http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/italy/ en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:27:02 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418352/posts A CHRISTMAS TRADITION IN ROME: THE STREET CLEANERS NATIVITY SCENEA must-visit presepe or nativity scene is that built by Rome’s Netturbini or street cleaners of AMA, the municipal waste management company. Located just minutes from St. Peter’s Square on a small side street, Via dei Cavalleggeri, this is actually open all year around. Many have called this “the Pope’s presepe” over the years as Pope John Paul visited the AMA manger all but the last two years of his 26-year pontificate. Other visitors have included Pope Benedict XVI, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and a succession of Rome’s mayors and Italian... EWTN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2418352/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:27:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2418330/posts Lavazza, the Italian espresso and coffee couture folks have gifted us with their interesting, Italian music-themed 2010 Lavazza Calendar. Shot by British photographer Miles Aldridge, it features an intriguing exhibition of haute espresso expressionism and models Bianca Balti, Georgia Frost, Lydia Hearst, Daisy Lowe, Alexandra Tomlinson, and Alek Alexeyeva. The Fashion Time Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2418330/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:00:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415292/posts On 21 September 2004, Michelle Weinberger woke up on the 79ft powerboat that she and her husband, Mark, owned as it rocked gently in the waters of a marina on the Greek island of Mykonos. "I put my hand on his side of the bed, and I remember feeling it empty," she later told the US television channel NBC. Weinberger leapt from bed in alarm to find that her husband had vanished, taking with him his passport and money he had stashed secretly on board. It was the beginning of a five-year flight from justice that ended this week even... Guardian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415292/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:45:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414683/posts Italy's four main mafia organisations have put aside their deadly differences to form a new and dangerous "fifth mafia" in Rome, a report has warned. The co-operation between the organised crime syndicates is a new and worrying development for the country's capital, researchers said. The impoverished south of Italy has been the traditional power base for the country's four mafia groups – Sicily's Cosa Nostra, the Camorra from Campania, the 'Ndragheta of Calabria and the lesser known Sacra Corona Unita in Puglia. But Mafiosi are now targeting Rome and the surrounding region of Lazio, according to a study by Libera... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414683/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 21:34:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412855/posts Mauritania government has increased security for tourists in the country following the abductions last week of two Italian tourists near the border with Mali. Sergio Cicala and his wife Philomene Kabouree were kidnapped in an area of Mauritania where armed groups with links to Al-Qaeda are known to operate, diplomats said. There are suspicions the couple may have been smuggled into neighbouring Mali. "After these new kidnappings, it has been decided to adopt all necessary measures to ensure the personal security of foreigners in our country," the government said, quoted on Monday by pan-Arab daily al-Quds al-Arabi. It was the... ADNKRONOS.com - AKI http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412855/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:05:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411399/posts The first blow has been struck against the encroaching tyranny of the European Union and it is a significant one. In fact, one member state has defiantly drawn a line in the sand and signalled that it will not tolerate erosion of its sovereignty. Although it attracted little attention when it was published last month, now that commentators have had an opportunity to analyse Sentenza N. 311 by the Italian Constitutional Court, its monumental significance in rolling back the Lisbon Treaty is now being appreciated. (Hat tip, as they say, to Dr Piero Tozzi.) The Constitutional Court ruled baldly that,... Telegraph..co.uk http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411399/posts#comment Sun, 20 Dec 2009 00:02:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407015/posts While Silvio Berlusconi recovers in a Milan hospital, his ordeal has whipped up a storm of outrage across Italy. The prime minister has suffered months of attacks in the media over his private life. His supporters say his critics have now gone too far. “Our prime minister has been subjected to an act of physical violence which follows months of verbal, written and televised attacks on him, said politician Fabrizio Cicchitto, a Berlusconi supporter.” Euronews.net http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407015/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 09:03:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406862/posts December 14, 2009 Berlusconi Hit In The Face With A Model Of Milan's Cathedral [Pic in URL] Silvio Berlusconi is taken to hospital after being hit in the face with a model of Milan's cathedral IMAGE :1 of 5 Josephine McKenna and Richard Owen in Rome The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was struck in the face yesterday by a man holding a small replica of Milan's cathedral, leaving him with two broken teeth and forcing him to spend the night in hospital. Witnesses said Mr Berlusconi was attacked after a political rally in the centre of Milan, as he... London Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406862/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 01:22:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406810/posts Berlusconi Bloodied By Hurled Statuette Italian PM suffers broken nose, 2 broken teeth after attack at rally in Milan STRINGER/ITALY / Reuters Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi leaves Milan's Duomo Square with blood on his face after being attacked at a political rally on Sunday. View related photos Video [Bloody Video] Berlusconi's face bloodied Dec. 13: An attacker hurls a statuette at Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, striking the leader in the face. Watch the raw video. Dec. 13: An attacker hurls a statuette at Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, striking the leader in the face. Watch the raw video. ROME -... AP Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406810/posts#comment Sun, 13 Dec 2009 23:25:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406780/posts Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi was punched in the face at the end of a rally in Milan on Sunday, new reports said. The attack occurred as the 73-year-old Berlusconi was signing autographs near his car, state TV said. TV showed the stunned leader with blood under his nose and on his mouth as he was lifted to his feet by aides. Berlusconi was hustled into the back of a car by the aides, but he immediately got out, apparently in an effort to show he was not badly injured. After looking Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406780/posts#comment Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:04:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406669/posts Berlusconi 'Suffers Blow To Face' Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has reportedly been struck in the face after leaving a meeting in Milan. He was reportedly left bleeding from the mouth. It was not clear whether the injury was caused by a punch or an object thrown by a protester. BBC News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406669/posts#comment Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:16:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405385/posts Raffaele Sollecito has insisted his former girlfriend Amanda Knox is 'sweet' and not a killer, in his first interview from prison since being convicted of murdering Meredith Kercher. Speaking through his lawyer Luca Maori, Sollecito told the newspaper Il Messaggero: "Amanda is a very dear person to me even if we were only together for a short while. "She is also living a nightmare - we both find ourselves in a tremendous situation. I am not in love with Amanda but I feel close to her as she is my companion in a misadventure. "Amanda is not capable of killing... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405385/posts#comment Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:08:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2403619/posts The American liberal mainstream media, ordinarily lauding European culture, has been in overdrive trying to discredit the guilty verdict of Amanda Knox, a Seattle college convicted, by an Italian court, of murdering her British roommate in Perugia, Italy. They present the defense case in detail with only a cursory rendering of the prosecution's case - and then only in a negative light. However, it is not only the liberal mainstream media defending the convicted killer. Conservative media icon Fox News Channel has entered the fray. The December 7 edition of the Bill O’Reilly show featured Peter Van Sant, a CBS... Tremoglie's Tea Time Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2403619/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 13:12:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402852/posts A proposal in the Italian Senate would recognize the rights of the unborn, affirming that every human being has juridical capacity from the moment of conception. The bill was drafted by Carlo Casini, president of the Pro-Life Movement and Member of the European Parliament, and backed by leaders of the Italian Parliament: Maurizio Gasparri, Gaetano Quagliarello and Laura Bianconi. The measure was presented last Thursday. During the press conference to present the bill, Gasparri explained that it is not an attempt to rewrite Italy's current abortion law, but to keep it within its original intentions. He said the bill would... Zenit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402852/posts#comment Tue, 8 Dec 2009 15:27:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2402336/posts With an international conference of philosophers, scientists, and artists, all aimed at putting God back at the center of a culture that denies him. And meanwhile, Benedict XVI teaches that God reveals himself not to the learned, but to the "little ones" ROME, December 7, 2009 – Halfway through the season of Advent, an international event is being held in Rome that has at its center that God "who has come, who is coming, and who is to come." The event is organized by the Italian bishops' conference, more precisely by the committee for the cultural project headed by Cardinal... L'Espresso http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2402336/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 21:47:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2402322/posts Once Praised, Liberals Turn Against European Justice Hillary Clinton says she will confer with Sen. Maria Cantwell,(D- Wash.) about the conviction of American student Amanda Knox, of Seattle, for the murder of her roommate in Perugia, Italy. Cantwell believes the Italian justice system to be substandard. Her ignorance of Italian criminal justice - and that of the American media, incapable of accurately reporting it - is most revealing.... Tremoglie's Tea Time Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2402322/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 21:30:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402286/posts When Amanda Knox returned to the female wing of prison at Capanne, outside Perugia, after her guilty verdict she was comforted by her three cellmates — a Roma woman, a Chinese woman and a woman from Kosovo — who gave her warm milk and biscuits. According to Luciano Ghirga, her lawyer, “they have facilities to cook together in the cell and watch TV”. She is allowed an hour of exercise outside the cell in mornings and afternoons. Her routine will not change now that she is a convicted murderer. Lawyers say that Knox has also been befriended by the warders,... The Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402286/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 20:38:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401655/posts Hillary Clinton has said that she will meet a US senator to discuss claims that Amanda Knox was the victim of a flawed trial and anti-Americanism. The conviction of the 22-year-old Seattle student for murdering her British flatmate Meredith Kercher has opened the floodgates to a wave of antipathy in America towards the Italian justice system. As angry Americans promised to boycott Italian holidays, wine and food, a vociferous support group calling itself Friends of Amanda Knox urged people to email Barack Obama to ask him to support her appeal. Maria Cantwell, a US Democrat senator for Washington state has... telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401655/posts#comment Sun, 6 Dec 2009 21:15:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401436/posts There were scenes of celebrations at the Italian police headquarters in Palermo following the arrest of Gianni Nicchi, the alleged “number two” of the Costa Nostra mafia organisation. Nicchi is only 28 years old but police say he has moved up rapidly through the mafia ranks as a result of the capture of several senior members. Euronews.net http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401436/posts#comment Sun, 6 Dec 2009 12:10:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2401294/posts While in the midst of researching another piece, I ran into some photos of a rather beautiful church near Nepi, Italy; the Basilica of Sant'Elia in Castel Sant'Elia. It is beautiful for reasons of its architecture, its cosmatesque floors, its vibrant wall paintings, its ambone, and its altar with ciborium. The basilica was constructed in either the 10th or 11th century, and the ciborium likewise dates from this period. By tradition, it is suggested that this basilica was erected over the spot of a former pagan Roman temple constructed by Nero for Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt. In... New Liturgical Movement http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2401294/posts#comment Sun, 6 Dec 2009 02:12:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400849/posts Amanda Knox has been found guilty of the murder and sexual assault of her British flat mate, Meredith Kercher, and sentenced to 26 years in prison. Her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, who had met her just a week before the killing, was sentenced to 25 years after being found guilty of the same charges. Amid dramatic scenes in a court in Perugia, Italy, Knox collapsed in tears as the judge read the verdict handed down by the jury. She left the court screaming. The jury ruled that Knox, 22, and Sollecito, 25, killed Miss Kercher, 21, of Coulsdon, Surrey, together... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400849/posts#comment Sat, 5 Dec 2009 11:21:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400839/posts Amanda Knox stood in a silent court room to hear the verdict, head bowed. But as the judge read out the jury's decision she turned and buried her face in her lawyers chest and started to sob uncontrollably. She was still crying as she was led from court, facing a sentence of 26 years in prison for the murder of the woman she described as her friend - the British exchange student Meredith Kercher. Knox's former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito - also found guilty and sentenced to 25 years - was more composed. BBC News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400839/posts#comment Sat, 5 Dec 2009 11:04:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400584/posts Just announced live - waiting link http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400584/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 23:13:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400625/posts Meredith Kercher Trial: How Angelic Student Orchestrated 'Satanic' Murder When two police officers went to the home of Meredith Kercher on November 2, 2007, they had expected a routine call to return two stolen mobile phones which had been found in a nearby garden. Instead, what they were confronted with was a scene of horror and chaos. By Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter 04 Dec 2009 Meredith Kercher was was found dead in her bedroom on November 2007 in the cottage she shared with Amanda Knox and others on her year abroad in the Umbrian town Photo: PA Finding the front... Telegraph(UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400625/posts#comment Sat, 5 Dec 2009 00:07:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400616/posts Amanda Knox Guilty of Murdering Meredith Kercher American student found guilty after 11-month trial in Perugia 4 December 2009 Amanda Knox is escorted by penitentiary police officers during a break in the trial at the court in Perugia. Photograph: Pier Paolo Cito/AP American student Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend have been found guilty of murdering her flatmate Meredith Kercher after an 11-month trial in the Italian city of Perugia. Knox, 22, and 25-year-old Raffaele Sollecito were in the dock to hear the jurors deliver their verdict. Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison and Sollecito 25. The pair... Guardian (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400616/posts#comment Sat, 5 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT