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TODAY IN ITALY

Today in Italy: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday

Italy issues storm alerts for nine regions, partisans association cancels Tuscany march following ‘serious threats’, and more news from Italy on Wednesday.

The Roman Forum pictured during heavy rain in 2022
Rome's Roman Forum pictured during heavy rainfall. Photo by Vincenzo PINTO / AFP

Italy issues ‘yellow’ storm alerts for nine regions 

Italy’s Civil Protection department issued a ‘yellow’ weather warning for nine regions on Wednesday as rainstorms that pummelled large parts of the country, including the capital Rome, on Tuesday were expected to continue. 

The alert was set to cover parts or the whole of the following regions: Lombardy, Piedmont, Calabria, Basilicata, Abruzzo, Marche, Molise, Umbria and Campania.

READ MORE: Italy issues storm alerts for nine regions

A ‘yellow’ warning is the least severe type of alert under Italy’s alert system, but still indicates some level of risk. 

River levels in the affected areas are likely to rise rapidly and waterways could become flooded, as could nearby underpasses, tunnels, and basement-level structures, according to Italy’s Civil Protection.

Italian partisans association cancels Tuscany march following ‘serious threats’

The Italian Partisans Association (ANPI) announced on Tuesday it had cancelled a planned march against neo-fascist group CasaPound in Grosseto, Tuscany, after receiving anonymous threats, Ansa reported on Tuesday. 

“We have received serious threats in the form of anonymous letters,” Luciano Calì, the secretary of the Grosseto branch of ANPI, said.

“It’s a delicate situation. […] We don’t want to and cannot risk anything, but we must be concerned about the climate of hatred that’s been growing day after day,” he added. 

Threats received by ANPI included “warnings” to La Stampa reporter Andrea Joly, who was hospitalised after he was assaulted during a CasaPound gathering in Turin on July 22nd.

Four members of CasaPound were placed under preventive house arrest on August 22nd as part of an investigation into the attack.

Italy records 577 workplace deaths in the first seven months of 2024

There were 577 workplace deaths in Italy in the first seven months of 2024 – 18 more compared to the same period in 2023, the latest report by national workplace insurance institute INAIL said, according to Ansa. 

The highest number of deaths was recorded in the construction industry, with 79, followed by the manufacturing sector, with 55, and transport and storage services, with 46, the report said.

The north of the country accounted for 281 of the deaths, whereas central and southern regions registered 113 and 118 respectively.

In early July, the Italian government said it planned to recruit some 1,600 new labour inspectors.

The announcement came two weeks after the gruesome death of Satnam Singh, a 31-year-old undocumented Indian labourer who bled out after his arm was severed by farm machinery.

Italy saw a total of 1,041 workplace deaths last year.

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For members

TODAY IN ITALY

Today in Italy: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday

Ryanair announces ten new winter routes from Milan Malpensa, tourist dies after being struck by falling statue in Naples, and more news from Italy on Wednesday.

Today in Italy: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday

Ryanair announces ten new winter routes from Milan Malpensa

Irish budget airline Ryanair was set to add ten new routes from Milan Malpensa Airport this winter, with direct links to popular international destinations, including Athens, Paris and Mallorca, the carrier said in a statement

Ryanair also announced new links to Krakow and Rzeszow in Poland, Budapest (Hungary), Marrakech (Morocco), Tallinn (Estonia), Fuerteventura (Spain) and Reggio Calabria (Italy).

Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said during a press conference in Milan that Bergamo’s Orio al Serio Airport was set to lose five routes this winter due to aircraft delivery delays from Boeing amid workers’ strikes.

O’Leary also announced that the carrier was speeding up negotiations to add more flights to and from Venice’s Marco Polo Airport after EasyJet said it would close its Venice base from April 2025.

Tourist dies after being struck by falling statue in Naples

A 30-year-old tourist from Padua, Veneto, died on Tuesday after being struck in the head by a statue that had fallen from a balcony in Naples’ city centre, Ansa reported.

The woman was taking a walk in Naples’ Spanish Quarter on Sunday afternoon when she was hit by a falling statue. 

She was immediately rushed to the nearby Vecchio Pellegrini hospital before being transferred to the Ospedale del Mare, on the other side of town, but died due to brain injuries on Tuesday.

A police investigation into the incident was underway. 

Ten Italians hurt in Peru bus crash

At least 20 passengers, including ten Italians, were injured in a bus accident near the ancient Incan town of Machu Picchu, Peru, local police said on Tuesday, according to Ansa.

The Italian passengers were all taken to a hospital in Cusco, but none of them were in life-threatening condition, the report said.

Foreign ministry sources told Ansa that Italy’s embassy in Peru’s capital Lima was in close contact with local authorities and was assisting the tourists involved in the accident and their families.

“We continue monitoring the situation with great attention,” Foreign Ministry Antonio Tajani said on social media platform X. 

Italy withdraws EU funds for stalled electric car ‘gigafactory’

A €250-million EU fund originally earmarked for the construction of an electric car battery factory in Molise was set to be reallocated after Stellantis, the parent company of Fiat and Alfa Romeo, paused the project, government sources told AFP.

In June, ACC – a joint venture between Stellantis, Mercedes and French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies – said it was pausing the construction of a €2-billion e-vehicle “gigafactory” near Termoli, eastern Molise, while it updated the technology behind its batteries.

Italian Industry Minister Adolfo Urso told ACC and union representatives in Rome that, given the uncertainty surrounding the gigafactory’s new time-frame, EU funds would be “re-deployed towards other investments consistent with the sector’s energy transition,” AFP sources said.

The move came amid tensions between Stellantis and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, which accused the car manufacturer of moving production out of Italy to lower-cost countries.

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