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Italy

Report: Rome Gunman Says He Wanted To Strike Politicians

CORRIERE DELLA SERA, LA REPUBBLICA, LA STAMPA (Italy)

Worldcrunch

ROME - A day after a dramatic shooting outside Italian government headquarters, one of the two injured Carabinieri police officers remains in critical condition Monday as Italy's entire political system attempts to begin its own recovery with a key confidence vote in Parliament.

Sunday morning's shooting coincided with the swearing in of the new Italian government, led by Prime Minister Enrico Letta, which on Monday was expecting to be confirmed by Parliament.

Corriere della Sera reported Monday that the man arrested outside of the Palazzo Chigi government headquarters, a 49-year-old unemployed Calabrian named Luigi Preiti, told investigators that he wanted to shoot politicians for failing to do enough to help the country. As he was unable to reach any politicians, he opened fire on the Carabinieri guarding the government buildings with the intention of committing suicide afterwards.

Carabinieri police officer Giuseppe Giangrande, 50, was shot in the neck during the shooting and doctors have expressed their worries about spinal cord damage, according to La Repubblica. Another officer was shot in the leg, causing a fracture, but it is not life threatening. A third victim was a pregnant woman who was only slightly hurt.

immagine del giorno? (homepage @repubblicait) #sparatoria #palazzoChigi twitter.com/claudioruss/st…

— Claudio Russo (@claudioruss) April 28, 2013

"Image of the day? (homepage @repubblicait) #shooting #Chigipalace"

These gunshots will change the tone of new Prime Minister Enrico Letta’s first speech to parliament on Monday afternoon, as he aims to rebuild a country that has been hit by the economic crisis. While he aims to reform policies, Letta must now take the social tension in the country into account, reports La Stampa.

Preiti was previously described as mentally unbalanced, however, Corriere della Sera writes that he has shown no signs of this and the attorneys will not ask for a psychiatric consultation. He is described as a desperate man, who is unemployed, separated, and as of a few months ago, unable to see his son.

The 46 year-old prime minister is well aware that he must give out strong signals from the beginning, and public opinion will be just as important as parliamentary following Sunday’s events.


President Napolitano and Prime Minister Letta. Photo via Enrico Letta's Facebook

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food / travel

Legalizing Moonshine, A Winning Political Stand In Poland

Moonshine, typically known as “bimber” in Poland, may soon be legalized by the incoming government. There is a mix of tradition, politics and economics that makes homemade booze a popular issue to campaign on.

Photo of an empty vodka bottle on the ground in Poland

Bottle of vodka laying on the ground in Poland

Leszek Kostrzewski

WARSAWIt's a question of freedom — and quality. Poland's incoming coalition government is busy negotiating a platform for the coming years. Though there is much that still divides the Left, the liberal-centrist Civic Koalition, and the centrist Third Way partners, there is one area where Poland’s new ruling coalition is nearly unanimous: moonshine.

The slogan for the legalization of moonshine (known in Poland as "bimber") was initially presented by Michał Kołodziejczak, the leader of Agrounia, a left-wing socialist political movement in Poland that has qualified to be part of the incoming Parliament.

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”Formerly so-called moonshine was an important element of our cultural landscape, associated with mystery, breaking norms, and freedom from the state," Kołodziejczak said. "It was a reason to be proud, just like the liqueurs that Poles were famous for in the past.”

The president of Agrounia considered the right to make moonshine as a symbol of "subjectivity" that farmers could enjoy, and admitted with regret that in recent years it had been taken away from citizens. “It's also about a certain kind of freedom, to do whatever you want on your farm," Kołodziejczak adds. "This is subjectivity for the farmer. Therefore, I am in favor of providing farmers with the freedom to consume this alcohol for their own use.”

A similar viewpoint was aired by another Parliament member. “We will stop pretending that Polish farmers do not produce moonshine for their own use, such as for weddings,” the representative said, pointing out the benefits of controlling the quality. “Just like they produce slivovitz, which Poland is famous for. It's high time they did it legally.”

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