Italy News

(ANSA) - Rome, November 16 - A world food summit aimed at helping the one billion people who suffer chronic hunger around the world opened in Rome Monday.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened the summit by telling delegates that more than 17,000 children will starve to death today.

''One every five seconds. Five million each year''.

''This is no longer acceptable. We must act".

He stressed that food security was ''profoundly linked'' to climate change.

(ANSA) - Rome, November 16 - Sales of new cars in Italy rose by 15.6% in October compared to 6.8% in September, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) said Monday.

Sales across Europe were 11.2% up compared to a rise of 6.3% in September, ACEA said.

ACEA measures sales from the 27 European Union members plus the four members of the European Free Trade Organisation: Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.

It also measures sales from western Europe: 15 EU members plus the EFTA four.

(ANSA) - Rome, November 16 - Italy's inflation rate rose to 0.3% in October from 0.2% in September, Istat said Monday, confirming a preliminary estimate.

(ANSA) - Rome, November 13 - Italy wants to regain its position as Serbia's second most important trading partner, Premier Silvio Berlusconi said Friday.

Following a Rome summit with top Serbian officials including President Boris Tadic, Berlusconi said Italy had fallen behind Germany and Russia, but wanted to regain the position it once held as Serbia's number two economic ally.

The premier said once a planned highway from Thessaloniki to Salzburg was complete, "we could even become number one".

(ANSA) - Rome, November 13 - Everything is ready in the Italian capital for next week's World Summit on Food Security, organised by the Rome-based United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The Colosseum will be lit up all night Sunday ahead of the November 16-18 summit.

Over 60 heads of state are set to take part in the summit which on Monday will see Pope Benedict XVI give the keynote speech.

Addresses will also be given by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon and FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf.

FAO said it had organised the World Food Security Summit ''to give a new momentum to the fight against hunger and malnutrition affecting 1.02 billion people''.

(ANSA) - Rome, November 13 - Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi will travel to Rome on Monday to meet Premier Silvio Berlusconi, the premier's office said on Friday.

The statement did not provide details but talks are expected to focus on a recent accord between the two countries to stem illegal immigration in the Mediterranean.

Gaddafi will be in Rome to attend a World summit on food security at the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation headquarters.

(ANSA) - Rome, November 13 - Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi set a jocular tone on Friday at a joint press conference with Serbian President Boris Tadic.

After commenting about their summit in Rome, Berlusconi jokingly yielded the floor to "President Clooney," a play on the 51-year-old leader's widely praised good looks.

The bantering continued as the conversation passed to soccer with Tadic saying it was a shame AC Milan, Berlusconi's soccer team, doesn't have any Serbian players.

(ANSA) - Rome, November 13 - The following is a city-by-city guide to some of Italy's art exhibitions:

BRESCIA - Museo di Santa Giulia: Inca, Origins and Mysteries of the Civilisation of Gold; 250 artefacts, December 4-June 27.

CATANIA - Palazzo Valle: Alberto Burri and Lucio Fontana; until March 14.

FERRARA - Palazzo dei Diamanti: Boldini In The Paris Of The Impressionists; show on Ferrara-born artist's 'beau monde' portraiture years from 1871 to 1886; until January 10.

(ANSA) - Rome, November 13 - The Vatican on Friday urged the United States to lift its embargo against Cuba and called on Havana to loosen restrictions against the Catholic Church.

Speaking to Vatican radio after his return from a visit to Cuba, the head of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Monsignor Claudio Maria Celli, urged US President Barack Obama to lift economic sanctions against the island.

(ANSA) - Rome, November 13 - MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi has organised a motocross charity competition for this weekend, 30 years after his father Graziano Rossi put together a similar event at the same venue.

The competition will be held Sunday at the Cavallara 'cross drome', in the town of Mondavio between Pesaro and Urbino, which was inaugurated 30 years ago with the charity event organised by Graziano Rossi with the participation of his rivals at the time in the 500cc Grand Prix premier class Franco Uncini and Marco Lucchinelli.

(ANSA) - Pescara, November 13 - Italy coach Marcello Lippi is using Saturday's friendly against Netherlands to look at a couple of players who could join his World Cup winning stalwarts when the Azzurri defend their crown in South Africa next year.

Lippi has said his mind is made up about most of the squad but a handful of players have a chance of joining them.

The Netherlands test in Pescara, and Wednesday's game against Sweden in Cesena, will help him make up his mind, he said.

(ANSA) - Rome, November 13 - A Latin teacher in southern Italy who had students translate phrases about Premier Silvio Berlusconi caused a furor on Friday when the story received front-page coverage in a right-wing newspaper.

Reported in Il Giornale, a daily owned by Berlusconi's brother, Angela Di Nanni's exercises referred to trials facing the premier after an constitutional court ruling last month quashing a law granting the premier immunity from persecution.

(ANSA) - Milan, November 13 - Italy captain Sergio Parisse said Friday the Azzurri were ready to take on the All Blacks at San Siro on Saturday.

"We're ready and I've told the lads to give their all," he said.

Parisse said the first 20 minutes would be "fundamental" because New Zealand, the world's No.2 team behind world champions South Africa, would want to get off to a flying start.

"If we don't give away too many points the match will be more manageable".

(ANSA) - Rome, November 13 - Italy's improved relations with Russia and other Eastern European nations have in no way had a negative effect on its ties with the United States, Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi said on Friday.

"There is no chance that our opening to these countries can in any way cast a shadow on our collaboration with the West," the premier told the press after his meeting with Serb President Boris Tadic.

(ANSA) - Siena, November 13 - A medieval market that was once the heart of this Tuscan town is to flourish once more in Siena's historic Piazza del Campo, the site of the world-famous Palio horse race each summer.

The colours, sights, smells and sounds of the bustling weekly market will return to Siena's beautiful central square this Saturday.

The one-off event has been organized to commemorate 700 years since the medieval city's renowned collection of duties and rights, the Costituto, was set down in the common tongue.