ROME:- Nearly 200 journalists receive some kind of police protection in Italy, the government said on Wednesday, citing an "emerging phenomenon" of rightwing threats against news organisations. In a statement, Rome's interior ministry said there were at least 19 protection plans for journalists as well as 167 "vigilance measures", such as regular police rounds conducted in neighbourhoods where journalists live. The figures were published to mark the inauguration of a coordination centre aimed at tackling intimidation against journalists in a country where authorities are still battling the influence of organised criminal groups. –AFP