Sowing controversy

ITALIAN Minister Francesco Lollobrigida has come under fire for his recent remarks on ethnic replacement in Italy.

The Minister for Agriculture, who is a close ally of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, suggested that Italians were at risk of being replaced by immigrants due to their low birth rates on Wednesday, April 19.

His comments have been condemned by opposition leader Elly Schlein, who compared them to fascist rhetoric. The phrase “ethnic replacement” has been associated with the farright conspiracy theory of the Great Replacement, which falsely claims that there is a plan to replace white people through increased immigration.

Italy’s low birth rate has been a concern of the right­wing government, with Meloni pledging to help Italians have more children.

However, critics argue that the government’s recent actions, such as stopping the registration of same­sex parents’ children and discussing the prosecution of couples who go abroad for surrogacy, reveal a troubling trend of discrimination.

While Meloni has not commented on Lollob­ rigida’s remarks, she has made similar comments in the past. Critics say recent events show the true colours of the governing coalition.

War criminal extradited

A MAN living in the UK has been extradited to Croatia accused of war crimes during the 1991 war. The news was announced on Wednesday, March 19, while the extradition took place on Wednesday, April 5.

Milenko Maric, a 63­year­old man living in Derby was arrested in connection with an International Arrest Warrant issued in 2001 for ‘crimes against humanity’ committed during the Balkans War. Maric, a Serbian national, is accused of being a member of a militia group that removed civilians of non­Serbian ethnic origin from the Baranya region of Croatia and assaulted them in August and September 1991. More than 100,000 people lost their lives during the Balkans War between 1991 and 1995.

BRITISH actress Rachel Warren on mega success, new releases, and the tough road to the top.

They say the course of true love never did run smooth, and as it turns out the course of mega successful careers isn’t that different either.

Despite its glamorous exterior, acting is one of the notoriously harshest of careers to make a name in, with a remarkable only 2 per cent of actors ever even making a living.

For those who do tread that path though ­ undeterred by the knock backs, the low pay and the often far­from­glamorous hoursthe payoff can often be something quite extraordinary.

Now 38 and about to star in not only a new Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde remake but also her own series, the actress and producer sat down with the Euro Weekly News to talk US success, the importance of backing yourself, and the long road to the top.

Originally from Buckinghamshire, Rachel told the EWN acting has been practically a lifelong passion: “At five I pointed at the TV screen and I said ‘mummy