ROME – Eyes will be trained on Italy’s newly elected politicians on March 23 when they return to elect speakers for the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate following a dramatic election in which the forces of populism made large gains across the country, with the Five Star Movement's leader, Luigi Di Maio, claiming on Tuesday that he was unafraid of a second round of elections.
INSIDER NEWSDESK
VATICAN CITY – Tuesday marks the anniversary of Pope Francis’s first five years in office and his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, used the occasion to pledge his support for the current pontiff.
In a surprising move, Benedict penned a letter in defence of his successor, detailed in Corriere della Sera, arguing that he supports the “initiative that wants to oppose and react to the obtuse prejudice” towards the current pontiff.
13 Mar 2018
Archie Farquharson
ROME – The weekend was certainly won by the tributes to Davide Astori, most notably the moving tifo at the Stadio Artemio Franchi reading “Davide 13”, as Fiorentina played their first match since their former-captain’s tragic death last Sunday. The game was temporarily stopped after 13 minutes, the number Astori wore on his back, as the stadium remembered their leader with a poignant minute’s applause. Astori’s replacement at centre-back, Vitor Hugo, scored the only goal of the game, celebrating by raising a t-shirt which displayed a picture of his predecessor.
12 Mar 2018
MIKE DILIEN
BRUSSELS - Having declared 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage, the EU have set about hosting a series of events to emphasise the continent’s array of treasures and the corresponding “European values” these places represent.
12 Mar 2018
Eleanor Hartland
ROME - The NIYO&CO firm celebrated the opening of its new store in the chic Roman district of Monti in style last weekend, with an evening that struck the perfect balance of sophistication and fun. The customers and guests enjoyed Prosecco and canapés as they browsed the vast array of makeup, perfume, skin care products and bath supplies on offer.
12 Mar 2018
Daisy Raichura
FLORENCE -- The capital of Tuscany amongst many attractions, is distinguished by its embodiment of Renaissance architecture, beauty and art. It is this that attracts the swarms of eagerly awaiting tourists to the elfin city.
12 Mar 2018
Archie Farquharson
ROME – Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the Italian capital’s copious potholes as mayor, Virginia Raggi, unveils the 17 million euro ‘Marshall Plan’ to improve the city’s infrastructure. Drivers have grown tired of the soaring number of potholes scattered throughout Rome prompting Raggi to call for “timely and urgent repairs” as data emerges showing one in ten vehicles have been damaged by potholes.
9 Mar 2018
Archie Farquharson
ROME – AC Milan suffered a first loss since Dec last year in a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal at the San Siro. Goals from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Aaron Ramsey put the Gunners in a commanding position for the decisive leg in London.
Arsenal, widely criticised this season under the waning figure of Arsene Wenger, responded “like a boxer”, according to their manager, who is undoubtedly suffering one of the worst moments of his managerial reign, following a series of bitterly poor performances.
9 Mar 2018
Archie Farquharson
ROME – Two Italians incarcerated in Equatorial Guinea have returned to Italy after the end of three years in captivity in the African backwater, the Italian foreign ministry said.
Fabio and Filippo Galassi, aged 63 and 25, had been serving a prison sentence for tax offences, finding themselves at the centre of a contentious legal saga. Fabio had been condemned to 33 years’ imprisonment whilst his son, Filippo, received 21 years.
9 Mar 2018