Italy News

(ANSA) - Kabul, November 19 - The next international summit on the Afghanistan crisis should be held in the nation's capital, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Thursday.

In Kabul for the inauguration of re-elected President Hamid Karzai, Frattini added that, in order to avoid a "hash up", it was best to "postpone the summit for when we have a clearer idea what its objectives should be".

(ANSA) - Kabul, November 19 - Italy will help Afghanistan's government rid the country of corruption, Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Thursday.

In Kabul for the inauguration of re-elected President Hamid Karzai, Frattini told ANSA that Italy would help the country set up a sorely needed corruption watchdog.

"We've trained hundreds of public officials in Iraq and we can do the same thing here," Frattini said.

(ANSA) - Rome, November 19 - Although financial conditions improved in Italy in the third quarter of 2009, giving a boost to consumer confidence and domestic demand, uncertainty remains "in regard to both the timing and strength of a recovery," the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said on Thursday.

(ANSA) - Rome, November 19 - Italian exports rose by 6.6% in September, the best monthly result since January 2008, Istat said Thursday.

In year-on-year terms, exports were 18% down.

(ANSA) - Kabul, November 19 - Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai must reconcile with his defeated political rival in order to rebuild the country, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Thursday.

In Kabul for the newly re-elected leader's inauguration, Frattini joined world leaders including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in urging Karzai to strike a truce with his opponent in the elections, ex-foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah.

(ANSA) - Rome, November 19 - Now that Brazil's supreme court has given its green light to the extradition to Italy of convicted terrorist Cesare Battisti, the final decision on his return will be political, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said on Thursday.

"We await this next move with respect and serenity," he added.

"In the meantime, I wish to congratulate the two ambassadors who handled this painful chapter with competence, resolve and a sense of institutional responsibility," the foreign minister said.

(ANSA) - Turin, November 18 -Cinema is alive and well according to Italian filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola in Turin on Wednesday to pick up a lifetime achievement award at the city's film festival.

''Over the last 100 years, cinema has become a world language,'' said the 70-year-old writer, director and producer, who is also presenting his new film Tetro.

A family drama about the estranged children of Italian immigrants, Tetro was shot mainly in black and white, with scenes in color reserved for the characters' childhood memories.

(ANSA) - Pordenone, November 18 - Italy rugby coach Nick Mallet has named an unchanged 24-man squad for Saturday's test match against world champions South Africa in Udine. Mallett's decision was widely expected after last Saturday's strong performance in holding the All Blacks to a 20-6 win. The Springboks will be seeking their first win in their autumn tour after defeats to Leicester (22-17), France (20-13) and Saracens (24-23. Here is the squad: Forwards (14): Matias Aguero, Mauro Bergamasco, Martin Castrogiovanni, Carlo Antonio Del Fava, Simone Favaro, Quintin Geldenhuys, Leo

(ANSA) - Istanbul, November 18 - Re-elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai must take "decisive" action to convince the Afghan people he will be able to fight graft, boost the economy and ensure security, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Wednesday.

Speaking at an Italian-Turkish forum ahead of a trip to Kabul Thursday for Karzai's inauguration, Frattini called on Karzai to "take a decisive and transparent step towards the Afghan people, illustrating his government's priorities".

(ANSA) - Vatican City, November 18 - Pope Benedict XVI turned into an impromptu art history professor on Wednesday, lecturing faithful on the importance of Europe's Medieval Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals.

Addressing the crowd at his weekly general audience, the German pontiff likened the cathedrals to "stone Bibles" which through sculptures and paintings illustrating episodes from the Gospel offer Christians a "privileged route" to draw closer to God.

(ANSA) - Perugia, November 18 - An Italian prosecutor on Wednesday asked an appeals court to uphold the 30-year conviction of an Ivory Coast man for the rape and murder of British exchange student Meredith Kercher in 2007 in Perugia.

Prosecutor Pietro Catalani argued Rudy Guede, 22, had taken part in the crime and had raped the victim.

Catalani said Guede's earlier account of the night of the murder had not been credible.

(ANSA) - Rome, November 18 - A United Nations world food summit ended in Rome on Wednesday amid criticism of having made little progress to help the one billion people suffering from chronic hunger.

Organizers at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) were disappointed that the 60 world leaders and 200 national delegations attending the summit could not be persuaded to make the financial commitments that FAO says are necessary to stamp out hunger.

(ANSA) - Rome, November 18 - An Italian technician who claims to have developed a device to predict earthquakes by measuring radon gas emissions confirmed on Wednesday that he has failed to get an international patent on his invention.

The method developed Gioacchino Giampaolo Giuliani from the National Astrophysics Institute came under fire in April after the devastating earthquake in the Abruzzo region which he claimed he had predicted.

(ANSA) - Rome, November 18 - Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, the grandson of Italy's last king, is mulling the idea of a singing career after winning the Italian version of Dancing with the Stars, entertainment sources said on Wednesday.

Emanuele Filiberto, who has made a career of appearing in TV commercials and newspaper ads, won this year's edition of Ballando con le Stelle and is now thinking of taking part in the Sanremo festival, Italy's most popular songfest.

(ANSA) - Rome, November 18 - Lower House Speaker Gianfranco Fini on Wednesday voiced his support for the people of Tibet and their exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

Fini welcomed the Dalai Lama for a private meeting at his offices in the Chamber of Deputies, which on Wednesday hosted the fifth World Conference of Parliamentarians for Tibet.