Tag Archives: Taking pictures

Italy

Italian prosecutors are demanding life sentences for US students accused of murdering police | Instant News


ROME (Reuters) – An Italian prosecutor on Saturday demanded life sentences for two young Americans being tried on murder charges after a policeman was killed following a failed drug sale in Rome.

Finnegan Lee Elder, then 19, admitted to stabbing Mario Cerciello Rega in the early hours of July 26, 2019, while his friend Gabriel Christian Natale-Hjorth, then 18, was wrestling with another police officer.

Under Italian law, anyone who participates even indirectly in murder can face charges of murder.

Prosecutor Maria Sabina Calabretta said in her four-hour indictment that the attack on police was “disproportionate” and carried out with “the purpose of murder”.

The two Americans, both from California, said they had no idea that Cerciello or his partner, Andrea Varriale, were police officers, telling the court that neither of the men had identified themselves.

Varriale denied this, testifying that they had shown their badges to their two attackers. The Cerciello badge was not found at the crime scene.

Elder and Natale-Hjorth were on vacation in Rome at the time and were trying to buy medicine from a local dealer. They had told the court they were duped, but managed to snatch the bag from the middleman when he tried to run away.

They then agree to meet with the dealer again to get their money back in exchange for a bag, but the two cops show up. There were no men in uniform and the Elder had testified that they immediately attacked them, forcing him and Natale-Hjorth to defend themselves.

“I panicked and believed he wanted to kill me,” Italian media quoted Elder in court earlier this month as saying.

Police said Cerciello, 35, was unarmed at the time and stabbed 11 times by Elder with an 18 cm (7 inch) knife.

Italian media reported that the dealer was an informant who reported the theft of the bag, asking the police to step in.

In a court hearing last September, Elder apologized for the murder.

Natale-Hjorth initially told police he was not involved in the murder and did not know his friend had a knife. However, his fingerprints were found on a panel on the ceiling of the hotel room where the knife was hidden.

Attorneys for Elder and Natale-Hjorth have not yet filed their defense. A verdict at the trial is expected in April, legal sources said.

Additional reporting by Domenico Lusi and Giselda Vagnoni; Edited by Catherine Evans and Helen Popper

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Germany

The German city asked Berlin to cover the losses of Greensill Bank | Instant News


FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The German city of Osnabrueck is concerned about losing the 14 million euros ($ 17 million) it invested with Greensill Bank after the country’s financial regulator warned this week of “imminent risks” for lenders.

FILE PHOTO: Greensill Bank logo photographed in downtown Bremen, Germany, July 3, 2019. REUTERS / Fabian Bimmer / File Photo

Osnabrueck is Germany’s third municipal authority to disclose this week that it faces possible losses from a Bremen-based bank and a local finance official has asked the German government to step in.

“I ask the federal government to bear the damages incurred by the city government,” said the official, Thomas Fillep, in a statement.

A Greensill Capital spokesman declined to comment on Osnabrueck and investors similar to Greensill Bank, or the amount of unsecured funds held by lenders.

German regulator BaFin warned on Wednesday about the risk that Greensill Bank would become over-indebted and imposed a moratorium on any divestments or payments.

BaFin’s move was another blow to bank owner Greensill Capital, who said on Tuesday it was in talks to sell most of its business after losing support from two Swiss asset managers.

Founded by Lex Greensill, a former Citigroup and Morgan Stanley banker, Greensill Capital is the largest provider of non-bank supply chain finance. He said his technology-based approach provided $ 143 billion in financing in 2019 across 10 million customers and suppliers.

German deposit protection schemes protect individuals but do not protect institutional investors. Greensill Bank has about 500 million euros in unsecured funds, such as those from Osnabrueck and other cities, said someone with knowledge of the matter.

Like the cities of Monheim am Rhein and Bad Duerrheim in Germany which have announced similar concerns about Greensill Bank, Osnabrueck is attracted to lenders because it helps them avoid paying negative interest rates on deposits elsewhere.

Osnabrueck, which has a population of 170,000, chose Greensill Bank because its excellent credit rating means the city can consider it a very safe investment, said local Fillep officials.

He criticized BaFin for not notifying cities when concerns about the bank surfaced last year, saying Osnabrueck would reduce his involvement if he became aware.

BaFin said in a statement that it was acting firmly in 2020 at Greensill Bank, taking various enforcement actions including the installation of special monitors. However, BaFin said informing the public would violate confidentiality laws.

The German finance ministry declined to comment. Germany’s credit rating agency Scope did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The parliamentary finance committee has put the Greensill Bank case on the agenda for a meeting later this month.

Osnabrueck began investing in time deposits with Greensill Bank last year and currently has nearly 14 million euros with maturities between April 2021 and March 2022. His most recent investment was 11.5 million euros in November.

Osnabrueck tried to withdraw funds after the credit downgrade but was unable to do so, the city government said.

($ 1 = 0.8382 euros)

Reporting by Tom Sims and Christian Kraemer; Edited by Hans Seidenstuecker and David Clarke

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Fashion

Graphic print at Versace in off-calendar fashion presentation | Instant News


MILAN (Reuters) – Italian fashion house Versace sprinkled graphic prints all over its designs for its fall stripes on Friday, launching the collection in its own right days after Milan Fashion Week concluded.

Designer Donatella Versace transforms Greca brand motifs into geometric patterns, “a dynamic and immersive 3D maze”, for women’s and men’s clothing creations and in a video presentation of the line, models pose, act out scenes, and walk a large maze-like set.

Model Gigi Hadid looks cool, wearing a black top, skirt and coat.

The all-black outfit options followed before Versace presented trouser suits, tops, dresses, skirts, jackets and bags decorated with Greca motifs, in shades of brown, red and blue.

The release of the Versace film comes after its usual show, Milan Fashion Week, closes on Monday. Like many fashion houses, the brand, which is owned by Capri Holding, shares videos online rather than hosting regular catwalk shows due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“I’ve realized that this is the future, a new way of communicating collections,” Versace said in a statement, adding that models, like actors, bring “design” to life.

“During filming for this event, I saw how important it was to give models time to ‘feel’ the clothes they were wearing on the runway. Despite living in a fast-paced digital age, taking this time is essential to form genuine connections. For me this is the present and the future. “

The Versace jacket has rounded shoulders while the dress is tied at the waist or with metal mesh. Her appearance is complemented by a veil and platform shoes.

For men, there are jacquard suits, jumpers, and tops embellished with Greca prints. Models also wear cropped shorts and trousers.

Versace also features a Medusa smiley scribble on its line, a play on the fashion house’s logo.

Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Edited by Giles Elgood

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Switzerland

Swiss church bells mark the year since the first COVID-19 death | Instant News


LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) – Swiss church bells rang at midday on Friday and people observed a minute of silence to mark one year since the country’s first death from COVID-19.

President Guy Parmelin announced the move on public television last Sunday, urging citizens to respect the more than 9,300 people who have died from the disease in Switzerland.

At the Notre-Dame cathedral in Lausanne, the French-speaking Swiss city in the west of the country, guard Renato Hausler rings the bells of the 16th-century ‘La Clemence’.

In April, as the pandemic began, Hausler told Reuters he had continued the practice of climbing 153 stone steps to his tower to ring the bell at night, to awaken the solidarity and courage of the population.

On Friday, Hausler said he rang the bell to pay respects and to remind people to stay strong.

“It is a call for courage, but it is a call for patience and perseverance, that’s for sure. Because it won’t end like this, as easy as we’d like or think, ”he said, standing in front of the gothic cathedral of Lausanne overlooking the city.

Enjoying the sight was Lausanne resident and pharmacist Simon Reboh, who were also contemplating.

“It’s great to be able to stop and think about what’s going on. We are dragged into our daily lives, we don’t have time to think, ”he said.

“That’s why I’m here, in front of a scene that allows me to slow down.”

Reporting by Cecile Mantovani and Denis Balibouse in Lausanne; Written by Stephanie Nebehay; Edited by Janet Lawrence and Raissa Kasolowsky

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Germany

The German city asked Berlin to cover the losses of Greensill Bank | Instant News


FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The German city of Osnabrueck is concerned about losing the 14 million euros ($ 17 million) it invested with Greensill Bank after the country’s financial regulator warned this week of “imminent risks” for lenders.

FILE PHOTO: Greensill Bank logo photographed in downtown Bremen, Germany, July 3, 2019. REUTERS / Fabian Bimmer / File Photo

Osnabrueck is Germany’s third municipal authority to disclose this week that it faces possible losses from a Bremen-based bank and a local finance official has asked the German government to step in.

“I ask the federal government to bear the damages incurred by the city government,” said the official, Thomas Fillep, in a statement.

A Greensill Capital spokesman declined to comment on Osnabrueck and investors similar to Greensill Bank, or the amount of unsecured funds held by lenders.

German regulator BaFin warned on Wednesday about the risk that Greensill Bank would become over-indebted and imposed a moratorium on any divestments or payments.

BaFin’s move was another blow to bank owner Greensill Capital, who said on Tuesday it was in talks to sell most of its business after losing support from two Swiss asset managers.

Founded by Lex Greensill, a former Citigroup and Morgan Stanley banker, Greensill Capital is the largest provider of non-bank supply chain finance. He said his technology-based approach provided $ 143 billion in financing in 2019 across 10 million customers and suppliers.

German deposit protection schemes protect individuals but do not protect institutional investors. Greensill Bank has about 500 million euros in unsecured funds, such as those from Osnabrueck and other cities, said someone with knowledge of the matter.

Like the cities of Monheim am Rhein and Bad Duerrheim in Germany which have announced similar concerns about Greensill Bank, Osnabrueck is attracted to lenders because it helps them avoid paying negative interest rates on deposits elsewhere.

Osnabrueck, which has a population of 170,000, chose Greensill Bank because its excellent credit rating means the city can consider it a very safe investment, said local Fillep officials.

He criticized BaFin for not notifying cities when concerns about the bank surfaced last year, saying Osnabrueck would reduce his involvement if he became aware.

BaFin said in a statement that it was acting firmly in 2020 at Greensill Bank, taking various enforcement actions including the installation of special monitors. However, BaFin said informing the public would violate confidentiality laws.

The German finance ministry declined to comment. Germany’s credit rating agency Scope did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The parliamentary finance committee has put the Greensill Bank case on the agenda for a meeting later this month.

Osnabrueck began investing in time deposits with Greensill Bank last year and currently has nearly 14 million euros with maturities between April 2021 and March 2022. His most recent investment was 11.5 million euros in November.

Osnabrueck tried to withdraw funds after the credit downgrade but was unable to do so, the city government said.

($ 1 = 0.8382 euros)

Reporting by Tom Sims and Christian Kraemer; Edited by Hans Seidenstuecker and David Clarke

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