SICILY – Fourteen arrests have been made after the discovery of illicit trafficking between Lampedusa and Tunisia, Il Fatto Quotidiano reports.
A restaurant in Mazara del Vallo, a town in the province of Trapani, was the operating centre of the illegal travel between Sicily and Tunisia and was headed by Tunisian resident Fadhel Moncer who has been living in Italy for years. The organisation also had bases in Marsala, Palermo, Lampedusa and Tunisia.
RAVENNA – An earthquake of magnitude 4.6 has hit the North East coast of Italy causing minor damage and forcing schools to close, local authorities said on Tuesday.
Striking shortly after midnight, the quake’s epicentre was 11 kilometres east of Ravenna and was also felt in Bologna, Marche and Veneto.
Three aftershocks of magnitude 3, recorded at 12:29am, shared an epicentre 9 kilometres from the resort town of Cervia.
Frightened residents took to the streets, spending the night away from their homes.
GENEVA – Alleged misapplication of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child by Italian legislators with regards to instances of abuse by Roman Catholic clergy is to be investigated by the UN Human Rights Committee, Rete L’Abuso reports.
The summit, taking place between Jan. 14 and Feb. 1 at the HQ of the Human Rights High Commissioner in Geneva, is set to examine the adherence of a number of countries to the Convention, Italy included.
ROME – Former Communist militant Cesare Battisti has arrived at Ciampino airport, after being arrested and extradited by Bolivian authorities, the Interior Ministry reports.
Battisti, 64, will be transferred to a prison in Rebibbia, where he will serve a life-sentence, including sixth months in solitary confinement.
VATICAN CITY – The Vatican has announced the inception of its first ever athletics team, and aims to begin competing in international competitions, representatives from the city state have reported.
Around 60 individuals from the Holy See, including a 62-year-old librarian, have become the first accredited members of Vatican Athletics.
“The dream we have often had is to see the Holy See flag among the delegations at the opening of the Olympic Games,” said Monsignor Melchor Jose Sánchez de Toca y Alameda, president of the team.
HELSINKI - The 33rd edition of the Matka Nordic Travel Fair, the largest travel fair in the Nordic countries, is scheduled in Finland, from Jan. 16 to 20, 2019, at the Messukeskus, Helsinki. The Matka Workshop Day international sales event will kick off the Matka on Jan. 16, while on Jan. 17 the trade fair will be open to professionals only, and to the public from Jan.18 to 20, 2019. The Helsinki Caravan Fair is held concurrently. Italy too, like last year, will be present with a stand set up by ENIT, Italian State Tourism Board.
MILAN – A newly introduced government crackdown on the use foreign number plates to avoid fines has already led to the identification of a vehicle with a Romanian license plate on an Italian car in Milan, Il Fatto Quotidiano reports.
The owner of the vehicle in question has been given a preliminary fine of 712 euros, which could reach as much as 2,848 euros, and has six months to properly register the vehicle before it is confiscated by authorities.
ROME – The auxiliary bishop to Rome Paolo Lojudice has bemoaned the state of the Eternal City, branding it one “invaded by waste” in a broadcast by Vatican Radio Italy, Il Messaggero reports.
“I ask myself, as a simple citizen, the simple question: how come a big city can’t solve the waste problem?” Lojudice said on Friday, heavily criticising the city’s administration for its inability to effectively collect rubbish.
ROME – The killing of a loanshark outside a school in the Eternal City’s Magliana zone has raised further questions about the security in the capital, Il Messaggero reports.
Rome's crime rate has dropped by 2.3 percent, according to statistics released by the city's municipal offices. However, the residents' feeling of safety seems to be dwindling, Il Messaggero reports. Investigations from the Antimafia Commission also indicate that there are still 75 clans operating within the capital despite recent breakthroughs in the fight against mafia-controlled areas.
