Rome – An Italian court's decision to block the extradition of a prominent Ukrainian businessman and former opposition politician has opened an unexpected point of friction between Rome and Kyiv, despite Italy's continued military, financial and humanitarian support for Ukraine in its defence against Russia's full scale invasion.
Peter srinivasan
6 Aug 2026
Insider reporters
ROME -- A well-known figure at the Circo Massimo, Carlos Watson, has attracted considerable attention within both the FAO headquarters in Rome and the FAO New York Office, where he is frequently seen in the close company of a young Brazilian man, Mr. Altarni, whom he variously describes as his ''nephew'' or ''son,'' diplomatic sources say.
4 Aug 2026
Insider reporters
ROME – Despite recent disclosures of rampant sexual nepotism and graft at IFAD, key decisions at the Rome based develoipment bank for small farmers still are driven by Managing Director Carola Alvarez and the influence of former Inter-American Development Bank staff grows with the recent hiring of ex IDB Rocio Medina Bolivar as the IFAD Latin America director who has “compiled a list of staff complaints in record time,” IFAD sources say.
29 Jul 2026
KATARINA HARRISON-GAZE
ROME – Roberto Mancini has been named as the new head coach of the Italian men’s national football team for the second time, the Italian Football Federation announced on Tuesday, following a tenure from 2018 to 2023 which saw him win the Euros in 2021.
29 Jul 2026
Peter srinivasan
Rome – Hundreds of tourists were evacuated by boat from beaches and campsites along the Gargano coast after a fast moving wildfire swept through the area around Peschici, reviving memories of the devastating blaze that struck the same stretch of coastline in 2007.
28 Jul 2026
INSIDER NEWSDESK
ROME – The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has appointed a “Crisis Manager” to try and contain what is feared is damage to the reputation of the UN agency and its beleaguered Spanish president Alvaro Lario from Italian Insider articles, IFAD sources say.
27 Jul 2026
KATARINA HARRISON-GAZE
ROME – Violent clashes broke out in the Susa Valley, near Turin, between Italian and French protesters opposing the construction of a high-speed railway between Lyon and Turin, with protesters injuringg over 100 law enforcement officers and causing over a million euros damage at construction sites, police sources said.
26 Jul 2026
Joseph Hammond
ROME — Reza Olia was a rebel as an artist -- While others fought with a clinched fist he fought with the tools of an artist who used his hands to craft works that drew attention to the injustices he saw.
24 Jul 2026
Insider reporters
ROME – Consultants hired by International Fund for Agricultural Development managing director Carola Alvarez at three or four times the normal rate of pay at the UN agency as “Strategy advisors” are doing literally nothing to earn their sky-high fees in a scam wasting donor fees reminiscent of a graft scandal at the Inter-American Development Bank, sources from the IDB say.
23 Jul 2026