Latest news with #CatholicJubilee
Reuters
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Britain's King Charles, Queen Camilla arrive in Italy for state visit
ROME, April 7 (Reuters) - King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla arrived in Italy on Monday for a four-day state visit during which the British monarch will address the Italian parliament in Rome. It is the 17th official visit by Charles to Italy and his first overseas trip this year as he continues to undergo treatment for cancer. It coincides with the 20th wedding anniversary of Charles and Camilla, who married on April 9, 2005. Their wedding took place the day after the funeral of Pope John Paul II, which Charles attended as then heir to the throne. Charles, who as British king is the supreme governor of the Church of England, had also been due to meet Pope Francis this week, but the meeting was postponed in late March because of concern over the pontiff's health. Pope Francis spent five weeks in hospital suffering from double pneumonia and has now returned to the Vatican. Charles previously met Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, during visits to Italy in 2017 and 2019. In the past, he also met Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. His mother, Queen Elizabeth, also visited the Holy See in 2000 during the last Catholic Jubilee year. Charles and Camilla are scheduled to meet Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Tuesday and visit the Colosseum. On Wednesday the king and queen will meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, after which Charles will deliver a speech to parliament -- the first British monarch in history to address a joint parliamentary session in Italy. On Thursday, Charles and Camilla travel to Ravenna in the northeastern Emilia-Romagna region to take part in a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the city's liberation from Nazi occupation by Allied forces in World War Two.
Euronews
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
'Caravaggio 2025' already selling out fast in Rome
ADVERTISEMENT One of the most comprehensive exhibitions ever dedicated to Michelangelo Merisi, better known as Caravaggio, is currently open at Palazzo Barberini in Rome — and tickets are selling out fast. Comprised of 24 works spanning just over a decade of the artist's career, the exhibition includes prestigious loans from private and public collections worldwide, with some paintings being displayed in Italy for the first time. Among the highlights is the Portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini , which made its public exhibition debut just months ago, alongside well-known masterpieces like Self-Portrait as Bacchus . Coinciding with the Catholic Jubilee year, which will bring thousands of pilgrims to Rome and the Vatican, the exhibition offers visitors a rare opportunity to explore new discoveries about the artist. But according to Thomas Clement Salomon, the Director of Palazzo Barberini, what sets the show apart is not just the number of works but their sheer quality, and the care with which they've been selected to showcase the essence of Caravaggio's style. Caravaggio's Martyrdom of Saint Ursula, 1610. Palazzo Barberini 'At the heart of his work is his own life — the people he loved, the men, the women, his companions,' said Salomon, in an interview with Euronews. 'Caravaggio was able to capture the most intimate aspects of the human soul with unparalleled emotional depth.' While Caravaggio was recognised later than some of his contemporaries, he is today one of the most studied artists in the world. His realistic style, marked by dramatic contrasts of light and shadow, makes his work both accessible and deeply engaging for both scholars and the general public. The exhibition has already been an overwhelming success, drawing visitors from around the world. 'In just 20 days since opening, we have already sold 240,000 tickets,' said Salomon. 'Caravaggio's style feels remarkably contemporary — he painted life-sized figures, using natural, dark, and unadorned backdrops.' Caravaggio's Self Portrait as Bacchus, 1593-4. Palazzo Barberini Visitors share Salomon's enthusiasm. 'It's exactly what I was expecting,' said one Italian woman. 'It's amazing I've seen Caravaggio's works before, but seeing them all together is breathtaking.' An Australian admirer of the artist said he appreciates Caravaggio's exceptional ability to convey deep emotions. 'His works are dramatic and intense," he said. "The figures are tightly grouped, and the use of light and dark makes his art very accessible." The visitors' love for Caravaggio is intense, and the sellout crowds in the exhibition's four rooms do not deter them. The exhibition runs until 6 July — and with tickets for the next few weeks already sold out, anyone hoping to attend will need to move fast.
Bloomberg
06-03-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Rome Has Two Wildly Luxurious New Hotels. Which One Is Better?
Rome, a city already groaning under the weight of overtourism, expects an additional 30 million-plus travelers for the Catholic Jubilee this year. At the same time, a spate of new five-star hotels are jockeying for out-of-towners' attention. Among the boldfaced name brands that have recently planted flags in the Eternal City, the two that have generated the most buzz are the Romeo Hotel Roma and Bvlgari Hotel Roma. Despite having similarly convenient locations in the vicinity of the Piazza del Popolo, they offer dramatically different visions for what hospitality looks like today. Bloomberg Pursuits checked into both—here's how they stack up.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Eastern Europe's Ailing Economies Tick Higher in Late 2024
(Bloomberg) -- Economies in Poland and Hungary are showing cautious signs of life after stalling around mid-2024 due to subdued demand from their main trading partners in the euro region. Manhattan's Morning Commute Time Drops With New Congestion Toll How the 2025 Catholic Jubilee Is Reshaping Rome Trump Paves the Way to Deputize Local Police on Immigration Housing Aid Uncertain After Trump's Spending Freeze Memo Trump's Federal Funding Pause Threatens State Financials Fresh data on Thursday showed Hungary's gross domestic product expanding 0.5% in the fourth quarter from the previous three months, emerging from a recession. In Poland, annual GDP growth stood at 2.9% last year, implying a return to growth in the October-December period after a quarterly contraction over the previous three months. The Czech Republic reports fourth-quarter GDP figures on Friday. Eastern European growth rates plummeted last year along with demand from Germany, the region's biggest export market. Consumer demand, on the other hand, has been timid as inflation remains sticky and residents often focus on rebuilding their depleted savings over consumption. The economic trajectory is complicating Prime Minister Viktor Orban's plans to generate strong growth before crucial elections in just over a year. Poland also faces a presidential ballot in May, which may turn into a referendum on Prime Minister Donald Tusk's past year in power. Both governments talked up the latest data, with Hungary's Economy Ministry saying that the economy has 'turned a corner,' while Tusk telling reporters in Warsaw that Poland's growth spurt was 'just the beginning' and the economy will soon be the European Union's fastest growing. The forint gained 0.3% against the euro on Thursday, while the zloty was little changed near the highest level since 2018. Hungary's economy has been weighed down by a plunge in export demand, underscoring the country's reliance on Germany and its car industry. Orban is counting on three new local plants — from BMW AG, BYD Co. and Chinese battery maker CATL — to kick-start growth in 2025. Consumer spending has been subdued due to concerns over Hungarian inflation. While price growth had slowed back to within the central bank's tolerance range around its 3% target last year, it has since rebounded in what policymakers have called a 'warning sign.' This may dampen retail sales going forward, despite real wage gains. Hungary's Economy Ministry attributed the growth to gradual improvement in consumer confidence and predicted that annualized GDP growth may exceed 3% in the second half of this year. The country's economy is on track to grow 2.5% this year, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey, below the government's 3.4% forecast. Orban went on a record spending spree to ensure his fourth consecutive parliamentary majority in the 2022 elections, but ahead of next year's elections fiscal room is much more limited. In Poland, Tusk and his government colleagues are increasingly worried that stubbornly high local interest rates will keep the economy from accelerating. They've blamed central bank Governor Adam Glapinski, an ally of the previous nationalist administration, for maintaining borrowing costs high for political reasons ahead of the presidential polls. The governor, who has said that rate cuts may be off the agenda until 2026, argues that rates must be kept high to ensure that a phase out of government-mandated energy price subsidies won't rekindle inflation. Economists at Poland's largest bank, PKO Bank Polski SA, said this year's economic expansion could hit 3.5% — still below the government's 3.9% target — as consumption grows along with public investments, fueled by EU funds. --With assistance from Konrad Krasuski. (Updates with Polish GDP data and new comments, starting in the first paragraph.) Indy Pass, the Anti-Vail Seasonal Ski Ticket, Is Gaining Fans The Internet Almost Killed Barnes & Noble, Then Saved It What America's Tech Billionaires Really Bought When They Backed Donald Trump Musk Pitches New Narrative as Tesla Sales Fall Forget Factories, Small US Towns Want Buc-ee's Gas Stations ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EU Barely Meets Gas Storage Target as Restocking Challenge Looms
(Bloomberg) -- Europe barely met its February target for natural gas inventories, with some nations missing their thresholds as supply concerns linger. New York's First 'Passive House' School Is a Model of Downtown Density When French Communists Went on a Brutalist Building Boom Trump Paves the Way to Deputize Local Police on Immigration How the 2025 Catholic Jubilee Is Reshaping Rome Historic London Elevator Faces Last Stop in Labour's Housing Push Among the biggest energy consumers in the region, France's gas storage was 35.5% full as of Feb. 1 compared with a goal of 41% set by the European Commission. The European Union's executive arm considers countries that miss targets by five percentage points or less to be in compliance. Overall, EU storage sites were about 53% full at the beginning of this month — the lowest for this time of year since 2022 — compared with the commission's target of 50%. Traders are closely watching storage levels amid fears that the market could tighten this summer as Europe needs more gas to replenish its depleting inventories. That makes restocking a challenge ahead of next winter, especially as summer gas contracts are trading above those for the following heating season. Both near-term and summer futures surged recently. Benchmark contracts fluctuated on Monday after reaching a fresh 15-month high. The summer premium — which makes stockpiling uneconomical — even widened after Germany's gas market manager last month revealed subsidy proposals to encourage storage injections. The 27-nation bloc agreed on binding storage targets at the height of the 2022 energy crisis. The EU's underground storage caverns are designed to buffer the region from unexpected demand surges or supply disruptions during the coldest periods. While there hasn't been a case so far of a member state being punished for missing the goals, 'a substantial and sustained deviation' could lead to the European Commission taking measures. 'The security of supply of the country for this winter is in no way jeopardized,' according to the press office for France's industry and energy ministry. Some EU members calculate a separate lower target that accounts for certain exemptions — based on domestic gas usage or exports to other countries — though not all make the numbers public. For the Netherlands, for example, that Feb. 1 threshold was 39% compared with the European Commission's goal of 47%, according to the nation's data. Its storage was 37.1% full. Other countries that have exemptions include the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia and Austria. The latter calculates its target at 24.9%, compared with 64% published by the European Commission, according to Austrian energy market regulator. Dutch front-month gas, Europe's benchmark, traded 0.1% lower at €53.18 a megawatt-hour by 9:13 a.m. in Amsterdam. It jumped as much as 3% earlier Monday, following oil higher as US President Donald Trump ramped up his tariff threats against global trade partners. --With assistance from Jonathan Tirone. Elon Musk Inside the Treasury Department Payment System The Internet Almost Killed Barnes & Noble, Then Saved It Indy Pass, the Anti-Vail Seasonal Ski Ticket, Is Gaining Fans What America's Tech Billionaires Really Bought When They Backed Donald Trump Musk Pitches New Narrative as Tesla Sales Fall ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio
