(ANSA) - Rome, July 3 - Italy has sent a third ship into
the Gulf of Aden to join a European Union mission fighting
Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean.
The destroyer Comandante Borsini, which has already taken
part in such operations, is expected to join the EUNavFor
Atalanta mission on Saturday.
Two Italian frigates, the Maestrale and the Libeccio,
have been operating off the Horn of Africa for months along
with British, French, Dutch, Greek, German, Swedish and
Spanish ships.
(ANSA) - Rome, July 3 - Foreign Minister Franco Frattini
on Friday rejected criticism from the Vatican over a
controversial security law cracking down on illegal
immigration that was passed definitively by the Italian
parliament on Thursday.
``We respect the concerns of the Vatican,`` he said, but
stressed that the security package ``will not bring suffering
but only punishment to those who commit crimes,`` Frattini
said.
``People (who come here) legally are always
safeguarded`
(ANSA) - Rome, July 2 - Italian petrol station operators
on Thursday declared a two-day strike for next Wednesday and
Thursday, July 8-9.
The strike, in protest against the alleged failure of the
government to uphold pledges to protect a shrinking network,
will exclude the area around L`Aquila which is hosting a
Group of Eight summit from July 8 to 10.
Stations on the rest of the country`s roads will close
from 19:30 (17:30 GMT) on Tuesday July 7 until 07:00 (05:00
GMT) on Friday.