Rome

Read recent news stories and current events about Rome, Italy on Newser.com

Stories 141 - 160 | << Prev   Next >>

Gladiators Will Fight Again in Coliseum

Events to commemorate emperor set for next year

(Newser) - Gladiators will return to Rome’s Coliseum next year, the Times of London reports, marking the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of the emperor who ordered the landmark constructed. A series of shows will recreate “the sights, sounds and smells” of Ancient Rome, one archaeologist said, promising authenticity....

John, You Are Forgiven—and You Could Sing

Vatican pardons Lennon for infamous Jesus comment

(Newser) - The Vatican forgave John Lennon today for saying the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, Reuters reports. Calling the 1966 remark "a boast,” the Vatican's newspaper said it was made "by a young working-class Englishman faced with unexpected success." The paper also praised the...

Google Unearths 3D Ancient Rome

Users can surf city streets of 320 AD

(Newser) - Google Earth is providing users the opportunity to surf the streets of Ancient Rome via a 3D virtual reconstruction of the city as it was in the 4th century. Users can "enter" the Forum, stand in the sands of the Colosseum, or swoop over any of 6,700 buildings...

Jesus-Era Bling Dug Up in Jerusalem

2000-year-old earring discovered

(Newser) - A spectacular gold, pearl, and emerald earring, dating to the time of Jesus, has been discovered in Jerusalem, AP reports. The 2,000-year-old find, close to the Old City walls, is causing a sensation because Roman-era jewelry is rare as the city was ultimately destroyed and what survived was often...

Madonna Dedicates 'Virgin' to Pope

Ruffles pontiff's feathers during Rome concert

(Newser) - During a performance in Rome Saturday night, Madonna dedicated her hit single "Like a Virgin" to the Pope, Reuters reports. "I dedicate this song to the pope, because I'm a child of God. All of you are also children of God," the 50-year-old announced on the stage...

Statue of Roman Ruler Unearthed in Turkey

Marble Marcus Aurelius discovered amid rubble

(Newser) - A rich archaeological site in southern Turkey has yielded another spectacular find: the head and limbs of an enormous statue of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. Excavators at Sagalassos, who had previously discovered bits of Hadrian and the Empress Faustina, say the new discovery, with its 3-foot head, represents some...

Baby Turtles Go Out for Italian
 Baby Turtles Go Out for Italian 
Aug 19, 2008 11:34 AM CDT

Baby Turtles Go Out for Italian

(Newser) - Sixty baby turtles took Rome restaurant-goers by surprise when they showed up under a table, Reuters reports. The newly hatched creatures normally instinctively head toward the sea from their beach birthplace, but “they saw the artificial lights and took the wrong route,” said a wildlife conservator. “The...

Rome Cracks Down on Revelers
 Rome Cracks Down on Revelers 
Jul 11, 2008 5:50 PM CDT

Rome Cracks Down on Revelers

New ordinance forbids eating, drinking, noise

(Newser) - Rome's residents and visitors had best behave themselves for the next 4 months: An experimental ordinance bans eating and drinking in the streets of the Eternal City, and cracks down on hooligans who want to "shout, sing or be noisy," Reuters reports. The newly elected mayor enacted the...

Weak Dollar Sends Vatican to $14.5M Loss

Catholic church blames declining greenback as it goes into the red

(Newser) - The weak dollar has wreaked havoc on business across Europe, but one organization has posted a surprising loss: the Vatican. The Catholic Church blamed the declining greenback for its first loss in 4 years as it ended the year $14.5 million in the red. The Guardian reports on how...

UN Chief Urges 50% Boost in Food Production

Ban warns of further riots, starvation if high prices aren't contained

(Newser) - UN chief Ban Ki-Moon today called for a 50% rise in world food production by 2030 to fight starvation and civil unrest as the population grows. He spoke at the World Food Security conference in Rome, where world leaders are working to address the highest commodity prices in decades. Such...

Vatican Mulls the Case for St. John Paul II

Even a beloved pope has to wait to see if he's sainthood material

(Newser) - He may have served as the spiritual leader for millions of Catholics for more than 26 years, but the soul of Pope John II is under intense scrutiny in Rome. The Washington Post takes a look at the office charged with determining whether the beloved pontiff is eligible for sainthood—...

Vatican Opens Ancient Pagan Tomb
Vatican Opens Ancient
Pagan Tomb
May 28, 2008 12:11 PM CDT

Vatican Opens Ancient Pagan Tomb

After a year of restoration, public sees necropolis gem

(Newser) - After a year of restoration work, the Vatican has unveiled one of the most luxurious pagan tombs buried in the necropolis beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, the AP reports. Built by Emperor Marcus Aurelius in the second century, the once open-air tomb was buried by Emperor Constantine in the fourth...

Drugged California Tourist Killed by Train in Rome

Traveler stumbled onto track after cappuccino spiked by thief

(Newser) - An elderly American tourist drugged by a thief was killed by a train as he wandered along the tracks in a daze, the Los Angeles Times reports. The 76-year-old traveler and his wife were befriended by a man who gave them drug-laced cappuccinos in a Rome train station and then...

Rome's New Mayor Vows to Raze Renowned Museum

'Post-Fascist' Alemanno wants to destroy Meier building

(Newser) - Only a few days into his mandate, Rome's new right-wing mayor has sworn to dismantle a state-of-the-art museum designed by American architect Richard Meier, reports the Times of London. Gianni Alemanno called the Ara Pacis museum, built 2 years ago to house a peace altar from the Augustan period, "...

'Post-Fascist' Elected Mayor of Rome

Italian capital shifts right for first time in more than 60 years

(Newser) - After decades of center-left rule, the city of Rome elected a rightwinger with a past in a neo-Fascist group as mayor yesterday. Gianni Alemanno, whose party calls itself "post-Fascist," won a runoff election for control of the Italian capital, handily beating the country's outgoing deputy prime minister. Alemanno...

Pope Hails Easter Conversions
 Pope Hails Easter Conversions 
Mar 23, 2008 1:27 PM CDT

Pope Hails Easter Conversions

Benedict XVI demands end to conflicts in Tibet, Middle East

(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Easter Mass today, hailing the miracle of conversion, "which renews itself even today" before a rain-soaked crowd in St. Peter's Square and calling for an end to hostilities in "Darfur and Somalia, the tormented Middle East, especially the Holy Land, Iraq, Lebanon, and Tibet....

Pope Knocks China on Good Friday

Catholic leader reflects on Church's 'dark hour of persecution'

(Newser) - Pope Benedict took aim at China's lack of religious freedom at a Good Friday procession in Rome today, Reuters reports. "In many parts of the world, (the Church) is undergoing the dark hour of persecution," the Pope said, using words penned by a cardinal who has blasted China's...

Berlusconi Calls Rival an Obama Copycat

He ridicules the self-drawn comparisons

(Newser) - Silvio Berlusconi is calling his election opponent a Barack Obama copycat–and not in a good way. To keep his 7-point lead in the polls, Italy's former leader has distributed a package to his People of Freedom (PDL) candidates on how to bash Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni in the media....

Vatican Goes to Confessional in an Art Museum

Church reveals Inquisition artifacts

(Newser) - Sure, thousands of accused witches and blasphemers were burned and tortured during the Roman Catholic Church’s centuries-long Inquisition in the Middle Ages—but, with the help of a new art exhibition, the Vatican hopes to show that it wasn't so bad after all, Newsweek reports. The “Rare and...

Italians Fuss Over Airline Takeover
Italians Fuss Over Airline Takeover
Dec 23, 2007 2:20 PM CST

Italians Fuss Over Airline Takeover

Lobbyists take nationalist stance against deal with Air France-KLM

(Newser) - News that Italy's national airline, Alitalia, is in danger of being taken over by Air France-KLM, the world's biggest airline by revenue, has sparked outrage among Italian interests who fear their local carrier will be stripped of major routes. The government promises to decide Alitalia's fate by mid-January, as politicians...

Stories 141 - 160 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser