Around the World: Italy

Judge freezes CIA case

An Italian judge effectively froze yesterday the trial of US and Italian spies charged with kidnapping a terrorism suspect in Milan in 2003 and then flying him to Egypt, where he says he was tortured.

The trial of seven Italians and 26 Americans - the latter, all believed to be CIA agents, in absentia - is the first anywhere over the practice of "extraordinary rendition", whereby terrorism suspects are secretly transferred to third countries.