Good morning from the Today.it editorial team. Here’s Start, the news you need to know to start the day: it’s Friday 26 April 2024.
APRIL 25 “WITHOUT” MELONS. Those who expected a change of pace from Giorgia Meloni in the Liberation celebrations, with a deeper recognition of the values of anti-fascism, were disappointed. The prime minister limited herself to the minimum wage in a post on Instagram, reiterating her commitment “against all totalitarianism of yesterday and today”. The public agenda was effectively empty yesterday, apart from the wreath of flowers placed for the unknown soldier with Mattarella. At 9.30am on April 25th it was “already finished”. A choice that cannot and should not be surprising: the upcoming elections, the first national test since you have been in government, have something to do with it, you cannot risk losing a single vote to the right. You have chosen to preserve the epic of the political community of that generation which managed to transfer the Roman section of Colle Oppio, the first of the MSI in Italy, to Palazzo Chigi. In Milan, clashes at the march between pro-Palestine demonstrators and the Jewish Brigade.
ANTI-ABORTERS IN CONSULTANTS. On anti-abortion associations in clinics, the ball passes to the Regions. They are the ones who can also involve “third sector subjects who have qualified experience in supporting maternity” in the organization of the clinics. With Pnrr funds. But there are already those who are moving away, like Sardinia. The number of voluntary terminations of pregnancy in Italy is among the lowest in Europe, and constantly decreasing year on year. “If the right were honest they would have to admit that bringing pro-life associations into counseling centers is just a useless act of cruelty”, she tells the Press Alessandra Kustermann, the first female head doctor of the Mangiagalli Clinic of the Milan Polyclinic, who calls for real policies to support the birth rate and equal leave, not commercials: “Today’s girls, in order not to be terrified at the idea of having a child, need much more than promise of 200 euros per month for a year”.
HOW MUCH IS VANNACCI WORTH. “I am happy that a man of value like General Vannacci has decided to continue his battles for freedom together with the League in the European Parliament”, tweets Matteo Salvini, who goes “all in” on the soldier who boasts of rejecting anti-fascism , sometimes with positions so ramshackle and backward that they are also unwelcome to many members of the Northern League. He will be a candidate in all constituencies (even if not at the top of the list). Election therefore very, very probable. Either Vannacci gets an avalanche of votes or Salvini risks playing for the leadership, because the first ones who don’t want him on the list are the militants of the Northern League. How many votes does Vannacci move? It’s a non-trivial question. In Salvini’s plans he should help the Northern League to slow down the decline in the polls and easily surpass both Forza Italia and the 8% bar. It certainly won’t be a boring election campaign.
TALL GRASS IN THE CITY. Milan follows the example of large cities such as Vienna, Frankfurt, Barcelona, Geneva, Turin and decides to allow tall grass to grow in city parks. Objective: to offer a richer habitat for bees and pollinating insects and contribute to the biological diversity of urban areas. Stop brushcutters. There are those who criticize, speaking of neglect disguised as environmentalism. Doctors are raising the alarm: if mosquitoes were among the insects whose presence would be favored (and it is inevitable that this would happen at this point), it would be self-harming madness also in view of the danger of Dengue. It is known that adult tiger mosquitoes fly at night and rest in the grass during the day, which must be cut to avoid the proliferation of ticks and other vectors of infections.
RAFAH. The US has not given Israel the green light to attack Rafah, but the Israeli army has informed the government that its forces have completed preparations and the date of the attack now depends on the war cabinet in Tel Aviv. Rafah, on the border with Egypt, is the only city in Gaza that the Israeli military has not yet entered. There are four Hamas battalions in Rafah and, perhaps, dozens of hostages. Over a million people have taken refuge there for months. Israeli troops will move in “in stages,” according to Egyptian officials, and the fighting is expected to last “around six weeks.” THESatellite images show two new tent camps in southern Gaza. Israeli media reported that Israel was purchasing 40,000 tents to prepare for the evacuation of civilians. Each tent could hold 12 people.
I would also like to point out briefly:
BIDEN AND GAZA. The protest against the massacres in Gaza is spreading across US campuses, now involving 32 colleges from coast to coast. Arrests and evictions aside, Biden’s electoral consensus is shaky. The Palestinian crisis may take away young people’s votes and furthermore a Bloomberg poll reveals that 56% of voters in key states (7) are against sending weapons to Israel.
BALTIC COUNTRIES. Sweden will deploy CV90 and Leopard 2 tanks to Latvia. This was announced by the Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, during a meeting with his Latvian counterpart, Evika Silina. “Strengthening the security of the Baltic region (practically on the border with Russia, ed.) is today even more urgent than it was previously.”
TO VENICE WITH THE TICKET. Five euros for a tour of Venice. Since yesterday. Raised 78,500 euros. But there are many exemptions: if you are from Veneto, if you have a hotel, and much more. The aim is to discourage less profitable tourism. Various local associations criticize: “We need far-sighted policies.” Venice is becoming depopulated and welcomes 20 million visitors a year. The ticket risks making Venice even more touristy, equating it to an amusement park.
RAI STRIKE. “The suffocating control” over journalistic work and the attempt to reduce Rai “to a megaphone for the government”. These are the main reasons for the protest by the Usigrai union which led to the proclamation of a strike by public television journalists for May 6th.
JUVE SHOT. Transfer market insiders claim that Michele Di Gregorio, the young Monza goalkeeper, will be the first piece of the Juventus reconstruction. An agreement for around 20 million would be close between Juventus and Brianza. Principle of agreement with the player until 2029. 99.9% of the time the coach of the “old lady” 2024/2025 will no longer be Max Allegri: he will be sacked in a month or so.
Have a nice day on Today.it.
