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☆ Almost 400,000 deaths in Europe in 2021 attributable to filthy air -EU report
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Pollution from nitrogen dioxide (NO2), most harmful to people with diabetes, resulted in 52,000 deaths and short-term ozone (O3) exposure led to 22,000 deaths. Including a larger set of European countries outside the EU, there were 389,000 pollutant-related deaths in Europe, the EEA said in its report for 2021, released on Friday. "Air pollutant concentrations in 2021 remained well above the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its air quality guidelines," the EEA said in the report. "Reducing air pollution to these guideline levels would prevent a significant number of attributable deaths in EU member states." NO2 and short-term O3 exposure had the biggest impact on deaths in Turkey, Italy and Germany, according to the report.

Persons: Flavio Lo Scalzo, Piotr Lipinski, Susan Fenton Organizations: Allianz, REUTERS, Rights, World Health, European Environment Agency, European Union, World Health Organization, WHO, Thomson Locations: Milan, Italy, Rights BRUSSELS, Europe, PM2.5, Poland, Germany, Iceland, Scandinavia, Estonia, Turkey

☆ Mediobanca CEO and allies keep grip on bank after shareholder vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Gianluca Semeraro | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Mediobanca CEO Alberto Nagel poses for a photograph in the occasion of a news conference to present Mediobanca's new business plan in Milan, Italy, November 12, 2019. Under Nagel, Mediobanca has moved away from its historic role as a financial holding company and boosted its wealth management and consumer credit operations, also through acquisitions. But his strategy had come in for criticism, initially from the late Leonardo Del Vecchio, whose holding company Delfin has a 19.7% stake in Mediobanca. The Delfin list took 32% of the total capital in the vote. A small group of institutional investors who had filed a third list took the remaining seat.

Persons: Alberto Nagel, Flavio Lo Scalzo, Delfin, Nagel, Pagliaro, Mediobanca, Leonardo Del Vecchio, Renato Pagliaro, Del Vecchio's, Francesco Milleri, Delfin's, Gianluca Semeraro, Keith Weir Organizations: REUTERS, Companies, MILAN, Thomson Locations: Milan, Italy, Mediobanca, Generali

☆ Mediobanca posts record profit ahead of vote on new board
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A logo of Mediobanca is pictured at Mediobanca headquarters in Milan, Italy, November 12, 2019. REUTERS/Flavio Lo Scalzo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Mediobanca (MDBI.MI) posted its best-ever quarterly profit on Thursday, ahead of a key shareholder vote to name the Italian bank's new board and hand Chief Executive Alberto Nagel a new three-year mandate. Net profit rose 34% year-on-year to 351 million euros ($370 million) in the three months through September, beating a bank-provided analyst consensus of 315 million euros, thanks to contributions from wealth management and insurance. Del Vecchio, who died last year at the age of 87, had criticised Nagel for failing to grow the investment bank's business decisively and hampering expansion at insurer Generali (GASI.MI), in which Mediobanca is the main shareholder. ($1 = 0.9489 euros)Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro; editing by Alvise Armellini and Valentina ZaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Flavio Lo Scalzo, Alberto Nagel, Revenues, Mediobanca, Delfin, Leonardo Del Vecchio, Del Vecchio, Nagel, Gianluca Semeraro, Alvise Armellini, Valentina Za Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Milan, Italy, Italian, Del

☆ Ferrari to accept crypto as payment for its cars in the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Giulio Piovaccari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Patchy regulation and high energy usage have also prevented the spread of crypto as a means of payment. These include electric carmaker Tesla (TSLA.O), which in 2021 began to accept payment in bitcoin, the biggest crypto coin, before CEO Elon Musk halted it because of environmental concerns. Ferrari shipped more than 1,800 cars to its Americas region, which includes the U.S., in the first half of this year. Galliera did not say how many cars Ferrari expected to sell through crypto. "Prices will not change, no fees, no surcharges if you pay through cryptocurrencies," Galliera said.

Persons: Benedetto Vigna, Flavio Lo Scalzo, Elon Musk, Enrico Galliera, Reuters cryptocurrencies, Ferrari, Galliera, Bitpay, Giulio Piovaccari, Tom Wilson, Louise Heavens Organizations: Ferrari, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Maranello, Italy, cryptocurrency, U.S, Europe, bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, East, Africa, China, Milan, London

In mid-2020 Rome secured the lion's share of a 724-billion-euro kitty aimed at helping EU members emerge from COVID greener and more tech-friendly. Italy's 191.5 billion euros ($210 billion) of cheap loans and grants, to be received in tranches through 2026, was intended for productive investments in the bloc's most chronically stagnant economy. MICRO-PROJECTSMore than half the EU money is meant to go on digitalisation and ecological transition, with the rest devoted to sustainable transport, education, social cohesion and health. The government is still awaiting a 19-billion-euro tranche of the EU funds blocked in March over missed policy targets stemming from 2022. It brings Italy's byzantine rules closer to EU standards, but Gobbato said people will initially find it hard to adapt.

Persons: Flavio Lo Scalzo, Rome, Roberto Perotti, Giorgia Meloni, Mario Draghi, Giuseppe Conte, Carlo Messina, Intesa, Vittorio Soldavini, Davide Carlucci, It's, Gustavo Piga, Rome's, Ilaria, Dentons, Gobbato, Catherine Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Milan's Bocconi University, Treasury, European Central Bank, Technology, Tor Vergata University, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Milan, Italy, ROME, MILAN, tranches, Brussels, Italy's, Italian, Parma

☆ Italy rules Pirelli's Chinese top investor cannot choose CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Pirelli CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera attends a theatrical performance on the occasion of the 150th anniversary celebration of Italian tyremaker in Milan, Italy, January 28, 2022. Rome's move came after Sinochem notified the Italian government in March of plans to renew and update an existing shareholder pact with fellow investor Camfin, the vehicle of Pirelli's CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera. Rome also ruled Sinochem should pick no more than eight members of Pirelli's 15-strong board, leaving four to Camfin. Pirelli shareholders vote to pick a new board on July 31, with current deputy CEO Giorgio Bruno set to replace Tronchetti Provera, who would stay on as executive vice-chairman. Analysts see the move as an initial step to build an alternative and stable group of Italian shareholders for the company.

Persons: Marco Tronchetti Provera, Flavio Lo Scalzo, China's, tyremaker Pirelli, Rome's, Sinochem, Camfin, Giorgia, Tronchetti Provera, Pirelli's, Giorgio Bruno, Giuseppe Fonte, Valentina Za, Giulio Piovaccari, Louise Heavens Organizations: Pirelli, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Milan, Italy, China, Rome, Camfim

☆ Italy's La Scala to open new season with Verdi classic
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Sara Rossi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People watch a live broadcast of Modest Musorgskij's opera "Boris Godunov" on a giant screen at the Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery during La Scala Opera House's gala season opener in Milan, Italy, December 7, 2022. The opening night of the La Scala season has become a highlight of the calendar for the country's business and political elite, coinciding with the city's Feast of St. Ambrose holiday. Verdi's works have been performed at La Scala since 1839 and the choice of a historical work by a local favourite is likely to prove less contentious on Dec. 7. La Scala last year mitigated the impact by cutting consumption of gas and electricity by 22% and around 15% respectively, its artistic director Dominque Meyer said on Monday. In its new season, La Scala will host 14 operas, seven ballets, as well as concerts featuring Italian conductor Riccardo Muti, Briton Daniel Harding and Russian-born Kirill Petrenko.

☆ Italy's Enel to invest more than $1 bln in Oklahoma solar panel factory
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A logo of Italian multinational energy company Enel is seen at the Milan's headquarters, Italy, February 5, 2020. The facility will be among the largest to produce solar equipment in the United States, where most projects are built with imported panels. It is also one of the first U.S. factories to produce silicon-based solar cells on a large scale. The investment is one of the biggest in solar manufacturing since the passage of U.S. President Joe Biden's landmark climate change law, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), last year. Enel, which had first said last year it planned to build a U.S. solar factory, selected a site in Inola, Oklahoma, near Tulsa.

☆ Italy agrees to transfer suspect in EU graft scandal to Belgium
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Emilio Parodi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Flavio Lo ScalzoBRESCIA, Italy, Dec 19 (Reuters) - An Italian court on Monday agreed to hand over to Belgian authorities a woman suspected of involvement in a Qatar graft scandal that has rocked the European Parliament. Angelo De Riso, a lawyer for Panzeri's wife and daughter, confirmed the decision to reporters outside the court. Qatar reiterated on Sunday that it had no involvement in the EU corruption scandal. A hearing to decide on the handover of Panzeri's daughter will take place on Tuesday before the same Brescia court. Two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters Giorgi confessed to his role in the graft scandal.

☆ Analysis: Italy's cash payments U-turn is all gain, no pain
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Italy is scrapping from the draft budget a provision on retailers who refuse card payments that limits fines to transactions worth more than 60 euros ($64). A one percentage point increase in the use of cash leads to a 0.8-1.8 percentage point rise in undeclared value added tax (VAT), Italy's central bank found. "The government's U-turn on card payments marks a victory for consumers and the country," Italian consumer group Unione Nazionale Consumatori President Massimiliano Dona said. Nearly 73% of respondents in a 2022 survey by The European House-Ambrosetti's Cashless Society wished to reduce cash payments to improve speed and security, up from 60% in 2020. To defend the plan, the government has criticised the cost of digital payments saying cafe owners can hardly accept cards for 1.1 euro a cup espressos.

☆ Italy waters down plan to promote cash payments after EU criticism
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME (Reuters) - Italy will scrap part of its plans to facilitate cash payments for goods and services after criticism from European Union authorities, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said on Sunday. FILE PHOTO: A man uses cash to pay for items while shopping in Milan, Italy, October 2, 2020. Critics say cash payments encourage tax dodgers in a country where around 100 billion euros in taxes and social contributions are evaded every year, according to Treasury data. Despite the latest developments, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who took office in October, continues to be more indulgent towards cash than her predecessors. Her first budget, which must be approved by parliament before year-end, raises a limit on cash payments to 5,000 euros from next year, up from a previous ceiling of 1,000 euros.

☆ An unexpected force may be speeding up glacier melt across the globe: colorful algae blooms
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Now he sees bright pink and red algae blooms every year. Dr. Matt DaveyScientists like Maréchal think these algae blooms are getting larger and more frequent as rising global temperatures melt glaciers worldwide. Glacier algae seems to be booming, but scientists have a lot to learnResearcher Matt Davey samples snow algae at Lagoon Island, Antarctica. Ice algae and snow algae are different types of microorganisms, and different fields of study, but they both affect glaciers. A strip of "blood snow" filled with red algae cuts across a dark bloom of purple algae in Greenland.

☆ Protests held as Italy's La Scala opens season with Russian opera
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Sara Rossi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Demonstrators holding Ukrainian flags and signs protest outside of La Scala opera house, ahead of its 2022-23 season opening night performance of "Boris Godunov," a Russian-composed opera performed by Russian artists, in Milan, Italy, December 7, 2022. REUTERS/Flavio Lo ScalzoMILAN, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Milan's La Scala theatre opened its 2022-2023 opera season on Wednesday with a gala performance of the Russian work "Boris Godunov" as protesters against the Ukrainian war demonstrated outside the venue. "We have nothing against the Russian people, against Russian history, against Russian culture," Meloni told reporters before the performance. She questioned why La Scala had not changed its programme over the nine months since the war began. Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov took the lead role as Godunov while Russian soprano Anna Denisova was Kseniya, his daughter.

☆ Anti-war protesters in Italy denounce La Scala for staging Russian opera
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Sara Rossi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Demonstrators holding Ukrainian flags and signs protest outside of La Scala opera house, ahead of its 2022-23 season opening night performance of "Boris Godunov," a Russian-composed opera performed by Russian artists, in Milan, Italy, December 7, 2022. REUTERS/Flavio Lo ScalzoMILAN, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Anti-war protesters demonstrated outside Milan's La Scala theatre on Wednesday before it opened its 2022-2023 opera season with a gala performance of the Russian work "Boris Godunov". Around 20 people waved the Ukrainian flag and held up placards denouncing Russian President Vladimir Putin for the invasion of Ukraine in February. She questioned why La Scala had not changed its programme over the nine months since the war began. La Scala artistic director Dominique Meyer last month defended its decision to stage the work, written by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in the 19th century, after protests from Ukrainian exile groups.

☆ Italian photo master Barbieri's fashion works on exhibit in Milan
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Federico Maccioni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/11] A photo that portrays Czech-Italian model Eva Herzigova is seen at the exhibition "Unconventional”, a selection of unseen colour photographs by Italian fashion photographer Gian Paolo Barbieri, is seen in Milan, Italy, November 28, 2022. REUTERS/Flavio Lo ScalzoMILAN, Nov 28 (Reuters) - From exotic and colourful settings for Vogue Italia to model Eva Herzigova eating spaghetti, a new Milan exhibition looks at the previously undisplayed work of acclaimed Italian fashion photographer Gian Paolo Barbieri. Previously unseen works are also on display. Barbieri came to the fore of international fashion photography in the 1960s. "(Today) we see Gian Paolo in colours" and "it is beautiful to have such an artist still expressing his point of view today in Italy," added Italian Fashion Chamber President Carlo Capasa.

☆ Climate protesters are chucking food at priceless paintings. A social movements expert says these tactics only convince people who already think climate change is serious.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A string of climate protests this year involved throwing food at famous pieces of art. But disruptive tactics won't sway those who aren't already concerned about climate change, a sociologist told Insider. "What I've found is that these tactics are likely to be viewed as positive by people who already believe that climate change is a serious social problem," Dylan Bugden, a sociologist at Washington State University who studies global climate change protests, told Insider. In Bugden's research, he's found disruptive and confrontational tactics aren't effective on people who are not already concerned about climate change. Tomato soup on van Gogh's 'Sunflowers'The van Gogh painting was unharmed due to protective glass, in October.

☆ Blow for EU crackdown on tax deals as Fiat wins appeal
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] New Fiat Panda and Fiat 500 mild-hybrid cars are seen in piazza Maggiore, in Bologna, Italy, February 4, 2020. REUTERS/Flavio Lo ScalzoLUXEMBOURG, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Fiat Chrysler on Tuesday won its fight against an EU order to pay 30 million euros ($30 million) in back taxes to Luxembourg, dealing a major setback to EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager's crackdown on sweetheart deals between EU countries and multinationals. In her 2015 decision, Vestager said Luxembourg had granted Fiat Chrysler, now part of Stellantis (STLA.MI), an unfair tax advantage by endorsing artificial and complex methods that artificially lowered the company's taxes. Judges faulted the EU competition watchdog for its analysis of the reference system used to determine whether Luxembourg had given a selective advantage to Fiat. Vestager's high profile cases include her record 13-billion-euro tax order for Apple (AAPL.O) and Amazon's (AMZN.O) Luxembourg deal.

☆ Director Tim Burton on 'Wednesday': 'I felt it was written for me'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Alex Fraser | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LUCCA, Italy, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Filmmaker Tim Burton steps into the macabre and supernatural world of the Addams Family with new series "Wednesday". "I feel like it was written for me because...I felt like I was her as a boy in school," Burton told Reuters at the Lucca Comics and Games pop culture festival in Italy. "That feeling about family, school, technology, therapy, it just spoke to me...so it was very easy to identify with all of that. The Addams Family has been done very well in different ways. [1/4] Film director Tim Burton attends a news conference during the Lucca Comics and Games for the premiere of Netflix's new series 'Wednesday' in Lucca, Italy, October 31, 2022.

☆ Monza player Mari stabbed in supermarket attack
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] View of the supermarket at a shopping center where several people were injured, including Monza's football player Pablo Mari, after a stabbing incident in Assago, near Milan, Italy October 27, 2022. REUTERS/Flavio Lo ScalzoMILAN, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Monza soccer player Pablo Mari has been stabbed along with at least four other people in a shopping mall in the town of Assago outside Milan, news agency ANSA reported on Thursday. The BBC said a 46-year-old suspect has been detained and the motive for the attack in a supermarket was not clear. "Pablo Mari had a fairly deep wound on his back, which fortunately did not touch his vital organs such as the lungs or others. The 29-year-old Spanish centre back Mari is on loan at Serie A club Monza from Arsenal.

The logo of Ferrari is seen in the headquarters as CEO Benedetto Vigna unveils the company's new long term strategy, in Maranello, Italy, June 15, 2022. They cover almost 70,000 workers in Italy, two thirds of them at the former Fiat-Chrysler, which last year merged with France's PSA to create Stellantis, whose brands also include Peugeot and Jeep. Spokespeople for Stellantis and Iveco said they would not make any comment until unions have filed a formal request, in coming days or weeks. The Agnelli family's holding company Exor (EXOR.AS) is a major shareholder in carmakers Stellantis and Ferrari, truckmaker Iveco and agricultural and construction machine maker CNH Industrial. This is separate from a national contract for workers in other parts of the metal and mechanical sector.

☆ Italy election set to crown Meloni head of most right-wing govt since WW2
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, speaks during a rally in Duomo square ahead of the Sept. 25 snap election, in Milan, Italy, September 11, 2022. "There is this idea in Italy that we have tried everyone else, so let's try her now," said Wolfango Piccoli, the co-president of political risk consultancy Teneo. But on the campaign trail she has been careful not to alienate those core supporters who associate with the far-right. Voting runs on Sunday from 7.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. (0500-2100 GMT), with full results due by Monday morning. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Crispian Balmer Editing by Raissa KasolowskyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy’s first female leader, Amazon’s monopoly: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, speaks during a rally in Duomo square ahead of the Sept. 25 snap election, in Milan, Italy, September 11, 2022. REUTERS/Flavio Lo ScalzoLONDON, Sept 22 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Far-right leader Giorgia Meloni is favourite to become prime minister after Sunday’s election. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists debate how she will handle Rome’s debt, which is expected to reach 148% of GDP. Listen to the podcastFollow @aimeedonnellan on TwitterRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterEditing by Sharon Lam and Oliver TaslicOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Italy's conservative alliance in lockstep, ready to govern, says Meloni
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Meloni's party, Brothers of Italy, is widely expected to top the polls on Sunday, making her the frontrunner to be Italy's next prime minister. Opponents say her conservative alliance, which also includes Matteo Salvini's League and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia, will struggle to stay united after divisions emerged during campaigning over energy and foreign policy. Amongst the major policies on which there was already a broad consensus were implementing tax cuts and preventing illegal immigration into Italy, Meloni said. Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, speaks during a rally in Duomo square ahead of the Sept. 25 snap election, in Milan, Italy, September 11, 2022. REUTERS/Flavio Lo Scalzo/Speaking in a separate interview, League leader Salvini said he thought it would take one-and-a-half months for the next government to take office, adding that, if the right won, its first priority would be to lower the pension age.

☆ Italy's right-wing bloc set for election win: five questions for markets
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Giorgia Meloni, leader of the nationalist Brothers of Italy, is seen as frontrunner to become Italy's first female prime minister. read moreThe absence of anti-euro rhetoric seen in the 2018 election has reassured investors, for now. At around 225 basis points, the closely watched gap between 10-year Italian and German bond yields has been relatively stable . That would cause some angst since the constitution protects issues related to Italy's EU membership. read moreReuters Graphics2/ Could Italy's EU funding plan be modified?

☆ How Italy could tip into a tailspin
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, speaks during a rally in Duomo square ahead of the Sept. 25 snap election, in Milan, Italy, September 11, 2022. Italy will probably muddle through under Meloni, the leader of the Brothers of Italy, which opinion polls suggest will be the largest party after this Sunday’s election. Nobody wants Italy to go into a tailspin and drag down countries such as France and Spain, which also have high levels of sovereign debt. She might think the EU would still keep financial support flowing to Italy as it wouldn’t have the guts for a confrontation. But if the ECB then refused to buy Italian debt, and if neither side blinked, there would be a blow-up.

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