Snow damages Colosseum, Medieval churches in Italy. The Colosseum in Rome, and sites in the historic walled town of Urbino, have suffered damage due to unprecedented snow-fall Snow has caused damage to the Colosseum in Rome and to historic buildings in UrbinoPlunging temperatures caused ice to form on Colosseum walls, forcing off small pieces of rockDelicate houses in Urbino's historic walled center have suffered collapsesWorst snowfall in Italy for many years; said to be equivalent of a severe flood London (CNN) -- Heavy snow in recent weeks has already wreaked havoc across Europe -- now it is damaging some of the continent's most recognized historic monuments.
The Colosseum in Rome has been forced to shut after small pieces of its walls crumbled away as a result of freezing temperatures. And buildings in the historic walled town of Urbino -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site -- are reported to be at risk of collapse under the weight of snow, following unprecedented blizzards in the area. Are you there? US Stocks: Stocks Hold Losses, Italian Banks Downgraded - US Business News. “You had a 7 percent rally [on the S&P 500] from the beginning of the year and that’s the strongest start since 1987, so you are due for a bit of a consolidation and let investors take a breath,” said Phil Orlando, chief equity market strategist at Federated Investors.
“And with the headlines associated with Greece, it’s an appropriate place for investors to take a pause.” Adding to woes, Chinese January trade data fell the most since the depths of the financial crisis, signaling further demand decline. Among earnings, NYSE Euronext narrowly beat analyst forecasts with a 13 percent profit rise to $212 million in the fourth quarter, after Deutsche Boerse's plan to take over the transatlantic exchange was scrapped last week. LinkedIn surged after the online networking company beat expectations and handed in an outlook for the quarter and full-year that topped estimates. In addition, Brokerages including Citigroup, JPMorgan and Canaccord Genuity boosted their price targets on the firm. Arrests made in Italy after discovery of $6 trillion in fake U.S. bonds. By the CNN Wire Staff updated 11:59 AM EST, Fri February 17, 2012 NEW: $6 trillion is more than twice Italy's national debtThe bonds were discovered as part of an investigation into a local mafia groupArrest order was issued in the southern Italian city of Potenza8 people arrested after $6 trillion in fake U.S. bonds found in Italy (CNN) -- Italian authorities on Friday arrested eight people in possession of an estimated $6 trillion in counterfeit U.S.
Treasury bonds, according to Italian paramilitary police and an Italian news agency. The discovery of the fake bonds -- made to look as if they were printed by the U.S. The arrest order for the alleged criminals was issued by a preliminary investigative judge in the southern Italian city of Potenza, police noted. Italian authorities, working with their Swiss counterparts, learned about the counterfeit bonds by way of eavesdropping on wiretapped phones, police said. Football stars among those stranded on Italian island of Sicily as Mount Etna bursts into life and forces airport to be closed. By Lee Moran Updated: 17:58 GMT, 9 February 2012 Europe's largest volcano burst into life last night - stranding a top Italian football team on the southern island of Sicily.
Lava spewed down the sides of Mount Etna as home side Catania met Roma to play out the last 25 minutes of match that had previously been abandoned due to heavy rain. Catania Airport was closed as columns of hot ash rose high into the sky, forcing the Serie A stars, unable to fly back to the capital, to stay on the island until it re-opened at 7am this morning. Scroll down for video... Lighting up: Mount Etna once again burst into life as it spewed lava on the southern Italian island of Sicily Closure: Catania Airport was shut as columns of hot ash rose high into the sky Blow out: Mount Etna erupted several times last year, but many of them were short-lived But bosses are currently only allowing five flights per hour.
Etna erupted several times last year, but many of them were short-lived.