Tag Archives: Italy

14Jun/23

There are bunga bunga parties in heaven

Silvio Berlusconi was accused of having intimate relations with girls at his bunga bunga parties, but he was never convicted of any charges. In 2013, he was acquitted of charges of paying for sex with a minor, but he was convicted of other charges, including abuse of power. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, but the sentence was later commuted to community service.

The bunga bunga parties were a series of parties that Berlusconi hosted at his villa in Arcore, Italy. The parties were attended by young women, some of whom were reportedly prostitutes. Berlusconi denied that any sexual activity took place at the parties, but he was accused of paying the women for their company. Continue reading

30May/23

‘They just ignored my tears, they ignored my unhappiness’: former Irish nuns reveal accounts of brainwashing and abuse

Karen Hanrahan, University of Brighton

Any thoughts of escaping to a more natural life was regarded as being sinful. The idea of being unfaithful to your vocation was a step on the way to hell. It would be a mortal sin.

These are the words of Mary, my mother. She was just 15 when she entered a convent in Ireland in 1950 and 34 by the time she finally managed to leave. She had been expressing doubts to her superiors since her early twenties but years of “brainwashing” and the very real fear of her and her family facing eternal damnation made breaking her vows seem impossible.

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30May/23

InnoVEX 2023 Gathers Startups From 22 Countries Demonstrating Endless Possibilities

The InnoVEX exhibit for startups at COMPUTEX 2023 will be held at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Hall 2 from May 30 to June 2. As a global platform for startups, InnoVEX 2023 will integrate 5G, AIoT, healthcare technology, metaverse and XR, electric vehicles and smart mobility, green technology, and other innovative solutions. A total of 400 participating startup teams from 22 countries and 8 pavilion countries, including France, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Japan, Brazil, and Israel, will showcase diverse creativity. Continue reading

13May/23

The ‘gay world cup’: why LGBTQ+ audiences love Eurovision

Matt Weaver, University of Portsmouth

In 1956, seven European countries – Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and West Germany – gathered in Lugano, Switzerland for the first ever Eurovision Song Contest. The competition was only broadcast in select countries, meaning only a small number of viewers watched Swiss entry Lys Assia win the grand prize with the song Refrain.

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21Apr/23

ChatGPT: lessons learned from Italy’s temporary ban of the AI chatbot

Oreste Pollicino, Bocconi University and Giovanni De Gregorio, Bocconi University

In March 2023, Italy became the first western country to block the advanced chatbot known as ChatGPT.

The Italian data protection authority, Garante, cited concerns over the protection of personal data when making this decision. It has given OpenAI, the California-based company that created ChatGPT, until the end of April to comply with its demands.

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13Mar/23

Uncovering the secret religious and spiritual lives of sex workers

Daisy Matthews, Nottingham Trent University and Jane Pilcher, Nottingham Trent University

Tanya* is telling me just how important her Methodist Christianity is to her. We’re chatting over a video call, and I can see Tanya’s living room in the background. This also happens to be her workspace because Tanya, who is 50, is a full-time phone and cam sex worker. For Tanya, earning her living through sex work does not conflict with her religious beliefs at all. Tanya tells me that she had a client who talked to her about his enjoyment of wearing women’s clothing. He confided in her because they both shared the same religious identity.

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14Feb/23

Valentine’s Day’s connection with love was probably invented by Chaucer and other

Natalie Goodison, Durham University

As an undergraduate, on a tour of Europe, I happened to step into the church where Saint Valentine’s head was kept. The tour guide told us a (likely fictitious) story about Saint Valentine performing forbidden marriages for persecuted Christians under the Roman emperor Claudius Gothicus (possibly 269-270 AD). Valentine was then imprisoned and beheaded in Rome.

His saint’s day has since become a celebration of romance. But earlier medieval accounts of Valentine’s life contain no mention of his association with love.

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18Jan/23

Matteo Messina Denaro: arrest of mafia boss after 30 years on the run is the end of an era – but not the end of the Cosa Nostra

Felia Allum, University of Bath

Matteo Messina Denaro, one of the leaders of the Sicilian mafia, the Cosa Nostra, has finally been detained after 30 years on the run. His arrest came as around 100 police officers surrounded the private Maddalena clinic in Palermo where they had discovered he was receiving treatment.

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22Dec/22

The 3rd APEC Women Connect Her Power Entrepreneurship Competition Announces 2022 Winners, Raising Profiles of Budding Women Entrepreneurs

The 3rd APEC Women Connect “Her Power” Entrepreneurship Competition came to an end on December 16 with a livestreamed ceremony. Over four months, the competition engaged over 1,000 participants interested in social commerce from countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, Vietnam, The Philippines, Italy, Nigeria, Malawi, Venezuela, and China. Continue reading

05Nov/22

New in Peach: Send ads to Netflix

Peach, the global market leader in video advertising workflow and delivery has announced support of Netflix’s new ad-supported service Basic with Ads.

To coincide with the launch of the service, Peach has launched new destinations enabling clients to deliver ads to Netflix across multiple territories including UK, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Brazil with more to follow. Peach provides a connected advertising workflow, enabling clients to get their ads delivered to Netflix straight from the edit suite, while ensuring the highest possible quality, formatting and accuracy. Continue reading