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Children rescued as Italian driver hijacks and torches school bus

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An Italian driver of Senegalese origin hijacks a school bus, carrying 51 children and set alight near Milan in Italy. The children were rescued through smashed windows at the back of the bus. It is reported that no children were injured badly. Fourteen people had suffered from smoke inhalation.

The driver has been arrested by the police. He said that this hijacking was done as a protest against migrant deaths in the Mediterranean. He claimed that three of his own children were lost at the sea. It is reported that the police had identified the driver as Ousseynou Sy (47), an Italian citizen.

At the time of rescuing, some of the children were found tied up. The driver was alleged to have said, “No-one will survive”.

Milan prosecutor Francesco Greco said, “It is a miracle, it could have been carnage. The police were outstanding, blocking the bus and getting the children off”.

The school bus carrying 51 students in year two of secondary school in Crema, were returning from a sports outing. The children were accompanied by by three adults. After a few time, the driver had suddenly changed the root of the bus, saying that he was taking them all hostage.

The driver then threatened the passengers, with a knife, and one among the students had called his parents. The parent had alerted the police regarding this.

“No one is getting out of here alive,” he said, according to the student’s words. Once the bus stopped, the driver jumped off and set it alight, having already doused it in petrol. The children were rescued through smashed windows at the back of the bus.

Image courtesy: pressfrom.info, bbc.com / images are subject to copyright

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Rightists’ triumph continues in the West

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The demand for snap election is active in Spain, which is at present in the hands of leftists. Hours before, the rights have successfully organised a protest in Madrid demanding the resignation of the ruling leftists. Through it has been triggered by the ruling’s lenient stand towards the Catalonian separatists’ demand (that is, the independence of Catalonia), all efforts have been directed solely towards the destruction of the political base of the leftists in the country.

The tread is not different elsewhere in Europe. It is evident in Italy (with the presence of the Five Star Movement and Northern League), France (with the presence of Marine Le Pen), the UK (with the victory of Brexit), and even in Germany (with the emergence of far-rights voices in the country).

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Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK are the four biggest economies in the continent. It is on these economies the entire European Union stands. With the UK’s proposed departure and the ongoing friction between France and Italy, the union at present already has a buddle of problems to deal with.

It is sure that the union cannot survive another big blow. It is high time to articulate a applicable strategy to counter the emerging threat of euroscepticism.

Vignesh. S. G
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International Relations News

Relation between France and Italy hit new low

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The relation between France and Italy has moved from bad to worse as the Italian Deputy Prime Minister, Luigi Di Maio, has met the representatives of yellow-vest movement.

France, earlier, warned Italy not to interfere in its internal affairs. The warning was made when the Italian leaders started speaking in favour of the ongoing Yellow-vest moment, which France considers as a serious threat to its political stability.

It was the induction of an eurosceptic government in Italy that made the first blow to the relation between Paris and Rome.

Since then, the relation between these two founding members of the European Union has been steadily worsening.

In the recent past, France and Italy found over a range of issue, primarily over the issue of immigration.

This is the first time in the modern history that France and Italy have come out strongly against each other.

The development is not favourable to the existence of European Union. Germany, the UK, France and Italy are the four largest markets in the biggest economic union of the world. This four will soon be reduced to three as the UK will leave the market within months. The union is less likely to survive another big exist.

Vignesh. S. G
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Crime News

ECHR orders Italy to pay huge compensation to US woman suffered ill-treatment from Italian police

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The European Court of Human Rights has ordered the Italian government to pay a huge sum of 18,400 Euro as compensation to Amanda Knox, the US citizen mistakenly arrested for the murder of her collage mate Meredith Kercher with whom she shared her room when she reached Italy as part of a student exchange program several years ago.

The court has not been completely convinced that she suffered ill-treatment when she was in the custody of Italian police, but it has found that the lady was not allowed to contact her lawyer and not granted the service of an interpreter.

Her main allegation is that she was badly beaten by the police officials in the initial days of the interrogation and was subjected to extreme mental and physical stress.

During the course of the trial, the case has gone through several twists and turns: initially, she was convicted; while she was servicing her third year in prison, she was acquitted and deported to her home country; within a year post her acquittal, a higher court found her acquittal wrong; anyway, when the final judgment of the top court came in the year 2015, she was acquitted of all charges related to the murder.

It was a few months ago that she was allowed by the ECHR to approach them against Italy. Then, there was allegation that it was the pressure from the US that forced the court to accept the lady’s case against Italy.

Most US citizens consider her as the victim of the improper judicial system of Italy. The world media has closely followed each and every development in the case.

Meanwhile, the other part of the story is that the international interference has badly affected the case. Though a person has been arrested in connection with the case, the police have not found answers to all questions necessary to unfold the mystery of the case.

Vignesh. S. G
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Italy’s criticism about France’s involvement in Africa irritates Paris

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Italian deputy Prime Minister Luigi di Maio has raised serious criticism about the involvement of France in the African affairs. He has said that France has destabilised the economy and politics of Africa for its personal benefit. Provocatively, he has also urged the European Union to impose sanction against France for the part it has played in the destabilisation of Africa.

At least a dozen of African countries use the CFA franc, the currency backed by the treasury of France. The minister has cited the currency as the prime tool used by France to manipulate the economy of Africa in its favour.

Many African countries are either directly or indirectly controlled by Paris, and most of these are far better in the economic and political terms than its neighbours.

What Italy tries to do is to prove it otherwise, and project France as the reason for the unchecked flow of African migrants towards the European continent.

Italy is the most preferred destination of most of the African migrants who reach the continent in search of better lives. A considerable number of Italians are worried about it. It is that insecurity that has been exploited by the anti-migrant parties such as the Five Star Movement and Northern League to cultivate their vote base.

Since the induction of the anti-migrant government led by the aforesaid parties, Italy has been aggrievedly resisting the inflow of African migrants into its territory.

France is in the forefront of those who have come with serious criticism whenever Italy has used its iron fist against Africa migrants.

It is assumed that what the Italian minister has expressed is his government’s anger against France for its attempts to nullify all its efforts to use force against migrants.

Anyway, evidently, Paris is very irritated with the development. Actually, it is the reason that France has called up the Italian ambassador to express its dissatisfaction.

Vignesh. S. G
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