Italy

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Amanda Knox: Murder Charges 'Pure Fantasy'

Prosecutors ask for life sentence; defense prepares final arguments

(Newser) - Amanda Knox dismissed the idea that she killed roommate Meredith Kercher as "pure fantasy" in court today. Speaking in fluent Italian after prosecutors rested their case and asked for a life sentence, Knox declared that "Meredith was my friend. I didn't hate her." Fighting tears, she added,...

2 Arrested in Italy for Aiding Mumbai Attackers

Duo allegedly transferred $299 for insurgents' phone lines

(Newser) - Italian police today arrested a Pakistani father and son accused of helping fund and provide logistical support for last year's terrorist attacks in Mumbai. The two were arrested in an early morning raid in Brescia, where they managed a money transfer agency. The day before the attacks began, last Nov....

Knox Acted Out of 'Hatred': Prosecutor

 Knox Acted Out of 
 'Hatred': Prosecutor 

kercher murder trial
Nov 20, 2009 2:57 PM CST

Knox Acted Out of 'Hatred': Prosecutor

Closing argument speaks of 'crescendo of violence'

(Newser) - Italian prosecutors pulled out all the stops in closing arguments at the Amanda Knox murder trial, telling the court that the American exchange student killed Meredith Kercher in "an unstoppable crescendo of violence." The chief prosecutor restated his argument that Knox murdered her roommate out of spite because...

Gadhafi Hires 200 Hot Italian Women, Tries to Convert Them
Gadhafi Hires 200 Hot Italian Women, Tries to Convert Them
WACKY DICTATORS
Nov 16, 2009 2:23 PM CST

Gadhafi Hires 200 Hot Italian Women, Tries to Convert Them

Leader also gives out copies of his book

(Newser) - Moammar Gadhafi hired a couple of hundred attractive Italian women for the night, headed to the Libyan ambassador's place in Rome, shepherded them into a room, and ... tried to convert them to Islam. The Libyan dictator offered $75 for the evening, causing most of the women to assume they’d...

2 American NATO Troops Missing in Afghanistan

Western region has seen a recent uptick in violence

(Newser) - Two NATO soldiers have been missing in Western Afghanistan since Wednesday after a routine supply mission went awry. “We continue exhaustive search and rescue operations to locate our missing service members,” a NATO spokesperson tells the BBC . “We are doing everything we can to find them.”...

CIA Officer: We 'Broke the Law' With Kidnapping

She's one of 23 Americans convicted in Italy for 2003 rendition

(Newser) - One of the CIA agents convicted in Italy today of kidnapping a Muslim cleric in 2003 says the mission "broke the law" and that she feels "abandoned and betrayed" by the US government. The case involving ex-officer Sabrina DeSousa and 22 other Americans is the first challenge to...

Italy Convicts CIA Agents of Kidnapping

2003 case is first to challenge practice of extraordinary rendition

(Newser) - An Italian judge today convicted 23 Americans of the 2003 kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric on a Milan street, in a landmark case involving the CIA's extraordinary rendition program in the war on terrorism. Judge Oscar Magi acquitted three other Americans, citing diplomatic immunity. Former Milan CIA station chief Robert...

Court Bans Crucifixes in Italian Classrooms

Government plans to appeal European decision

(Newser) - A European court has ruled that the presence of crucifixes in Italian classrooms violates religious freedom. In a decision denounced by Italian politicians, the court said the compulsory display of the crucifix prevents parents from raising kids with the religion of their choice and restricts the "right of children...

Italy Probes 'Kill Berlusconi' Facebook Gang

'Assassination gang' boasts 20K members

(Newser) - Italian authorities have vowed to close down a Facebook group called "Let's Kill Berlusconi," even though its creators say it's harmless fun. Some 20,000 people from all over the world have joined the group, many offering their services to dispatch the embattled Italian leader in a variety...

Berlusconi Sexist Dig Sparks Fury

100K sign petition after jab against female politician

(Newser) - Silvio Berlusconi may soon have a lot more than corruption charges to worry about. Italian women—who stayed largely silent during his recent sex scandals—are joining a rising feminist backlash against the Italian leader after he made sexist remarks to a female politician on live TV. "You are...

Fresco Clue Launches Hunt for Lost Da Vinci

Artist's greatest work may be hidden behind palace fresco

(Newser) - Like a mystery straight from the Da Vinci Code, an Italian palace fresco harbors a clue pointing to the existence of a hidden masterpiece, claims an art expert. Now Italian professor Maurizio Seracini has been granted permission to seek the painting considered Leonardo da Vinci's greatest work. Seracini believes the...

'Mini Coliseum' Unearthed Near Rome

Find at Roman Empire port hailed as world wonder

(Newser) - Archaelogists excavating the ancient port that served Rome in the days of the Roman Empire have found the remains of a smaller-scale version of the Coliseum next to an imperial palace. Statues and many other archeological treasures have been found at Portus, which lies a mile from Rome's airport. The...

Taliban: Italy Paid Us Protection Money

Italian government denies bribing insurgents to leave its troops alone

(Newser) - The Italian secret services bribed the Taliban not to attack Italian forces in Afghanistan, according to both a Taliban commander and senior officials in the Afghan government. The accusations have sparked fury in France, which lost 10 soldiers in an ambush after taking over a district east of Kabul from...

British Intelligence Had Mussolini on WWI Payroll

Dictator-in-training got $9,500 a week to help convince Italians to keep fighting

(Newser) - Britain’s overseas intelligence service helped Benito Mussolini finance his first forays into Italian politics, newly uncovered documents show. Hoping to keep Italy on its side in 1917, during World War I, MI5 gave Mussolini, then 34 and editor of a right-wing newspaper, the equivalent of what’s now $9,...

Knox's Family Has Spent $1M on Defense

Father 'mortgaged everything' for Italian murder trial

(Newser) - Amanda Knox’s trial has taken more than an emotional toll on her family—it’s all but bankrupted them. “Between Amanda’s mother and myself, we have spent over a million dollars so far,” her father tells ABC News. “We have literally mortgaged everything and used...

Berlusconi: Trials 'Laughable, Absurd'

Italian PM goes on the attack after losing immunity from prosecution

(Newser) - A defiant Silvio Berlusconi vowed yesterday to rule with "even more grit" despite looming criminal trials on corruption charges. The trials "are false, laughable, absurd,” scoffed the Italian prime minister, who has been stripped of his immunity from prosecution. “I will defend myself in the courtroom...

Berlusconi: I'm Not Going Anywhere

Italian PM defiant as multiple criminal cases reopen

(Newser) - Silvio Berlusconi, fighting for his political life after a court ruled he was not immune from criminal prosecution, called the ruling politically motivated and vowed to stay on as Italy's prime minister. Already weakened by sex scandals, Berlusconi will now face at least two trials, one concerning witness tampering and...

Court Rejects Law Giving Berlusconi Immunity

Italian PM will have to stand trial for corruption

(Newser) - An Italian court struck down the law designed to protect Silvio Berlusconi from corruption charges, ruling that it would take a constitutional amendment, not a mere act of parliament, to save the Italian prime minister. Courts can now resume the two corruption trials against Berlusconi that have been on hold...

Berlusconi Uses Animal Farm Defense

Lawyers argue 'more equal' PM shouldn't be prosecuted

(Newser) - All Italians are equal but some are more equal than others, according to lawyers seeking to prevent Silvio Berlusconi from standing trial on corruption charges. A constitutional court examining the legitimacy of a law shielding prime ministers from prosecution—which was introduced by Berlusconi himself—was told the leader is...

Scientist Reproduces 'Fake' Turin Shroud

Nothing miraculous about his creation, says Italian researcher

(Newser) - The Shroud of Turin is definitely a medieval forgery, according to an Italian scientist who made one himself to prove the point. The chemistry professor made the reproduction of the shroud—believed by many to represent a miraculous image of Christ after crucifixion—using materials and techniques available during the...

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