CREA Director arrested on suspicion of abuse of power

INSIDER NEWSDESK

ROME - Ida Marandola, the General Director of the Council for Research in Agriculture and the Analysis of Land Economy (CREA), has been arrested on suspicion of “grave irregularities” in the management of the institution.

 She was picked up by the Italian Finance Police and accused of having inflated the number of employees who work for the body so as to privately select a new headquarters for CREA. By exaggerating the number of her employees, Marandola was able to privately select a new office rather than falling back on those already at her disposal offered by the State.

Rome, Italy
6 Mar 2019
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Citizenship income scheme opens in chaos

INSIDER NEWSDESK

ROME - Post offices and CAF agencies across Italy have been overwhelmed by the number of requests for the new citizenship income scheme that the Government has introduced.

 While applications for the scheme only opened on the 6th of March, it is thought that the number of people interested in it surpasses 5 million nationwide. In capital city Rome alone there have been around 54,000 requests.

Rome, Italy
6 Mar 2019
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Six Nations form raises questions about Italy's future

Edwin Audland

ROME - Italy go into the final two rounds of this year’s Guinness Six Nations staring, yet again, down the barrel of the competition’s wooden spoon.

 They opened their 2019 account with a 33-20 loss away to Scotland but, with 17 of these points scored in the last 10 minutes with Scotland down to 14 men, they were heavily flattered by a score line that papered over some glaring cracks in their performance.

Italy, Sport
6 Mar 2019
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Man confirmed dead after Eni rig accident near Ancona

INSIDER NEWSDESK

ANCONA - A man has died and two others left injured following an accident at an Eni rig in Ancona in which a crane came unstuck from its platform.

 According to a reconstruction of events by the company the crane, which was at the time in use busy loading a supply vessel, came unstuck from its foundations and toppled over, colliding with the ship below at around 07:45 this morning.

Italy
5 Mar 2019
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Pope Francis announces opening of Holocaust-era archives

INSIDER NEWSDESK

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis announced on Monday that the Vatican would open its archives on controversial Holocaust-era Pope Pius XII next year.

 “The Church is not afraid of history,” Pope Francis declared in a speech broadcast around the world as he confirmed that the archives will be unsealed in March 2020, 8 years ahead of schedule.

 The move comes after sustained pressure from World War II era historians and Jewish campaign groups who have often questioned and criticised the pontiff.

Rome, Italy, Vatican
5 Mar 2019
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Two politicians among mafia arrests in Trapani

INSIDER NEWSDESK

TRAPANI - Police of the Provincial Command of Trapani have arrested 25 people facing allegations of mafia association, political-mafia electoral exchange, extortion and damage.

 Among those who have been arrested are two political figures. The first is ex regional deputy of the Democratic Party (PD) Paolo Ruggirello, accused of mafia association, as well as former councilor of Trapani Ivana Inferrera, who is being investigated in relation to charges of political-mafia exchange.

Italy
5 Mar 2019
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Diplomatic relations between Italy and Finland celebrated

Gianfranco Nitti

ROME - The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Timo Soini, 57, has recently made a working visit to Italy and to the Vatican City, meeting both representatives of the Italian and the Vatican governments.

 Stoini's visit is particularly significant as it coincides with the recurrence of the centenary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Italy and Finland and, in some way, is intended to be the first celebration of this anniversary.

Rome, World, Italy
4 Mar 2019
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Zingaretti elected as Secretary of Italy's Democratic Party

INSIDER NEWSDESK

ROME - Nicola Zingaretti, current President of the Regional Government of Lazio, has been elected as the new Secretary of the Democratic Party [PD] and will assume office on the 17th March 2019.

 Zingaretti, a prominent member of the PD since its conception in 2007, won the election with an estimated 67% of the votes and in doing so saw off competition from Roberto Giachetti and former PD caretaker Maurizio Martina.

Rome, Italy
4 Mar 2019
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India battles China, Cameroon in FAO election

JAN FILIPOWICZ

 ROME -- FIve candidates from Cameroon, China, France, Georgia and India have thrown their hats officially in the ring for the election of the new Director General of the FAO in June, the UN agency said Monday. "The five candidates, each nominated by his/her government, are listed in alphabetical order by country: Médi Moungui (Cameroon), Qu Dongyu (China), Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle (France), Davit Kirvalidze (Georgia) and Ramesh Chand (India)," the FAO said in a statement.

U.N., Embassy Row
4 Mar 2019

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