“It stinks!”: Milan residents grapple with high pollution
Milan, Italy Reuters Pietro De Luca lives in Italy’s finance and fashion capital Milan but often thinks of moving to a cleaner city with his wife and three children to escape high pollution and the health risks it causes. “It stinks! I smell a constant stench of smog, I cough, I feel my throat burning,” […]
Pope Francis encourages young climate activists to build dialogue
Vatican CityRNS In a message to young people attending an event in Italy on the environmental crisis, Pope Francis encouraged activists to promote human relationships and environmental protections by overcoming divisions. “There must be harmony between people – men and women – and the environment,” the Pope said in his recorded message at the Youth4Climate […]
Rooftops to railways: neighbourhoods race to hit net zero climate goals
Durban, South AfricaThomson Reuters Foundation Tackling climate change at a city level – let alone on a global scale – is time-consuming, but neighbourhoods are being targeted as testing grounds for speedy, community-led climate solutions. Ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November, engineering company Arup and the C40 Cities network have launched […]
Leonardo’s ‘Last Supper’ reopens to public with short wait
Milan, ItalyAP COVID-19 restrictions have brought a novelty to art lovers: The possibility of seeing Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper without waiting in line, and with same-day tickets possible. Access to the masterpiece housed inside the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie resumed Tuesday after the second closure of the pandemic, starting […]
Urban air quality less improved by COVID lockdowns than first believed
Rome, ItalyThomson Reuters Foundation Lockdowns during the first wave of COVID-19 had a much smaller impact on urban air quality than first expected, a study of 11 global cities, from Wuhan to New York, found on Wednesday. As millions stayed home, concentrations in the air of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – a key pollutant emitted by […]
Escape from the city? Londoners lead Europe in COVID-inspired dreams of flight
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation More than 40 per cent of people in large European cities have considered moving away due to the new coronavirus pandemic, according to a recent survey, with Londoners most prone to dreaming of living in a smaller town with better access to parks and other amenities. Half of urban dwellers in […]
‘Cardinal’s lady’ arrested in Milan is latest to be accused in widening Vatican scandal
Vatican CityRNS Italian police arrested Cecilia Marogna, a figure connected to recent scandals over allocations of Vatican funds, in Milan on Tuesday and accused her of embezzlement. The judicial authorities at the Vatican issued an international arrest warrant for Marogna, known as “the cardinal’s lady” by local media for her connection to Cardinal Angelo Becciu, […]
Street art depicting Pope Francis highlights homeless struggle in Milan
Vatican CityRNS Pop art graffiti depicting Pope Francis as homeless and a begging Madonna and Child, made by the subversive artist aleXsandro Palombo, appeared in the northern Italian city of Milan last week. “The coronavirus aggravated social inequalities and caused an alarming increase in poverty,” Palombo, an artist and activist for 25 years whose works […]
Updated: Stocks savaged, Italy on lockdown, Trump seeks to reassure as coronavirus spreads
Updated 12pmRome ItalyReuters All of Italy under lockdown, reeling financial markets and rioting prisoners made clear on Monday how the global coronavirus epidemic was extending its reach into all aspects of social and economic life. Major European stock markets dived more than seven per cent, Japanese indexes fell over five per cent and US markets […]
Italy locks down millions as its coronavirus deaths jump
Milan, ItalyReuters Italy ordered a virtual lockdown across much of its wealthy north, including the financial capital Milan, in a drastic new attempt to try to contain a outbreak of coronavirus that saw the number of deaths leap again sharply on Sunday. The unprecedented restrictions, which aim to limit gatherings and curb movement, will impact […]