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[BUSINESS] · Italy · 6 sources

Helen Mirren calls for aid to Xylella‑stricken Salento, Italy

The bacterial disease Xylella fastidiosa has killed millions of olive trees, devastated the landscape and harmed the economy of the Salento area in the Apulia region of southern Italy. The pathogen is spread by insects and blocks water transport inside trees, and no effective pesticide or cure exists.

At a prize ceremony in the town of Castro, 81‑year‑old Oscar‑winner Helen Mirren urged the Italian government and the wider community to provide urgent agricultural, scientific and financial assistance to the region’s residents. She criticised politicians for abandoning the people and likened the cultural value of the olive groves to that of the Colosseum in Rome.

Entities

Apulia · Castro · Helen Mirren · Salento · Xylella fastidiosa

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