Last Minute Portal

By Stephen Brown

ROME (Reuters) - Two brutal attacks on foreign tourists in Italy this weekend have put the ruling centre right on the defensive about the effectiveness of its crackdown on crime, which has included mobilizing the military.

A 52-year-old Dutch woman was raped and badly beaten on Friday night after she and her husband, who were cycling in Italy, set up tent at an abandoned farmhouse on the outskirts of Rome in an area Mayor Gianni Alemanno called "Godforsaken".

Two Romanian men were arrested, which will reinforce the view held by many Italians that immigrants from Eastern Europe are responsible for a disproportionate number of violent crimes.