ROME – Relations between the Five Star Movement and the right-wing coalition had turned sour on Wednesday morning after a bruising day of rhetoric appeared to set plans for a new government back considerably.
Matteo Salvini weighed in on the claims of Five Star’s leader, Luigi Di Maio, with the latter insisting on Tuesday that only he could become prime minister in Italy’s next government.
ROME – The Milan Prosecutor’s Office has accused five police officers in the city of elevating the fees necessary for the issue of residence permits, pocketing the cash themselves to buy grandiose property and accepting gifts to speed up the process of their issue.
VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has accepted John McAreavey’s decision to resign from his position as Bishop of Dromore, following a request submitted at the beginning of the month. Former Bishop of Raphoe, Philip Boyce, has stepped in to act as an administrator for the role in Norther Ireland.
Pressure had intensified on the pontiff to come to a decision after a television programme revealed the Bishop’s attempts to conceal the case of Fr Malachy Finnegan, accused by 12 people of sexual abuse, and whose funeral McAreavey celebrated in 2002.
ROME – Matteo Salvini has opened the door to a joint programme of government with the Five Star Movement (M5S) by arguing that there could be room for a deal on key policy issues like the citizens’ wage, however, M5S officials argued on Tuesday that any deal would have to ensure that Luigi Di Maio became prime minister.
Salvini spoke about M5S’s headline proposal to reporters on Monday arguing that “if the citizens’ wage is paid to people to stay at home I say no, but if it is an instrument to reintroduce into the world of work, those who today don’t go out, well yes.”
ROME – The Armament Inspectorate of the Polish Ministry of Defence has signed a contract worth more than 115 million euros with Leonardo for the purchase of four new aircraft. The M-346 Advanced Jet Trainers will be added to Poland’s existing fleet of eight aircraft by 2020.
Leonardo's latest multi-million-euro contract follows a series of high-profile deals with countries throughout the world, totalling 72 aircraft spread across Italy, Poland, Singapore and Israel. Tied into the purchase is the opportunity to add a further four aircraft and support package to the current deal.
ROME – An Egyptian man has been arrested in the Apulian city of Foggia and accused of being an associate for the Islamist terrorist group ISIS, after having made comments online in support of the group, in a case that is likely to be seized upon by Italy’s right-wing populists, with accusations that he indoctrinated children.
Abdel Rahman, 58, was married to an Italian national and had naturalised as a citizen of the country.
ROME – Italy has joined countries across the European Union, Canada and the United States, by expelling two Russian diplomats from its shores in solidarity with the United Kingdom, despite clear signs that centre-right leaders, Matteo Salvini and Giorgia Meloni, will seek a closer relationship with Vladimir Putin.
The action follows the case of the former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, who was poisoned along with his daughter in the sleepy cathedral town of Salisbury by a nerve agent.
ROME – A vigil of ecumenical prayer was to take place on March 27 at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere. The service was to remember the names and stories of persecuted Christians, many of whom were killed on account of their loyalty to the Gospel.
The Service touches upon how peaceful prayer is often taken for granted, highlighting the persecution, discrimination, deprivation of religious freedom across the globe, whilst focussing around the words of Pope Francis: “Today, in the 21st century, our Church is a Church of martyrs”.
ROME – One of Italy’s most recognisable television presenters, Fabrizio Frizzi, died on Sunday night, according to an announcement by his family, at the Sant’Andrea hospital in Rome.
Throughout a long career Frizzi presented 73 programmes. However, the show he will most likely be remembered for is the beauty contest of “Miss Italia,” which he presented 16 times, in two stints from 1988 to 2002, and 2011 to 2012.
