Italy’s Giorgia Meloni: an ambiguous figure with a tough job ahead

Far-right Brothers of Italy leader is now in charge of navigating economic crisis - and she's wasting no time

From humble beginnings in Rome, Giorgia Meloni, Italy's first female prime minister, has spent three decades forging her path to the pinnacle of government, with a steely determination that has stirred admiration even in some of her detractors.

But the leader of Brothers of Italy, a party with neofascist origins, is still a largely ambiguous figure now in charge of steering Italy through one of its most delicate periods, while keeping check on a cantankerous coalition.