Portugal, Spain, Italy, Cyprus in EU dock over air pollution

Wed, 24 Nov 2010

Brussels - Portugal, Spain, Italy and Cyprus are to face European Union court proceedings over their failure to curb air pollution, the bloc's executive said Wednesday.

EU law has obliged since 2005 its member states to reduce airborne particles below specific annual and daily reference values.

But in a statement, the European Commission said the thresholds "have not been respected in several zones" of the four accused countries.

Authorities can ask for a waiver from the EU rules, but only if they submit air quality plans aiming to redress the situation. In the case of Portugal, Spain, Italy and Cyprus those plans were deemed insufficient.

As a result, a referral to the European Court of Justice was decided, which could lead to hefty fines if judges agree with the commission's stance.

Airborne particles are produced by industry, traffic and domestic heating, and can cause asthma, lung cancer and heart problems, the commission indicated.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355058,eu-dock-air-pollution.html.

Iranian artworks greatly received in Rome

Italian art lovers have warmly welcomed the exhibition of Iranian artworks held at the Palazzo Venezia in the capital city of Rome.

The event, which displays 20 Qur'anic calligraphy-paintings and 50 paintings by contemporary Iranian artists, attracts about 100 visitors every day.

Khosrow Roshan, Ali Shirazi, Ali-Akbar Kermani, Mohammad Movahhedian, Ali Jamshidi and Ahmad Ariamanesh are among the artists whose works have been showcased at the exhibition.

The exhibition also presents 2 coffee house painting and 2 works of Hilyah — a 'word picture' in which sentences and phrases are written in the form of birds or animals.

The event, which kicked off on Feb. 19, 2010, is held in collaboration with the Roudaki Cultural Foundation, Iran's cultural office in Rome and the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities.

Persian art enthusiasts can visit the exhibition until March 13, 2010.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120194§ionid=351020105.

Italian ambassador summoned over arrested Iranians

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast says the Italian ambassador to Tehran has been summoned to give explanation about detention of two Iranians in Italy.

Mehmanparast said that the detention of Hamid Masoumi-Nejad and another Iranian, who is reportedly identified as Homayoun Bakhtiyari, "indicates that another game is underway which aims at certain propagation [against Iran]."

"The Italian Ambassador, [Alberto Bradanini], was summoned to the [Iranian] Foreign Ministry to clarify [the issue] and give explanation on [different] aspects of the issue," Mehmanparast was quoted by IRNA as saying.

Masoumi-Nejad, 51, was an accredited journalist working for the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting in Rome.

A top Italian prosecutor on Wednesday declared that two Iranians and five Italians were arrested in Italy on allegations of selling arms to Iran in violation of international sanctions.

"It is an investigation of considerable importance because it concerns the entire international community," AFP quoted Armando Spataro as saying.

Both Iranians have been reportedly arrested in Turin in northwestern Italy.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120066§ionid=351020101.

Italy to publish novels by Iran's Mastour

An Italian publisher has decided to publish two books by the award-winning Iranian author, Mostafa Mastour in the near future.

"My Pig's Bone and Leper's Hands has already been translated into Italian and my bestseller novel Kiss the Lovely Face of God is also going to be translated," Mastour told Mehr News Agency.

Kiss the Lovely Face of God has also been translated into Turkish by Ertugrul Ertekin and its Arabic version was released by Egypt's National Translation Center.

Writer, researcher and translator Mastour has received four national awards for his novels and short stories.

He has also published translations of short stories by Raymond Carver as well as a play called Running on the Dark Mine Field.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=118759§ionid=351020105.

Italian who blasted US over Haiti quits in graft probe - Summary

Wed, 10 Feb 2010

Rome - Italy's top rescue official who recently sparked a diplomatic spat when he criticized US-led rescue efforts in Haiti announced his resignation Wednesday - after being informed he is under investigation in a corruption probe. Guido Bertolaso said he informed Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi that he was stepping down as head of the Italy's Civil Protection services and as undersecretary in the premier's office.

His decision to quit was taken "so as not to hinder the work of the investigating organs," Bertolaso was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency. He also said he wanted to be interrogated by prosecutors as soon as possible.

But during a cabinet meeting in Rome, Berlusconi indicated he will turn down Bertolaso's resignation request.

Berlusconi "is convinced that Bertolaso will clarify everything," aide to the premier, Gianni Letta said.

Bertolaslo "is marginally involved in an investigation that focuses on other people," Letta added.

Earlier Wednesday four people including a senior public works official, Angelo Balducci, were arrested in connection with the probe.

The investigation centers on tender contracts for the construction of conference facilities at La Maddalena, an island off Sardinia which was initially chosen to host the 2009 Group of Eight (G8) summit.

Following a devastating earthquake in L'Aquila in April 2009, Berlusconi decided to switch the G8 summit venue there to raise the profile of reconstruction efforts.

During a January visit to Haiti, Bertolaso, who led rescue efforts in L'Aquila, criticized what he described as the rudderless and "military," nature of US earthquake assistance to the Caribbean nation.

Bertolaso's criticism embarrassed the Italian government as it came just hours before a meeting in Washington between US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini.

Berlusconi distanced himself from Bertolaso's remarks, but subsequently said the rescue services chief was in line for a ministerial appointment.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/308543,italian-who-blasted-us-over-haiti-quits-in-graft-probe.html.

Israel settlement policy a 'mistake,' Berlusconi says before visit

(WARNING): Article contains propaganda!

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Tel Aviv/Rome - Israel's settlement policy in the occupied West Bank is a "mistake" which could be an obstacle to any peace settlement, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi told an Israeli daily, ahead of his three-day visit to Israel this week. "It will never be possible to convince the Palestinians of Israel's good intentions while Israel continues to build in territories that are to be returned as part of a piece agreement," he told the Ha'aretz newspaper, in an interview published Sunday.

"I would like to say to the people and government of Israel, as a friend, with my hand on my heart, that persisting with this policy is a mistake," he said.

He noted, however, that the events which followed Israel's 2005 withdrawal of soldiers and settlers from the Gaza Strip "should prompt some thought."

"It is not possible to evacuate communities to (then) face burned synagogues, acts of destruction, and inter-Palestinian violence and missiles being shot into Israeli territory," he pointed out.

The Italian leader arrives arrives in Israel on Monday, accompanied by eight of his ministers, who will participate in a joint cabinet meeting Tuesday with their Israeli counterparts.

"The Jewish people, with courage and persistence, created a paragon of democracy in the Middle East. Israel is part of Europe. It belongs to the West. It believes in the values of democracy in which we, too, believe," he told the Israeli daily.

He added that Italy was an "essential stop" in any tour that Middle East leaders make in Europe, saying that "we feel involved in efforts to find a lasting and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian question."

Quoting former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to the effect that war in the Middle East was impossible without Egypt, and peace impossible without Syria, Berlusconi said it was time for Israel and Damascus "to act together for the sake of peace."

In this framework, he suggested, Israel would return to Syria the Golan Heights, captured in the 1967 Middle East War, and Damascus would cease its support for militant organizations which did not recognize Israel's right to exist.

"At the same time diplomatic and friendly relations will be established between the two countries," he said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/306762,israel-settlement-policy-a-mistake-berlusconi-says-before-visit.html.

Italian government unveils anti-mafia plan

Thu, 28 Jan 2010

Reggio Calabria, Italy - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Thursday chose the capital of one of Italy's most mafia-infested regions, Calabria, to present a new 10-point plan to combat organized crime. The measures unveiled include a register or code grouping together laws and other instruments allowing authorities to act against mobsters and their financial resources

"The code will assist police and the judiciary to combat the mafia," primarily by confiscating its assets, Berlusconi said at a news conference in Reggio Calabria.

In addition, a new state agency will be created to manage assets seized from mobsters, including businesses, real estate and other properties, according to Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, who together with Justice Minister Angelino Alfano, flanked Berlusconi at the news conference.

The presence of the premier and his ministers in Reggio Calabria is being viewed as a show of strength by the government in the heartland of 'Ndrangheta, the Calabrian version of the mafia.

Allegedly the work of the 'Ndrangheta, the bombing earlier this month of a courthouse in Reggio Calabria and the mailing of a bullet to a prominent prosecutor, were both widely interpreted as clear warnings by local criminal clans that the state should not interfere in their activities.

Though less notorious than Sicily's Cosa Nostra and Naples' Camorra, the 'Ndrangheta has over recent years, expanded its operations beyond Italy's borders including cocaine trafficking from Latin America and investments in businesses in Germany and elsewhere.

As Italy's economy shrank last year, mafia clans, all rooted in the country's less-developed south, have, according to anti-racketeering groups, taken advantage of the situation to invest their criminal income in "legitimate" businesses, often run through front-men.

The crime syndicates boosted their profit by 12 per cent to more than 78 billion euros (109 billion dollars), according to Rome-based anti-racketeering group SOS Impresa's 12th annual report.

On Thursday opposition representatives mostly dismissed the conservative government's new strategy.

The leader of main center-left Democratic Party, Pierluigi Bersani, said the measures would amount to "nothing," if the government went ahead with it plans to restrict police use of wiretapping and limit trial lengths, measures that he said benefit mob clans.

The government has said "excessive" wiretapping is too expensive and infringes on privacy rights, while it has vowed to reform Italy's judicial system where all three-stages of a trial can last for as much as a decade.

Prosecutors have denounced the wiretapping law which they say would hamper such police efforts as intercepting mobsters attempting to corrupt local officials and influence tenders for public works projects.

Critics see the short-trial law as "tailor made" to assist Berlusconi in ongoing two corruption trials against him.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/306370,italian-government-unveils-anti-mafia-plan.html.

Iraq signs oil deal with Italy's Eni

Baghdad - Iraq on Friday signed a contract with a consortium led by Italy's Eni to develop the giant al-Zubair oil field in the southern province of Basra. The signing follows an agreement reached last year between the oil ministry and Eni to develop the 4-billion-barrel oil field.

Eni and its partners will be paid 2 dollars for each extra barrel of oil, but will be liable for a 35 per cent tax on profits, the Aswat al-Iraq news agency reported.

The Italian giant said the development of the field would require an investment of about 10 billion dollars in the first six years to raise output to 1.125 million barrels per day (bpd) from the current 195,000 bpd.

The consortium won the right to develop the field last June, following the country's first round of bidding since the 2003 US-led Invasion.

The Iraqi government, which relies heavily on oil exports for its revenue, hopes foreign investment will boost oil output to 12 million bpd up from the current 2.5 million bpd.

Iraq's proven reserves stand at 115 billion barrels, the third largest in the world after Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/305183,iraq-signs-oil-deal-with-italys-eni.html.

Italian, US nationals named leaders of Middle East refugee agency

New York - Filippo Grandi was appointed head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in the Middle East on Wednesday and Margot Ellis his deputy. Grandi of Italy replaced Karen AbuZayd, a US citizen, as commissioner of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Grandi was promoted to the top position after serving as AbyZayd's deputy in past years.

Ellis worked for USAID for 21 years in Africa and the Middle East before her appointment to join UNRWA, which is responsible for the tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/304916,italian-us-nationals-named-leaders-of-middle-east-refugee-agency.html.

Snow and ice snarls transport in Italy

Milan, Italy - Authorities in Milan appealed to residents and commuters not to use private cars because of the danger posed by icy roads, amid heavy snowfalls Monday in northern and central Italy. More than 30 trains traveling to and from the northern industrial city were canceled while many delays were also reported.

Rail transport was also disrupted in the country's north-eastern regions with dozens of trains linking Venice and Trieste suspended because of snow, ice and fog.

The cold wave that hit the country over the weekend also continued spreading to the central regions, with heavy snow falls near the Tuscan cities of Lucca and Pisa forcing the closure of several regional roads and the motorway linking the area to Florence.

Skidding caused by ice is believed to have caused an accident involving at least 10 cars on the A12 motorway between Viareggio and Pisa. No serious injuries were reported.

Turkish PM's visit to Italy postponed

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Italy scheduled December 16, 2009 was postponed due to Dec. 13 attack on Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, Turkish Haberler website reports referring to Erdogan’s Dec. 14 statement.

As NEWS.am reported previously, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi stood an assault at the Sunday rally organized by the ruling “The people of Freedom” party in central Duomo’s square, Milan.

After the speech, a man approached Berlusconi and stroke him in the face with a cathedral statuette, France-Presse agency reports.

As a result, a 73-year-old Premier suffered a fractured nose, two broken teeth and cuts to his lips, Reuters informs. Presently, he is under medical supervision in one of Milan hospitals.

The police arrested the attacker — a 42-year-old Italian Massimo Tartaglia, who was undergoing treatment for mental problems within 10 years, the source says. However, according to consulting doctor, Tartaglia was not a danger to society, Italian media reports.

Italy Underlines Consultations with Iran over Afghanistan

Fars News Agency

December 2, 2009

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Italian foreign ministry special envoy on Afghan affairs in a meeting with Iranian foreign ministry officials stressed that his country attaches much importance to consultations with Iran over Afghanistan.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the main parties to the Afghan issue and we emphasize the importance and necessity for consultations with Iran," Massimo Yanuci told Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Ahani here in Tehran on Tuesday.

Elsewhere, he referred to an international conference due to be held in Kabul to review Afghanistan's issues, and said the meeting would bear much importance as it would have the country's neighboring states in attendance.

During the meeting, Ahani pointed to the problems that Afghan people are facing, and described the presence of alien forces as the root cause of difficulties intensifying terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking in the country.

He further pointed to the latest meeting on Afghanistan which was held in Tokyo, and said that a large number of states that had promised financial aids to the country could not use their technical and engineering potentials to reconstruct Afghanistan the same way Iran did in the country.

FREMM Du Jour

September 21, 2009: Algeria has ordered six FREMM class frigates from Italy, paying about a billion dollars for each 6,000 ton ship. The FREMM is a joint France-Italy project, and the Algerians recently can celled an order for four FREMMs from France. Apparently Italy offered a better deal, and earlier delivery (the first one arriving in two years.) The Italians seem to be providing Algeria with one of the FREMMs being built for Italy. Three FREMMs are under construction. France plans to buy eleven, and Italy ten. Morocco has ordered one (from France) and Greece six (which will be built in Greece with French help).

The FREMMs are 142 meters (440 feet) long. Top speed is 50 kilometers an hour and range is 11,000 kilometers. The ships are highly automated, with a crew of only 108 sailors. The ships are armed with Mu-90 torpedoes, Otomat Mk2A anti-ship missiles and Aster anti-aircraft missiles. There is one 76mm gun, two 25mm autocannon and two EH101 helicopters. The Italian FREMMs are equipped with towed sonar, so that they can specialize in anti-submarine operations.