RFK Journalism Award, the ceremony on 19th June

RFK CenterThe Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards honor those who report on issues that reflect Robert F. Kennedy’s concerns including human rights, social justice, and the power of individual action in the United States and around the world. Entries include insights into the causes, conditions and remedies of injustice and critical analysis of relevant public policies, programs, attitudes, and private endeavors.

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State of the Union, Barroso’s speech

BarrosoJose Manuel Barroso, President of the EU Commission, said he believes that through urgent commitment, positive results conducive to growth and development can be achieved. Barroso addressed the participants in the ‘State of the Union’ Conference in Florence, Italy, and added that economic growth demands three key-elements and namely fiscal consolidation, structural reforms and investments.

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Viva Vino LA, the taste of Abruzzo: Cirelli wines

Cirelli winesA winery from Abruzzo to Viva Vino LA, the premiere Italian wine festival presented by the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce West and The North American Sommelier Association, May 14-19 in Los Angeles, USA. “I’ve been fortunate enough to grow up in a well off family which allow me to spent a fantastic and dispassionate childhood and to study in the most prestigious schools in EU”,  said Francesco Cirelli.

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The State of the Union 2012 to take place in May

José_Manuel_Barroso (Medef) - CCThe 2012 edition of The State of the Union, organised by the European University Institute, is hosted in the Florence City Hall. The Conference takes place on 9-10 May. It aims at contributing to the analysis and debate of the European Union’s current situation, EU policies and the functioning of EU institutions and it brings together high-level policy-makers, leading academics and opinion leaders.

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Unicef, experts discuss in Florence

UnicefThe famine in the Horn of Africa and the unfolding crisis in the Sahel have sparked renewed debate on the underlying causes of such disasters, the tipping points and solutions. In the latest edition of Research Watch – the eTV/magazine from UNICEF’s Office of Research – global experts discuss how malnourishment, drought, rising food prices, migration, conflict and climate change can be stopped from escalating into full-scale nutritional crises and famine.

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The family of kidnapped Mariani confirm release

Maria Sandra MarianiThe family of kidnapped Italian Maria Sandra Mariani confirm daughter’s release. Kidnapped in Algeria in February 2011, news of her release was reported earlier in the day by Italy’s Foreign Minsiter, Giulio Terzi. Interviewed at the family home in San Casciano, outside Florence, the woman’s father, Lido Mariani, said “I am told by the Foreign Ministry that my daughter has been released and is on her way home

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NYU, democracy and dissent across the globe

Barack ObamaFrom Madrid to Cairo, Tel Aviv, Rome and New York, protests have erupted across the globe against economic instability, political unaccountability and corruption, and characterized by a prevailing sense of disillusionment. What are the defining characteristics of these movements? Where are the ideas coming from and how are they being expressed? How influential is social media in their structure and philosophy? In what direction are they going?

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Tuscan woman dies in the waters of Florida

A Tuscan woman died in Key WestA woman aged 47 died in Florida, while she was in the waters of Key West, overwhelmed by a tidal wave. The victim’s name was Paola Falco, lived in Figline Valdarno (Florence). She worked in the Tuscan capital as a manager of an insurance agency. She left with her husband for a holiday in the United States. According to a preliminary reconstruction, a tidal wave of 8 meters was overwhelmed with another swimmer, killing them both.

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