ROME: Declaring Venice’s waterways a “national monument,” Italy is banning mammoth cruise liners from sailing into the lagoon city, which risked being declared an imperiled world heritage site by the United Nations within days.
Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said the ban was urgently adopted at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday and will take effect Aug. 1. It applies to the lagoon basin near St. Mark’s Square and the Giudecca Canal, which is a major marine artery in Venice.
Franceschini said the government decided to act fast “to avoid the concrete risk” that the UN culture agency UNESCO would add Venice to its list of “world heritage in danger” after it meets later this week in Beijing.
The Cabinet decree also “establishes an unbreakable principle, by declaring the urban waterways of St. Mark’s Basin, St. Mark’s Canal and the Giudecca Canal a national monument,” the minister added.
Before the coronavirus pandemic severely curtailed international travel, cruise ships discharging thousands of day-trippers overwhelmed Venice and its delicate marine environment. Environmentalists and cultural heritage have battled for decades with business interests, since the cruise industry is a major source of revenue for the city.
UNESCO recommended last month placing Venice on the agency’s list of World Heritage in Danger sites.
The Italian government previously decided to ban the ships but without establishing so soon a date. But on Tuesday, the government “decided to impose a strong acceleration” to implementing the move given the looming UNESCO review, Franceschini said in a statement.
The ban applies to ships weighing more than 25,000 tons or longer than 180 meters (530 feet) or with other characteristics that would make them too polluting or overwhelming for Venice’s environment.
The Cabinet decree also establishes compensation mechanisms for navigation companies and others affected by the ban. Until a more suitable docking area can be established elsewhere in waters outside the heart of Venice, the government has approved creating at least four temporary docking sites near the industrial port of Marghera, located on the northwestern Adriatic Sea.
Italy to ban mammoth cruise ships from Venice as of Aug. 1
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Italy to ban mammoth cruise ships from Venice as of Aug. 1
- Culture Minister said the ban was urgently adopted at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday and will take effect Aug. 1
- Government acted fast “to avoid the concrete risk” the UNESCO lists Venice to “world heritage in danger”
Millie Bobby Brown spotted in new advert for Yas Island in Abu Dhabi
DUBAI: British actress Millie Bobby Brown is starring in a new advert for entertainment destination Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
With a nod to “Stranger Things,” Brown is seen buckling into Formula Rossa, the world’s fastest rollercoaster alongside her husband Jake Bongiovi.
Moments before launch, she asks him about the speed, and when he replies “240 km an hour,” she makes a quick exit. The advert continues with lights flickering and Brown and other characters glitching with effects reminiscent of the hit Netflix series.
Created by the Duffer Brothers, “Stranger Things” debuted in 2016 and quickly became one of Netflix’s most popular series, with its fourth season amassing more than 140.7 million views globally.
The series has garnered over 70 awards worldwide, including Emmys and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
Brown was announced as a brand ambassador for Yas Island in November.
The Netflix show’s final season five is being released in stages. The first four episodes streamed on Nov. 26, and will be followed by three on Dec. 25, and the finale on New Year’s Eve.
In her first promotional clip for Yas Island, she is seen back in the Byers’ living room, made famous on the show, framed by the glow of the iconic alphabet wall that is a key element of the “Stranger Things” storyline.
In the video, she jokes about taking a holiday after five seasons of the show as the lights begin to flicker, illuminating one by one until they spell out “YAS.”
Brown is the latest celebrity to take on a role with Yas Island, following Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Hart and Jason Momoa, who were all “Chief Island Officers.”
The actors starred in a series of amusing adverts for the entertainment destination, including Reynolds appearing to skydive over Abu Dhabi.
