DEATH PENALTY: NGOs, Italy Seek Worldwide Ban

In the 13 years since its birth in Italy, the global campaign to abolish the death penalty has convinced more than half the countries in the world of its cause.

DEATH PENALTY: NGOs, Italy Seek Worldwide Ban

In the 13 years since its birth in Italy, the global campaign to abolish the death penalty has convinced more than half the countries in the world of its cause.

RELIGION: Vatican Launches Peace Campaign

The Vatican, seat of the Roman Catholic faith, launched a diplomatic drive this week to explain the Pope's controversial references to Islam.

MIDEAST: Humanitarian Crisis Building Up

As the humanitarian crisis deepens in Lebanon, life-saving relief supply needs to get there soon, aid experts say.

ITALY: Govt Divided Over Presence in Afghanistan

The new centre-left government is facing divisions within its ranks over renewed funding for NATO-led military operations in Afghanistan.

MEDIA: A New Glasnost for Linking Citizens and Power in Globalised Era

Glasnost - meaning "openness", from the Russian words for "public" and "voice" - may be a throwback to the 1980s, but it fits the challenge of communication the today's globalised world.

ELECTIONS-ITALY: Razor-Thin Victory Means Weak New Government

Ten years after the first match between Romano Prodi and Silvio Berlusconi in 1996, the final count from the Sunday-Monday elections suggests that governability in Italy is still a challenge. Prodi's centre-left Union won by such a razor-thin margin that it will be difficult to form a government capable of leading a deeply divided nation.

ELECTIONS-ITALY: Too Close to Call in a Polarised Country

The first exit polls released Monday - after the polls closed at 3pm - showed the centre-left alliance of Romano Prodi sweeping to victory in Italy's elections, confirming pre-election opinion surveys. But then came the surprise.

/UPDATE*/ELECTIONS-ITALY: High Turnout on First Day of Voting

The first day of Italy's two-day voting period came to a close Sunday evening with a healthy voter turnout - on top of the positive response from the newly eligible Italian voters abroad - to decide who is to govern the country for the next five years.

POLITICS-ITALY: Elections Bring New Hope for Migrants

Italy, which once saw a net population loss due to emigration, has in just a few decades become a magnet for immigrants seeking a better life in Europe, making immigrant rights a hot-button issue in campaigning for the Apr. 9-10 elections.

POLITICS-ITALY: Elections Bring New Hope for Migrants

Italy, which once saw a net population loss due to emigration, has in just a few decades become a magnet for immigrants seeking a better life in Europe, making immigrant rights a hot-button issue in campaigning for the Apr. 9-10 elections.

RIGHTS: Migrant Minors Twice Vulnerable

Hundreds of minor migrants reach the Italian coast every year, often to face more difficult conditions after they 'disembark' than those they fled.

POLITICS-ITALY: Development Rises as Election Issue

The elections due in April have raised an Italian paradox of a high number of people committed to international development that combines with particularly low development aid.