Good morning from the Today editorial team. Here’s Start, today’s press review with the news you need to know to start the day: It’s Thursday, November 2nd, 2023.
GAZA, LONG WAR. Israel has attacked the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza again, killing 195 people, according to Palestinians. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is “shocked”. The UN warns: It could be a war crime. The first foreigners and injured Palestinians manage to escape to Egypt via the Rafah border crossing. Four Italians, volunteers from international NGOs, also managed to leave the enclave. Israeli forces advance, but no one sees the end of the war. So far, 16 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza within four days. In urban battles, the technological gap between the “world’s most advanced army” and the militias will continue to narrow. Over the years, Il Sole 24 Ore writes today, “Hamas was able to build sophisticated tunnels equipped with everything necessary to survive for three months underground.” A hidden front line that stretches for hundreds of kilometers. Thanks to the tunnels, Hamas can move its fighters freely, set up ambushes and then disappear again. To bomb Gaza indefinitely means continuing the massacre of civilians and obviously putting hundreds of hostages at risk. Since October 7, the day of the horrific terrorist attacks in Israel, 1,400 Israelis and 8,700 Palestinians have died.
THE FIGURE OF MELONS. Giorgia Meloni was the victim of a “fake” telephone conversation with two Russian comedians, Vovan (Vladimir Kuznetsov) and Lexus (Alexey Stolyarov), one of whom posed as the President of the African Union Commission. During the phone call, the Prime Minister said, among other things, that there is “great fatigue on all sides” about the war in Ukraine and “the moment is approaching when everyone understands that we need a way out.” Meloni thought he was talking to Moussa Faki, the former prime minister of Chad. Despite the strong Russian accent, the Prime Minister did not become suspicious. In fact, she maintained confidential tones that were outside of any diplomatic canons. The opposition attacks: “amateurs”, “a fool”. But more than Meloni, questions arise about the level of professionals around her, who are clearly not at the same level. There is a problem with the ruling class, not since yesterday.
FORGOTTEN UKRAINE. The war in Ukraine, which has disappeared from the front pages, has reached its 617th day. Russia bombed 118 Ukrainian towns and villages in 24 hours, more than on any other day this year: 10 of 27 regions were attacked and the attack caused deaths and more injuries in the east and south. Moscow is concentrating its firepower on Avdiivka, a strategically important city in the eastern Donetsk region. Ukraine’s counteroffensive has not changed the fate of the conflict and another winter of war is just around the corner. Avdiivka is the largest pitched battle since the start of the invasion, with the two armies facing each other in open terrain with a mass of coordinated forces. Since the beginning of October there have been increasingly violent clashes with enormous military losses on both sides. South Korean intelligence estimates that North Korea is supplying Russia with over a million artillery shells.
THE CASOLI MURDER. Michele Faiers Dawn, the 66-year-old Englishman, was found dead – stabbed in the stomach – in a house in Casoli (Chieti). A cruel crime. They are looking for their previously untraceable companion: Michael Dennis Whitbread, 74 years old, who set off in a car, a white Jeep Compass, no one knows in which direction. The woman’s body was found in the bedroom. According to an initial assessment, the murder occurred 4-5 days before it was discovered. Given that so much time has passed since the tragic bloody event, extensive searches are being carried out across Italy. The couple moved to the small town a few years ago.
WEATHER ALARM RED. Bad weather is hitting Italy hard again with two new disturbances in the Atlantic between today and tomorrow. Rain and very strong wind. For today, civil protection has issued a red alert for some areas of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, orange for seven regions in the central north and yellow for ten other regions. Maximum attention to storms and hydrogeological hazards. Risks of landslides, landslides, falling trees, flooding and the flooding of many waterways were reported. There will be a lot of rain, especially where there was already a lot of rain at the beginning of the week and the ground is still heavily covered by rain.
I would like to briefly point out:
DRY VOUCHER. The flat rate tax rate of 26% applies to all short-term rental apartments, provided there are at least two of them. So if you only rent one property, you will not receive the increase. But if you rent more than one, you have to accept an increase of five percentage points for all of them, and not just from the second. In summary, this is the practical effect of the maneuver.
GAS STANG. We are heading for another rise in gas prices. For October, the increase is expected to be around 10 percent higher than in September, the third increase since August. The official announcement will arrive in a few days.
THE CARABINIERS OF CUCCHI. Three different juries have convicted Carabinieri Marshal Roberto Mandolini for protecting and hiding those responsible for the extremely violent beating that led to the death of Stefano Cucchi. Twenty-four different judges convicted him beyond a reasonable doubt, but the statute of limitations was running out. Deputy Ilaria Cucchi asks the army to take away his uniform.
BOTULINO NIGHTMARE. Botulinum keeps getting scary. A woman has died in Campania after eating a pizza containing chili oil. Botox poisoning is strongly suspected. The man’s condition is serious. Botulinum is one of the deadliest bacterial toxins (at low oxygen levels) known worldwide.
Neofascists of Athens. The Monastiraki metro station in central Athens was the scene of an attack organized by a group of around 30 to 40 neo-fascists. Far-right militants stormed the subway, causing property damage and injuring a woman. Then there were clashes with the police: 39 people were arrested.
REMEMBER COWORKING? It seemed like coworking was taking over the future of work in big cities, but not only. Then Covid came and everything changed. The Wall Street Journal writes that WeWork will file for bankruptcy protection. Today it is capitalized around 60 million dollars, 4 years ago it was worth around 47 billion. The way we experience offices and everyday working life has now changed.
RAI SINK. There are overtaking maneuvers, Mediaset had never beaten Rai for so long. And Canale5 is one step away from Rai1, which is still only just the most watched channel. The sovereign leaders of Viale Mazzini have not done a good job with the new schedules. According to Studio Frasi’s processing of Auditel data, Mediaset performs better than Rai throughout the day: 38.45 to 35.37% share.
I wish you a nice day today.