Today in Italy: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
Italy hunts speed-camera vigilante, footballer slams fans "complicit" in racism, and more news from around Italy on Monday.
Italy’s top story on Monday:
The hunt continued for anti-speed camera vigilante 'Fleximan' in northern Italy on Monday after he struck again over the weekend, this time dismantling a camera along a regional highway in the town of Carceri, near Padua, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The unidentified man has been increasingly making headlines in recent weeks after he began cutting down speed traps across the northern Italian region of Veneto.
He is known for using his trademark flessibile, or circular saw, though some of the 14 cameras he has targeted so far were taken out using explosives, one with a pellet gun, and another with an "agricultural vehicle", reported La Repubblica.
Police continued their attempts to track him down over the weekend, while many social media users in Italy hailed the unknown perpetrator as a "hero" and "modern-day Robin Hood".
Fewer Italians see birthplace as key to identity
Less than two thirds - 58 percent - of Italians think where you are born is an important part of your national identity, representing a 21 percent drop since 2016, according to a new Pew Research Center study.
Japan, Canada, France, Hungary, and the UK also saw significant decreases in this belief over the same period.
Italy has in recent years seen a national trend of more openness to foreigners amid a plummeting national birthrate.
Despite this, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni remains staunchly opposed to the widely supported ius scholae proposal that would grant Italian citizenship to children who are born to foreign parents but complete their education in Italy.
Footballer who received racist abuse slams 'complicit' fans
AC Milan and France goalkeeper Mike Maignan on Sunday condemned fans who failed to intervene at a match where he suffered racist abuse.
He said clubs, fans and legal authorities who ignore racism in football will be seen to be "complicit" in its scourge, AFP reported.
Play was temporarily halted in a 3-2 match between AC Milan and Udine on Sunday after fans from the Udine side made monkey chants at the player.
"They saw everything, they heard everything and they decided to remain silent", he said of the fans who witnessed the attacks but did nothing to stop them.
Following the incident, FIFA president Gianni Infantino called for worldwide stadium bans for fans and "automatic forfeits" for teams whose supporters hurl "abhorrent" abuse.
Steel giant ArcelorMittal pushes for deal with Italian government
The multinational has offered to sell its stake or become a minority shareholder in its Taranto steelworks after the Italian government moved to put the plant, one of Europe’s largest steelworks, under state supervision.
Chief executive Aditya Mittal wrote to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to press for an “amicable solution” to the crisis over the struggling ex-Ilva plant, after her government on Thursday announced it had taken the first step towards putting the plant under state supervision.
Talks with ArcelorMittal, which owns a 62-percent stake, had broken down over how to keep production going and secure thousands of jobs at the plant in the southern city of Taranto.
Comments
See Also
Italy’s top story on Monday:
The hunt continued for anti-speed camera vigilante 'Fleximan' in northern Italy on Monday after he struck again over the weekend, this time dismantling a camera along a regional highway in the town of Carceri, near Padua, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The unidentified man has been increasingly making headlines in recent weeks after he began cutting down speed traps across the northern Italian region of Veneto.
He is known for using his trademark flessibile, or circular saw, though some of the 14 cameras he has targeted so far were taken out using explosives, one with a pellet gun, and another with an "agricultural vehicle", reported La Repubblica.
Police continued their attempts to track him down over the weekend, while many social media users in Italy hailed the unknown perpetrator as a "hero" and "modern-day Robin Hood".
Fewer Italians see birthplace as key to identity
Less than two thirds - 58 percent - of Italians think where you are born is an important part of your national identity, representing a 21 percent drop since 2016, according to a new Pew Research Center study.
Japan, Canada, France, Hungary, and the UK also saw significant decreases in this belief over the same period.
Italy has in recent years seen a national trend of more openness to foreigners amid a plummeting national birthrate.
Despite this, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni remains staunchly opposed to the widely supported ius scholae proposal that would grant Italian citizenship to children who are born to foreign parents but complete their education in Italy.
Footballer who received racist abuse slams 'complicit' fans
AC Milan and France goalkeeper Mike Maignan on Sunday condemned fans who failed to intervene at a match where he suffered racist abuse.
He said clubs, fans and legal authorities who ignore racism in football will be seen to be "complicit" in its scourge, AFP reported.
Play was temporarily halted in a 3-2 match between AC Milan and Udine on Sunday after fans from the Udine side made monkey chants at the player.
"They saw everything, they heard everything and they decided to remain silent", he said of the fans who witnessed the attacks but did nothing to stop them.
Following the incident, FIFA president Gianni Infantino called for worldwide stadium bans for fans and "automatic forfeits" for teams whose supporters hurl "abhorrent" abuse.
Steel giant ArcelorMittal pushes for deal with Italian government
The multinational has offered to sell its stake or become a minority shareholder in its Taranto steelworks after the Italian government moved to put the plant, one of Europe’s largest steelworks, under state supervision.
Chief executive Aditya Mittal wrote to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to press for an “amicable solution” to the crisis over the struggling ex-Ilva plant, after her government on Thursday announced it had taken the first step towards putting the plant under state supervision.
Talks with ArcelorMittal, which owns a 62-percent stake, had broken down over how to keep production going and secure thousands of jobs at the plant in the southern city of Taranto.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.