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Nicole Winfield

Francesco Schettino the captain of the luxury cruiser Costa Concordia , which ran aground off Italy's Tuscan coast speaks during a TV interview in Porto Santo Stefano Italy Saturday Jan. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/MediaSat, via APTN )

Cruise ship captain pleaded not to reboard ship

Colleen Barry, Nicole Winfield The Associated Press

Last updated Tuesday, January 17, 2012 - 11:42am

ROME -- Five more bodies were pulled Tuesday out of the crippled cruise ship off Tuscany, and a shocking audio emerged in which the ship's captain was heard making excuses as the Italian coast guard repeatedly ordered him to return and oversee the ship's evacuation.

Prosecutors have accused Capt. Francesco Schettino of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning his ship before all passengers were evacuated during the grounding of the Costa Concordia cruise ship Friday night.

Audiotape, Costa Concordia, Cruise ship, Sinking, International Read more Comments

The cruise ship Costa Concordia leans on its side Monday, Jan.16, 2012, after running aground near the tiny Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, last Friday. The rescue operation was called off mid-afternoon Monday after the Costa Concordia shifted a few inches (centimeters) in rough seas. The fear is that if the ship shifts significantly, some 500,000 gallons of fuel may begin to leak. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Environmental fears mount in Italian cruise wreck

Frances D'Emilio, Nicole Winfield The Associated Press

Last updated Monday, January 16, 2012 - 5:25pm

ROME -- Italy's cruise liner tragedy turned into an environmental crisis Monday, as rough seas battering the stricken mega-ship raised fears that fuel might leak into pristine waters off Tuscany that are part of a protected sanctuary for dolphins, porpoises and whales.

The ship's jailed captain, meanwhile, lost the support of the vessel's Italian owner as he battled prosecutors' claims that he caused the deadly wreck that killed at least six and left 29 missing.

Cruise ship, Ocean, Sinking, Environmental concerns, International Read more Comments

The luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia lays on its side after running aground the tiny Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012. A luxury cruise ship ran aground off the coast of Tuscany, sending water pouring in through a 160-foot (50-meter) gash in the hull and forcing the evacuation of some 4,200 people from the listing vessel early Saturday, the Italian coast guard said. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Night of chaos, fear after cruise ship ran aground

Frances D’emilio, Nicole Winfield The Associated Press

Last updated Saturday, January 14, 2012 - 5:02pm

PORTO SANTO STEFANO, Italy — The first course had just been served in the Costa Concordia’s dining room when the wine glasses, forks and plates of cuttlefish and mushrooms smashed to the ground. At the magic show in the theater, the trash cans tipped over and the theater curtains turned on their side. Then the hallways turned upside down, and passengers crawled on bruised knees through the dark. Others jumped alone into the cold Mediterranean Sea.

Cruise ship, Sinking, Accident, International Read more Comments

(The Associated Press) The luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia leans on its side after running aground in the tiny Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012. The luxury cruise ship ran aground off the coast of Tuscany, sending water pouring in through a 160-foot gash in the hull and forcing the evacuation of some 4,200 people from the listing vessel early Saturday, the Italian coast guard said.

Cruise ship runs aground off Italy; 3 bodies found, 69 missing

Frances D'Emilo, Nicole Winfield The Associated Press

Last updated Sunday, January 15, 2012 - 9:40am

PORTO SANTO STEFANO, Italy -- Survivors from a luxury cruise ship that ran aground and tipped over, leaving at least three dead and 69 people still unaccounted for, described Saturday a chaotic evacuation, as plates and glasses crashed and they crawled along upended hallways trying to reach safety.

Cruise ship, Italy, Ocean, Ship aground, Tourists, Accident, Featured, International Read more Comments

(ANDREW MEDICHINI/The Associated Press) In this Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2004 file photo, Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi waves from a balcony of Rome’s Campidoglio City Hall overlooking the Roman Forum, where the EU Constitution was signed by the representatives of 25 countries on Oct. 29, 2004. Premier Silvio Berlusconi resigned in Rome, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011, after the Parliament’s lower chamber passed European-demanded reforms, ending a 17-year political era and setting in motion a transition aimed at bringing Italy back from the brink of economic crisis. The 75-year-old billionaire media mogul, who came to power for the first time in 1994 using a soccer chant “Go Italy” as the name of his political party, became Italy’s longest-serving post-war premier.

End of an era: Italy’s Berlusconi resigns

Nicole Winfield The Associated Press

Last updated Saturday, November 12, 2011 - 4:51pm

ROME — Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi resigned Saturday after parliament’s lower chamber passed European-demanded reforms, ending a 17-year political era and setting in motion a transition aimed at bringing the country back from the brink of economic crisis.

Finance, Italy, Silvio Berlusconi, International Read more Comments

Mario Monti stands at the beginning of a voting session on economic reform measures demanded by the European Union, that should pave the way for Premier Silvio Berlusconi to leave office in a matter of days, at the Senate in Rome, Friday, Nov. 11, 2011. The prospect of a transitional government headed by respected non-partisan economist Mario Monti calmed markets for a second day, with Italy's 10-year borrowing rate down a further 0.21 percentage point to 6.59 percent. Shares were buoyant too, with the Milan stock index was up 1.7 percent in early trading at 15,477. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

Italian Senate approves economic reform bill

Nicole Winfield The Associated Press

Last updated Friday, November 11, 2011 - 11:56am

ROME -- Italy's Senate approved crucial economic reforms demanded by the European Union on Friday, the first step in paving the way for Premier Silvio Berlusconi to resign as early as this weekend and a transitional government to be formed.

Economy, Italy, International Read more Comments

(ROBERTO MONALDO/The Associated Press) Italian Premier Silvio Berlusoni waves to journalists as he leaves the Quirinale, Presidential palace, after meeting with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, in Rome, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011. Berlusconi says his decision to resign after parliament passed economic reforms is for the good of the country, and to settle financial markets that have lost confidence in Italy’s ability to rein in debt and spur growth.

Markets punish Italy to make sure Berlusconi goes

Colleen Barry, Nicole Winfield The Associated Press

Last updated Wednesday, November 9, 2011 - 9:01am

ROME — Financial markets pounded Italy on Wednesday, sending a clear message that they want Premier Silvio Berlusconi out immediately despite his plan to stick around a little longer.

Business, Economy, Global Economy, Italy, Resignation, Silvio Berlusconi, Stock Market, International Read more Comments

Blasts rock 2 embassies in Rome

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press

Last updated Thursday, December 23, 2010 - 10:25am

ROME -- Package bombs exploded at the Swiss and Chilean embassies in Rome on Thursday, injuring the two people who opened them, officials said. Police ordered checks at all embassies after a false alarm was also reported at the Ukrainian embassy.

No one immediately claimed responsibility, but authorities appeared to discout domestic anarchists or protesters.

Bombing, Italy, Terrorism, International Read more Comments

(The Associated Press) Catacomb archeological superintendent Fabrizio Bisconti points out a painting discovered with the earliest known icons of the Apostles Peter and Paul in a catacomb located under a modern office building in a residential neighborhood of Rome on Tuesday.

Lasers uncover first icons of Sts. Peter and Paul

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press

Last updated Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 7:50pm

ROME -- Twenty-first century laser technology has opened a window into the early days of the Catholic Church, guiding researchers through the dank, musty catacombs beneath Rome to a startling find: the first known icons of the apostles Peter and Paul.

Archaeology, Religion, Technology, History, International Read more Comments

(The Associated Press) St. Peter's Basilica during a youth meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter's square, at the Vatican last month. On Monday the Vatican made it clear for the first time that bishops and other high-ranking clergy should report clerical sex abuse to police.

Vatican to bishops: follow law, report sex abuse

Nicole Winfield The Associated Press

Last updated Monday, April 12, 2010 - 7:37pm

VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican on Monday responded to allegations it long concealed clerical sex abuse by making it clear for the first time that bishops and clerics worldwide should report such crimes to police if they are required to by law.

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(The Associated Press) Pope Benedict XVI handles a staff with crucifix during a memorial Mass at St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, to mark the fifth anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II, Monday.

Vatican offers 3 reasons it's not liable for abuse

Nicole Winfield The Associated Press

Last updated Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - 8:07pm

VATICAN CITY -- Dragged deeper than ever into the clerical sex abuse scandal, the Vatican is launching a legal defense that it hopes will shield the pope from a lawsuit in Kentucky seeking to have him answer attorneys' questions under oath.

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(The Associated Press) Pope Benedict XVI is escorted by Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi (right) as he leaves for his pastoral trip to the Czech Republic from Ciampino Military airport, near Rome last September.

Sex abuse scandal in US, Italy taints papacy

Nicole Winfield The Associated Press

Last updated Thursday, March 25, 2010 - 5:12pm

INTERACTIVE: Church Abuse Timeline

VATICAN CITY -- Revelations that the Vatican halted the investigation of a Wisconsin priest accused of molesting some 200 deaf boys have eerie echoes in Italy, where 67 deaf men and women accused two dozen priests of raping and molesting children for years.

Religion, International Read more Comments