The badge, modified in 2001, bears the inscription "Al Merito della Repubblica" encircling the national coat of arms on the obverse and the Latin "Patriæ Unitati" (for the union of the country) and "Civium Libertati" (for the liberty of the citizens) encircling the head of Italia Turrita on the reverse. The six degrees with corresponding ribbons are as follows (with numbers to 2 June 2020):
The order is bestowed by decree of the President of the Italian Republic, as head of the orders of knighthood, on the recommendation of the President of the Council of Ministers. Except in exceptional circumstances, no one can be awarded for the first time a rank higher than Knight. The minimum age requirement is normally 35.
The Knight Grand Cross with Collar is awarded only to heads of state.
Black-backed jackal
The black-backed jackal ("Canis mesomelas" or "Lupulella mesomelas") is a canine that comes from eastern and southern Africa.
The black-backed jackal lives in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. It is a least concern species. It is still killed because, it attacks farm animals and it carries rabies.
Ethiopian wolf
The Ethiopian wolf ("Canis simensis"), is a canid native to the Ethiopian Highlands. It is also known as the Simien jackal or Simien fox. It is similar to the coyote in size. It has a long and narrow skull, and red and white fur. The Ethopian wolf only eats Afroalpine rodents. It only lives in mountain ranges and high altitudes. It is one of the world's rarest canids. It is Africa's most endangered carnivore.
The Ethiopian wolf is threatened by increasing human populations, habitat loss through overgrazing, disease and interbreeding from dogs.
Ghost Hunting (movie)
Ghost Hunting is a 2017 Palestinian documentary movie directed by Raed Andoni and starring Ramzi Maqdisi.
Side-striped jackal
The side-striped jackal ("Canis adustus" or "Lupulella adusta") is a canine that comes from central and southern Africa. The side-striped jackal mostly lives in woodland and scrub areas.
Seijo Gakuen Junior High School and High School
They are famous for having various club activities such as tennis. They are also known as the winning school of the national high school tennis championship.
Crab-eating fox
The crab-eating fox ("Cerdocyon thous") is an type of canid. It is also known as the forest fox, wood fox, bushdog or maikong, It only lives in the central part of South America.
The crab-eating fox lives in different habitats such as savannas, woodlands, subtropical forests, prickly, shrubby thickets; and tropical savannas. It lives in Colombia and southern Venezuela, Uruguay and northern Argentina at the southernmost reaches of its range.
Its habitat also includes wooded riverbanks such as riparian forest. They live in every habitat in South America except rainforests, high mountains, and open grassy savannas.
Maned wolf
The maned wolf ("Chrysocyon brachyurus") is the largest canid of South America. Its markings are like those of foxes, but it is not a fox or a wolf. It is the only type in the genus Chrysocyon, which means "golden dog".
The maned wolf has long, thin legs and thick reddish fur. The maned wolf is an omnivore. It has an important job in the seed dispersal of fruits, especially the wolf apple. The maned wolf usually lives alone. It communicates with other maned wolves by giving a loud call known as "roar-barking".
The maned wolf lives in open and semi open habitats, especially in grasslands. It lives in south, central-west, and southeastern Brazil, Paraguay, northern Argentina, and Bolivia, southeastern Peru. It is very rare in Uruguay. It is a near threatened species.
Culpeo
The culpeo ("Lycalopex culpaeus"), is a type of South American fox. It is the second-largest native canid in South America. It has grey and reddish fur, a white chin, reddish legs and a stripe on its back.
The culpeo eats rodents, rabbits, birds and lizards. It also eats a little bit of plants and carrion. The culpeo attack sheep sometimes and is therefore hunted or poisoned. In some places, the culpeo is rare, but overall the species is not threatened with extinction.
Darwin's fox
The Darwin's fox or Darwin's zorro ("Lycalopex fulvipes") is a type of canid from the genus Lycalopex. It lives in Nahuelbuta National Park in the Araucanía Region, the Valdivian Coastal Range in the Los Ríos Region in Chile and Chiloé Island. It weighs 1.8 to 3.95 kg (4.0 to 8.7 lb). Its tail is 17.5 to 25.5 cm (7 to 10 in) long.
Brongersma's tree frog
Brongersma's tree frog ("Ranoidea brongersmai") is a tree frog from Indonesia. It has only been found in the Snow Mountains.
Heel spur
A heel spur is a bony growth that develops around the heel bone, often caused by ill-fitting shoes, and sometimes causing pain. It is called a calcaneal spur in medical terms.
Common ground dove
The common ground dove ("Columbina passerina") is a small bird that lives in the southern United States, parts of Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. It is thought to be the smallest dove that lives in the United States.
Cathedral of Quito
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito (), known simply as la Catedral, is the Catholic cathedral in Quito, Ecuador. Located on the southwest side of the Plaza de la Independencia (La Plaza Grande), it (and its older building) served as a seat of the Diocese of Quito from 1545 until 1848 when it became the Archdiocese. In 1995, it became the the Cathedral of Ecuador, making it the oldest Catholic church in the country.
The Cathedral is a white-painted monumental church with one high belltower to the right of the main entrance. It was built on a plan that has three longitudinal naves with semi-ogival arches on square pillars. The Cathedral is built like the kind of the 16th century. Based on interior features — like the details of the pillars, arches, and the carved and coffered ceiling — some experts say that the Cathedral should be thought of as Gothic-Mudéjar in style. It has Gothic features in the pointed arches of its naves, as well as in the ambulatory that goes around the presbytery.
Deidre Davis Butler
Deidre Davis Butler (born Deidre Ann Davis; September 26, 1955 – August 7, 2020) was an American disability rights activist and federal official. She was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Davis worked in state and national disability programs as a young lawyer, beginning at Rehabilitation International in New York in 1980. In 1987, she worked at the United States Department of Education.
She helped create the Air Carrier Access Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
Davis died on August 7, 2020 in Rogers, Arkansas at the age of 64.
Yisrael Moshe Friedman
Rabbi Yisrael Moshe Friedman (23 July 1955 – 10 August 2020) was an American-Israeli rabbi. He was the sixth Rebbe of the Sadigura chasidus. He led his court from Bnei Brak, Israel. He was the sixth rebbe between 2013 until his death. He was born in New York City.
Friedman died on 10 August 2020 in Ramat Gan, Israel at the age of 65.
Amvrosius Parashkevov
Ambrose of Dorostol (born Alexander Alexandrov Parashkevov; 9 June 1942 – 18 August 2020) was a Bulgarian Orthodox clergyman. He was the Bishop of Branitsa from 1998 to 2010 and Metropolitan of Dorostol from 2010 to his death in 2020. He was a member of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
Dorostolski died from COVID-19 on 18 August 2020 in Silistra at the age of 78.
Ágnes Bánfai
Ágnes Bánfai (8 June 1947 – 20 August 2020) was a Hungarian gymnast. She competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in all gymnastics events. She finished in fifth place in the team competition.
She won a bronze medal with the Hungarian team at the 1974 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She was born in Budapest.
Bánfai died on 20 August 2020, aged 65.
Durbin Feeling