AMMAN, Dec 8 (KUNA) -- An Italian aircraft loaded with relief supplies arrived in Amman Saturday to help the Syrian refugees in Jordan.

The plane, the third in three months, is carrying 2,000 blankets, 100 thermal-insulated tents and eight generators with a value of 110,000 euros offered by the Italian government to help Jordan face growing demands of the Syrian refugees, especially in winter, official news agency (Petra) quoted the Italian ambassador, who was at the airport, as saying.

Following a second major earthquake in northern Italy, the Italian Red Cross, in close cooperation with civil protection authorities, has been hard at work undertaking relief and assistance work. Over 200 staff and volunteers swung into action following the magnitude 5.8 quake which struck this morning in Emilia Romagna.

As the operation continues, more people and transport from the Settimo Torinese and Verona emergency intervention centres are arriving and will work under the direction of local authorities.

by Giovanni Zambello and Lucrezia Martinelli

A magnitude-5.9 earthquake struck north-eastern Italy early in the morning of Sunday 20 May, killing at least seven people, injuring 50 and toppling several buildings. The quake struck at 4:04 am between Modena and Mantua, about 35 kilometres north-northwest of Bologna at a relatively shallow depth of five kilometres. The epicentre was between the towns of Finale Emilia, San Felice sul Panaro and Sermide, but was felt as far away as Tuscany and northern Alto Adige.

05/21/2012 19:17 GMT

by Dario Thuburn

Finale Emilia, Italy, May 21, 2012 (AFP) - Thousands of people prepared to spend a second night sheltering in cars and tent cities in northeast Italy Monday after a strong earthquake killed six people and caused massive damage.

Sunday's 6.0-magnitude quake reduced homes and historic buildings to rubble in sparsely populated countryside around the city of Ferrara, Italy's industrial heartland but also home to priceless architectural treasures.

IOM in Haradh on the Yemen-Saudi Arabia border yesterday took delivery of a consignment of essential medicines and medical supplies donated by the Italian government aid agency - Cooperazione Italiana.

The consignment was part of a 35-tonne Italian donation of medicine, high energy biscuits and blankets destined for conflict-displaced people and stranded migrants in Yemen, which included three supplementary health kits - each designed to treat a population of 10,000 people for three months.

Fortaleciendo las acciones que en gestión para la reducción de riesgo a los desastres realiza la Coordinadora Municipal para la Reducción de Desastres – COMRED- de Guatemala, el martes 10 de abril el Programa de Emergencias Riesgo Ambiental y Nutricional –RAN- de la Embajada de Italia en Guatemala realizó la entrega de un albergue temporal que se construyó en la zona 6 de la Ciudad Capital que servirá para brindar resguardo a la población que resulte afectada por incidentes y que forma parte de la preparación ante la próxima temporada de lluvias 2012.

By Giovanni Zambello

The plight of thousands of people continues in Europe where forecasters say that icy conditions are unlikely to improve before the end of this week. In the last 11 days, several Red Cross societies have been in a race against time to reduce the impact of the extreme cold. Estimates so far suggest 389 have died, and official sources say the winter has been the most brutal in decades.

Summary

This bulletin is being issued for information only, and reflects the current situation and details available at this time.

The Italian Red Cross, with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), has determined that external assistance is not required, and is therefore not seeking funding or other assistance from donors at this time.

In the last 10 days, severe flooding has hit the regions of Liguria and Tuscany, in the north-western part of Italy, killing at least 16 people.