ITALY: The Italian prime minister acknowledges that security for the Winter Olympics in Turin has been tightened in the wake of the recent widespread Muslim rage prompted by satirical representations of the Prophet Muhammad.
Speaking on Italian radio yesterday, Silvio Berlusconi said: "We've taken on board that there's an extra danger out there and our attention will be that bit sharper."
In recent months, minister for the interior Giuseppe Pisanu has warned that the Turin Olympics, which start on Friday and run to February 26th, could well become a terrorist target.
In an effort to guarantee the safety of the 2,500 athletes, 11,000 journalists and one million visitors expected to attend the games, Italy has mounted a vast €89.5 million security operation.
Nato airborne warning and control system aircraft will scan the skies, 300 snipers on skis will patrol the slopes, bomb-sniffing dogs will check spectators, while a 9,000-strong police force will be on hand.
Among the VIPs expected to attend Friday's opening ceremony are Laura Bush, Cherie Blair, King Juan Carlos of Spain and Italian president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.
While initial security concerns were focused on the eventuality of an Islamic terrorist threat, the games could yet be disturbed by a protest from much nearer home.
There is concern that residents from the mountain communities of the alpine Valle di Susa, outside Turin, may attempt to disrupt Olympic events by way of protest at a planned high-speed, Turin to Lyon train link which they claim will do serious environmental damage.
The anti-fast train lobby last Sunday blocked the Olympic flame as it passed through a village in the Valle di Susa on its way to Turin, forcing the Olympic caravan to change route.
On two earlier occasions, the Olympic flame had featured in protests with anti-globalisation protesters holding it up for an hour in Genoa in December, while two weeks ago, anarchists in Trento actually commandeered the flame for a few moments.
Perhaps with these incidents in mind, President Ciampi yesterday said that he was sure Italians would honour the spirit of the Olympic Truce, adding that the success of the Olympics was "of major importance both for the region of Piedmont and for Italy".