Italy recalls ambassador to India over charges against marines

Italy on Friday recalled its ambassador to India to protest the decision by Indian authorities to press murder charges against two Italian marines accused of shooting dead two Indian fisherman in February, dpa reported. Ambassador Giacomo Sanfelice had been summoned to Rome for consultations with the government, the Italian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The decision stems from "the situation in (the Indian state of) Kerala and the charges against the two Italian soldiers Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone," the statement said. Earlier Indian media reported that police, in documents submitted to a court in the city of Kollam in Kerala, had listed four charges, including murder and attempted murder, against the two Italians. Friday's developments follow months of tension between Rome and New Delhi over the detention of the two marines who apparently shot Valentine, 48, and Ajeesh Pink, after mistaking them for pirates.