VATICAN – In one of the strongest attacks yet on Pope Francis, 100 conservative Catholics have issued a letter demanding he repent of idolatry, say Holy See sources.
The letter, quoted in Il Messaggero, accuses Francis of idolatry and says that he risks “eternal damnation.” It also demands that he “repent publicly and without ambiguity.”
VENICE – The worst flood since 1966 is wreaking havoc on La Serenissima, local authorities report. Alarm sirens sounded at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday as a new red alert was declared.
The city was preparing for new damage as the flood waters were expected to rise further with the incoming tide. A man has been killed on the island of Pellestrina, the area worst hit by the acqua alta floods, Veneto newspaper Il Gazzettino said. According to the first reports, the man, 78, was electrocuted as he tried to start a pump in his home.
MONTE SANT ANGELO – A man thought to be significant in a Gargano mafia gang was shot and killed Monday outside his home near Monte Sant’Angelo, police sources said
At least nine shots were fired by hitmen, Il Fatto Quotidiano reported.
ROME – German chancellor Angela Merkel was in Rome Monday for talks with Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte. As well as discussing the future of the steel industry in Italy, the leaders focussed on issues relating to migration and finance, political sources said.
In light of the problems Italy is currently facing with the possible closure of the ArcelorMittal (formerly ILVA) steel plant at Taranto, Conte said “We will work for a solution that balances the protection of health and the safeguard of jobs… It is the challenge of the government.”
ROME – Twenty people have been arrested in a police operation against a drugs gang in the Tor Bella Monaca area of the capital, said police sources.
Among those arrested were three women and the head of the group, Vincenzo Nastasi, at dawn Monday.
The sophisticated drug-dealing organisation was focussed around via dell’Archeologia. Nastasi, 29, was known in the local area as “Bambo” or “o’ principe” after the character in the hit television series Gomorrah, about the Neapolitan camorra.
MEXICO CITY – An Italian ship was attacked Wednesday night by pirates in the Gulf of Mexico, say Italian foreign ministry sources.
The Foreign Ministry’s crisis unit says it is following the incident with maximum attention and cooperating with the Italian ambassador in Mexico.
Two Italian sailors have been wounded, but not seriously, said La Repubblica.
The ship, the “Remas,” is the property of the Micoperi company, based in Ravenna.
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BAGHDAD – Three of the five Italian soldiers wounded in Iraq following an explosion on Monday remain in a serious condition, said defence sources. The attack has sparked concerns of a resurgence of activity by the so-called Islamic State, say military sources.
The rudimentary explosive device went off at approximately 11 a.m. on Sunday, near to the contested city of Kirkuk. The area which has apparently seen a recent resurgence of activity by ISIS. In the last 15 days, 30 incidents of fire or rudimentary devices have been noted, reported Il Fatto Quotidiano.
ROME – The third “Russian Rome” festival took place Friday in Palazzo Poli, celebrating Russian art in Italy and beyond.
The event was the third consecutive annual Russian Rome festival. Hosted by Vladimir Torin, its prestigious speakers and prize-winners were key figures from the world of Russian culture – not all of them Russians, however – who had helped to take Russian culture to Italy and around the world.
ROME – The first “International conference against all forms of Mafia” was due to start in Slovakia on Nov 11. The International Land Coalition (ILC) will be attending in order to raise awareness of criminal land-grabbing in Europe and to show support to the small farmers of the region affected by this crime, said the organisation in a press release.
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