Good morning from the Today.it editorial team. Here's Start, the news you need to know to start the day: It's Monday, January 15, 2024.
BOYS KILLED FOR NO REASON. 20-year-old Francesco Bacchi was beaten to death near Palermo. The fatal beating outside a nightclub in Balestrate: In the evening a peer was stopped: he admitted to hitting the peer after a trivial argument. Instead, two Bosnians are wanted for the murder of Alexandru Ivan, a 14-year-old Italian-Romanian who was shot twice in the Metro C parking lot in Pantano, the far eastern outskirts of Rome, on Friday night. Accidentally killed in a showdown between two gangs of rival adults: He was in eighth grade. The target – it is not clear whether it was drug offenses or the division of stolen goods – was the stepfather. Two young lives were destroyed for no reason.
INDIVIDUAL CHECK. The one-off allowance for January 2024 will be paid out from the day after tomorrow. For those who have dependent children up to the age of 21 (and no age limit for disabled children), increases are expected, both due to some legal changes and thanks to adjustment for inflation. In addition, there is a new increase of 50% for children up to one year old and for families with 3 or more children up to the maximum age of 3 years, if the ISEE does not exceed EUR 40,000. The ISEE needs to be renewed in order to calculate the amounts of the one-off allowance for the year 2024. The deadline is February 29 by which the new data must be submitted (for those who already receive the allowance). Otherwise you will receive the minimum amount.
NEW HAMAS VIDEO. Hamas released the video of three hostages on Sunday evening: Noa Argamani, Yossi Sharabi and Itay Svirsky. 100 days have passed since the October 7 massacre. There is no end to the war in sight. The “destruction of Hamas” is a difficult goal to achieve but fundamental to Nethanyau’s political survival: Hamas’ true leaders, such as Yahya Sinwar, the group’s top official in Gaza, have not been killed, and hundreds of hostages remain alive Captivity, and international pressure is growing due to the enormous number of civilian casualties: there are almost 24,000 casualties in the Gaza Strip.
REGIONALLY BY MELONS. While the two argue, the third cries. In the not so intense conflict that has been going on for weeks between Salvini and Meloni over the decision on the center-right candidates for the regional elections, Tajani could end up losing out. After Solinas' re-nomination failed in Sardinia, the league wants its own man for Basilicata (which is scheduled to vote on June 9). Maybe he won't understand it, but the news of the last few hours says that even the brothers of Italy would be convinced that they would have to replace the current governor Bardi, who until yesterday was untouchable for Forza Italia. The Prime Minister now has a precise plan in mind: in 2024, two regions will vote for FdI (Sardinia and Abruzzo), one for the League (Umbria) and one for Forza Italia (Piedmont), in Basilicata a representative of civil society.
TG1 IN THE STORM. The service at the Verano Cemetery in Rome, at the initiative of Gioventù Nazionale, the youth movement of the Brothers of Italy, to pay homage to “those who gave their lives for Italy”, was broadcast in the Sunday edition at 1.30 p.m. Unprecedented visibility for a handful of children, just over 200, but above all a lot of anger, calling the demonstration “non-political” and elevating it to a “patriotic cultural event”. In fact, these are clearly right-wing demonstrations, precise party choice, “death to the country” as an absolute value, “youth” as an acquittal category: Republicans and partisans all on the same level, and so on. Opposition to the attack: “It’s TeleMeloni.”
GIOVANNA PEDRETTI. It would not have withstood the online hatred and accusations: Giovanna Pedretti, the restaurateur from Sant'Angelo Lodigiano who gave a lesson in politeness in response to a homophobic review, was found dead, most likely by suicide. Within a few hours she had gone from being a heroine to being a victim of social pillory. A customer complained about the presence of gays and disabled people in the club, and she responded with clear determination. A “beautiful” story, it seemed to end there. But then the authenticity of the review was questioned, with someone calling it a “marketing campaign posing as a heroic defense of gays and disabled people.” The pizzeria attaches great importance to social issues and has been promoting solidarity initiatives such as the “Suspended Pizza” for the poor and disabled for years. However, not everyone has the resources to experience social media and the overwhelming influence it can have on our lives in a balanced way. We must never forget it.
UNSTOPPABLE LAVA. After months of fears, the volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula erupted in the early hours of Sunday morning, pouring lava into the fishing village of Grindavík. Houses are burning, we are moving towards the “worst scenario” with the evacuation of the entire population of the city. The photos taken by Ragnar Axelsson, “the Arctic photographer” par excellence for 40 years, have traveled around the world. January 14, 2024 will go down in Iceland's history as a sad day.
I would like to briefly point out:
ONLY TRUMP. Today the election caucuses are taking place in Iowa, marking the start of the Republican primaries in the USA. Trump is on track for victory, with the latest poll showing him at 48%, with a 28-point lead over Haley. Yesterday, CNN asked whether the primaries would be over before they even started (the answer is 99 percent yes), since Trump is also leading in New Hampshire.
INDUSTRIAL COLLAPSE. Over the last 15 years, the turnover of Italian industry has collapsed, with the exception of the Northeast, where it grew by 5.9%: between 2007 and 2022, the real added value of manufacturing activity fell by 8.4% in Italy, by 4% in France, 4%. In Germany the change was positive (+16.4%). Of the most important European countries, only Spain performed worse than Italy at -8.9%.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. According to the IMF, artificial intelligence will impact 60% of jobs in advanced economies. Kristalina Georgieva, Director General, said this shortly before her departure to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
LEGALIZE IT. Speaking of Switzerland. By legalizing cannabis sales in a single store in Lausanne, illegal trade fell by 5% in a month. All money stolen from the black market and crime. It is planned to repeat the project in Basel, Zurich and Geneva. Sales are only permitted to adults, consumption in public areas and, above all, resale is prohibited.
FROZEN. A sixteen-year-old German tourist froze to death in San Candido, South Tyrol. Due to the extreme cold, the cell phone battery was empty and geolocation was not possible. The rescuers' hypotheses include that the girl may have slipped without being able to recover due to the very low temperatures (-14°) and the clothing that was too light.
KATA, THE PHOTO. The photo gives hope in the case of Kata, the little girl who disappeared in Florence on June 10, 2023. It is said to have been taken in Spain, where a little girl with pigtails sits on a bus and looks out the window. Investigators are conducting investigations. A flash after months of complete darkness, with no real traces. “The eyes and nose look like his, but the glass was reflected and you can't see his mouth and chin well,” his mother said.
Lorenzo is fine. The little boy found in the garbage in Villanova (Turin) was named Lorenzo by the doctors who treated him and is in good condition. Police are investigating to find out who may have abandoned him.
I wish you a nice day today.