Giuridico e Amministrativo

🌊 Google Maps, following a U.S. executive order by President Donald Trump, will rename the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America for U.S. users. Globally, the area will be recognized by both names, while in Mexico it will remain Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, Alaska's highest peak will be called Mount McKinley in the U.S. Changes reflect government official updates, as stated by Mountain View's giant in a post on X.

🎨 Lombardy, Italy, offers to host Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" as the Louvre's president deems current placement inadequate. Francesca Caruso, Lombardy's Cultural Affairs Councillor, proposes a temporary housing for the painting, recalling its 1913 exhibition at the Pinacoteca di Brera. No claims, just willingness to accommodate the masterpiece.

🏆 Italy announces its first national tour guide competition today at 18:00, with applications open until February 27. Over 4,000 candidates expected to participate. Entry requirements include a secondary education diploma and a €10 fee. The competition involves three stages: a written exam with 80 multiple-choice questions, an oral test requiring knowledge of a foreign language, and a practical test of conducting a guided tour. Successful candidates will join the existing list of 10,000+ accredited guides.

✈ Air Europa and Sas signed a codeshare agreement at Fitur in Madrid, linking Spain to Scandinavia. Air Europa will add its code to flights between Madrid and Copenhagen and connections from Copenhagen to Aarhus, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Oslo, Trondheim, Stavanger, and Bergen. Sas will code-share on Air Europa flights to Spanish destinations including La Coruña, Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Gran Canaria, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife Norte, Vigo, and to Lisbon and Porto in Portugal. The deal introduces 20 new routes, enhancing flight planning and service consistency for SkyTeam members. This summer, the agreement will also include Air Europa’s intercontinental routes to Marrakech, Punta Cana, Santo Domingo, and Salvador de Bahia.

📋 Launched in 2023 in Brussels, Kiklegal is a web platform aiding class action lawsuits, now serving major markets including Italy, France, and the UK. It boasts 9 lawyers managing 7 class actions for 8,300 people. Noteworthy is a major dispute involving Brussels Airport, 110,000 residents, and 4 municipalities. The platform simplifies bureaucratic procedures and communication, providing transparency and media exposure for legal battles.

📖 The Italian government approved a bill to increase transparency in online reviews, particularly for hotels and restaurants, combating fake and paid reviews. Reviewers must provide identity verification and prove real presence at the location. Online reviews influence 82% of accommodation bookings and 70% of restaurant choices. TripAdvisor's 2022 data revealed 1.3 million (4.3%) of 30.2 million reviews were fraudulent. The bill also allows businesses to remove outdated or misleading reviews and prohibits buying or selling reviews. Implementation and verification mechanisms remain to be clarified.

🏠 Federalberghi Torino now supports private or entrepreneurially organized apartment owners offering short-term tourist rentals. The association provides property managers with consultancy, bureaucratic support, and other services to comply with regulations like the CIR (Codice Identificativo Regionale) and CIN (Codice Identificativo Nazionale), guest identification, smoke detectors, extinguishers, and tourist tax compliance. President Fabio Borio emphasizes the need for quality enhancement in tourist accommodations, while Lavinia Fanari highlights the win-win collaboration for improving tourist services.

💸 In Italy, Airbnb hosts preparing for tax declarations in 2025 must understand the "cedolare secca" flat tax rate: 21% for one property and 26% for multiple properties. This option, excluding IMU and income surcharges, simplifies tax filing. Eligibility requires the property to be residential, rented short-term, and not considered a professional activity. From 2025, Airbnb will withhold and remit taxes on hosts' behalf. Hosts must still keep accurate records, including deductible expenses. Non-compliance with new regulations, such as displaying the National Identification Code (CIN) on properties, can lead to fines.

🔥 Los Angeles faced a new blaze, following fires that started on January 7. Over 50,000 people in the area have been issued evacuation orders or warnings. Firefighters are reportedly making good progress on containment. The recent fire affected Lake Castaic area, roughly 60 kilometers from the city. California's Highway 5, running north to south, has been closed in both directions due to the fire.

📌 In Firenze, Francesco Casini condemns the committee 'Salviamo Firenze' for applying anti key box stickers throughout the city. Jacopo Vicini, the Tourism Councilor, emphasizes the need for balance between residents, workers, and visitors, without waging war on short-term rentals. Lorenzo Fagnoni, CEO of Appartaments Florence, denounces actions that harm entrepreneurs and foster a climate of prejudice and hate, affecting thousands employed in essential services.