by Sonia Logre with Alexandria Sage ROME, Italy (AFP) — In one Rome hospital, the vast majority of Covid-19 patients in intensive care are unvaccinated — and many are urging Italian anti-vaxxers to get the jab. A 41-year-old patient at the ICC Casalpalocco Covid hospital, who gave his name as Francesco, said he was opposed to the vaccine but that if he could go back, he would get jabbed. “The vaccine doesn’t inspire confidence but […]
Tag: Rome
Rome votes in mayoral polls dominated by rubbish and boars
by Sonia Logre and Gildas Le Roux Agence France-Presse ROME, Italy (AFP) – The people of Rome voted on Sunday to elect a new mayor who will have the daunting task of tackling poor public transport and disastrous rubbish management in the Italian capital, dubbed one of the dirtiest cities in the world. Across the country from the Eternal City to Milan, Naples and Bologna, voting kicked off late on Monday for municipal elections being […]
Nigerians attack medics at Rome coronavirus centre
ROME, Italy (AFP) — Three Nigerian migrants attacked staff in a military hospital in Rome after testing positive for the new coronavirus, the defence ministry said Saturday. The incident at the Celio military hospital, now turned into a COVID-19 treatment centre, occurred when they saw a Bangladeshi migrant walking out after testing negative and then tried to flee but were stopped. They are accused of violence, resistance and causing bodily harm. “The attacks at […]
Mild quake shakes Rome
ROME, Italy (AFP) — A mild earthquake shook Rome early Monday but there were no immediate reports of damage, emergency services said. Firefighters said they had received numerous inquiries from people after the tremor struck shortly after 5:00 am (0300 GMT), estimated at 3.3 magnitudes by the National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology. Rome is not directly situated in a zone of strong seismic activity, but stronger earthquakes in the neighboring Abruzzi region have often […]
Catholic churches across Rome to shut until April 3
VATICAN CITY (AFP) — The Vatican on Thursday took the unprecedented step of closing all Catholic churches across Rome to stem the spread of a coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 1,000 people across Italy. The papal vicar for Rome said the churches would reopen when a broader Italian government crackdown on public gatherings expires on April 3. “The faithful are consequently exempt from their obligation to fulfill the festive precept,” a statement […]
Married priests question raises fears of Church split
by Catherine MARCIANO Agence France Presse VATICAN CITY (AFP) — An idea to fill empty pulpits in remote locations by allowing married men to become priests is bitterly dividing a Vatican assembly, with critics warning the emotive issue could fracture the Catholic Church. The hot-button topic of whether an exception can be made to the centuries-old custom of celibacy in places where there is a shortage of priests has dominated the start of the three-week […]
Make or break in Italy talks for new government
by Ella IDE Agence France Presse ROME, Italy (AFP) — Wednesday is D-Day for fraught negotiations to form a new Italian government, failing which the eurozone’s third largest economy will be forced to hold fresh elections. President Sergio Mattarella is to meet the country’s main political parties at the climax of what Italian newspapers have dubbed “the craziest crisis ever” after the government collapsed earlier this month while parliament was on holiday. The anti-establishment […]
Iglesia Ni Cristo members help clean the streets of Rome
By Zavina Balcita Eagle News Service (Eagle News) — Religious organization Iglesia Ni Cristo, in celebration of their congregation’s 25th anniversary in Rome, offers their help to the community by doing their part to keep the streets clean. INC members brought their own cleaning gear from home such as brooms, trash bags and gloves. They are currently focused on the streets in Cornelia and Aurelia area. The members have also been divided in 5 groups […]
Pope’s vow to battle child sex abuse fails to appease victims
by Ella Ide Agence France Presse VATICAN CITY (AFP) — Catholic Church’s Pope Francis on Sunday vowed to tackle every single case of sexual abuse by priests, comparing paedophilia to “human sacrifice”, but drew an angry response from victims. As the pope promised an “all-out battle” against abusive priests at the end of the landmark Vatican summit on the issue, his critics dismissed his speech as a “stunning letdown”. And when he blamed the […]
4.8 quake hits area near Sicily’s Mount Etna
ROME, Italy (AFP) — A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit the area around Europe’s most active volcano Mount Etna overnight, injuring four people, damaging old buildings and forcing the closure of part of a highway running along the sea, Italian civil protection authorities said Wednesday. The quake was the strongest in the region after Mount Etna erupted on Monday, spewing ash and forcing the temporary closure of Sicilian airspace. A series of tremors followed, but the […]
Waste plant fire stokes Italy garbage crisis
ROME, Italy (AFP) — Twelve teams of firefighters battled Tuesday to put out a vast fire at a garbage dump in Rome as critics slammed the capital’s beleaguered waste manager and warned of chaos to come. The odor of burning refuse wafted across the historic center as the blaze, which began overnight, crept steadily from the site in the north-east of the city. City hall said it had called the national civil protection agency and […]
Two dead, 10 hurt in petrol station blast near Rome
ROME, Italy (AFP) — Two people were killed and at least 10 injured in an explosion at a petrol station northeast of Rome on Wednesday, firefighters and police said. The blast occurred when a tanker truck carrying flammable liquid was refuelling at the petrol station on the Salaria highway 30 kilometers (18 miles) outside the capital, according to Italian media. “A firefighter died, as did a civilian,” the firefighters tweeted. Antonio Mannoni, head of police […]





