INSIDER NEWSDESK

 ROME – The IFAD staff association Wednesday pledged to defend whistleblowers at the UN agency after Argentine American managing director Carola Alvarez threatened to sue the Italian Insider and any employees speaking to the newspaper, IFAD sources said. Argentinian senior managers in UN agencies such as FAO as well as IFAD appear to be mounting a power grab at the UN following Argentinian IAEA chief Rafael Grossi’s bid to become the next UN Secretary General, diplomatic sources say.

24 Jun 2026
Peter srinivasan

Rome – An exceptional marble pediment discovered during recent excavations at the Villa di Sette Bassi in Rome has been restored and unveiled to the public as part of Arte Fuori dal Museo, a new initiative aimed at bringing important archaeological treasures beyond the confines of traditional museums.

23 Jun 2026
Peter srinivasan

Rome — The evolving nature of identity across the Middle East took centre stage at a conference organised by the Euro-Gulf Information Centre (EGIC) on June 18, where academics and experts examined how social, political and religious changes are reshaping societies across the region.

Moderated by Mitchell Belfer, the discussion, titled “The Emerging Social Identity in a Changing Middle East,” explored how identities in the Arab world are being renegotiated amid economic transformation, technological change, conflict and shifting geopolitical realities.

22 Jun 2026
Insider reporters

 ROME – IFAD President, Alvaro Lario, was quoted on Saturday as saying he strongly denies a “defamatory” Italian Insider report that he had an affair with one of his female employees who was promoted meteorically to a director level position with the connivance of the agency’s managing director.

 “I categorically refute the defamatory statements made about my personal life and others, which are false and harmful to all who were affected as well as this institution,” Lario was quoted as saying in a statement released by his office.

20 Jun 2026
Peter srinivasan

Rome – Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has sharply rebuked United States President Donald Trump after he claimed she had “begged” him to take a photograph with her during this week's G7 summit, describing the remarks as “completely fabricated” and expressing astonishment at his behaviour towards a long-standing ally.

The extraordinary public exchange marks a dramatic deterioration in relations between the two leaders, who until recently had been regarded as political allies with close personal ties.

19 Jun 2026
Alba Kepi

 ROME -- Less than an hour’s flight from Rome, on the opposite shore of the Adriatic, a popular movement is unfolding that should concern Europe as a whole.

 Yet it is being met with near silence.

 In Albania, the country with which Italy has signed one of Europe’s most significant and controversial migration agreements—thousands of people have been taking to the streets for weeks, protesting what they describe as an unsustainable, opaque, and deeply unfair model of development.

19 Jun 2026
Insider reporters

 ROME – The Evaluation Committee of IFAD’s Executive Board was holding a closed doors meeting this week to discuss revelations by the Italian Insider over sexual nepotism that threaten the re-election of Spanish President Alvaro Lario, diplomatic sources said.

19 Jun 2026
Ophelia Gregory

HERCULANEUM – In an era of over-tourism, Archeoclub D’Italia, an association dedicated to bringing together scholars, local Italian historians and archaeologists, has been working behind the scenes to put together a new series of tourist itineraries to shine a light on the lesser-known regions of Italy, in a bid to reduce the strain that the millions of visitors per year brings to inhabitants of cities like Rome and Naples. 

17 Jun 2026
Peter srinivasan

Rome — Cardinal Camillo Ruini, one of the most influential figures in the Italian Catholic Church over the past three decades, has died in Rome at the age of 95.

The Diocese of Rome announced his death on Tuesday, paying tribute to a man whose leadership and vision helped shape the Church's role in Italian society during a period of profound political and cultural change.

17 Jun 2026

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