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☆ Nadal missing French Open would be 'brutal' for the sport - Federer
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 8 (Reuters) - Roger Federer said he hopes Rafa Nadal will recover in time for the French Open and that it would be a "brutal" blow for tennis if the 14-time Roland Garros champion is absent this year. Nadal has been dealing with a hip injury he suffered at the Australian Open in January, and fears that the Spaniard may miss the Paris Grand Slam grew after he pulled out of this week's Italian Open. Nadal skipped last week's Madrid Open and also missed tournaments at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Barcelona. "It would be brutal, it would be tough for tennis if Rafa isn't going to be there," 20-times Grand Slam winner Federer told Sky Sports on Sunday at Formula One's Miami Grand Prix. Nadal has competed at the French Open every year since winning the first of his men's record 22 major titles in Paris in 2005.

“Difficult years await us but if we don’t reach zero emissions immediately they will be terrible.”Photos showed activists, wearing orange vests, standing waist deep in the fountain. They unfolded orange banners bearing the words in Italian: “Our future is as black as this water” as crowds of onlookers snapped pictures. It is believed to be the same group of climate activists that led protests at other Italian historical sites including the Barcaccia fountain at the base of the Spanish Steps in central Rome, where they poured black liquid into the fountain on April 1. Similar protests saw activists glue themselves to Italian art masterpieces in locations like the Vatican museums and Uffizi galleries in Florence. ‘Iconic’ work of artLocated in the famed Piazza Navona square in Rome, the Fiumi Fountain was designed by Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1651.

☆ After acrimonious resignation, Pope tells abuse commission to 'move forward'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Pope Francis addresses a meeting with the members of Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors at the Vatican, May 5, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSVATICAN CITY, May 5 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Friday praised the work of an international Vatican commission on sexual abuse prevention, following the recent acrimonious resignation of a high-profile member who accused it of lacking transparency. Zollner, a world-renowned abuse prevention expert, denounced unclear hiring practices, an undefined relationship with the Vatican's doctrine office and "inadequate" financial and decision-making accountability. Zollner also leads a centre for the study of abuse at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University and is an adviser on abuse prevention for the diocese of Rome. Last year, the pope incorporated it into the Vatican's doctrinal department, which decides on sanctions for priests convicted of sexual abuse.

☆ Roman Emperor Caligula's massive party ships were not burned by the Nazis during World War II, researchers say. A US artillery unit was to blame.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

For decades, many believed the Nazis were responsible for the destruction of Caligula's Nemi ships. While many believed the Nazis burned them during World War II, a new book finds that a US artillery unit was responsible for their destruction. At the time, it was widely believed that Hitler's Nazis were responsible for the burned ships. But a new book shines a light on their history — claiming it was a US artillery unit that burned the vessels. "Whoever is doing the fighting, war is always destructive"US soldiers with mortar shells scrawled with anti-Hitler chalk messages, 1943.

☆ Factbox: Italy's govt nominees for top jobs at Enel, Eni, Terna
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Their appointments will need to be approved by investors at meetings scheduled for May 9 for Terna, and May 10 for both Enel and Eni. ENEL (ENEI.MI)Flavio Cattaneo, 59, is an experienced manager and entrepreneur who will leave his role as vice president of high-speed train operator Italo to succeed current Enel CEO Francesco Starace. Becoming Enel chairman would be for him a return to the utility where he served as CEO between 2002 and 2005. Scaroni also served as chief executive of energy group Eni between 2005 and 2014. ENI (ENI.MI)The Treasury proposed CEO Claudio Descalzi for a fourth term and picked Giuseppe Zafarana, 59, as chairman for the energy group.

☆ How Gay Men Saved Us From Monkeypox - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Ina Park | Dan Savage | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

We know gay sex has been unfairly blamed for everything from natural disasters to the fall of Rome. But in their efforts to avoid stigmatizing the community, health authorities and the media failed to effectively warn gay and bi men. Ignorant of the threat as the virus spread, gay and bi men couldn’t take steps to protect themselves and their partners. Gay party promoters canceled long-planned events and individual gay men temporarily deleted hookup apps from their phones and reduced their sexual contacts. They acknowledged the realities of gay sexuality and its breadth of expression, using the actual language gay men use when discussing sex with each other.

☆ Italian drugs cartels conceal payments via Chinese shadow banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Emilio Parodi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

[1/3] Seized drugs are seen following an investigation on drugs cartels operating in Italy increasingly using shadow networks of unlicensed Chinese money brokers to launder their proceeds in this handout photo obtained by Reuters on April 4, 2023. Carabinieri/Handout via REUTERSMILAN, April 6 (Reuters) - Drugs cartels operating in Italy are increasingly using shadow networks of unlicensed Chinese money brokers to conceal cross-border payments, according to Italian judicial and law enforcement authorities. U.S. authorities have said Chinese “money brokers” represent one of the most worrisome new threats in their war on drugs, as a Reuters investigation in 2020 found. Chinese authorities have previously vowed to crackdown on underground banking. One of the first probes to come to light involving use of Chinese money brokers by Italian mobsters was linked to the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta group, one of the largest crime gangs in the world.

☆ Rome hopes to reverse decline and relive La Dolce Vita
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Giselda Vagnoni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/5] General view of the Colosseum next to a subway's construction sites in Rome, Italy, February 16, 2023. However, flailing public services can make La Dolce Vita seem a remote dream, for both visitors and residents alike. "It is the biggest investment plan Rome has ever had," Gualtieri told Reuters. "Milan was turned around by the EXPO and has become a city capable of attracting capital from all over the world. Rome is an incredible place and second to none," Luca Luciani, head of BAI Communications Italia, told Reuters.

[1/2] Graffiti artist 'Maupal' known for having painted murals depicting Pope Francis as Superman poses for a photo outside his apartment near the Vatican two days before the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis' election to papacy in Rome, Italy, March 11, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneROME, March 13 (Reuters) - For Italian street artist Maurizio Pallotta, Pope Francis, who marked his 10th anniversary as pontiff on Monday, is a superhero. Another of his murals depicts the pope as a street artist painting peace signs on a wall while a Swiss Guard is watching out for the police. Francis laughed when he saw one which depicts the pope as an agile window washer wiping away atmospheric pollution in a big city. "I am a bit too fat to be able to do stuff like that," Pallotta quoted the pope as saying.

☆ Column: The ironic side effects of the rapid global energy transition
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

This chorus of support for the energy transition has ignited an almost frantic renewable energy development spree across the world, with green energy generation capacity growing at a record pace in every major economy. On January 1st, 2020, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) implemented ship emissions standards that slashed the maximum level of sulfur allowed in shipping fuels. As sulfur levels dropped more radiation was absorbed. Old solar panels face a similar predicament, especially ones that lack the efficiency of newer models and in the eyes of resellers are not worth collecting from old sites and homes. They can also face volatile market prices for the recycled and reclaimed materials they do manage to gather.

☆ Italy to sign gas turbines contract with Azerbaijan
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Italy is set to sign a new contract to sell four gas turbines to Azerbaijan, its industry minister said on Saturday ahead of his visit to the Asian country that is one of Rome's most important energy partners. The deal will involve Italy's Ansaldo Energia, a service provider for the power generation industry, and Azerenerji, the country's largest electrical power producer, minister Adolfo Urso said in a statement. The news comes after Italy last month signed a $8 billion gas production deal with Libya aimed at boosting energy supplies to Europe. Italy is working to double to 20 billion cubic meters the capacity of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which brings Azeri gas to Apulia in the southeast of the country. Rome sees a role for itself as a hub for gas supplies to northern Europe in the coming years to help offset the loss of imports from Russia.

☆ Major deadly earthquakes in the past two decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

White Helmets/via REUTERSFeb 6 (Reuters) - Some of the world's most deadly earthquakes in the past two decades are listed below, after a 7.8 magnitude quake struck central Turkey and northwest Syria on Monday and killed hundreds of people. - Aug. 14, 2021 - HAITI - A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck southern Haiti, killing more than 2,200 people and destroying or damaging about 13,000 homes. - April 16, 2016 - ECUADOR - A magnitude 7.8 earthquake hammered Ecuador, killing more than 650 people on the country’s Pacific coast. - Sept 24, 2013 - PAKISTAN - Twin earthquakes, measuring 7.7 and 6.8 magnitude, rattled southwestern Balochistan province, killing at least 825 people. - May 12, 2008 - CHINA - A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan province, killing about 87,600 people.

☆ A travel insider explains how people who hate cruising — can learn to enjoy it
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Travel professional Tammy Cecco named the Celebrity Edge cruise ship, shown here, as one that has spacious suites and great window views. Eva Marie Uzcategui | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesOnce she "relaxed into it," Cecco said, she started to enjoy cruise ship travel. Courtesy of Tammy CeccoCecco, who often travels with her family of five and her mother-in-law, said private tours suit everyone's needs — and interests. Luciano Bullorsky ToursByLocals' President and Co-ownerCecco said she booked a private tour at "pretty much every stop" on their last cruise, plus Rome. The company said private shore tours account for nearly a third of all tours booked in 2023 — up from 12% in 2022 bookings.

☆ 2023 McLaren Artura: Run Silent, Run Lean
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Dan Neil | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DAY The 2023 McLaren Artura ($263,550, as tested), first in a series of new cars promised by the British house of speed, is built on the McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA) structure and powered by plug-in hybridized V6s. The Artura’s twin-turbo, 3.0-liter V6 and axial-flux e-motor join forces to produce a maximum 671 hp/531 lb-ft.LAST WEEK, for the first time this winter, it snowed in Woking, in southern England. At 9 a.m. on Tuesday, the artificial lake in front of the McLaren Technology Centre was steaming and fringed with ice, the cattails frozen stiff. Groundskeepers were out spreading more grit on the campus roadways—a reasonable precaution, as McLarens aren’t generally hailed for their all-weather traction. There—warm, dry and defrosted—waited our test car, a McLaren Artura, frocked in a glittery, wintry white.

☆ Italian film legend Gina Lollobrigida dies at age 95
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

ROME (AP) — Italian film legend Gina Lollobrigida, who achieved international stardom during the 1950s and was dubbed “the most beautiful woman in the world” after the title of one of her movies, died in Rome on Monday, her agent said. Lollobrigida also was an accomplished sculptor, painter and photographer, and eventually essentially dropped film for the other arts. Lollobrigida was born on July 4, 1927 in Subiaco, a picturesque hill town near Rome, where her father was a furniture maker. Lollobrigida began her career in beauty contests, posing for the covers of magazines and making brief appearances in minor films. On her website, Lollobrigida recalled how her family lost its house during the bombings of World War II and went to live in Rome.

☆ Scientists chip away at how ancient Roman concrete stood test of time
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Roman concrete was introduced in the 3rd century BC, proving revolutionary. Many of these structures have endured for two millennia while modern concrete counterparts sometimes crumble in mere years or decades. Roman concrete contains white bits called "lime clasts," remnants of the lime used in the concrete. Some viewed the lime clasts, absent in modern concrete, as an accidental byproduct of sloppy preparation or poor-quality materials. Masic is a co-founder of a company called DMAT, based in the United States and Italy, that is commercializing concrete inspired by the ancient Roman version.

☆ Pope praises ‘gentle’ Benedict ahead of funeral
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Francis is due to preside over the late German pope’s funeral on Thursday, an event that is drawing heads of state and royalty despite Benedict’s requests for simplicity and Vatican efforts to keep the first Vatican funeral for an emeritus pope in modern times low-key. In keeping with Benedict’s wishes, his remains will be placed in the crypt once occupied by the tomb of St. John Paul II in the grottos underneath the basilica. Benedict, who was elected pope in 2005 following John Paul’s death, became the first pope in six centuries years to resign when he announced in 2013 he no longer had the strength to lead the Catholic Church. After Francis was elected pope, Benedict spent his nearly decade-long retirement in a converted monastery in the Vatican Gardens. Thursday’s rite takes into account the unusual situation in which a reigning pope will preside over a funeral for a retired one, making important changes to a funeral ritual for popes that is highly codified.

☆ Thousands more, including Hungary's Orban, bid farewell to Benedict
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban pays homage to former Pope Benedict in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, January 3, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSVATICAN CITY, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Thousands more people, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, paid homage to former Pope Benedict on Tuesday on the second day that his body lay in state in St. Peter's Basilica. Orban, the first head of government to pay their respects following Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, stood with his wife before Benedict's body for a few moments in prayer. Francis will preside at Benedict's funeral in St. Peter's Square on Thursday before a crowd that Vatican police say will be in the tens of thousands. Later, that one will be placed into a zinc coffin and then both will be placed into another coffin made of wood.

☆ 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.

☆ Former Pope Benedict was first pontiff to resign in 600 years
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +14 min

[1/3] Pope Benedict XVI blesses a baby as he rides around St Peter's Square to hold his last general audience at the Vatican February 27, 2013. REUTERS/Max Rossi/File PhotoVATICAN CITY, Dec 31 - Former Pope Benedict, who died on Saturday aged 95, was the first pontiff in 600 years to resign, leaving behind a Catholic Church battered by sexual abuse scandals, mired in mismanagement and polarised between conservatives and progressives. Benedict, the first German pope in 1,000 years, had good relations with his successor, Pope Francis, but his continued presence inside the Vatican after he stepped down in 2013 further polarised the Church ideologically. Although he said he would remain "hidden from the world", Benedict did not live up to that promise and in retirement sometimes caused controversy and confusion through his writings. Ganswein's role as a middleman between Benedict and the cardinal was unclear, with many believing he had misled Benedict, the cardinal, or both.

☆ Two popes in the Vatican - sometimes more crowd than company
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Pope Francis later removed him from a top job in the Vatican. "In the Catholic Church, symbols are important," said Father Tom Reese, a Washington-based Catholic author and commentator for Religion News Service. Reese, a Church liberal, found agreement from an unusual source - conservative Australian Cardinal George Pell, a former Vatican treasurer and close associate of Benedict in his retirement. Reese and others have suggested that a former pontiff be called "bishop emeritus of Rome" and be subject to the rules that cover retired bishops. He has said he would want to be called Bishop Emeritus of Rome and live not in the Vatican but in a home for retired priests in the Italian capital "because its my diocese".

☆ Pope Emeritus Benedict in stable condition and participates in Mass
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

“At present his condition is stationary.”On Wednesday, Pope Francis revealed that his 95-year-old predecessor was “very ill” and he went to see him in his home in the Vatican Gardens. Francis called for prayers for Benedict, resulting in an outpouring of messages of solidarity from rank-and-file Catholics and cardinals alike. On Friday evening, the cardinal vicar of Rome, Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, celebrated a special Mass for Benedict in St. John in Lateran Basilica. Referring to Benedict’s nearly 10 years in retirement from the papacy, De Donatis said that the pope emeritus “even in old age, and in illness, continues to sustain humanity totally offering oneself.”The pope emeritus was “in profound communion with Pope Francis,” the cardinal said. At the end of Mass, De Donatis said the faithful were entrusting “our Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI to the maternal care” of Jesus’ mother, “because she has promised to be near to her children in the moment of trial.”

☆ Former pope Benedict, his papacy and retirement
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

VATICAN CITY, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Former pope Benedict, who Pope Francis said on Wednesday was "very sick", resigned in 2013, the first pontiff in 600 years to take such a step rather than rule for life. Days later, Benedict says he was "deeply sorry" about Muslim reaction to his speech, which he says was misunderstood. Former Pope Benedict traveled to his native Germany last week to visit his ailing older brother. Benedict later pardoned Gabriele and the Vatican later found him a job in a hospital. Benedict pope later acknowledges errors occurred and asks for forgiveness.

☆ The 10 biggest losers in the S&P 500 this year have erased $1.6 trillion in market value
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

In a losing year for US stocks, here are the 10 biggest percentage decliners on the S&P 500. The 10 largest S&P 500 stock losers wiped out $1.6 trillion in market value. The 10 S&P 500 companies that have experienced the largest stock-price declines heading into the end of 2022 have wiped out a combined market value of more than $1.6 trillion. PayPalTicker: PYPLYTD Performance: -63.4%Market Value Decline: $142.49 billionLike many tech companies, the digital payments processor is seeing a slowdown after a pandemic boom. Photo by George Frey/Getty ImagesTicker: GNRCYTD Performance: -73.8%Market Value Decline: $16.6 billionMass COVID lockdowns helped sparked big demand for backup generators as people worked and studied at home.

☆ The world's in a 'polycrisis' — and these countries want to quash it by looking beyond GDP
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Mostly led by women, Finland, Iceland, Scotland, Wales and New Zealand are all members of the Wellbeing Economy Governments partnership. "Which I think is why we're seeing such growing interest in the well-being economy approach, both here in Scotland and around the world." A post-growth society is one that resists the demand for constant economic growth. Mostly led by women, Finland, Iceland, Scotland, Wales and New Zealand are all members of the Wellbeing Economy Governments partnership. 'GDP is not a way to measure richness'The push to look beyond economic growth comes at a time of growing calls to end fossil fuel production worldwide.

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