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☆ Top Italy court confirms acquittals in Monte dei Paschi derivatives case
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Marco Carta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

View of the entrance to the headquarters of Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS), the oldest bank in the world, which is facing massive layoffs as part of a planned corporate merger, in Siena, Italy, August 11, 2021. Among the 15 defendants cleared by Italy's Supreme Court of Cassation were former MPS Chairman Giuseppe Mussari and its former Managing Director Antonio Vigni and Deutsche (DBKGn.DE) and Nomura (8604.T). The appeals court cancelled seizures imposed on Deutsche Bank and Nomura Holdings Inc (8604.T) for 64.9 million and 88 million euros, respectively. The case centred on two derivatives transactions — dubbed Alexandria and Santorini — that Nomura and Deutsche Bank arranged for MPS in 2009. MPS, the world's oldest bank still in business and Italy's fifth biggest listed lender, had reached a court settlement in 2016 in the derivatives case at a cost of 10.6 million euros.

Persons: Jennifer Lorenzini, Siena, Giuseppe Mussari, Antonio Vigni, Nomura, Marco Carta, Keith Weir, Valentina Za Organizations: Monte, REUTERS, Rights, Monte dei, Deutsche Bank, Nomura, Italy's, Cassation, Deutsche, Nomura Holdings Inc, MPS, Prosecutors, Thomson Locations: Monte dei, Siena, Italy, Milan, Alexandria

☆ Messi still in doubt for Paraguay qualifier, says Scaloni
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 11 (Reuters) - Argentina captain Lionel Messi is still a doubt for the World Cup qualifier against Paraguay, coach Lionel Scaloni said on Wednesday. Messi was included in the world champions' squad despite being sidelined by the muscle problem he sustained month which has kept him out of action for his U.S. side Inter Miami. Scaloni said the 36-year-old forward had been training well ahead of the match on Thursday. "We know that they are important absentees but those who come (to replace them) are very capable and can even stay," Scaloni added. Argentina host Paraguay at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires before facing Peru in Lima on Oct. 17.

Persons: Lionel Messi, Lionel Scaloni, Messi, Scaloni, Angel Di Maria, Angel Correa, Paulo Dybala, Angelica Medina Organizations: World, Paraguay, Inter Miami, AS Roma, Estadio Monumental, Thomson Locations: Argentina, Peru, Paraguay, Buenos Aires, Lima, Mexico City

☆ Ancient Roman site of Pompeii is about to ‘expand’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

So with ever more tourists cramming onto the site, the team behind the archaeological park of Pompeii have found a plan B – dispersing visitors around ancient sites that are further afield, with all-in-one tickets and shuttles laid on between the sites. A shuttle service around the sites – the Pompeii Artebus – was piloted in 2021. The ancient city was the most visited heritage site in Italy on the last “Domenica al Museo” – state-run heritage sites have free entry on the first Sunday of the month. Tickets for the ‘scattered’ site will be valid for three days, with free shuttles connecting all the sites. The Villa dei Misteri at Pompeii will also get new lighting which will better replicate the original lighting in the villa.

Persons: we’ll, Stanley Tucci, Torre Annunziata, Gennaro Sangiuliano, Nero, Poppaea Sabina, Villa Arianna, Villa, Villa Poppaea, Poppaea, Libero, Sangiuliano Organizations: CNN, intel, Villa San Marco, Castellammare, Villa Regina, European Union, Major, Museo Locations: Boscoreale, Torre, Oplontis, Stabiae, Rome, Italy, –, It’ll, Civita, Castellamare

NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Chiarello, a chef known for his Italian-inspired Californian restaurants who won an Emmy Award for best host for “Easy Entertaining With Michael Chiarello" and appeared on Bravo’s “Top Chef” and “Top Chef Masters,” has died. Chiarello died Friday at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa due to an allergic reaction that resulted in anaphylactic shock, according to Chiarello’s restaurant group Gruppo Chiarello. He also owned the Chiarello Family Vineyards in Yountville, California. Political Cartoons View All 1205 ImagesIn 1985, Food & Wine Magazine named Chiarello Chef of the Year and in 1995, he received the Culinary Institute of America's Chef of the Year Award. His books included “LiveFire Cookbook," "The Tra Vigne Cookbook," ”Michael Chiarello’s Bottega," “Michael Chiarello’s Casual Cooking,” “Napa Stories” and “Flavored Vinegars."

Persons: — Michael Chiarello, Michael Chiarello, ”, Masters, Chiarello, Michael, Bottega, Zagat, Lasagnetta, Pesce, Ottimo, “, Michael Chiarello’s Bottega, Michael Chiarello’s, Eileen Organizations: Valley Medical, Culinary Institute of America, Forbes, Esquire, Wine Magazine, Culinary Institute, America's, Lifetime Locations: Napa, New York, Miami, Napa Valley, San Francisco, Yountville , California

The government last week revisited a 40% tax on banks' net interest margin (NIM) that it had introduced in a shock move in August. Lenders now have the option to boost reserves by an amount equivalent to 2.5 times the tax. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said on Sept. 27 the final outcome of the process would be "a great bank policy measure" that makes Italy's banks the strongest in Europe. The law requires banks that forego the tax to set aside money under ad hoc reserves in their accounts. If forced to boost capital through the ad hoc reserves, banks can use larger buybacks over time to compensate shareholders, one of the sources said.

Persons: Giancarlo Giorgetti, Remo Casilli, Banks, Luigi Lovaglio, Andrea Orcel, Giorgia Meloni, Giorgetti, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Treasury, Economy, European Central Bank, Monte, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, ROME, Europe, Monte dei, Siena

☆ Driver may have fallen ill before fatal Venice bus crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Claudia Greco | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Flowers are seen at the site where a coach crashed off an overpass in Mestre, Italy, October 4, 2023. Five Ukrainians, a German and the Italian bus driver were among those killed, Venice's prefect Michele Di Bari, the local representative of the interior ministry, said on Wednesday. "We presume the driver may have fallen ill," Veneto regional president Luca Zaia told Rtl 102.5 radio. The bus had been ferrying the tourists back to a campsite in nearby Marghera after a day out in Venice. "I think the driver had an illness, because otherwise I can't explain it," Fiorese said, adding that the driver had started his shift less than two hours before the crash.

Persons: Claudia Greco, Michele Di Bari, Luca Zaia, Di Bari, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Corriere, Massimo Fiorese, Corriere della Sera, Fiorese, Alvise Armellini, Keith Weir, Bernadette Baum, Gavin Jones, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Rtl, Corriere della Sera, Thomson Locations: Mestre, Italy, Venice Italian, VENICE, Venice, Veneto, Croatian, Marghera, Nigeria

VENICE (AP) — Firefighters worked until dawn Wednesday to remove the wreckage of a bus that crashed in a borough of Venice, Italy, across the lagoon from its historic center, killing 21 people and injuring at least 15, mostly foreign tourists returning to a nearby camping site. The shuttle was connecting Piazzale Roma, in Venice's historic center, to the Hu campground in Marghera, another borough of Venice neighbouring Mestre. He was an experienced driver, Venice city councilor Renato Boraso said. I carried a woman out on my shoulders, then a man,” Erheneden told the Venice daily il Gazzettino. In 2017, 16 people on a bus carrying Hungarian students died in an accident near the northern city of Verona.

Persons: — Firefighters, Michele Di Bari, Alberto Rizzotto, Renato Boraso, Erheneden, ” Erheneden, “, ’, Luigi Brugnaro Organizations: VENICE, —, Venice prefecture, Piazzale Roma, Venice Locations: Venice, Italy, Piazzale, Venice's, Marghera, Mestre, Italian, Verona, Avellino

☆ Siemens is case study in China de-risking dilemma
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Pamela Barbaglia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

That’s unsettling for the likes of Siemens, $62 billion carmaker Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) and $39 billion chemicals group BASF (BASFn.DE). Factor in the German group’s 32% stake in Siemens Energy (ENR1n.DE) and 75% holding in Siemens Healthineers (SHLG.DE), currently worth 46 billion euros, and it adds up to 156 billion euros. The unit and Siemens’ Airport Logistics unit, which press reports say could be another divestment candidate, may only be worth 4 billion euros combined. Moreover, Kaeser already tried to boost Siemens’ valuation by partially spinning off subsidiaries. As of September, Siemens had bought back 2.5 billion euros of shares since starting a 3 billion euro share repurchase programme in November 2021.

Persons: Roland Busch, France’s Legrand, Busch, Joe Kaeser, he’s, Kaeser, Germany’s Bundesbank, Siemens, Goldman Sachs, Judith Wiese, George Hay, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Siemens, Germany’s, Barclays, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Volkswagen, BASF, Software, Dassault, Automation, ABB, Smart Infrastructure, Siemens Energy, Siemens ’ Mobility, France’s Alstom, CRRC Corporation, Siemens ’ Airport Logistics, Siemens Healthineers, Toshiba Corp, Energy, BNP, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Thomson Locations: China, Brussels, Beijing, Germany, EMEA, Swiss, Middle Kingdom, Republic, Shenzhen, Sichuan, Chengdu, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand

☆ Jude Bellingham stars as Real Madrid defeats Napoli in the Champions League
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Real Madrid continued its winning start in the Champions League by coming from behind to defeat Napoli 3-2 on Tuesday. Midfielder Jude Bellingham scored his eighth goal in nine appearances for Los Blancos after Vinícius Jr. had canceled out Leo Østigård’s opener for the home side. Alessandra Tarantino/APMadrid responded midway through the first half, Vinícius finishing well after Bellingham had intercepted Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s loose pass. Bellingham scores Real Madrid's second goal against Napoli. Francesco Pecoraro/Getty ImagesThe result puts Madrid top of Group C, three points ahead of Napoli and Braga.

Persons: Jude Bellingham, Vinícius Jr, Leo Østigård’s, Piotr Zieliński’s, Alex Meret –, Federico Valverde –, “, ”, Carlo Ancelotti, Natan, Østigård, Leo Østigård, Napoli's, Alessandra Tarantino, Vinícius, Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s, Meret, Zieliński, Nacho, –, Francesco Pecoraro, André, Ancelotti, “ I’m, he’s, ” Ancelotti Organizations: CNN — Real Madrid, Champions League, Napoli, Madrid, AP, Real Madrid, Bellingham, Real, Braga, Portuguese, Union Berlin, ” Madrid, Osasuna, Fiorentina, Sunday Locations: Naples, AP Madrid, Bellingham, Madrid, Napoli, LaLiga

☆ At least 21 dead after Italian bus carrying tourists falls from Venice overpass
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Manuel Silvestri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VENICE, Italy, Oct 3 (Reuters) - At least 21 people died on Tuesday and 18 were injured after a bus carrying tourists to a campground crashed off an overpass near Venice in northern Italy and caught fire, city officials said. Venice city councillor Renato Boraso said one line of enquiry was that the driver, a 40-year-old Italian who was among those killed, had been taken ill before the crash. He said the coach had been carrying 40 passengers, of whom 21 had died and 18 were injured. Venice's city hall said the injured people had been taken to nearby hospitals, with four in a serious condition. The bus was also carrying passengers from France and Croatia, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

Persons: Renato Boraso, Boraso, Luigi Brugnaro, Manuel Silvestri, Michele Di Bari, ANSA, Di Bari, Giorgia Meloni, Emilio Parodi, Gavin Jones, Keith Weir, Alvise, Crispian Balmer, Lisa Shumaker, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Sky Italia, Rescue, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: VENICE, Italy, Venice, Mestre, Venice's, France, Croatia, Verona

☆ Real Madrid fight back to win five-goal thriller at Napoli
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Real are top of Group C on six points from two games, three ahead Napoli and Braga. While there were frazzled nerves at the end, Real started the game strongly with the Vinicius and Bellingham creating all kinds of trouble for the hosts' defence. However, veteran midfielder Luka Modric climbed off the bench to liven up Real Madrid late in the game. He first put it on a plate for Bellingham, who missed a sitter from close range in the 75th minute. Reporting by Fernando Kallas in Madrid Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alex Meret, Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham, Leo, Piotr Zielinski, Federico Valverde cannoned, Real, Vinicius, Bellingham, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Nacho, Carlo Ancelotti, vociferously, Clement Turpin, It's, Ancelotti, Diego, Arrizabalaga, Victor Osimhen's, Luka Modric, Valverde, Modric, Fernando Kallas, Toby Davis Organizations: Real Madrid, Napoli, Champions League Group, Real, Braga, Union, Movistar, Diego Maradona, Thomson Locations: NAPLES, Italy, Real, Union Berlin, Bellingham, Vinicius, Madrid

The proposals comes from NIL working group recommendations and don't become final until the council meeting concludes Wednesday. The proposals could be adopted as soon as January at the NCAA convention. Inconsistencies and a lack of transparency has made it almost impossible for the NCAA to enforce rules prohibiting NIL being used as an improper recruiting inducement or pay for play. College sports leaders have been lobbying lawmakers in Washington for federal NIL legislation, but with help uncertain to come, the NCAA is working on creating its own rules. The proposals include expanding suspensions for coaches to include the days between competitions, having schools incur penalties for employing individuals who have received a show-cause order and expanding disassociations with boosters who violate rules.

Persons: “, Charlie Baker, ”, Morgyn Wynne Organizations: INDIANAPOLIS, NCAA Division, NCAA, DI, Association, College, Oklahoma State, Division, AP Locations: Washington

☆ Bus crash near Italian city of Venice kills at least 21 people, including Ukrainian tourists
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Firefighters work on the site of a bus accident on October 3, 2023 in Mestre, near Venice. A bus carrying foreign tourists including Ukrainians crashed near the Italian city of Venice when it fell from an elevated street Tuesday, killing at least 21 people and injuring 18 others, authorities said. Four of the injured were in serious condition following the accident in the Mestre borough, on the mainland opposite the historic old city of Venice, said Renato Boraso, a Venice city official. Boraso confirmed that some of the victims are Ukrainians, and said the bus was bringing tourists to a camping site. According to local media, the bus fell a few meters before crashing close to Mestre's railway tracks, where it caught fire.

Persons: Renato Boraso, Michele Di Bari, Boraso, Luigi Brugnaro, Giorgia Meloni Organizations: Venice Locations: Mestre, Venice

Virginie Viard’s spring collection emerged as a sun-drenched ode to liberty and movement, inspired directly from the villa’s gardens. This was Viard's Chanel: clothes that seemed relaxed and with nothing to prove. Viard’s Chanel feels less about dazzling the onlooker and more about connecting with her. While Lagerfeld’s Chanel was an aspiration, Viard’s is becoming a reflection. Last month, Cruz alongside her sister, Mónica Cruz, unveiled a fashion collection on Instagram, hinting at her deep-seated respect for the craft.

Persons: Noailles, Man Ray, Dali —, Karl Lagerfeld —, Virginie Viard’s, Gigi Hadid, Penélope Cruz, VIARD, CHANEL, ” Viard, chicness —, Viard's, impeccably, Chanel, Viard’s Chanel, Lagerfeld’s Chanel, Chanel relatable, she’s, CRUZ, poignantly, “, ” Cruz, Cruz, ”, Mónica Cruz, “ I’ve Organizations: PARIS, Associated Press Locations: Paris, France, Manton, Manila, Manton di Manila, Chanel

ROME (AP) — A bus crashed near the Italian city of Venice after falling from an elevated street, killing at least 21 people and injuring others on Tuesday, authorities said. Venice prefect Michele Di Bari said that there were 15 survivors from the crash, which happened in Mestre, a suburb of Venice. Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the scene of the crash was “apocalyptic” and that he had already declared the “city's mourning" for the “numerous victims” who were on the bus. According to local media, the bus fell a few meters before crashing close to Mestre's railway tracks, where it caught fire. Premier Giorgia Meloni expressed her “deepest sorrow” after the crash.

Persons: Michele Di Bari, Luigi Brugnaro, ”, Giorgia Meloni Organizations: ROME, Venice Locations: Venice, Mestre

☆ Italy plans 21-billion euro asset sell-off to keep debt in check
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Giuseppe Fonte | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Italy aims to raise at least 1% of gross domestic product (GDP), or roughly 21 billion euros ($22.2 billion), through asset sales between 2024 and 2026, the Treasury said in its Economic and Financial Document (DEF) published on Saturday. The plan is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's efforts to keep in check the euro zone's second-largest debt pile as a proportion of GDP, while investors keep a close eye on Rome's creaking public finances. The new targets factor in the proceeds of asset disposals expected in the next three years, the DEF said, showing that without the sell-off plans the debt burden would probably rise. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said in the document that the stake sales would involve companies that are subject to privatisation commitments already agreed with the European Commission. This is a reference to bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) (BMPS.MI), which was bailed-out in 2017 at a cost of 5.4 billion euros for taxpayers.

Persons: Giorgia, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Giorgetti, Giuseppe Conte, Giuseppe Fonte, Helen Popper Our Organizations: Treasury, Economy, European Commission, Monte, Thomson Locations: Italy, Siena

☆ Perfect Martin wins Japanese Grand Prix sprint from pole
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sept 30 (Reuters) - Jorge Martin of Pramac Racing put on a masterclass to win Saturday's MotoGP sprint race at the Japanese Grand Prix after starting from pole position, piling the pressure on championship leader and reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia. Title challenger Martin grabbed his fifth sprint race win of the season hours after he clinched his second pole position of the campaign by setting a lap record of 1:43.198 seconds at the Mobility Resort Motegi. The 25-year-old Spaniard led from the first corner to the chequered flag and was joined by KTM's Brad Binder and Bagnaia of Ducati on the sprint podium. Martin has closed the gap with the 26-year-old Bagnaia by eight points in the championship ahead of Sunday's race. Frenchman Johann Zarco finished fifth ahead of VR46 Racing's Marco Bezzecchi, who won the inaugural Indian Grand Prix last week.

Persons: Jorge Martin, Francesco Bagnaia, Martin, KTM's Brad Binder, Let's, Jack Miller, Bagnaia, Frenchman Johann Zarco, Marco Bezzecchi, Marc Marquez, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Maverick Vinales, Pearl Josephine Nazare, William Mallard Organizations: Pramac, MotoGP, Prix, Mobility, Ducati, KTM, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Top Sicilian mafia boss buried but the criminal enterprise lives on
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Rome CNN —Sicilian mob boss Matteo Messina Denaro, widely thought to be the last godfather of his kind, was buried Wednesday in a private funeral in Castelvetrano, Sicily. A police handout photo shows Matteo Messina Denaro after he was arrested in Palermo, Italy, on January 16, 2023. “With the death of Matteo Messina Denaro, a life full of violence, plots and mysteries ends,” Grasso told CNN. Messina Denaro, even with his rap sheet of murders, was highly critical of the Catholic church over the clerical sex abuse scandal. Matteo Messina Denaro was arrested at a private health clinic in Palermo after 30 years on the run.

Persons: Rome, Matteo Messina Denaro, Nicola Consales, Messina Denaro, Antonella Bonomo, Giuseppe Di Matteo, Paolo Borsellino, Giovanni Falcone, Messina Denaro –, –, Giovanni Motisi, “, ” Toto Riina –, He’s, Stefano Fidanzati, Pietro Grasso, Giuseppe Auteri, ” Grasso, Salvatore “ Toto ” Riina, Messina, Italy’s, ”, Don Ciccio Messina Organizations: Rome CNN, Reuters, CNN, Cosa Nostra, Catholic, Police Locations: Castelvetrano, Sicily, Palermo, Italy, Cosa, Messina, Campobello, Abruzzo, Calabria

☆ Milan Fashion Week: Stars and style align at the Spring-Summer 2024 shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Marianna Cerini | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Milan CNN —Milan Fashion Week picked up where London left off last Wednesday, at least weather-wise. Both hit their strides with highly well received collections, as did a number of other familiar faces to Italy’s fashion capital. Overall, however, the festivities showed a consistency of form that continues to make the Italian city Paris’s greatest rival to the fashion scene throne. Cinematic sets and performative showsAlongside the clothes, many brands made their sets a main talking point at fashion week. Lodovico Colli di Felizzano/WWD/Getty ImagesRyan Gosling and Juila Roberts were among the star-studded crowd to pile into the Gucci show.

Persons: Milan, Gucci, Sabato de Sarno, Tom Ford’s, Peter Hawkings, Ford’s, Versace, Giulio Tanzini, Julia Roberts, Ryan Gosling, Gabrielle Union, Jessica Chastain, Paul Mescal, Jodie Comer, Emma Watson, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Prada, Kate Moss, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Anna Wintour, Kim Jones, Karl Lagerfeld, Rome, Tom Ford, georgette, Brigitte Bardot, Priscilla Presley, Lorenzo Serafini, Max Mara, Ian Griffiths, Carlyne Cerf, Dudzeele, Katie Grand, Lucia Liu, Gabriella Karefa, Johnson, Franco, Jeremy Scott, Cerf, Lucia Liu’s, Donatella Versace, Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Natalia Bryant, Precious Lee, Claudia Schiffer, lacy, Simone Bellotti, Francesca Murri, Matthieu Blazy, Blazy, Italy —, —, Paolo Fichera, Cavalli, Fendi, Shawn Kolodny, Pietro S, Beate Karlsson, Avavav, Sabato de Sarno's, Gregoire Avanel, Tom Ford's, Gaspar Ruiz, Pietro D'Aprano, Mattieu, Alfonso Catalano, Kim Jones nodded, Fendi Jones, Daniele Venturelli, Zakirova, Lodovico Colli di, Juila Roberts, Roberto Cavalli, Isidore Montag Organizations: Milan CNN — Milan, London, Bottega Veneta, Diesel, Prada, Britain’s Land Army, Dolce, Gabbana, Bally, Fondazione Prada, Accademia di Brera, Getty, Gucci Locations: British, Milan, Bottega, Hollywood, Fendi, organza, Los Angeles, Cannes, Bottega Veneta, Italy, French, Belgian, —, Missoni, Milan’s, Sunnei, Stockholm

☆ Want a Vacation Souvenir? Buy Toothpaste.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Joshua Hunt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

To squeeze a bit more from my Mediterranean experience, I can rely a little while longer on the tube of Elmex-brand toothpaste I used to brush away all that food. I bought the toothpaste on the morning of my arrival, and spent scarcely a minute choosing Elmex over another brand. My habit of treating toothpaste as a souvenir is about celebrating rather than elevating the trivial — I’m not chasing quality, authenticity or meaning, those most overrepresented pursuits among world travelers. About a decade ago, I chose to ignore some advice I was given before moving to Japan for a study-abroad program. Japanese toothpaste, I was told, might not be to my liking, so I should pack a few tubes of my favorite brand to take with me to Tokyo.

Locations: Italy, Swiss, Naples, Vesuvius, Japan, Tokyo, American

☆ Larger Italian banks still seen paying one-off tax despite opt-out offer
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The government sparked a market rout last month with the surprise announcement of a 40% tax on the profits banks are reaping from rising interest rates. The option would benefit banks that hold a higher proportion of Italian government bonds among their assets relative to loans. Banca Akros and broker Equita also expect most banks to pay the tax. Equita also said paying the levy would allow lenders to maintain more flexibility over their remuneration policy. Switching the tax basis to risk-weighted assets helps banks which have a lower 'risk density', meaning the average risk weight per unit of exposure.

Persons: Jennifer Lorenzini, Equita, Akros, Siena, Valentina Za, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Generale, Banca Akros, ICCREA, Bank, Banca Generali, Thomson Locations: Monte dei, Siena, Italy, Italy's

☆ Jailed Italian Mafia boss Messina Denaro dies: ANSA
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] A screengrab taken from a video shows Matteo Messina Denaro the country's most wanted mafia boss being escorted out of a Carabinieri police station after he was arrested in Palermo, Italy, January 16, 2023. Carabinieri/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Italian Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, who was arrested in January after spending 30 years on the run, has died, ANSA news agency reported on Monday. Messina Denaro, 61, was suffering from cancer at the time of his arrest. The son of a mafioso, Messina Denaro was born in the southwestern Sicilian town of Castelvetrano in 1962. Despite his notoriety, prosecutors have always doubted that Messina Denaro became the Mafia "boss of bosses", saying it was more likely that he was simply the head of Cosa Nostra in western Sicily.

Persons: Matteo Messina Denaro, Messina Denaro, Denaro, ANSA, Giovanni Falcone, Paolo Borsellino, Giuseppe Di Matteo, Salvatore, Riina, turncoats, Crispian Balmer, Kanjyik Ghosh, Kim Coghill, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Carabinieri, REUTERS, Rights, Mafia, La Repubblica, Messina, Police, Cosa Nostra, Thomson Locations: Palermo, Italy, Rome, Florence, Milan, Messina, Sicilian, Castelvetrano, Sicily, Campobello

CNN —A Mafia boss who spent nearly three decades evading law enforcement before he was arrested in January has died while receiving medical treatment, according to Italian media reports. Crime was a family affair for Messina Denaro, born to a known Mafia boss in Sicily on April 26, 1962. Among those arrested in the 2009-2010 crackdown was his brother, Salvatore Messina Denaro, who refused to testify about his whereabouts. In 2013, his sister, Patrizia Messina Denaro, was sentenced to 14 years in prison, a term she is still serving, for being a member of the Mafia. Felia Allum, professor of comparative organized crime and corruption at the UK’s University of Bath, said in January that Messina Denaro was the last of an old generation of Mafia bosses.

Persons: CNN —, Matteo Messina Denaro, San Salvatore, Rai, Maurizio de Lucia, Messina Denaro, Giovanni Falcone, Paolo Borsellino, Falcone, Borsellino, Giuseppe Di Matteo, Maddalena, Bernardo Provenzano, Salvatore Messina Denaro, Patrizia Messina Denaro, Felia Allum, ” Organizations: CNN, Cosa Nostra, San, Sicilian Mafia, Cosa, Mafia, UK’s University of Bath Locations: L’Aquila, Italy, Palermo, Europe, Milan, Florence, Rome, Messina, €, Corleone, Sicily, Cosa

☆ Juve's Allegri sticks with Szczesny despite costly mistakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"With Sassuolo it was not a bad performance, but we defended badly and there were single inexplicable errors. At Juventus we have to live with pressure and a sense of responsibility," Allegri told reporters on Monday. Other mistakes will happen, maybe not like Saturday's but they will happen. "Szczesny is the starting goalkeeper and tomorrow he will play, aware, however, that (Mattia) Perin is an important keeper." "We have Danilo, there is Szczesny, and then Alex Sandro even though he is currently injured.

Persons: Wojciech Szczesny, Adrien Rabiot, Alberto Lingria, Massimiliano Allegri, Szczesny, Federico Gatti, Allegri, " Gatti, Mattia, Perin, Leonardo Bonucci, Juan Cuadrado, Angel Di Maria, Danilo, Alex Sandro, Daniele, Rugani, Federico Chiesa, Dusan Vlahovic, Chiesa, Roberto, D'Aversa, Trevor Stynes, Ken Ferris Organizations: Soccer, Sassuolo, Juventus, Mapei, Tricolore, Reggio, Polish, Lecce, Juve, Inter Milan, Thomson Locations: Reggio Emilia, Italy, European

☆ Italy has no buyers for Monte dei Paschi, eyes small share sales instead of exit, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

General view of a branch of Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS), the oldest bank in the world, which is facing massive layoffs as part of a planned business merger, in Siena, Italy, August 11 2021. Reuters was first in May to report the Treasury was open to selling down its Monte dei Paschi (MPS) stake on the market if conditions were right. Though the Treasury is considering cutting its stake with share placements, it would retain majority ownership, one of the sources said. Bankers said the capital raise has made any deal more expensive for any buyer, complicating the prospect for a merger. Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte in Roma and Valentina Za in Milan; editing by Alvise ArmelliniOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jennifer Lorenzini, Rome, Luigi Lovaglio, Lovaglio, Giuseppe Fonte, Valentina Za, Alvise Organizations: REUTERS, European, Reuters, Treasury, EU, MPS, Banco, Bankers, Thomson Locations: Monte dei, Siena, Italy, Roma, Milan

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