The man tasked with saving the euro – One of the recurrent figures featured in the financial pages of the international press whose star seems not to have faded is Mario Draghi. The President of the ECB, described by the Brazilian business paper Valor Econômico as “the man whose mission is to save the euro”, was the subject of several articles and interviews in recent days. In particular, the London-based Financial Times highlighted that his previous experience as head of the Bank of Italy is key to understanding Draghi’s moves at the ECB (Draghi, o homem com a missão de salvar o euro* in Valor Econômico of December 20; Mario Draghi: charged to save the euro in the Financial Times of December 18; and La inquietud de Draghi in La Vanguardia of December 20).
Italian style, science and culture – Whilst foreign press interest in economic policy news coming from Italy remained high during the monitored week, the spotlight was particularly trained on Italian style and culture. Garnering several press mentions were the design features of the new Fiat Panda (Nuevo Fiat Panda: más italiano que nunca in El Mundo on December 19; and Fiat relance une Panda désirable* in Le Figaro also on December 19) as well as of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, which has won the hearts of Argentines thanks to a new model produced in conjunction with Maserati (Un Alfa Romeo hecho para Maserati in La Nación on December 17).
There was also renewed interest in Italian cinema: whilst Le Monde devoted an article to the director Dino Risi, whose films, in restored versions, are being shown again on French television (Dino Risi, l’inclassable* on December 18), the Barcelona daily La Vanguardia carried a page-long review of the latest feature film by Bernardo Bertolucci, “Me and you”, adapted from a story of the same name by Niccolò Ammaniti (Bertolucci renace adolescente* on December 21). Worthy of note in terms of Italian culture-related press coverage was the comment in Brazil’s Folha de S. Paulo on the recent biography of Dante by Italian studies expert Barbara Reynolds (Retrato de Dante confunde fato e conjectura* on December 17).
Finally, also making a splash in the pages of the international papers this week were the results of a study carried out by the Catholic University of Rome. Attracting the attention of various newspapers (from the UK to China and South Africa) was the discovery by Italian scientists that a sparing diet helps keep the mind young and in shape (Another mince pie? Scientists find the secret to a long, indulgent life in The Independent of December 20; Scientists discover eating less keeps your mind young* in The Citizen on December 21; and Eating less improves the brain, study finds* in the South China Morning Post of December 21).
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