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☆ Pope skips speech, blaming breathing difficulties after surgery
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Pope Francis meets with Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti at the Vatican, June 22, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSVATICAN CITY, June 22 (Reuters) - Pope Francis skipped reading a planned speech at a conference on Thursday, saying he still had breathing problems following a hernia operation this month. "I am still under the effects of anaesthesia, my breathing is not good," Francis told a meeting of the Catholic Oriental Church, saying delegates would instead receive a text of the speech. The pope had surgery on June 7 to repair an abdominal hernia. Reporting by Philip Pullella; Writing by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pope Francis, Albin Kurti, Francis, Philip Pullella, Crispian Balmer, Alison Williams Organizations: Kosovo's, Vatican, Handout, REUTERS VATICAN CITY, Catholic Oriental Church, Thomson Locations: Cuba, Brazil

☆ Brazil's Lula will ask Nicaragua's Ortega to release jailed bishop
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, June 22 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday he would personally lobby Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega to release a bishop who has been imprisoned in the Central American state. Speaking to reporters a day after meeting Pope Francis, Lula said the Nicaraguan president should have "the courage" to recognize that a mistake had been made. "I intend to speak with Daniel Ortega about this to release the bishop. There is no reason for the bishop to be prevented from exercising his function in the Church," Lula said. "The only thing the Church wants is for Nicaragua to free them," Lula said, referring to Alvarez and a number of detained priests.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, Pope Francis, Lula, Bishop Rolando Alvarez, Ortega, Daniel Ortega, Francis, Alvarez, Alvazez, Philip Pulella, Catarina Demony, Federico Maccioni, Crispian Balmer Organizations: Central, Roman Catholic Church, Thomson Locations: Central American, Nicaraguan, Nicaragua, Latin America, Brazil, United States

☆ Brazil's Lula discusses peace, poverty and inequality with pope
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSVATICAN CITY, June 21 (Reuters) - Pope Francis met Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday and discussed a range of common concerns including peace, poverty, inequality and the environment, the Vatican said. Underscoring this sentiment, the pope gave Lula a bronze sculpture with the inscription: "Peace is a fragile flower." Pope Francis and Lula have both repeatedly called for a halt to the fighting and pitched their respective offices as potential peace brokers. I think too few people are talking of peace," Lula told Corriere della Sera newspaper in an interview published on Wednesday. Lula met a number of Italian leaders during his brief visit to Rome, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Edgar Pena Parra, Pope Francis, Lula, Corriere, Jair Bolsonaro, Giorgia Meloni, Sergio Mattarella, Crispian Balmer, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: General Affairs, State, Vatican, Handout, REUTERS VATICAN CITY, Corriere della Sera, Thomson Locations: Vatican's, Ukraine, Russia, Rome, Paris

☆ They fell in love backpacking through Europe then they lost each other. Here’s how they’ve ended up married for 24 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

Kim LatkovicLike Tom, Kim had spent that day in disbelief that she’d found someone who seemed so perfect, and lost him just as quickly. From there, Tom, Kim, Amanda and John chatted about their respective colleges and travels. From left to right: John, Kim, Tom and Amanda at the Hofbrauhaus Munchen on the first night they met. Over the next couple of days, Tom, Kim, Amanda and John explored Interlaken together. As soon as Kim’s parents met Tom, and saw Tom and Kim’s natural ease together, they were wholeheartedly supportive.

Persons: Tom Latkovic, He’d, Tom, Kim Morgan, who’d, Kim, John, Kim’s, Amanda, Tom didn’t, didn’t, “, ”, Munich’s, Marienplatz, whooped, Tom glanced, ” Kim, you’d, Kim Latkovic, she’d, John ., somebody’s, ’ ”, John chatted, ’, Kim couldn’t, –, Little, they’d, Tommy, Here's Kim, Switzerland Tom, Here's Tom, Tom’s, Kim Latkovic “, they’ve, gosh, she’s, we’ve Organizations: CNN, University of Michigan, University of Memphis, CNN Travel, Munchen Locations: Munich, Ohio, ”, Munchen, Prague, Interlaken, Switzerland, Lauterbrunnen, Venice, Italy, Atlanta , Georgia, Cleveland , Ohio, Europe, Memphis , Tennessee, Memphis, Marienplatz

☆ Silvio Berlusconi obituary: former Italian PM brought burlesque to politics
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

[1/3] Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi looks on during a news conference at Chigi Palace in Rome, Italy, August 4, 2011. As with his political party, so with his business empire, Berlusconi left no single heir apparent. After Barack Obama was elected the first African-American president of the United States, Berlusconi congratulated him for being "tall, handsome, and suntanned". Berlusconi himself had no regrets about his political career, although he clearly felt he was often betrayed. "But when I come to think about it, I cannot recall the name of a single friend in politics."

Persons: Silvio Berlusconi, Tony Gentile ROME, Brash, ebullient, Berlusconi, Donald Trump, Il Cavaliere, Bettino Craxi, Vladimir Putin, Alan Friedman, Nicolas Sarkozy, BUNGA, Karima El Mahroug, Hosni Mubarak, Veronica Lario, Marta Fascina, Barack Obama, Mark Heinrich, Andrew Heavens, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Chi, AC Milan soccer, Forza Italia, Senate, Roman, Socialist Party, Moroccan, Union, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, U.S, Milan, Ukraine, United States

☆ Pope Francis in hospital for second abdominal surgery in two years
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Pope Francis greets a nun during the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Yara NardiROME, June 7 (Reuters) - Pope Francis was admitted to a Rome hospital on Wednesday for another abdominal operation under general anaesthesia, this time to repair a hernia most likely caused by scars from surgery in 2021. The pope's medical team had decided in recent days that surgery was required because the condition was causing painful, intestinal occlusions. Francis is known to be afraid of the negative effects of general anaesthesia, which are also more common in older people. The statement said the pope would undergo a laparotomy, or open abdominal surgery, and that a prosthesis would be used to reconstruct the abdominal wall.

Persons: Pope Francis, Yara, Francis, Vatican, Keith Weir, Federico Maccioni, Crispian Balmer, William Maclean Organizations: Vatican, REUTERS, Fiat, Catholic, Argentine, Thomson Locations: St, ROME, Rome, Mongolia, Portugal, Lisbon

[1/2] A view shows the Ponte Vecchio bridge and the Arno River in Florence October 16, 2014. The Ponte Vecchio, or Old Bridge, crosses the River Arno at its narrowest point. REUTERS/Regis DuvignauROME, June 1 (Reuters) - Florence wants to ban residential properties in its historic centre from being used for short-term rentals by platforms such as Airbnb (ABNB.O) in order to free up more homes for local people in the Tuscan city. Nardella is a member of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), which is part of the opposition at national level. Airbnb did not immediately comment on Nardella's initiative, but said in a statement that it wanted to see "clear and simple national rules" in Italy.

Persons: Regis Duvignau ROME, Dario Nardella, Federica Urso, Federico Maccioni, Keith Weir, Crispian Balmer Organizations: REUTERS, Democratic Party, Thomson Locations: Florence, Ponte, Tuscan, Nardella, Italy, Rome, Milan

☆ Italy plans state-backed fund to promote AI startups
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, May 30 (Reuters) - Italy's government plans to set up an investment fund backed by state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) to promote startups investing in Artificial Intelligence (AI), cabinet undersecretary Alessio Butti said on Tuesday. The upcoming vehicle will "promote study, research and programming on AI in Italy," Butti said in a statement. Many experts say new regulations are needed to govern AI because of its potential impact on national security and education, as well as jobs. A government source told Reuters Rome planned to earmark around 150 million euros ($165 million) to launch the fund. CDP is expected to invest its own resources in the scheme through CDP Venture Capital, a fund with around 3.2 billion euros in assets under management.

☆ Pope to visit Portugal in August for World Youth Day, Fatima Shrine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

VATICAN CITY, May 22 (Reuters) - Pope Francis will travel to Portugal from Aug. 2-6 to attend the World Youth Day and visit the Shrine of Fatima, the Vatican said on Monday. World Youth Day, a global gathering of young Catholics, is being held in Lisbon from Aug. 1-6. The Vatican said Francis would take advantage of the trip to travel also to the Shrine of Fatima in central Portugal on Aug. 5. The Catholic Church teaches that the Madonna appeared to three Portuguese children 100 years ago in what was then an impoverished farming village. The pope last visited the shrine in 2017 when he declared two of the children saints.

☆ Fruit harvest faces ruin after floods hit Italy's Emilia-Romagna
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Angelo Amante | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A vineyard is flooded after heavy rains hit Italy's Emilia Romagna region, in San Giorgio near Forli, Italy, May 18, 2023. Coldiretti said the region was Italy's largest producer of pears, peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums, and the second largest producer of cherries and kiwi. In all, it accounted for a third of Italy's total fruit harvest. A Coldiretti spokesperson said the floodwater could rot the roots of almost 15 million fruit trees, killing them. Italian media said the government would initially announce some 100 million euros ($110 million) in spending and tax breaks for Emilia-Romagna.

[1/4] Military officers assist a person on a dinghy after heavy rains hit Italy's Emilia Romagna region, in Faenza, Italy, May 18. "Climate change is here and we are living the consequences. Last July, an ice avalanche in the Italian Alps killed 11 people following a heatwave that exacerbated the worst drought that Italy has suffered for at least 70 years. "A climate change adaptation policy that goes beyond how to handle emergencies and considers the effects of ordinary planning is increasingly urgent," it said in a statement. Italy's national civil protection agency estimates that 94% of the country's municipalities are prone to natural disasters - making it inconceivable to protect everyone from the dangers of climate change.

☆ Italian court agrees to extradite EU lawmaker to Belgium
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, May 16 (Reuters) - An Italian court on Tuesday agreed to extradite to Belgium an EU lawmaker under investigation in a cash-for-influence corruption scandal at the European Parliament, one of his lawyers said. Andrea Cozzolino, European parliamentarian for Italy's centre-left Democratic Party, has been under house arrest in the southern city of Naples since Feb. 10, after he was detained on the basis of a European warrant issued by Belgium. The 60-year-old lawmaker has denied any wrongdoing. A court in Naples ruled on Tuesday that Cozzolino could be sent to Belgium. Panzeri, who was arrested in Brussels in December, has agreed to cooperate with investigations in exchange for a reduced sentence.

☆ World food prices rise for first time in a year, UN food agency says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) price index, which tracks the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 127.2 points last month against 126.5 for March, the agency said on Friday. "As economies recover from significant slowdowns, demand will increase, exerting upward pressure on food prices," said FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero. While the meat index rose 1.3% month-on-month, dairy prices dipped 1.7%, vegetable oil prices fell 1.3% and the cereal price index shed 1.7%, with a decline in world prices of all major grains outweighing an increase in rice prices. World cereal utilisation in the 2022/23 period was seen at 2.780 billion tonnes, FAO said, down 0.7% from 2021/22. World cereal stocks by the close of the 2022/2023 seasons are expected to ease by 0.2% from their opening levels to 855 million tonnes.

☆ Director Damien Chazelle to head Venice Film Festival
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, May 5 (Reuters) - Damien Chazelle, the Oscar-winning director of hit movies "La La Land" and "Whiplash", will head the main competition jury at this year's Venice Film Festival, organisers said on Friday. The Franco-American director, screenwriter and producer has close ties to the festival, having opened the prestigious event with two of his films in the past decade -- "First Man" in 2018 and "La La Land" in 2016. "I am humbled and delighted to be invited to lead this year's jury," he said in a statement after his appointment was announced. French director Alice Diop, whose first feature-length fiction film, "Saint Omer", won the Silver Lion and Grand Jury Prize at last year's festival, will head the jury to decide who should win the award for a debut film this year. The 80th edition of the festival, held on the lagoon city's Lido island, will run from Aug. 30 to Sept. 9.

☆ Italian foreign minister threatens to cancel Paris trip over French criticism
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, May 4 (Reuters) - Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has threatened to cancel a trip to Paris on Thursday unless France clarifies comments by the French interior minister that were critical of Italy's prime minister, an official said. The French minister, Gerald Darmanin, told RMC radio earlier that Italian leader Giorgia Meloni was "unable to solve the migration problems on which she was elected" and accused her of "lying" to voters that she could end the crisis. An Italian government official, who declined to be named, said the trip would not go ahead without a "decisive and definitive" clarification from France on Darmanin's "offensive and totally unacceptable" statement. A French government source said they were trying to find a way to diplomatically reverse the comments by Darmanin, who is seen as particularly close to French President Emmanuel Macron. Reporting by Angelo Amante and Crispian Balmer in Rome and John Irish and Tassilo Hummel in Paris, editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy unlikely to renew China deal, but needs time, official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ROME, May 4 (Reuters) - Italy is highly unlikely to renew its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) deal with China, which expires early next year, but needs time to discuss the issue with Beijing, a senior government official said. By contrast, Chinese exports to Italy rose to 57.5 billion from 31.7 billion over the same period, according to Italian data. The government official said Rome would use this lack of economic development as an argument for not renewing the deal. "There is no political will on my part to favour Chinese expansion into Italy or Europe," she said. (This story has been corrected to show that data refers to Chinese exports to Italy, not Chinese imports from Italy, in paragraph 6)($1 = 0.9037 euros)Reporting by Crispian Balmer; editing by John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Seven Syrians face terror-related charges in Malta
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VALLETTA, April 30 (Reuters) - Seven Syrian men were accused in a heavily guarded Maltese court on Sunday of having encouraged and trained others to commit terrorism in Europe. The seven, aged between 21 and 27, were arrested on Saturday in an operation coordinated with the European police agency Europol, the Malta police said. The group are accused of association with an extremist organisation, inciting terrorism through public messages, recruiting or attempting to recruit others to commit terrorism, instructing others on the use of explosives or firearms and attempting to travel to Europe to commit terrorism. They all pleaded not guilty and were remanded in custody at the end of the hearing. Reporting by Christopher Scicluna; Editing by Crispian BalmerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pope says Vatican involved in secret Ukraine peace mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Pope Francis holds a news conference as he returns to the Vatican following his apostolic journey to Hungary, aboard the plane, April 30, 2023. Vincenzo Pinto/Pool via REUTERSABOARD PAPAL PLANE, April 30 (Reuters) - The Vatican is involved in a peace mission to try to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Pope Francis said on Sunday, declining to give further details. When it is public, I will reveal it," the pope told reporters during a flight home after a three-day visit to Hungary. Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met the pope at the Vatican on Thursday and said he had discussed a "peace formula" put forward by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Pope Francis, 86, has said previously that he wants to visit Kyiv but also Moscow on a peace mission.

☆ CEO of Italy's Eni sees no major energy price upsets in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Eni SpA FollowROME, April 29 (Reuters) - The CEO of Italian oil and gas company Eni (ENI.MI), Claudio Descalzi, has said he does not expect any "big shocks" on the energy markets this year. "Above all, in these months we have managed to diversify supplies, eliminating dependencies that are dangerous for the stability of supplies and prices," he added. Prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Italy depended on Russia for 40% of its gas imports. Eni said on Friday its first-quarter net profit fell 11% year-on-year on lower oil and gas prices compared with the first three months of 2022, but its results nonetheless exceeded expectations. Reporting by Crispian Balmer Editing by Helen PopperOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US-born princess evicted from Rome villa famed for Caravaggio fresco
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File PhotoROME, April 20 (Reuters) - A U.S.-born princess was evicted on Thursday from a Roman villa featuring the only known fresco by Italian baroque artist Caravaggio, and denounced her ousting as a travesty of justice. "I am being brutally evicted from a home which I have lovingly taken care of for the past 20 years," Princess Rita Jenrette Boncompagni Ludovisi said on Twitter shortly before leaving her home along with her four small dogs. Princess Boncompagni Ludovisi, 73, told Reuters in January that the tours were organised to raise money for maintenance. A former actress, Playboy model and ex-wife of a U.S. congressman, Boncompagni Ludovisi married the late Prince Nicolo Boncompagni Ludovisi, scion of one of Europe's most aristocratic families, in 2009. In his will, he gave his wife the right to stay in the Rome villa for the rest of her life.

☆ Italy narrows asylum rights in new clampdown on immigration
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The bill, which still needs the approval of the lower house to become law, was drawn up after a shipwreck off southern Italy in February that killed more than 90 migrants. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said the legislation, which includes tougher jail terms for human smugglers, is intended to dissuade people from putting their trust in traffickers and trying to reach Italy illegally. Among the most contested measures is a decision to eliminate "special protection" residency permits that authorities can offer migrants who don't qualify for asylum, but who face humanitarian risks back home, or have family ties in Italy. The government said the system was being abused, noting that in 2022 authorities had handed out 10,506 special protection permits against 7,494 permits offering refugee status and 7,039 that granted a separate form of international protection. The bill also halts state-funded Italian language courses and eliminates legal advice services for migrants hosted in official reception centres.

☆ U.S. princess evicted from Rome villa famed for Caravaggio fresco
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

☆ Analysis: Italian first! Meloni's nationalists defend cultural identity at risk of irking EU
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Angelo Amante | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] General view of the Colosseum next to a subway's construction sites in Rome, Italy, February 16, 2023. Almost six months after taking office, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government is pushing out bills that promise to promote national identity, defend the traditional family, protect cultural heritage and hold back migrants. Recent proposals include a bill to safeguard the Italian language and a ban on lab-grown food. "Italian mines are made up of culture, gastronomy, language, arts, fashion, history, archaeology and monuments. "Identity messages are meant to tell the electorate that Brothers of Italy will not give up its line," analyst Panarari said.

☆ World food prices fall for 12th month running in March - FAO
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ROME, April 7 (Reuters) - The United Nations food agency's world price index fell in March for a 12th consecutive month, and is now down 20.5% from a record high hit one year ago following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) price index, which tracks the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 126.9 points last month against 129.7 for February, the agency said on Friday. The FAO cereal price index fell 5.6% month-on-month in March, with wheat registering a 7.1% drop, maize a 4.6% decline and rice easing 3.2 percent. FAO also raised its forecast for world cereal production in 2022 to 2.777 billion tonnes, just 1.2% down from the previous year. World cereal utilisation in the 2022/23 period was seen at 2.779 billion tonnes, FAO said, down 0.7% from 2021/22.

[1/6] Pope Francis presides over the Good Friday Passion of the Lord service in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, April 7, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSROME, April 7 (Reuters) - Pope Francis presided at one indoor service on Good Friday, but doctors ordered him to skip an outdoor evening "Way of the Cross" procession at Rome's Colosseum after being hospitalised last week for bronchitis. Friday marked the first time since his election in 2013 that Francis missed a Way of the Cross event. The last pope to skip a Good Friday Way of the Cross service was Pope John Paul II. He is due to preside at an Easter vigil Mass on Saturday night in St. Peter's Basilica, and on Easter Sunday he is due to say Mass in St. Peter's Square and then deliver his twice-annual "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) blessing and message in St. Peter's Square.

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