Tag: italy

COP26 Pontignano 2020: Italy and UK new bilateral relations on climate change

London (Rosita Dagh) Italy and UK established a new bilateral relationship on climate change during the Pontignano Conference.

The event took place in London on February 25th.

The Italian and English governments came together to find new solutions to the issues that affect our planet.

Climate change remains one core subjects of global debate to which everyone is called to do something on the matter. In fact, world leaders will join COP26 (Conference of the Parties) in Glasgow next November 2020.

Now the goal of the United Kingdom and Italy is to apply the “Pontignano” method to bring new ideas and projects at the COP26 wich are aimed at reducing CO2 emissions.

Today The Pontignano Co-President, Carlo Calenda and Lord Willetts, hosted 100 people from the local journalists, politicians and experts at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London,  to discuss how to overcome current obstacles related to the climate change.

Zac Goldsmiths, Minister for the Enviroment; Lord David Willetts

The event was also attended by the Minister for the Enviroment, Food and Rural Affairs, Zac Goldsmith, who insisted on the fact that in UK, since 2014, we have assisted to very high temperatures never seen before but, at the same time, he highlighted how the British citizens have always been activeto propose new solutions to the government.

“The population has immediately shown interest and willingness to stop this problem” – he said.

Therefore, the Minister concluded that the success of COP26 is not about convinceing people to do something on climate change, but convinceing them of leaders’ capability to take serious measures to protect our planet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEthbvbPAUE

London ONE Radio broadcasts Radio Radicale

London – London One Radio, the official Italian radio station in the UK is broadcasting everyday Radio Radicale’s news bulletin.

The Italian Government has recently passed a new law, known as ‘budget law” that cuts the funds to support broadcasting companies like Radio Radicale.

In this case Radio Radicale is in the situation of being forced to close down its station on  21st May.

Radio Radicale can be considered the Italian history’s archive, because it has been recording, collecting and documenting for 40 years relevant court trials, congresses of all Italian political parties, debates and CSM’s sessions

That is why London One Radio is mobilizing alongside those who are fasting in these days (Maurizio Bolognetti, historic militant of the Radical Party in Basilicata, for almost 50 days since last April 9th, ​​Rita Bernardini, Maria Antonietta Farina Coscioni, Irene Testa, all three part of the Presidency of the Radical Party, and of Paola di Folco, militant of non-violent struggles).

Philip Baglini, Director of London One Radio, had already hosted an interview with Radio Radicale’s Director Alessio Falconio on March 21st. Given the approaching closure of the radio despite a great mobilization in Italy, with this gesture he also wants to help the Italian community in London to know what Italy is losing

“Let’s save Radio Radicale. LondonONEradio interviews director Alessio Oreste Falconio ”
Listen to “Salviamo Radio Radicale: intervista al direttore Alessio Oreste Falconio” on Spreaker.

Anyone wishing to help the radio can sign the petition online here:

https://www.change.org/p/giuseppeconteit-salva-radio-radicale-per-garantire-il-diritto-dei-cittadini- a-conoscere-per-deliberare

buying a radio branded item on the new web store created to support its struggle even economically.

https://worthwearing.org/store/radio-radicale

or even taking part at a single day of fasting for the non-violent initiative of the Radical Parti by communicating it to this address

https://www.partitoradicale.it/form-per-aderire-allo-sciopero-della-fame-per-radio-radicale

Italy sets budget deficit goal at 2.4 pct of GDP

LONDON (Caterina Moser) – Italian government targeted the budget deficit at 2.4 pct of GDP, gross domestic product, from 2019-2021. For the next three years, these will be the provisions.

This targets would flout European Union rules calling for Italy to progressively lower its deficit and marking a victory for party chiefs over Economy Minister Giovanni Tria.

Tria had to surrender to the requests of Movimento 5 Stelle e Lega, although he had initially wanted a deficit set as low as 1.6 percent next year, in order to respect European Union demands.

Great satisfaction by the coalition government of the Movimento 5 Stelle e Lega, which took power in June. They had been pushing for a deficit around 2.4 percent of GDP to fund costly policy pledges.

“Today is a historical day! Italy has changed today!” Has wrote Luigi Di Maio on Facebook.

The agreement was approved after an informal summit at Palazzo Chigi which lasted about 4 hours with Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Vice-Presidents of the Council Matteo Salvini and Luigi Di Maio, Minister of Economy and Finance Giovanni Tria and Minister for European Affairs Paolo Savona.

Then, the Council of Ministers held the approval of the Def update note, the document with which the government indicates its three-year economic plans.

The Def, the document of Economics and Finance, contains all the economic and financial policies. It allows the government to establish how to spend public money.

It have been released 27 billion for the maneuver.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Facebook that the budget goals were “considered, reasonable and courageous” and would “ensure more robust economic growth and significant social progress for our country”.

He added the budget plan included “the biggest programme of public investments ever carried out in Italy.”

Salvini said the budget would also allow people to retire earlier, freeing up about 400,000 jobs for the young, and cut tax rates for a million self-employed workers.

He called the expansionary fiscal plan “a revolution of common sense”. According to the government, the Budget Law will affect about 6.5 million people below the poverty line.

“With pension and income of citizenship that we introduce with this Budget Law, we will have abolished poverty” Di Maio had said in an Italian tv programme few days ago.

It will be up to M5S and Lega to demonstrate that such a potentially dangerous maneuver can find market and European Union approval.

The European Commission will evaluate the maneuver on October 16th. With these numbers it will be difficult to approve it.

Meanwhile, financial markets have been nervous since the government took office due to fears its spending plans will boost Italy’s debt.

What do Londoners prefer about Italy?

London (Branciforti Vittorio, Cuius Iuculano Stefano, Cusumano Elisa, Di Gregorio Denise, Grimaldi Giacomo, Gulizia Erika, Morretta Miriam, Palumbo Elisa, Scalogna Francesca, Scalzo Giuliana, Scuto Noemi, Vassallo Alice) – It is known that Italy is famous for wonderful landscapes and beautiful places. That is why a lot of foreign people visit the country. But do they really know Italy? And which are their favorite places? The guys of London One Academy tried to discover it for us. 

The project started on 7th August 2018 and the people involved in it were divided into three groups: the “speaking-group”, which had to choose what to ask people for an inquiry about travels in Italy; the “excel” one, which had to make graphics and statics; and the “marketing-group”, which had to promote the radio.

Then, the groups became four, each one composed of three students. They had to interview people around London and every morning they collected more than 150 interviews. The main questions were: “Have you ever been in Italy?”. If yes, “where have you been?”; if no, “ where would you like to go in Italy?”. The last question was “When you travel, do you prefer to visit museums or go to the beach?”. Amazingly many people have already visited Italy, especially Rome, Florence, Venice and Naples.  

 

Everybody was very excited to talk about Italy and Italian food, for which we are very famous abroad. Thanks to the interviews, the groups found out that foreigners love the Italian language; they would like to learn it or they are already learning it. On the other hand, they met people who have never been in Italy. However, they would like to go to the capital, which is Rome, and the most part would like to visit Tuscany and Sicily, too.

The other group worked with Excel, they created a graphic with the information they collected every day in the interviews. So they showed the rate of answers and they made a graphic for each question with the percentage.

In the first graphic, there are the most visited Italian cities: at the top, there is Rome (27%), Florence has the second position (17%) and Venice has the third position (15%). There are also destinations that are not so famous, but people would like to visit them, such as Sicily (5%), Sorrento (5%), Pisa (2,6%) and Sardinia (0,9%).

  

In the second one, the Italian cities in which people would like to go: even in this case, Rome (36%) has the first place, probably because it is the capital, Venice (20%) follows it and Florence (11%) is the third one. Many people also answered Sicily (9%) and Verona (6,7%).  

The last graphic contains the percentage of people who prefer museums (39%), seaside (34%) or both (27%). 

Thanks to the data collected, it is quite clear that people from every country of the world love Italy, its history, language, culture and obviously food. This made the students who work at this project very proud of their Italy, especially of their Sicily, which is also very popular all over the world.

‘TIMELESS’ AT BELMOND GRAND HOTEL TIMEO – Sicily protagonist with a show on Lorenzo Chinnici

Italy – From 19th to 24th September, Belmond Grand Hotel will host the works by the illustrious artist Lorenzo Chinnici (Meri, 1942).  Not only is the exhibition an exciting artistic experience, it also provides an opportunity to enjoy the spectacular setting of one the world’s most stunning terraces, wrapped in the sweeping embrace of the Greek Theatre, ancient Sicily’s most famous monument and the unforgettable view of Sicily’s eastern coast, framed by the glittering waters of the Ionian Sea and the slumbering mass of Mount Etna.

 

In the monograph on Lorenzo Chinnici, Vittorio Sgarbi wrote: “If sight does not reveal the truth, memory and interior image will help to confirm that the eye is the most imaginative of the senses”. Indeed, our senses will enable us to appreciate Chinnici’s works in the setting of the Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo, a luxurious residence full of memories, a place whose history is interwoven to that of important, iconic characters, like Klimt or Wagner, as well as to several poets and writers, like Guy de Maupassant, D.H. Lawrence, Oscar Wilde and many others.
This exceptional setting is where Lorenzo Chinnici is opening his new exhibition, finally in his homeland after having exposed his works in international venues like Paris, Milan, London and New York. Indeed, the moment has come for Chinnici to return to his roots. Picturesque scenes of beaches, fishermen, wooden ships, washer women and peasants at work in the fields, populated with symbolic, ‘faceless’ figures, evoke the colors and memories of a Sicily ruled by the moods of sky and sea. They depict what has become a luxury only for privileged people: time.

EUROFESTIVAL – ITALY, WITH FRANCESCO GABBANI, IS FAVOURITE

According to bookmakers, Francesco Gabbani, with his song Occidentali’s Karma, is the favourite singer of Eurovision Song Contest 2017.

At the moment, many people are gambling and Italy is quoted at 2.37 by bet365.

It is impossible not to dance or sing when listening to Gabbani’s song: it has more than 50 million views on Youtube only in Italy, but also in Europe people sympathize with the dancing monkey.

But why is he so successful?
Probably because his song is cool, direct, straightforward. Coming from Carrara, Gabbani grew up with his music and his passion, always determined to experience more.

His previous success Amen was already different from common songs, but Occidentali’s Karma will make the history of music for sure.

In Kiev, Ukraine, people are waiting for Gabbani. But the race will not be easy, as the Italian singer will have to compete with international artists, such as Robin Bengtsson, Salvador Sobral and Blanche.

Gabbani’s music is engaging, it makes you happy. Occidentali’s Karma is indeed appreciated even though its text is not in English.

If Gabbani wins, the Eurofestival will take place in Italy next year, according to tradition, in order to honour the winner.

It is true that the favourite singers are not always the winners though. The whirlwind Conchita Wurst, for example, who had been undererrated before the competition, in the end has become one of the most famous stars not only in Europe, but all over the world.

Riccardo Moratto: from bullying victim in Italy to TV star in China

London – by Chiara Fiorillo

Riccardo Moratto, a 32-year-old Italian man, has had a very touching life. When he was young, he suffered from bullying at school, but despite this he never gave up. When he grew up, he moved to China, where he is now a popular TV star.

He told LondonOneRadio his story:

Riccardo, you can speak many languages, but how did you learn Mandarin?

For me, languages have always been a way to compensate for something I did not have. Since I was a child, I never had many friends. Because of this, I have always told myself that learning as many languages as possible could be useful for me to find a new friend somewhere in the world. My love for Chinese language was born around 2005 as a personal challenge: I told myself that many people in the world could speak Mandarin, therefore this could be a good choice for me.

When you were at school, you were a victim of bullying. Can you tell us what happened to you and how you managed to cope with this issue?

I was very strong, I must say. Many people are not as strong as me: an example of this is Matteo, a friend of mine, who decided to end his life and commit suicide in his bathroom.

In this occasion, I want to tell every victim of bullying that they should not be afraid to go on and to look for people to talk to. Many people diminish the power of bullying, because they do not understand how dangerous and mortal it can be.

For example, once we went on a school trip and those bullies targeted not only me but also another guy, they took some alcohol and they threw it into our hot water heater. Luckily, we had not turned it on, otherwise it could have been potentially deadly.

You also wrote a book about your experience.

Yes, I wrote it in Taiwan and I would like to publish it in Italian as well to help as many people who suffer from bullying as possible.

In the end, however, you became a TV star in a country that is not yours.

Yes, I have become the first Italian to host a TV show in China. Now, I am hosting three programmes and for me this is great. For me, moving to China has meant experiencing a new culture: one day I will go back to Italy, I hope.

For me, television is, like university, a platform to communicate messages. It can be very powerful.

You can also play the piano.

Yes, it has always been my only friend since I was a child. Every time I was sad and I did not want to speak to someone, I played it and I felt it was sharing its emotions with me. And so did I.

 

You can listen to the full interview here: http://www.spreaker.com/user/londonair/riccardo-moratto-vittima-del-bullismo-a-_1

Giuseppe Verdoni presents Italian beer in London at The Italian Job

London – by Chiara Fiorillo

Giuseppe Verdoni is one of the founders of The Italian Job, a brewery and pub opening in Notting Hill, London, on 17 March 2017.

He spoke to London One Radio, the Official Italian Radio in London.

How is your project going?

We are working very hard. We will open the brewery on St Patrick’s Day, therefore it will be a very special event to celebrate beer. We opened our first pub in Chiswick two years ago, but The Italian Job is our biggest project.

What does Italy prefer: beer or wine?

Ours is a culture of wine, but beer is growing a lot. This is the reason why many pubs selling artisan beer are opening at the moment.

How many types of beer do you have?

At the moment, we have 16, but we can change them more than once in a year. We may have up to 100 different kinds, because we will change our menu from time to time.

Do English people like Italian beer?

They have different tastes, so we try to sell more ales, for example. They are usually less alcoholic than artisan beer.

Are you worried Brexit will affect your project?

We will see what happens as now there is much uncertainty. We already pay a lot to import beer, so I do not think there will be much difference. Now, we are thinking to start producing Italian beer here in London, so that we do not have to import it anymore.

You will also cook Italian food.

From pasta to meat to cold cuts, we will have a wide range of food available. There will also be a choice of wine to choose from.

 

Listen to the whole interview here: https://www.spreaker.com/user/londonair/giuseppe-verdoni-si-parla-di-birra-itali_1

Euthanasia and the right to be free: Marco Cappato speaks about dj Fabo

London – by Chiara Fiorillo

The death of Dj Fabo last month created much controversy and a big discussion spread not only all over Italy, but all over the world: should euthanasia be made legal everywhere?

Marco Cappato, Italian politician and leader of Associazione Luca Coscioni, is the promoter of the campaign #LiberiFinoAllaFine, supporting the right to choose how to end your own life. He went to Switzerland with dj Fabo, who wanted to end his life, but he could not do so in his country.

Marco spoke to London One Radio, the Official Italian Radio in London.

How do you feel now?

I am happy to have helped dj Fabo: this is only the beginning of a fight to allow everyone to be free to choose how to end their own life. This problem is common all over the world, but it has found a solution in Belgium, Netherlands and in Switzerland. Unfortunately, Italy has not given this issue much importance yet.

Have you ever had any doubt?

I was very careful in not doing any mistake because I promised Fabo to help him till the end. I asked him whether he still wanted some time to think about it. Even when we arrived there, in Switzerland, I told him that, in case he was not sure, I could bring him back to Milan. However, he really wanted to end his life, so I could not give much space to my doubts.

According to the law, you cannot go with someone for their assisted suicide. How do you feel from a legal point of view?

I think it is important to start considering this issue. I travelled for 5 hours to go to Switzerland with Fabo, but what if I was coming from Sicily? It would have been impossible. Also, if you cannot afford it, you cannot decide to end your life, which I don’t think is good.

Fabo was irremediably blind and probably this is one of the reasons why he took the decision to die. When someone who is sick asks for assistance, you have to give it to them. There are no unworthy lives to be lived: everyone can choose how to live (or end) theirs. The problem is that governments should listen to the will of the person more: legalising euthanasia also means preventing people to do it clandestinely.

What about the law on bioassay in Italy?

In a few days, it will be passed to Camera dei Deputati for approval. It is not a law regarding euthanasia, but it gives you the possibility to say who you trust and who the doctors should speak to, in case you cannot take decisions by yourself anymore. In this way, it prevents people to live with a condition they did not want to live with.

If the law passes, it would be a great step forward, even if a minor one. Doctors are crucial, but the final choice depends on the patient. If, at some point, he decides to turn off the machines, his will has to be respected.

What are the last things DJ Fabo said?

He sent a message to his friends: “Fasten your seatbelts when driving, this could be the greatest present for me.” He was like that because of a car accident and this demonstrates he was still clear headed even straight before dying. He decided to die voluntarily, yet in saying so he stated again how important life is.

 

Listen to the interview here: https://www.spreaker.com/user/londonair/non-esiste-una-vita-indegna-di-essere-vi_2

May – Renzi meeting: “Rights of Italians living in the UK won’t change after the Brexit”

ROME – The Prime Ministers of Italy and UK met yesterday at Villa Pamphili in Rome, to discuss some crucial aspects of the relations between the two countries after the Brexit results in a press conference, and to get to know each other a little bit better while enjoying some Italian goodies. Theresa May explained once again that, even if the UK will soon be out of the EU, it will “still very much be a part of it” and added that her main goal is to develop a plan that can benefit both parts; a plan that could be totally different from everything we have already seen happening in the EU with Norway, Switzerland and Iceland.

As far as the Anglo-Italian relations are concerned, both premiers stressed how this result marks the beginning of a new chapter for everyone: Matteo Renzi confessed his bitterness towards the referendum results but stated he is confident “some good would come of it“. In addition to that, with the Brexit being a turning point in history, economics, politics and society, he underlined the importance of arranging and following a precise timeline in the upcoming months. His English counterpart didn’t agree: Mrs May explained how every decision made from now on has to be cautious and mindful and said she hopes that EU leaders will be able to understand the UK’s need to have more time to set up a plan for the future.


Mrs May assured that nothing will change in the way rights are applied to Italians living in the UK but, she added, that she will guarantee a different and better treatement UK’s citizens in their own country, since that is what they asked for with the referendum. Regarding the current economic relations between Italy and the UK, both premiers wish to create a future “win win” plan for their countries: Italy occupies the 8th place in the list of trading countries with the UK, with a current £24bn annual two-way trade which, they hope, will be boosted in the future.

After a month from the Brexit results the situation still appears quite uncertain for both the UK and Europe, but the shared plan all leaders have in mind is reassuring: this referendum marks the beginning of a new era for the European Union, which Renzi defined as a “miracle” that “allowed a 60 years period of peace and prosperity“, in which all countries have the opportunity to grow and better themselves in order to create a brighter future for the EU and its citizens.