Scaffolding goes up in Venice to save Banksy's migrant mural
VENICE, June 17 (Reuters) - Scaffolding went up in Venice on Tuesday to restore a mural by the elusive street artist Banksy that had appeared on the side of a 17th century building in the lagoon city six years ago.
"Migrant Child" shows a boy wearing a life jacket and holding a pink flare, representing the artist's support for migrant sea rescue charities.
But being exposed to Venice's notorious humidity and painted on the canal-facing side of a crumbling palazzo, it was in danger of fading into oblivion.
The building, unoccupied when Banksy worked on it, was bought last year by an Italian bank that is now funding its entire restoration, mural included.
Banca Ifis (IF.MI), opens new tab is planning to turn the Palazzo San Pantalon into an exhibition space linked to the Venice Biennale art fair, it said in a statement.
The three-story building is in the Dorsoduro neighbourhood, near Venice's main university. The well-known Zaha Hadid Architects studio is working on the renovation project.
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BBC News
14 hours ago
- BBC News
Venice activists plan to disrupt Jeff Bezos's wedding
Activists in Venice have launched a series of protests against Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos, who is due to marry fiancée Lauren Sánchez next week in a lavish, multi-million dollar ceremony that could shut parts of the famous city Bezos, 61, is the world's third richest person, with an estimated net worth of $220.9bn. He owns Amazon and space tech company Blue of high-profile guests are due to descend on Venice between 23 and 28 June for the nuptials, which will reportedly take over the whole island of San Giorgio, opposite St Mark's to Italian media almost every luxury hotel has been booked out by the wedding party, as have many water taxis. "Venice is being treated like a showcase, a stage," said Federica Toninelli, a 33-year-old Venetian activist affiliated with the No Space for Bezos protest group. "And this wedding is the symbol of the exploitation of the city by outsiders... Venice is now just an asset."No Space for Bezos unites activists belonging to various Venetian collectives – from those campaigning for more housing for Venice's dwindling population to the anti-cruise ship committee."These topics are all linked," Toninelli told the BBC. "They all have to do with Venice turning into a place that puts tourists, rather than residents, at the centre of its politics." On Thursday the collective unfurled banners against Bezos from the bell tower of the San Giorgio Maggiore basilica and the Rialto Bridge. Next week, they plan to disrupt the festivities by jumping into the canals to hinder the water taxis and blocking various calli, Venice's narrow streets, to prevent the wedding guests from reaching the venue. In a social media call-out for people to join the protests, activists accused conservative Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro of treating residents "like a nuisance... because for him the only valid use of Venice is as a backdrop for events that make the rich richer." Organisers say the aim of the protests - which they insist will be entirely peaceful - is twofold. "We want to spark a citywide conversation and to say that people like Bezos – who represent a future we don't want and a world we don't want to live in – are not welcome here," Toninelli said, citing Bezos' business ventures and his proximity to the Trump administration. But Mayor Brugnaro said he was "ashamed" of the protesters: "What other city would organise a committee against the wedding of such an important person?""I hope [Bezos] doesn't have second thoughts," he said. Echoing the mayor's indignation, jeweller Setrak Tokatzian – who heads the association of St Mark's shopkeepers – told Italian media that those who protest "hurt the city"."This kind of event brings in work and wealth, otherwise all we have left is increasingly low-cost tourism."Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez, an author and former news presenter, have been together for a number of years and became engaged in details of the wedding have not been revealed, the No Space for Bezos committee believes the couple will tie the knot in the 10th Century Church of the Abbey of Misericordia. About 200 guests are expected, with many staying in Venice's most exclusive hotels as well as on Bezos' yachts, the Koru and the to Vogue magazine the guest list could include Kim Kardashian - who attended Sánchez's bachelorette party in Paris last month - and pop star Katy Perry, with whom Sánchez flew to space on a Blue Origin rocket earlier this year. Members of the Trump family are also rumoured to be attending. Ms Toninelli said protesting Bezos' lavish wedding would bring attention to the wider problems facing her city and its fragile lagoon. As local housing is replaced by holiday rentals, Venetians have left the city in droves. According to local activist group Ocio, in 2023 the number of tourists surpassed that of residents for the first time. Its current population is just under 49,000, versus 175,000 in year the city introduced an entrance fee for day trippers on peak dates. Mayor Brugnaro celebrated the scheme as a success, but opposition politicians argue it has not helped spread out the flow of tourists which flood Venice's narrow streets on a regular basis. However, Ms Toninelli insisted she and other activists were not against the concept of tourism. "We also like travelling around the world. The problem here is not tourists - it's exploiting tourism and basing everything on it.""We need to think about a post-tourism transition," she said, highlighting the need to move away from the concept of Venice as a stage for large, glitzy events."A city administration that puts residents - and not visitors - front and centre would be a good step forward."Jeff Bezos' wedding is not the first large-scale celebration of this kind to take place in 2014 actor George Clooney married human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in a glitzy affair that saw a host of celebrities descend on the Italian city's canals. There was no significant uproar of their event at the time.
Reuters
14 hours ago
- Reuters
Leonardo CEO sees advantages in new entrants to GCAP fighter programme
PARIS, June 17 (Reuters) - There are advantages of new entrants joining an Italian-British-Japanese next-generation fighter jet programme, but it's a decision for the governments involved, the head of Italian aerospace and defence group Leonardo ( opens new tab said on Tuesday. Speaking at the Paris Airshow, Roberto Cingolani said more partners could help boost the technology of the Global Combat Air Programme. He also said that Saudi Arabia joining the programme - which has long been mooted - would open up a big market with great potential. Cingolani said he saw room for many partners in future, while reiterating that this would be a political decision. He added that the project's 2035 deadline was "serious and strict" and "we must make all efforts to meet it". "We are on schedule but it is a complex development," he added. Two sources close to the matter told Reuters last month that Japan had growing doubts that the project would meet the 2035 target, potentially forcing Tokyo to plug air defence gaps with new U.S. F-35 stealth planes or upgrades to aging jets. GCAP is an effort by Japan and its two European partners to build a next-generation fighter free from the operational restrictions that often come with purchases of U.S.-made military equipment. For example, buyers are often not allowed to do upgrades and maintenance without U.S. permission. The project is being led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (7011.T), opens new tab in Japan, BAE Systems (BAES.L), opens new tab in Britain and Leonardo in Italy. France, Germany and Spain are working on a rival project, although one of its partners - Airbus ( opens new tab - said in January it could see the two programmes combining, or at least designed to work together.
Reuters
16 hours ago
- Reuters
UniCredit CEO says to gradually exit Generali investment
MILAN, June 17 (Reuters) - UniCredit's ( opens new tab Chief Executive Andrea Orcel on Tuesday vowed to gradually reduce the stake it has built in the country's top insurer Generali ( opens new tab, ruling out large insurance deals for Italy's second-biggest lender. Speaking at a conference organised by rival Mediobanca, Orcel said building stakes in a target company as a first step towards potential tie-ups could be a good strategy, given widespread government hostility across Europe to bank M&A. However, "I want to be very clear, the investment in Generali is not that," Orcel said. "We will be reducing it and exiting it over time."
