Life is no longer so sweet in the land of “la dolce vita,” with a report finding that more than 11 percent of Italian families now live in relative poverty.
Eight million Italians, out of a population of 60 million, are struggling to make ends meet, according to Istat, the national statistics agency, on July 17.
Of those, 3.4 million are living in absolute poverty, representing 5.7 percent of the population, up from 5.2 percent in 2010. The problem is worst in the sun-baked south, where one in four families now live below the poverty line.
Photo: Bloomberg
照片：彭博社
The technocrat government of Mario Monti is implementing wide-ranging economic reforms to try to tackle the country’s 1.9 trillion euro (NT$70 trillion) national debt, including raising taxes and cutting public services.
The Monti government hopes to cut spending by 25 billion euros in the next three years, as it tries to rein in the euro zone’s second highest public debt.
As businesses struggle to survive or fail altogether, the overall level of unemployment has surpassed 10 percent, while among young people aged 15 to 24 it has reached 35 percent.
(Liberty Times)
報告顯示，有超過百分之十一的義大利家庭相對貧窮，在這塊「甜美生活」的土地上，生活不再如此甜美。
義大利國家統計局Istat七月十七日表示，全國六千萬人口中，有八百萬人勉強收支平衡。
其中有三百四十萬人屬於絕對貧窮，佔總人口百分之五點七，超過二○一○年的百分之五點二。最嚴重的地區為陽光普照的義大利南部，有四分之一家庭處於貧窮線以下。
莫提所組的技術官僚政府正實施範圍廣泛的經濟改革，試圖處理該國一點九兆歐元（新台幣七十兆元）的國債，手段包括增稅、削減公共服務。
莫提政府希望能在未來三年內減少兩百五十億歐元的支出，控制住歐元區第二高的公共債務。
當企業掙扎求生或集體倒閉時，義大利的整體失業率已超越百分之十，十五至二十四歲的年輕人失業率達到百分之三十五。
（自由時報/翻譯：陳維真）
A: It’s a pity that I can’t go to Australian pop diva Kylie Minogue’s concert. B: Why not? A: Hit Japanese singer Kenshi Yonezu is staging two shows at the Taipei Arena this weekend, and I already bought tickets long ago. B: Wow, isn’t he one of the most popular Japanese singers in recent years? A: And Yonezu’s megahit “Lemon” topped the Billboard Japan Hot 100’s year-end chart in 2018 and 2019 consecutively. A: 我不能去澳洲歌后凱莉米諾的演唱會真可惜。 B: 為什麼？ A: 日本人氣歌手米津玄師週末將在小巨蛋熱唱兩場，我早早就買票啦。 B: 哇他可是日本近年來最紅的歌手之一。 A: 米津的神曲《Lemon》甚至還在2018、2019年連續稱霸告示牌日本單曲榜年度冠軍！ (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪)
A: Australian pop diva Kylie Minogue is set to visit Taiwan for the third time on Saturday. B: I remember that her Taipei concerts in 2008 and 2011 caused a sensation, and I love her megahit “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.” A: This will be her first time performing in the southern city of Kaohsiung. B: Many music critics praise Kylie’s show as “a must-see in your lifetime.” A: Let’s go to Kaohsiung this weekend. A: 澳洲歌后凱莉米諾週六即將三度訪台。 B: 她曾在2008、2011年兩度在台北開唱都造成大轟動，我超愛她的神曲《Can’t Get You Out of My Head》。 A: 這次可是她首度唱進南台灣的高雄呢。 B: 許多樂評家說她的演唱會是「此生必看」！ A: 那我們週末去高雄吧。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
The Lemon Festival is a fun annual celebration in Menton, France. This festival began in 1934 and honors the region’s exceptional lemons. __1__ in February during the lemon season, the festival features beautiful floats and sculptures covered with dazzling lemons and oranges. These citrus creations are on display in the bright sunshine throughout the day, while at night, they are lit up and turn the town into a __2__ spectacle. The festival’s origins can be traced back to the late 19th century, when Menton was a major lemon producer. __3__, hotels would decorate their spaces with lemons and oranges
中國海關總署突然發布通知，指台灣輸入的釋迦及蓮霧檢出介殼蟲「大洋臀紋粉蚧」，決定暫停輸入。 In September 2021, China’s customs administration announced that it would suspend imports of sweetsop and jambu from Taiwan, citing discoveries of Planococcus minor, a type of mealybug. 蓮霧 (jambu/champoo, Syzygium samarangense) ，又名洋蒲桃，是桃金孃科熱帶水果，原產於印尼和馬來西亞，在星、馬稱作水蓊，中、港、澳稱作天桃。 蓮霧學名中的種小名 samarangense，係因模式標本採自印尼的Semarang (三寶瓏) 而得名。 蓮霧馬來語稱為 jambu air，第二個字 air讀作 /?a??(r)/，是水的意思，荷蘭人從印尼引進台灣，台語音譯為蓮霧 ian-b?。 以往蓮霧常見譯為 wax apple，聽起來好像素描靜物用的蠟製水果 (Wax Fruit)，曾有人問美國朋友要不要吃蓮霧? Care for a wax apple? 對方回一句：Why not a real one? 近來美國市場流行泰語的講法 champoo。蓮霧果實長得像鈴鐺，因此又稱為 bell-fruit。 Syzygium samarangense is a tropical fruit in the family Myrtaceae, native to the Greater Sunda Islands and the Malay Peninsula. Common names in English include champoo, jambu, bell fruit, rose apple, Java apple, and wax apple. In Taiwan, the dark red cultivars are nicknamed “Black
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