City News

One person has died and another is missing after a storm lashed the Italian capital, with flash floods closing metro lines, halting road traffic and delaying some flights.

Firefighters recovered the body of a 32-year-old Sri Lankan immigrant who drowned in his flooded basement apartment on Thursday. Earlier reports had mistakenly said the victim was an elderly man. More >

Fifteen films are on tap for the Official Selection at the 6th International Rome Film Festival, taking place October 27 – November 4 in the eternal city. As previously announced, the festival will open with “The Lady” by Luc Besson with Michelle Yeoh and Daniel Thewlis, screening out of competition. Marking the 50th anniversary of the film’s public screening, a digitally restored 4K version of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” will close out the festival.

The European Central Bank demanded sweeping reforms and fiscal tightening measures from Italy in August before it stepped into the market to ease mounting pressure on Italian bonds, a letter published in the Corriere della Sera on Thursday showed.

The existence and outline of the letter from ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet and his designated successor, Bank of Italy Governor Mario Draghi, has been acknowledged but not so far been made public by the authorities.

Culture officials in Rome are mulling a ban on “living statues”, arguing that dressing up in costume and standing on the street to solicit spare change has no artistic merit, media reported Friday.

“Living statues demonstrate no artistic activity, to the extent that they can’t be compared to mimes, and they amount to a veritable racket,” said Federico Mollicone, deputy culture chief in Rome’s mayorship.

Culture officials in Rome are mulling a ban on “living statues”, arguing that dressing up in costume and standing on the street to solicit spare change has no artistic merit, media reported Friday.

“Living statues demonstrate no artistic activity, to the extent that they can’t be compared to mimes, and they amount to a veritable racket,” said Federico Mollicone, deputy culture chief in Rome’s mayorship.

An official of the European Union (EU) on Thursday lauded the Philippine’s ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

“I warmly welcome the ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court by the Philippines… and congratulate the Government of the Philippines for their achievement. With its decision the Philippines once more confirmed its commitment to the rule of law, also globally,” High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the EU Catherine Ashton said in a statement released Thursday.

A Rome woman was killed in a two-vehicle accident that occurred at the intersection of state Route 187 and state Route 2010 in the township here at 6 p.m. Wednesday. More >

The Italian government has approved an extensive emergency package worth €45bn in cuts and higher taxes over the next two years. The move is aimed at meeting the European Central Bank’s request to increase efforts to balance Italy’s budget by 2013.

The measures, passed by an emergency cabinet meeting on Friday, will total €20bn ($28.5bn) in 2012 and €25.5bn in 2013, and will “be in great part new”, said Giulio Tremonti, the finance minister. This means they will be in addition to the €47.8bn set by a budget approved in mid-July.

Archaeologists have unearthed a 2,000-year-old mosaic in Rome depicting the Greek god Apollo, naked except for a colorful mantle over a shoulder, surrounded by his muses in a cellar once used as a park tool shed near the Colosseum, officials said Friday.

“This is a very important discovery. The mosaic is in perfect condition and it can be dated exactly to between 64 and 109 A.D.,” Umberto Broccoli, head of the culture department of the Rome city council, told reporters on a visit.

Gap Inc. today announced that it will open its first Gap flagship store in Rome on Via del Corso, the city’s premier shopping district. Set to open on July 30, the new store will offer Italian consumers cool, authentic styles, for every occasion in modern life, for the entire family.

The opening in Rome is part of Gap Inc.’s ongoing strategy to bring its classic, American designs around the world. The company opened its first Gap and Banana Republic stores in Milan in November 2010. Within a few months, the two stores combined were among the top performing stores in the company’s global fleet. Last year, Gap brand also made its products available to European customers online by launching a dedicated e-commerce site ( www.gap.eu ). Today, this site services 21 European countries, including Italy.