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Republic of Singapore Air Force Gulfstream G550 CAEW landing Photo Credit: Owen65, via Wikipedia Israel and Italy on Monday recognized another significant step in the realization of an agreement the two countries signed in 2012, with the delivery of the first of two aircraft armed with Conformal Airborne Early Warning & Control Systems (CAEW) to Italy. The ceremony, at Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), was attended by the Italian ambassador, and officials from the Ministry of Defense’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) and from the Italian Air Force. The CAEW, developed by ELTA systems, a subsidiary of IAI, was...

The miracle of the liquefaction of St. Januarius' blood, patron of Naples, takes place three times a year: on the Saturday preceding the first Sunday of May (the day of the translation of the Saint's relics), on September 19 (the day of his martyrdom) and on December 16 (the anniversary of the eruption of the Mount Vesuvius in 1631, when the lava stopped at the doors of Naples, one of the most remarkable miracles manifested through St. Januarius' intercession). But this year the last liquefaction didn't occur, closing 2016 with an ill omen. Last Friday, celebrations at the Royal...

THREE African migrants ended up in jail after threatening to kill refugee centre workers unless they handed over more cash and improved the quality of food they served. The men, one from Nigera and two from Gambia, sparked outage when they turned against the voluntary helpers. The shocking incident erupted in at a refugee centre in the southern Italian town of Potenza. According to local reports the men were given food, clothes and their daily allowance of £3.30 but became angry and shouted: "If you don’t give us more money and better food, we will kill you".

Panettone is an Italian cake filled with raisins and sultanas, and is a typical Christmas treat. But the seemingly harmless dessert has led to backlash after some vegan activists claimed a famous cake-maker was mocking the plant-based diet. It’s all because of a TV advert created by Motta, a company which has been churning out panettone since 1919 and intended to celebrate Christmas culinary traditions in its festive ad campaign. The 30-second clip shows the preparation of the typical cake, and as eggs are cracked and dough kneaded, the voiceover says:“To make our panettone, we could have used tofu, papaya,...

Remember the rule: in Muslim countries, be careful to conform your behavior to Muslim sensibilities. And in non-Muslim countries, be careful to conform your behavior to Muslim sensibilities. A priest in Italy has caused uproar after announcing there would be no Christmas nativity scene at the local cemetery this year because it could offend Muslims and atheists. Fr Sante Braggiè said there would be no crib in the cemetery in the northern city of Cremona because it may anger people of others faiths or none whose relatives are buried there. “A small corner of the cemetery is reserved for Muslim...

A survey launched by Italy’s Ministry for Education to promote reading and discover which books are most beloved by schoolchildren has proved the enduring popularity of classic tales. But in ten schools, an unwelcome entry made the top ten. Several secondary schools included Mein Kampf, the manifesto of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, in their top ten lists. Partly autobiographical, Mein Kampf — which means “My Struggle” — outlines Hitler’s ideology that formed the basis for Nazism. Written in 1924, it details his anti-Semitism which led to the Holocaust in which about six million Jews were murdered at the hands of...

The resignation of Italy’s prime minister Monday marked the abrupt downfall of the third key European partner of President Obama this year, as the president becomes increasingly powerless to confront a populist wave sweeping both sides of the Atlantic and challenging traditional U.S. alliances.Matteo Renzi’s surrender in Italy came just seven weeks after Mr. Obama toasted the 41-year-old prime minister at a gilded State Dinner at the White House for possessing “the vision and the values that can carry Italy, and Europe, forward.” Mr. Renzi submitted his resignation after Italian voters resoundingly rejected his proposals for political reform in...

Europe was rocked again last night after the latest populist surge against Brussels. The Italian prime minister was swept from power after calling a referendum on constitutional reforms, which became a vote on confidence in his government. Matteo Renzi resigned shortly after exit polls indicated a clear defeat, saying: 'I accept all responsibility for this loss. I'll say it out loud.' The result is a further landmark victory for populist movements, following Britain's vote for Brexit and Donald Trump's election win in the US. Mr Renzi's opponent Beppe Grillo had urged voters to 'go with your gut not your brain'...

The euro slid in Asia on Monday after exit polls showed Italian Prime Minster Matteo Renzi clearly losing a constitutional referendum that could end his career and destabilize the country's shaky banking system. The single currency dropped to $1.0577 in thin trade, after starting around $1.0645 earlier. The dollar was underpinned by expectations of a U.S. rate rise this month, and even held its ground on the safe-haven yen at 113.20. Dealers said Italian bonds were set to come under pressure as top-rated U.S. Treasuries and German bunds gained. Asian investors are often reluctant to trade on European developments, preferring...

<p>Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has announced his intention to resign after suffering what looks set to be a humiliating defeat in a referendum over his plan to reform the constitution, throwing the country and the euro zone into confusion.</p>

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has suffered a heavy defeat in a referendum over his plan to reform the constitution, exit polls suggest. An exit poll on state broadcaster RAI suggests 42-46% voted to back reform, compared with 54-58% voting No. Two other polls gave the No vote a similar lead of at least 10 points. Mr Renzi, who has said he would resign if he lost the vote, is due to make a statement at midnight (23:00 GMT) from his official residence in Rome. The referendum was regarded as a barometer of anti-establishment sentiment in Europe. The vote asked...

Viva L Italia! La morte per l'Unione europea (death to the E.U)

Rome (AFP) - Media silence was imposed across Italy Saturday on the eve of a constitutional referendum crucial for Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who has staked his future on the government reforms. In the frantic final round of campaigning which ended on Friday, Renzi's rivals vowed to defeat referendum proposals to streamline parliament and force the centre-left leader out of office. The 41-year-old premier is hoping for a last-minute turnaround in voter sentiment, having pledged to quit in the event of a "No". While all media comment on the referendum is now banned until polling ends at 11:00 pm (2200...

THE EUROPEAN UNION looks set to be shattered by a potential influx of Eurosceptic country leaders who refuse to toe the line of the Brussels elite This weekend Austria could be set to elect its first far-right leader while Italy could simultaneously lose its Europhile Prime Minister. Both outcomes would be a massive blow to the Union as fear begins to spread around the the corridors of Brussels - both nations have put a vote to the people and could start the process of engineering themselves out of the EU. The beleaguered EU boss Jean-Claude Juncker is watching his superstate...

They say the third time is a charm and for the third time this year, a runoff election for president of Austria is set for tomorrow, December 4th. The first runoff earlier this year resulted in victory for leftist candidate Alexander van der Bellen over Nationalist candidate Norbert Hofer. But Hofer's Austrian Freedom Party challenged the election in court alleging irregularities in postal ballots (absentee votes). And they won. A second election was set for early this fall but the government decided to cancel the vote when early postal ballots were discovered to have irregularities in them. Polling data at...

Italians will vote on a referendum for reforming the senate on Sunday, but the implications for a loss could collapse the Italian government and threaten the Eurozone. The Italian referendum on Sunday, December 4th, is at face value a vote on constitutional reform of the senate that would limit the power of the upper house of parliament to veto bills, among other proposed amendments to the constitution.

Italy’s prime minister, Matteo Renzi, only 41, once seemed to have solved the riddle of how to survive Europe’s populist, anti-establishment tempest. But with a critical national referendum on Sunday, the populist wave is now threatening to crush him and plunge Italy into a political crisis when the European Union is already reeling. From Washington to Brussels to Berlin, fears are rising that Italy may be stumbling into its own “Brexit” moment. What should be an inward-looking referendum on whether to overhaul Italy’s ossified political and electoral system has taken on much broader import. Financial analysts warn of a potential...

Migrants, Alfano’s Blackmail: Jail for those who resist requisitions According to sources in the Interior Ministry, the Viminale Plan foresees enforcement agents and detention measures for those who resist requisition of their premises for migrants. The Interior Ministry in the figure of Angelino Alfano is preparing to requisition the real estate of Italians to place migrants. It will be done, explains Il Giornale, beginning only as of December 4 or after a consultation referendum, in order to avoid allowing protests by citizens to influence the outcome of the vote. Because it is indeed the protests that worry Alfano. The barricades...

Migrants, Alfano’s Blackmail: Jail for those who resist requisitions According to sources in the Interior Ministry, the Viminale Plan foresees enforcement agents and detention measures for those who resist requisition of their premises for migrants. The Interior Ministry in the figure of Angelino Alfano is preparing to requisition the real estate of Italians to place migrants. It will be done, explains Il Giornale, beginning only as of December 4 or after a consultation referendum, in order to avoid allowing protests by citizens to influence the outcome of the vote. Because it is indeed the protests that worry Alfano. The barricades...

Locals were terrified as African migrants rioted, throwing projectiles and screaming threats at passers-by in a protest against “racist” Italians on Wednesday and Thursday in Turin.The Bataclan massacre was a “revenge of the excluded”, warned one of the hundreds of migrants, most of them illegal, who took to the streets to protest against not being given a “decent life” by Italian taxpayers.“We have nothing in this city”, a man from Cameroon said, angry that people in Italy “do not understand that we are also boys and would like a decent life”.The rioters are among 1,500 Africans illegally squatting in Turin’s abandoned...