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☆ Spain's Lopez appointed tournament director for Davis Cup Finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 15 (Reuters) - Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez, who will retire this season after 25 years on the ATP Tour, was appointed tournament director of the Davis Cup Finals on Thursday. Lopez, who has been the Madrid Open's tournament director since 2019, is a four-time Davis Cup champion and reached a career-high ranking of world number 12. "I've been doing this for the last four years with Madrid and in the beginning it was a big challenge for me," Lopez told Reuters. "No more tennis, and I can focus on the Davis Cup." Sixteen teams will compete in the Finals group stage from Sept. 12-17 across Manchester, Bologna, Valencia and Croatia.

Persons: Feliciano Lopez, Lopez, David Ferrer, I've, Lopez's, Rafa Nadal, Nadal, Rafa, Hritika Sharma, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: ATP, Davis, Madrid Open's, Reuters, Queen's, Mallorca, Wimbledon, Thomson Locations: Spanish, Madrid, Stuttgart, Manchester, Bologna, Valencia, Croatia, Malaga, Hyderabad

☆ Italy is a bargain for vacationing Americans. Not so much for Italians
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Rimini, Italy. The Jersey Shore, but not Unlike Americans, Italians do not just plunk down their beach bag and dive in the ocean. A bargain for Americans, but not for Italians Italy is heavily reliant on tourism. For Americans, Europe in general but the smaller cities of Italy in particular are a great value. It's a bargain for Americans but, for most Italians, even those prices are out of reach.

Persons: Federico Fellini, Vita, It's, Fellini, He's, That's Organizations: Istock, Getty, Ferraris, cabana, Business, Tourists, gondoliers, OECD, European Union Locations: Rimini, Italy, RIMINI, ITALY, Jersey Shore, Ancona, Emilia, Romagna, Europe, Parma, Modena, Bologna, Ravenna, Jersey, Cattolica, Adriatic, Croatia, Albania, Venice, St

The Vatican announced his visit, which many observers see as an uphill effort, in a short statement. It said the main purpose was "to listen carefully to Ukrainian authorities on the possible ways to reach a just peace and support humanitarian gestures that may help ease tensions". At the meeting in May, Zelenskiy asked the pope to back Kyiv's peace plan, which Zelenskiy has repeatedly said is not open to negotiation. "There can be no equality between the victim and the aggressor," Zelenskiy said after his May 13 meeting with the pope. Zuppi hails from the Sant' Egidio Community, a Rome-based peace and justice group which has been instrumental in several peace negotiations, particularly in Africa.

Persons: Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Pope Francis, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Vladimir Putin, Zuppi, Sant, Philip Pullella, Nick Macfie Organizations: CITY, Vatican, Italian Bishops Conference, Diplomats, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Bologna, Russia, Zuppi, Crimea, Rome, Africa, Mozambique

☆ The alien-hunting team at SETI has a new test for humanity to decipher messages sent from an alien race
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

SETI sent a message from Mars to Earth to simulate how aliens' attempts at communication may play out. The mysterious message is posted online for anyone to study and attempt to decode. This is a test conducted by the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute to determine how well humanity could decipher a real message sent by aliens. But it seems that at least one group is fast-tracking their way to solving the mysterious message. But de Paulis told Wired that "if we ever received an extraterrestrial signal, scientists won't know where the noise ends and where the actual message begins.

Persons: it'll, —, Daniela de Paulis, De Paulis, Neill Sanders, Go, Sanders, de Paulis Organizations: Service, Extraterrestrial Intelligence, SETI, European Space Agency, Allen, Green Bank, Medicina, Wired, CNN Locations: California, West Virginia, Bologna, Italy, British

☆ Inside SETI’s E.T. transmission test
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Deblina Chakraborty | Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, shown here, played a key role in SETI's test by sending a message to Earth on May 24. The Allen Telescope Array in Northern California is one of three observatories that picked up the transmission. But the event also correctly simulates the fact that it wouldn’t be SETI’s role to decipher the message, just to point out its reception. However, neither SETI nor any other organization on Earth has yet picked up any intelligent signal from the stars. He composed an interstellar radio message that was sent in 1974.

Persons: It’s, ”, Daniela de Paulis, “, Seth Shostak, ” de Paulis, Wael Farah, “ It’s, Jodie Foster, ” Farrah, Frank Drake, —, Neil Hall, Drake, , Neill Sanders, they’ve Organizations: CNN, SETI, Green Bank, Medicina, Orbiter, ESA, Allen, NASA, SETI Institute, Reuters, Arecibo Locations: Northern California, West Virginia, Bologna, Italy, American, Puerto Rico, Arecibo, British

☆ The No. 1 'underrated' city in the world, according to 175 travel experts: It's the 'new hot city'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Sharael Kolberg | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

As a travel journalist for over 20 years, I recently asked 175 travel enthusiasts, experts and agents about what they think is the most underrated city to visit. "Bologna is very up-and-coming and poised to be the new hot Italian city to visit," says Tom Marchant, founder of luxury traveling company Black Tomato. "[Bologna] quite possibly has the best food scene in all of Italy," says Jeff Miller, a travel blogger at Our Passion for Travel. the "Disney World of food"), Bologna's 20-acre theme park entirely dedicated to Italian cuisine. Bologna is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its 38.5 miles of porticoes, or arched walkways.

☆ Pope hopes to send peace envoys to Kyiv, Moscow - report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, May 18 (Reuters) - Pope Francis hopes to send personal peace envoys to the Ukrainian and Russian presidents to try to broker a ceasefire in the war, a Catholic website reported on Thursday. Il Sismografo, which specialises in Vatican news and has a good track record, said this is the "mission" Francis spoke of cryptically when he was returning from Hungary last month. It said both presidents had agreed to meet with the papal envoys, without citing sources or giving details. Zelenskiy met Pope Francis at the Vatican last Saturday but in comments afterwards he appeared to downplay the possibility of a papal mediation. "With all due respect for His Holiness, we do not need mediators, we need a just peace ... Putin only kills.

☆ Catastrophic floods in Italy force thousands of people to leave their homes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

In this aerial picture, flooded streets caused by heavy rains across Italy's northern Emilia Romagna region, on May 18, 2023 in Lugo, Italy. About 5,000 people were evacuated from their homes and at least five were killed after torrential downpours hit the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, prompting catastrophic flooding across at least three dozen towns. Italian Civil Protection Minister Nello Musemeci said that some areas received an average of 200 millimeters (7.9 inches) of rain in only 36 hours, while other areas recorded 500 millimeters (19.7 inches) during that time. More than 20 rivers have burst their banks across the region, causing more than 280 landslides, according to the Civil Protection department. The torrential downpour followed a long period of drought in the region.

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, scheduled for this weekend, has been canceled and the site evacuated. An aerial view of flooded houses in Cesena, where residents had to climb onto rooftops to escape high water levels. Water levels on northern Italy’s Lake Garda fell to record lows in February, with Venice experiencing unusually low tides. Formula 1 race canceledFormula 1 has announced the cancellation of this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix because of heavy flooding in the region, citing safety concerns. The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is the first event of the Formula 1 season in Europe and was scheduled to take place this weekend.

☆ Oscar Mayer’s Wienermobile is getting a new name
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Oscar Mayer’s Wienermobile is driving off into the sunset. Oscar Mayer says the new Frankmobile name “pays homage” to the new recipe for its hot dogs rolling out this summer. The brand’s new recipe for hot dogs represents the first change to Oscar Mayer’s franks in six years. Oscar Mayer, owned by Kraft Heinz (KHC), has often used cheeky marketing tactics to attract attention to its packaged products. Kraft wrote down the value of its Kraft and Oscar Mayer brands in 2019 by $15 billion because consumers have shifted their preferences away from processed foods.

☆ Three dead and thousands evacuated as floods hit northern Italy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Firefighters and rescuers are seen next to boats during rescue operations in Faenza, Italy after floods hit Italy's northern Emilia-Romagna region, in this handout image released May 17, 2023.... Read moreROME, May 17 (Reuters) - At least three people died and thousands were evacuated from their homes as devastating floods hit Italy's northern Emilia-Romagna region, authorities said on Wednesday, warning that worse may be yet to come. Emilia-Romagna officials said three dead bodies had been found in the towns of Forli, Cesena and Cesenatico, while three people were missing. Those who live in areas close to watercourses should move to higher floors," regional chief Stefano Bonaccini said on Facebook. The northern city of Ravenna, close to the Adriatic coast, was also badly affected. The torrential rains followed months of drought which dried out the land, reducing its capacity to absorb water and worsening the impact of the floods, meteorologists said.

☆ Torrential rain lashes northern Italy, killing at least two people
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, May 3 (Reuters) - Torrential rain lashed Italy's northern Emilia Romagna region over the last 24 hours, causing extensive flooding and killing at least two people, rescuers and media said on Wednesday. An elderly cyclist drowned when he was swept away by flood waters in the town of Castel Bolognese, Ansa news agency reported. The rain follows months of drought which raised concerns about the low water level in the Po, Italy's largest river, which runs West to East through the northern part of Emilia Romagna. An aerial view shows a flooded area after heavy rains hit Italy's Emilia Romagna region, in Massa Lombarda, Italy, May 2, 2023. Vigili del Fuoco/Handout via REUTERSFootage released by the fire brigade showed extensive flooding in an area between Bologna, Emilia Romagna's capital, and the city of Ravenna on the Adriatic coast.

☆ Napoli on brink of Serie A title before Udinese trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Tommy Lund | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Luciano Spalletti emphasised how sluggish his once invincible squad were after a tough month in April where they managed only two wins in seven games in all competitions and crashed out of the Champions League. JUVE DRY SPELLAfter having their 15-point deduction overturned in April, Juventus now find themselves in a very different position as they jumped from seventh to third, reigniting their Champions League qualification hopes. We were involved in three competitions until last week, which means the season is going well," manager Massimiliano Allegri said. Maurizio Sarri will have an almost complete squad at his disposal against Sassuolo, including striker Ciro Immobile and defender Luca Pellegrini. AS Roma, AC Milan and Inter Milan are all on 57 points as they battle it out for the final Champions League spot.

☆ SCOTUS justices went on cushy teaching trips to Italy, Iceland, and the UK funded by a conservative law school: NYT
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Kieran Corcoran | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

George Mason University funded a series of plush trips for Supreme Court justices in recent years. Per The Times, the law school sent justices on trips to European tourist spots as part of teaching programs. Gorsuch was asked to help pick which Italian city would host his teaching trip. The law school dean, Ken Randall, said students had their time there "undoubtedly enhanced by the justices teaching or visiting or speaking with students." Insider sought further comment from the law school and the court.

☆ Roma and Milan share spoils with late goals in top-four battle
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Milan remain fourth in the standings, level on 57 points with Roma in fifth, with both sides two points behind third-placed Juventus who travel to Bologna on Sunday. Roma's back luck, however, did not end there and Mourinho was forced to make an early change when defender Marash Kumbulla clashed inside the box with Milan forward Olivier Giroud. They had a decent chance just after the half-hour mark but forward Leao fired wide. Milan defenders Davide Calabria and Fikayo Tomori had two more chances before halftime but both missed the target. Milan host second-bottom Cremonese on Wednesday when Roma travel to ninth-placed Monza.

☆ Napoli on verge of first Serie A title in 33 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Tommy Lund | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Napoli on brink of winning titleInter under pressureRoma battling injury issuesApril 27 (Reuters) - Runaway Serie A leaders Napoli could seal their third Scudetto in record fashion this weekend if they beat lowly visitors Salernitana and second-placed Lazio drop points at Inter Milan. Spalletti urged his Napoli players not to get ahead of themselves despite being tantalisingly close to ending the city's 33-year wait for the Serie A title since Diego Maradona led the team to two championships in 1987 and 1990. Salernitana have improved dramatically since Paulo Sousa took over from Davide Nicola in mid-February and have pulled well clear of the relegation scrap. Gian Piero Gasperini's seventh-placed Atalanta, who have 52 points, travel to Torino on Saturday while Juve, with 59 points, visit another mid-table side in Bologna on Sunday. Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Leao double boosts Milan's top-four hopes in 2-0 win over Lecce
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MILAN, April 23 (Reuters) - AC Milan's Rafael Leao scored twice to earn a 2-0 home win over Lecce on Sunday in the race for a top-four spot in Serie A. "We could have found more offensive situations, but we played as a mature and true team, winning deservedly," coach Stefano Pioli said. "There are only a few games left and we need to score points to qualify in the top four." Despite dominating possession, Milan had to wait until 15 minutes from time for the Portugal forward to double the lead. Lecce, who have failed to win in eight games since February, stay 16th with 28 points, two points above the relegation zone.

☆ The war in Ukraine has shown the value of tanks, but militaries are now looking to stock up on slimmed-down versions of them
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Even before the war, some militaries were developing "light tanks" to complement heavier main battle tanks. Light tanks are seen as filling a capability gap between main battle tanks and other armored vehicles. Though not as powerful or as heavily armored as main battle tanks, light tanks are increasingly seen as filling a capability gap between full-fledged tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. Light tanksA US Army M24 Chaffee light tank on a street near Bologna, Italy in April 1945. NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty ImagesThat capability gap stirred interest in light tanks, and over the past decade, three major militaries have adopted new designs.

☆ Wizz Air to suspend Moldova flights, citing security
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Wizz Air said in a statement it would lay on extra flights from the Romanian city of Iasi as replacements, including a new service to Berlin, and more flights to Barcelona, Milan Bergamo, Bologna, Rome Ciampino, Rome Fuimicino, Dortumand, Larnaca, London Luton and Treviso. Flights to Budapest and Prague will not be replaced and those inbound to Chisinau will be reallocated to other destinations in the Wizz Air network, it said. Tensions between Russia and Moldova have grown in recent months as Russian missiles aimed at Ukraine have entered Moldovan airspace and authorities have blamed the Kremlin for fuelling anti-government protests, something it denies. It said the civil aviation authority and the ministry of infrastructure and regional development had been in "constant cooperation" with Wizz Air representatives and informed them of the procedures in place to ensure aviation security. The aviation authority would take "all necessary actions" to return Wizz Air to Chisinau airport as soon as possible, and to attract other low-cost airlines.

☆ Beaten and divided, Italy's centre-left seeks new leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Centre-left Democratic Party (PD) supporters gather during the electoral campaign closing event of Enrico Letta, secretary of PD, in Piazza del Popolo, ahead of the general election, in Rome, Italy, September 23, 2022. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneSummary Italy's PD looking to recover after 2022 election defeatParty seeks ninth leader in just 16 yearsModerate regional president faces young left-wingerROME, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Italy's centre-left Democratic Party (PD) will chose a new leader this weekend who it hopes can pull the group out of a tail spin and provide a credible challenge to the nationalist prime minister, Giorgia Meloni. PD supporters will have to pick between two starkly different candidates who offer opposing views on how to revive the party after a string of crushing election defeats. He promotes himself as a sound administrator and proven vote winner, who would seek cross-party alliances to defeat the ruling right-wing coalition. Makeshift voting booths are being set up across the country and PD officials hope at least a million people take part.

☆ Jaguar Land Rover opens three European self-driving tech hubs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Nick Carey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Jaguar Land Rover unveils the new Jaguar F-Type model during its world premiere in Munich, Germany, December 2, 2019. REUTERS/Michaela RehleLONDON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover said on Tuesday it is opening three new engineering hubs in Europe to develop autonomous vehicle technologies as part of its partnership with Silicon Valley artificial intelligence company Nvidia (NVDA.O). The hubs in Munich, Bologna and Madrid will develop self-driving systems for JLR's next generation of luxury vehicles. JLR already has six global tech hubs the United States, China and Europe. The partnership with Nvidia gives JLR a well-funded ally as it tries to catch up with Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) and other luxury vehicle rivals in a digital technology arms race.

☆ Analysis: Italy's Meloni belies radical image in cautious first 100 days
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But almost 100 days since Meloni took office at the head of the most right-wing government Italy has seen since World War Two, these concerns have largely melted away. "We have seen something of a metamorphosis," said Sofia Ventura, a political science professor at Bologna University. Friend and foe alike say a significant reason for the softly-softly approach is money -- or rather a lack of it. "What happened in the UK shows ... how cautious we have to be with our fiscal and monetary policy mix," EU Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni, a former Italian prime minister, said at the time. VITAL FUNDSAdding to the pressure on Meloni is Italy's dependence on the European Union's recovery and resilience fund.

☆ Atalanta return to winning ways with 2-1 victory at Bologna
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 9 (Reuters) - A second-half strike by Atalanta forward Rasmus Hojlund helped secure a 2-1 win at Bologna in Serie A on Monday, moving Gian Piero Gasperini's side back into the top six. Atalanta were unable to find an equaliser before halftime but levelled two minutes after the break through midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, who smashed the ball home from a distance. Atalanta moved up to sixth spot, level on 31 points from 17 games with fifth-placed Lazio and AS Roma in seventh. They next host Salernitana, who are 14th, on Sunday when Bologna, who are 12th on 19 points, travel to Udinese. Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Washington D.C.; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Benedict's death clears path for Pope Francis to retire of old age in future
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

It could also prompt the current pontiff to review what happens to future popes who decide to shuffle away from office because of old age rather than holding on until they die. Francis is now 86, one year older than Benedict was when he retired. Australian Cardinal George Pell, a conservative who was close to Benedict, has written that while a retired pontiff could retain the title of "pope emeritus", he should return to being a cardinal, and be known as "Cardinal (surname), Pope Emeritus". They say a former pope should not return to being a cardinal, as Pell proposes, but be called "Bishop Emeritus of Rome". He said he would want it to be near a large church so he could spend his final days hearing confessions.

☆ Italy antitrust drops pricing probe into A2A and Hera, partially confirms for others
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Italy's antitrust authority on Friday said it had dropped its investigation into energy companies A2A (A2.MI) and Hera (HRA.MI) over suspected improper price-setting for gas and electricity. The agency also said its investigation into other utilities including Eni (ENI.MI) and Enel (ENEI.MI) would no longer cover price changes for contracts which had already expired or were due to expire. Eni, Enel as well as Edison (EDNn.MI), Acea (ACE.MI) and Engie (ENGIE.PA) remain under investigation for the alleged improper price-setting. The five energy companies were given five days to comply with an order to suspend all unilateral price changes they have introduced for open-ended contracts, with no clear or predetermined expiry date. Reporting by Alvise Armellini, additional reporting by Giancarlo Navach in Milan, editing by Louise Heavens, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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