drones to refrigerators.
AMD CEO Lisa Su — who has transformed AMD from a struggling chipmaker into a serious Nvidia competitor with a market cap exceeding $200 billion — will also keynote.Getty Images for Wired
“Think of it as industries,” one source said. “Healthcare, automotive, manufacturing — Jensen is showing how AI transforms how these sectors actually work.”
To be sure, anything Huang and Nvidia do has outsized economic impact. The company’s market cap is currently $4.6 trillion, nearly exceeding the entire economy of Germany.
With AI-related spending expected to hit $3 to $4 trillion over the next three years, what Huang announces about data centers, physical AI, and robotics won’t just move markets; it will shape how those trillions get allocated.
While the US seems to be a clear leader in artificial intelligence this year, Chinese companies are expected to be well-represented, too.
For years, CES showcased technology of tomorrow that often never arrived. This year is about technology that’s already here — and the question is no longer whether AI will transform consumer products, but how quickly.Xinhua/Shutterstock The show floor will reflect the shift to physical AI. Hyundai will highlight humanoid robots, Boston Dynamics will demo its latest autonomous systems, and Samsung is unveiling an “AI living ecosystem” that includes refrigerators capable of tracking inventory and anticipating grocery needs. LG, Intel, AMD, and Lenovo are all positioning their hardware as the foundation enabling AI to move from data centers to actual devices in consumers’ homes.
For years, CES showcased technology of tomorrow that often never arrived. This year is about technology that’s already here — and the question is no longer whether AI will transform consumer products, but how quickly.
Zohran Mamdani revealed another four City Hall appointments Wednesday with ties to the Eric Adams or Bill de Blasio administrations.
The new democratic socialist Hizzoner tapped Julia Kerson — who served under de Blasio, and more recently, for Gov. Kathy Hochul, as his deputy mayor of operations.
He also announced Ahmed Tigani as Department of Buildings commissioner, Louise Yeung as chief climate officer and Emmy Liss to head the office of childcare.
New York City mayor elect Zohran Mamdani leaves his apartment building in Astoria, Queens Wednesday.Stephen Yang for the NY Post
The rollout of new appointees came as Mamdani confirmed Manhattan’s District 3 superintendent Kamar Samuels will be the next leader of Big Apple public schools after sources told The Post on Tuesday he would be named school chancellor.
“There are five New Yorkers standing alongside of me with very different responsibilities and unique portfolios, but they share two things in common — a commitment to delivering a better future for those who call the city home, and to lead from City Hall with an unwavering commitment to excellence.” Mamdani said at a press conference.
Mamdani also confirmed Samuels would lead the city’s public school system, though he noted current Department of Education chief Melissa Aviles-Ramos would stay on for a month to help in the transition.
While Mamdani and Samuels have both been critical of the city’s Gifted and Talented programs, they said Wednesday there were no plans to immediately meddle in the classes in this school year or the portal applications for next school year.
And Mamdani, who has been critical of the mayor’s office having purview over city schools, said he would ask the state legislature to extend mayoral control next year.
Ahmed Tigani will be the next Department of Buildings commissioner.NYCHDC
“My approach to mayoral control will ensure that community involvement is not ceremonial or procedural, but tangible and actionable,” he said.
The Mamdani transition team boasted about the latest appointments’ vast government experience, including Kerson, who currently serves in Hochul’s administration as deputy director of infrastructure.
She was a senior advisor to de Blasio’s deputy mayor of operations, and later went on to work for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, helping to oversee major projects, according to Mamdani’s team.
Julia Kerson will be one of Mamdani’s deputy mayors.LinkedIn/Julia Kerson
“To deliver safe roads, clean streets, and fast buses, we need a Deputy Mayor of Operations who is experienced, hungry, and tireless in the pursuit of public excellence,” Mamdani said in a statement.
Tigani, who will lead the buildings department, currently serves as the acting commissioner for the city’s Housing Preservation & Development agency. He took over the position in March 2025, and had served in the mayor’s office under de Blasio.
Yeung, who will oversee the city’s climate agenda, most recently worked for the office of City Comptroller Brad Lander in a similar position.
She served as the director of resiliency for the Department of Transportation starting in 2019 before leaving near the start of Adams’ term, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Liss, the incoming early childhood executive director, has been in consulting after she was hired during the de Blasio era to focus on early childhood efforts, according to her LinkedIn.
The appointees join a growing list of de Blasio and Adams alums who Mamdani is turning to as he enters City Hall.
