January 2nd - January 8th

Florence, Jan. 7th (Adnkronos) – “A Tribute to Florentine-Style Steak’ is the title of the week of events scheduled in Florence beginning January 28th to celebrate the return of the famous cut of meat on Italian dinner tables. Indeed, the EU Commission has finally put an end to the 4-year ban on this steak with bone. The events will begin on January 28th with a conference organized by the Florentine Academy, “Florentine-Style Steak: Past and Present”, with the participation of experts from the academic and research worlds.

Rome, Jan. 7th (Adnkronos) – For every bottle of French wine sold in the USA, American consumers bought almost three bottles of Italian wine, registering peak sales in the USA, where Italian wine imports increased 15.7% in value in 2005. This is reported by Coldiretti on the basis of figures from the Italian Wine Food Institute relative to the first 10 months of 2005.

Foggia, Jan. 7th (Adnkronos) - ''The footwear manufacturing district represents one of the most important sectors of the Italian economy. The document that we have underwritten was created by the will of the promoting committee and the Provinces to solicit the Senate to approve an outline law containing measures to strengthen a sector that is going through a crisis phase”.. This is the statement released by the Labour Policies Councillor for the Province of Foggia, Giuseppe Calamita, referring to a document undersigned supporting Law 3463 relative to “Made in Italy”.

Naples, Jan. 6th (Adnkronos) - The Fratelli Ferrante footwear company of Naples is celebrating its silver anniversary at Pitti Immagine Uomo, the men’s wear expo, where it has been present for the past 25 years. Ferrante Bros., leaders in Italy in the dress footwear sector, will present the “shoe-glove” this year at the 69th edition of the most prestigious international men’s fashion show scheduled at Fortezza da Basso in Florence from January 11th to the 14th. This moccasin is light, comfortable, warm and snug and it is realized by sewing the lining and the vamp together and then turning it inside out and then adding the outsole during the successive production phase.

Milan, Jan. 5th (Adnkronos) - The Jil Sander Communications and Public Relations Office has been operating in Milan since January 2nd, where it was moved from Hamburg. This was announced by the clothes company in a press release. Andreas Bergbaur is the new communications and public relations general manager and he will take the complete responsibilities of the position at the main office of the Jil Sander operating headquarters in Milan.

Rome, Jan. 5th (Adnkronos) - ''The recovery of the Italian language for the children of those living abroad emigrating from the Lazio region is fundamental element needed to strengthen relations between our Region and the communities residing abroad”, said Alessandra Mandarelli, the Lazio Regional Social Policies councillor, following the undersigning of a convention between the councillorship and the Dante Alighieri Society for Argentina and Coasit (Italian Assistance Committee) for Australia. This convention will guarantee Italian language courses to more than 200 children of emigrants from the Lazio region held at the facilities of the two organizations in the two continents.

Milan, Jan. 4th (Adnkronos) - Giorgio Rocca is the new testimonial for Valtellina following an agreement between the Province of Sondrio (the head of a public-private pool with 14 partners) and Sportkart, the company holding the rights to the image of the Livigno skiing champion. Rocca will be the face spreading the image of Valtellina tourism in the world.

Rome, Jan. 4th (Adnkronos) - The European Commission today finalized the two proposals modifying the farm products origin designation system regulations. “The intention of doing this was in the air for some time - Confagricoltura commented- and now we are waiting to know the content of the two proposals before expressing our evaluations. We will surely oppose all attempts to water down the current laws on the protection of typical and quality products will all means and we will be against all operations acting on the lowering of the current protection levels”.

Rome, Jan. 4th (Adnkronos) - ''The will to improve the Protected Designation of Origin and the Protected Geographical Indication certifications and simplify the regulations for the registration of the products finds us perfectly in agreement”, the president of Fedagri-Confcooperative, Paolo Bruni, said commenting the European Commission’s adoption of two proposals to clarify and streamline rules for protected geographical indications (PGI), protected designations of origin (PDOs) and “Traditional Specialities Guaranteed.

Rome, Jan. 4th (Adnkronos) - Ferrarelle bottled mineral water lands in Great Britain and makes its UK debut in the showcase windows of the London Harrods Department Store where the 75cl and 33 cl versions of the water will be on shelves there and in exclusive in the 22 restaurants and cafes of the most famous London department store. At the end of the promotional sale, Ferrarelle will continue to be a part of the products chosen and sold by Harrods.

Rome, Jan. 4th (Adnkronos) - The Protected Geographical Indication certification is arriving also for the “Sauris Prosciutto Ham” announced CIA-The Italian Farmers Confederation stating that temporary status has been given by the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry and now the go-ahead from the EU commission for the final recognition of the PGI is expected for this particular and appreciated product from the Friuli Venezia Giulia region.

Rome, Jan. 4th (Adnkronos) - ''Italian exports are doing well and were up 6.4% last year, in 2005 they significantly up, even more than exports from other countries”. The statement was made by Productive Activities Undersecretary, Adolfo Urso, during an interview aired by “Radio Radicale”.. The Undersecretary recalled that “on the whole, made in Italy is doing well and is in a recovery period”. According to Undersecretary Urso there is another problem “the trade balance shows a loss due to the fact that the energy deficit is quickly rising”.

Milan, Jan. 4th (Adnkronos) - Milan researchers have identified a new form of leukaemia by photographing the mutant gene involved in the illness. The researchers of the Haematology Division of the Niguarda Ca’ Granda Hospital and of the Genetic Medicine Division of the State University of Milan began the study two years ago with the help of financing from the Lombardy Region. The research has just been published in the online edition of “Blood”. This study has important therapeutic implications and in some cases it could change the final result of a disease that is often mortal, the researchers explained.

Rome, Jan. 4th (Adnkronos) - ICE (Italian Institute for Foreign Trade) and Unioncamere are allocating over €11 million to support the internationalization of enterprises and productions characterising the quality Made in Italy goods. This financing is provided for under the 2006 operating agreement undersigned last Thursday for the sixth consecutive year and including the food, fashion, home, jewellery, boat, tourism and mechanics SME sectors.

Siena, Jan. 4th (Adnkronos) - ‘‘Siena and Rome. Raffaello, Caravaggio and the Protagonists of an ancient union” is one of the first 10 exhibitions in the world according to the “Giornale dell’Arte”, which this month published its traditional classification drafted by experts. The Siena exhibit is before the great exhibition “Caravaggio and Europe”, currently in Milan and following the one dedicated to “Beato Angelico” at the Metropolitan Museum of New York.

Rome, Jan. 4th (Adnkronos) - It will be easier to buy Made in Italy products with strong ties to the territory in the piazzas and supermarkets of Italy also due to the favourable quality-cost ratio which caused these products to register record sales for the Christmas and New Year’s menus. This was stated by Coldiretti in pointing out the effects of the entering into effect of Law 231/2005 relative to “Urgent Measures in the Field of Agriculture” which among other things has the objective of assuring that the foods tied to the territory find space on the supermarket shelves invaded by foreign products, in the interest of farming enterprises and consumers.

Rome, Jan. 3rd (Adnkronos) - Italians buying Florentine style steak, the typical beef steak with a bone that has been finally put back on the market following a 5-year ban by the EU due to the BSE emergency, will get a 20% discount for a week.

Milan, Jan. 3rd (Adnkronos) - Giorgio Rocca, the captain of the Italian Alpine Skiing Team, winner of 8 World Skiing races and 3 World Bronze Medals, is the new Audemars Piquet testimonial. Audemars Piquet is one of the oldest Swiss luxury watch makers.

Rome, Jan. 3rd (Adnkronos) – It is possible to produce 1 million ton of fuel from our national cultivations capable of reducing our foreign energy dependency which the recent gas crisis and consequent high oil prices have made even more dangerous. This was affirmed by Coldiretti in underlining that in 2006 the petition supporting a popular initiative law proposal relative to the production of 1 million ton of bio fuel from national farming cultivations and reduce oil dependency will be completed and handed in to the competent authorities.

Rome, Jan. 3rd (Adnkronos) – The Dante Alighieri Society is expanding its horizons with new courses promoted by the Society’s committee in Cape Town. The Committee decided to add new Italian Language and Culture courses due to requests by students and so the president of the Committee, Marco Mezzabotta, satisfied the need for further courses by intensifying them and extending them also to surrounding towns. “Most of our students – affirmed Mr. Mezzabotta – want to be able to communicate in Italian and study Italian mostly for practical reasons and not academic ones”.

Milan, Jan. 3rd (Adnkronos) - Findomestic Banca, the Italian leader in consumer credit, equalling controlled by Banca CR Firenze Group and the French Cetelem Co. belonging to BNP Paribas, now owns 97% of Nova Banka, with headquarters in Belgrade and 20 offices in Serbia- Montenegro. The takeover bid, which obtained authorisation by the respective Central Institutes, concluded in a positive way during the last days and the cost of the transaction equalled €22.5 million.

Rome, Jan. 3rd (Adnkronos) - Pier Francesco Guarguaglini, the president and MD of Finmeccanica, has been nominated Person of the Year by the magazine “Aviation Week”, the prestigious publication of the aerospace sector.

Rome, Jan. 3rd (Adnkronos) – Importers and shop owners who buy food products with false origin indication will be punished with fines up to €1 million to protect made in Italy products against fraud and imitation. Coldiretti reminds Italians “with extreme satisfaction” of the entering into effect of the norm contained in Law 248/2005 a part of the 2006 Financial Act.

Milan, Jan. 2nd (Adnkronos) – It seems that anorexia and bulimia have long roots beginning in the first minutes of a baby’s life. Some complications experienced by the newborn during birth and immediately following seem to be associated with the risk of developing eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia as the child grows. This was discovered by an all-Italian study conducted by Angela Favaro and her colleagues at the University of Padua and published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Rome, Jan. 2nd (Adnkronos) – A new radiotherapy technique against lethal glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a brain tumour that is a death sentence for those affected, has been realized by an Italian researcher, Gelsomina De Stasio, who works at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Professor De Stasio is testing a new therapy protocol called Gadolinium Synchrotron Stereotactic Radiotherapy on a series of human cell lines cultivated in the lab.. The scientist says that this technique could be the first step towards treating this type of cancer, considered to be among the most deadly, in fact, of the patients diagnosed with GBM yearly, 50% die within one year and the remaining 50% within 2 years.

Turin, Jan. 2nd (Adnkronos) – The Fiat Group’s Auto sector closed 2005 in a positive way. In December, compared to sales equalling almost 141,000 units down 6.3% with respect to the same month in 2004, Fiat Auto registered 41,404 new car sales, for a +3.5% with respect to December 2004. This was announced in a press release by the Group. The market quota trend also registered positive results at 29.4% of the total auto market for a +2.8% with respect to December 2004 and +1.4% with respect to the average yearly quota.

Rome, Jan. 2nd (Adnkronos) –According to provisional figures furnished by the Infrastructure and Transportation Ministry, the Italian auto market closes the year 2005 with 2,234,174 new car registrations down 1.3% with respect to the 2,264,688 registrations in 2004. However, compared to the general downturn, domestic auto brand registrations were up 3.5% in December with respect to December 2004.

Rome, Jan. 2nd (Adnkronos) – Italian physics research is on the cover of the most prestigious international magazine relative to this science field, the Physical Review Letters, the magazine published by the American Physical Society. The current issue of the magazine is dedicated to a CNR-INFM study conducted at the Nest Centres of Pisa and the S3 of Modena. The Italian scientists involved in the research isolated very few electrons inside the nanostructure of a semiconductor substance and obtained controlled changes of the properties by illuminating them with a ray of laser light.