ROME - The Israeli authorities threatened to cancel the start of the upcoming Giro d’Italia cycling race as the organisers referred to the starting point as “West Jerusalem” in their advertising leaflets. The name refers to the time when the city was divided between Arab and Israeli-occupied halves following the Six Day War in 1967. Race organiser Mauro Vegni took advice from the Italian foreign ministry in referring to the start point in this way. He said that “the reality is that we want it to be a sports event and stay away from any political discussion.”
Gianfranco Nitti
ROME - Art Cities Exchange (ACE), the most important workshop for the promotion of Italian Art Cities, is taking place this month in its 19th edition.
In the past, ACE stood out as the best workshop for cultural tourism, and this renovated edition is going to continue this important tradition of improving the quality of international demand, especially in the fields of MICE and leisure tourism.
1 Dec 2017
Gianfranco Nitti
ROME - The critically acclaimed major retrospective, The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains, comes to the Eternal City some 50 years since the birth of one of the world’s most pioneering and influential bands in history.
1 Dec 2017
INSIDER NEWSDESK
ROME - A six-year-old boy was used to traffic drugs in Catania on behalf of the Cosa Nostra Mafia clan, police sources say. After a massive investigation, code named “zero miles,” the Carabinieri arrested 36 people for offences linked to organised crime and the distribution of drugs, namely cocaine and marijuana.
30 Nov 2017
HELENA LESLIE
ROME - There has been a reported increase in the number of raids by “Naziskins” in Northern Italy. Depending on political allegiances, this rise has been attributed to the leniency of the ruling centre-left Democratic Party’s migration policy and explained as stemming from a rise of intolerance in Italy. The two explanations are entwined and the debate has been brought to a head in the reactions of the most recent “skinhead” raid this week.
30 Nov 2017
KONRAD VAN HALEWYN
ROME - Giulio Mattietti, Deputy Director of the Institute for the Works of Religion, more commonly known as the “Vatican bank,” has been forced to resign under mysterious circumstances. On Wednesday, Mattietti was escorted past the city wall by the Gendarmerie, the militarized police of the Vatican.
Mattietti had worked for the IOR since 1995, became head of an IT division in 2007, and took the position of deputy director in 2015. The situation surrounding Mattietti’s dismissal remain mysterious.
30 Nov 2017
INSIDER NEWSDESK
ROME - The Euro Gulf Information Centre is commencing it’s series, Lessons from History, next Thursday with a talk the history between Italy and Libya. The event will be held in the Rome office, Via Gregoriana 12, from 4-6pm.
30 Nov 2017
KONRAD VAN HALEWYN
ROME - Net migration into Italy is on the rise. With an increase of 10,000 from the previous year’s 144,000, Italy’s net immigration is up by 8 percent.
The most common country of origin of the immigrants is Romania with 45,000 people moving to Italy last year, followed by Nigeria and Pakistan, both of which had 15,000 citizens settle.
Immigration from Africa showed the highest proportional increase, especially Guinea that showed an increase of 181 percent.
30 Nov 2017
VINCENZO PEZZILLI
DUBAI - The Italian government is proposing that Italian cuisine outside of Italy become UNESCO World Heritage. This bid came at the same time as the Annual Italian Cuisine World Summit took place for the ninth year in Dubai, with Italian food showcased around the UAE this month.
This event was organised by IT CHEFS GVCI under the supervision of Rosario Scarpato. The company has traditionally asked participating restaurants around the world to produce an Italian dish on Jan. 10 each year.
30 Nov 2017