(1) ITALIAN NAVY EMBARKS ON AFGHAN MISSION SUNDAY
(2) RADICALS SEEK WOMAN AS POST-TALIBAN LEADER
(3) ITALIAN PREMIER ACCUSES PRESS OF MISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN
(4) OPPOSITION INDIGNANT OVER BERLUSCONI'S ATTACK ON PRESS
(5) NANNI MORETTI'S CANNES WINNER ELECTED OSCAR CANDIDATE
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(1) ITALIAN NAVY EMBARKS ON MISSION SUNDAY

Four warships of the Italian Navy will get underway at six o'clock in the 
evening next Sunday, from the port of Taranto in Italy's south. The squadron 
will join the forces of the "Enduring Freedom" mission. The aircraft carrier 
"Garibaldi" is the fleet's flagship, which carries eight fighter jets that 
can take off vertically, of the AV8B Plus-type. The flotilla also includes 
the missile launching antisubmarine frigate  "Zeffiro," the  patrol vessel 
"Avier" and the supply ship "Etna."
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(2) RADICALS SEEK WOMAN AS POST-TALIBAN LEADER

Radical party leader Emma Bonino proposed that the new government in 
Afghanistan be led by a woman. Italy's former delegate to the European Union 
said she was contacting members of the European parliament as well as the 
individual governments of the European Union to have her proposal included in 
the Union's formal position. 
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(3) ITALIAN PREMIER ACCUSES PRESS OF MISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN

In a joint press conference with Spain's prime minister Jose' Maria Aznar in 
Granada, premier Silvio Berlusconi lashed out against "a communist-type 
campaign of misinformation" mounted by the European and domestic press. 
Italy's prime minister said "I won't stand for this constant distortion of 
the truth much longer," confiding that he was thinking of making a tour to 
set things straight with certain newspapers that are "inspired by certain 
Italians." Mr. Berlusconi said that the massive bribery scandal of the 
early1990's, dubbed "Bribesville," was no less than a "civil war arranged by 
the Italian Communist Party." The premier's coalition partners, including 
Renato Schifani, the senate's Forza Italia leader, endorsed the statement of 
their center-right leader.
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(4) OPPOSITION INDIGNANT OVER BERLUSCONI'S ATTACK ON PRESS

The center-left opposition reacted with outrage over prime minister Silvio 
Berlusconi's statements made during a press conference, where he cited the 
"communist inspired" Italian press and characterized Operation Clean Hands as 
a "civil war." Spokespersons for the Margherita (Daisy) coalition said the 
verbal attack raised what he termed unprecedented concern because the prime 
minister's statement sounded more like that of "somebody who is trying to 
settle a score than a statesman who is in charge of a country's government." 
The  Verdi (Green party) called the demagoguery a power frenzy. Italian 
Communists commented that the nation's leader might first learn Italy's 
history more thoroughly and then begin to explain to the rest of Europe about 
the conflict of his business interests. The Italian Communist Party which was 
directly attacked  requested the intervention of the president of the 
Republic, Carlo Azegli Ciampi.
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(5) NANNI MORETTI'S CANNES WINNER ELECTED OSCAR CANDIDATE

The jury of Italy's highest cinema award, the "David di Donatello," selected 
Nanni Moretti's "The Son's Room" as Italy's official entry for the Oscars in 
the category of best foreign film. On February 12, 2002, the American Academy 
of Motion Pictures will announce the five foreign film Oscar nominations, 
culled from 50 foreign entries. Mr. Moretti, who, with his latest creation 
garnered the Cannes Film Festival's highest honor, the Palme d'Or, commented 
"this is just a small step. It is difficult to say what Americans would like 
about this film."