Tag Archives: Italy

16Jun/23

IT’S NOT SO LONELY AT THE TOP: CELEBRITY CRUISES REVEALS DETAILS FOR ITS UPCOMING SHIP – CELEBRITY ASCENT

June 16, 2023TravelBahamas, Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy, British Virgin Islands, Celebrity, France, Greece, Italy, Manitoba Provincial Road 272, Public sphere, Puerto Rico, South Florida, Spain, Turkey, United Statesadmin

Today, Celebrity Cruises unveils for the very first time details about what travelers can experience on board the brand’s newest resort at sea, Celebrity Ascent, once it launches this November. As one of the most awarded premium cruise lines, with the first ships to ever receive the coveted Forbes Travel Guide Star Rating, Celebrity Cruises is once again making waves with the arrival of its fourth Edge Series ship. Touted as one of the “Best New U.S. Cruises of 2023” by Conde Nast Traveler, Celebrity Ascent will be the newest ship based in South Florida for the 2023-2024 Caribbean season. Cruising out of Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale from December 2023 to April 2024, the stunning new ship will transport guests to some of the Caribbean’s most desired destinations like the Bahamas, Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico, and the British Virgin Islands, before departing to Europe for a summer of bucket-list Mediterranean cruises in Greece, Italy, Turkey, Spain and France. Continue reading

14Jun/23

There are bunga bunga parties in heaven

June 14, 2023PoliticsArcore, Bunga bunga, Controversies surrounding Silvio Berlusconi, Human sexuality, In Italy, International Emmy Directorate Award, Italian people, Italy, Politicians, Silvio Berlusconi, Trials and allegations involving Silvio Berlusconiadmin

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

May 30, 2023Human InterestAsceticism, Australia, Catholic Church, Catholicism, Christina, Creative Commons, Ireland, Italy, João Braz de Aviz, Karen Armstrong, Karen Hanrahan, Louise, Martin, Mary, Micheál Martin, Musicians, Nun, Pope John XXIII, Religious institute, Rome, Rwanda, The Singing Nun, United Kingdom, United States, Women in the Catholic Churchadmin

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.

Continue reading →

30May/23

InnoVEX 2023 Gathers Startups From 22 Countries Demonstrating Endless Possibilities

May 30, 2023Innovation5G, Articles, Belgium, Brazil, Computex, Economy, France, Internet of things, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Startup company, Taipei, Technology, XRadmin

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

May 13, 2023MusicAustria, BBC 100 Women, Belarus, Belgium, Conchita Wurst, Creative Commons, Dana International, Eurovision Song Contest, Finland, France, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Jamie McLoughlin, Jason Manford, Krista Siegfrids, Lasha Tumbai, Lewis Thorp, LGBT people, Liverpool, Lugano, Luxembourg, Lys Assia, Matt Weaver, Musicians, Netherlands, Phoenix, Russia, Singers, Susan Sontag, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Verka Serduchka, Vladimir Zhiriovsky, West Germany, Zelenskyadmin

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.

Continue reading →

21Apr/23

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

April 21, 2023SecurityArticles, Artificial intelligence, Businesspeople, ChatGPT, Creative Commons, Elon Musk, Existential risk from artificial general intelligence, Garante, Giovanni De Gregorio, Information privacy, Italy, National data protection authority, OpenAI, Oreste Pollicino, Pasquale Stanzione, Privacy law, Privacy policy, SHUTTERSTOCK, Technologyadmin

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.

Continue reading →

13Mar/23

Uncovering the secret religious and spiritual lives of sex workers

March 13, 2023Human InterestAllah, Amy, Belgium, Benedikta Fones, Brussels, Creative Commons, Daisy Matthews, Gemma Ahearne, Human behavior, Human sexuality, Human trafficking, Humans, Islam Zahra, Italy, Jane Pilcher, Khan, London, Lopatin Lre, Melissa Gira Grant, Mia Khalifa, NORSE, Northern Ireland, Pagan, Prostitution, Romania, Sex industry, Sex work, Sex workers' rights, Sexual consent, SHUTTERSTOCK, So Zahra, Take Amy, Tanya, Thailand, Transgender sex worker, United Kingdom, United States, Vandoorne Maya, Veniceadmin

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.

Continue reading →

14Feb/23

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

February 14, 2023Human InterestCarl Wilhelm de Hamilton, Chivalric romance, Claudius Gothicus, Courtly love, Crato, Creative Commons, Durham, Fowles, Geoffrey Chaucer, Italy, John Gower, Literature, London, Ma, Medieval literature, Natalie Goodison, Oton de Grandson, Pardo, Rome, Saint Valentine, Terni, The Canterbury Tales, Tradition, Valentine, Valentine's Day, Whanadmin

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.

Continue reading →

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

January 18, 2023CrimeAntonino Giuffrè, Bernardo Provenzano, Capo dei capi, Corleone, Corleonesi Mafia clan, Creative Commons, Crime, Denaro, Felia Allum, Giovanni Falcone, Giuseppe Di Matteo, Italy, Matteo Messina Denaro, Organized crime, Paolo Borsellino, Riina, Sicilian Mafia, Sicilian Mafia Commissionadmin

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.

Continue reading →

22Dec/22

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

December 22, 2022InnovationAsia-Pacific, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Australia, China, Continents, France, Italy, Malawi, Nigeria, Organizations, Philippines, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Vietnam, Worldadmin

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