Today in Italy: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
Weather warnings issued to 16 Italian regions, Meloni's centre-right coalition to triumph in Abruzzo election, and more news from around Italy on Monday.
Weather warnings issued to 16 Italian regions as storms continue
The Modena province, in Italy’s central Emilia-Romagna region, was under an 'amber’ alert for flood risk on Monday, Italy's Civil Protection Department said in a bulletin released on Sunday evening.
A lower-level ‘yellow’ warning was issued to the following regions: Tuscany, Lazio, Umbria, Abruzzo, Campania, Molise, Puglia and Basilicata, and parts of Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Trentino Alto Adige, Lombardy, Piedmont, Marche and Calabria.
⛈💨 Ancora piogge e venti forti al Centro-Sud
📆 Lunedì #11marzo
🔔🟠 #allertaARANCIONE meteo-idro in Emilia-Romagna
🔔🟡 #allertaGIALLA in 16 regioni
🔎 Leggi l'avviso meteo del #10marzo 👉 https://t.co/jaQCgIVmmw#protezionecivile pic.twitter.com/UDgFg48Q3I
— Dipartimento Protezione Civile (@DPCgov) March 10, 2024
The warnings were related to “high-intensity storms” and “strong winds” as well “storm surges along exposed coasts", the department said.
Much of Italy was battered by storms over the weekend, with mudslides and flooding reported in multiple locations in Liguria, Piedmont and Lombardy.
A ski mountaineer was reportedly killed by a snow avalanche in Imperia, eastern Liguria, on Sunday afternoon.
Centre-right coalition expected to win in Abruzzo regional elections
With nearly all the ballots counted from Sunday's regional election, exit polls on Monday morning said incumbent centre-right governor Marco Marsilio had secured more than 53 percent of the vote, while Luciano d'Amico, the candidate supported by a broad centre-left coalition including the Five-Star Movement and the Democratic Party, took some 46.5 percent.
Over 1.2 million people were called to choose their new regional governor on Sunday, with polls across Abruzzo opening at 7am and closing at 11pm.
Voter turnout reportedly stood at 52.2 percent, down from 53.11 percent in the last regional vote in 2019.
The Abruzzo regional election was largely regarded as a major test for PM Giorgia Meloni’s coalition following a narrow defeat to the centre-left opposition in the Sardinia regional election just two weeks ago.
Police officer involved in high-profile privacy scandal breaks silence
Pasquale Striano – the financial police officer accused of having illegally accessed the personal data of dozens of public figures, including politicians and celebrities – said on Sunday he would answer the charges “before a judge, then you’ll see what happens”.
"I did my job with absolute dignity and professionalism and with my methods, not those used by bureaucrats," he added.
READ ALSO: Rogue agent and reporters: What you need to know about Italy's latest privacy scandal
Striano is currently under investigation for allegedly acquiring and leaking to reporters private data on several high-profile figures, including football star Cristiano Ronaldo, Italian rapper Fedez and Defence Minister Guido Crosetto.
The investigation caused widespread uproar in Italy last week. Elly Schlein, leader of the centre-left Democratic Party, said the case was a "scandal of unprecedented gravity", whilst deputy PM Matteo Salvini called it "illegal Soviet-style espionage".
Camorra drug trafficker arrested in Portugal after 32 years on the run
A drug trafficker affiliated with Italy’s Camorra crime group was arrested in Portugal on Saturday after some 32 years on the run according to national media reports.
69-year-old Colombian national Omar Rivera Gomez was detained in the northern Portuguese city of Porto and jailed ahead of extradition to Italy.
Gomez was reportedly sentenced to 15 years in jail for international drug trafficking in 1992 but escaped apprehension by fleeing Italy.
The Camorra, which is based in Italy’s southern Campania region, is one of Italy's major organised crime groups along with Sicily's Cosa Nostra and the 'Ndrangheta, based in the Calabria region.
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Weather warnings issued to 16 Italian regions as storms continue
The Modena province, in Italy’s central Emilia-Romagna region, was under an 'amber’ alert for flood risk on Monday, Italy's Civil Protection Department said in a bulletin released on Sunday evening.
A lower-level ‘yellow’ warning was issued to the following regions: Tuscany, Lazio, Umbria, Abruzzo, Campania, Molise, Puglia and Basilicata, and parts of Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Trentino Alto Adige, Lombardy, Piedmont, Marche and Calabria.
⛈💨 Ancora piogge e venti forti al Centro-Sud
— Dipartimento Protezione Civile (@DPCgov) March 10, 2024
📆 Lunedì #11marzo
🔔🟠 #allertaARANCIONE meteo-idro in Emilia-Romagna
🔔🟡 #allertaGIALLA in 16 regioni
🔎 Leggi l'avviso meteo del #10marzo 👉 https://t.co/jaQCgIVmmw#protezionecivile pic.twitter.com/UDgFg48Q3I
The warnings were related to “high-intensity storms” and “strong winds” as well “storm surges along exposed coasts", the department said.
Much of Italy was battered by storms over the weekend, with mudslides and flooding reported in multiple locations in Liguria, Piedmont and Lombardy.
A ski mountaineer was reportedly killed by a snow avalanche in Imperia, eastern Liguria, on Sunday afternoon.
Centre-right coalition expected to win in Abruzzo regional elections
With nearly all the ballots counted from Sunday's regional election, exit polls on Monday morning said incumbent centre-right governor Marco Marsilio had secured more than 53 percent of the vote, while Luciano d'Amico, the candidate supported by a broad centre-left coalition including the Five-Star Movement and the Democratic Party, took some 46.5 percent.
Over 1.2 million people were called to choose their new regional governor on Sunday, with polls across Abruzzo opening at 7am and closing at 11pm.
Voter turnout reportedly stood at 52.2 percent, down from 53.11 percent in the last regional vote in 2019.
The Abruzzo regional election was largely regarded as a major test for PM Giorgia Meloni’s coalition following a narrow defeat to the centre-left opposition in the Sardinia regional election just two weeks ago.
Police officer involved in high-profile privacy scandal breaks silence
Pasquale Striano – the financial police officer accused of having illegally accessed the personal data of dozens of public figures, including politicians and celebrities – said on Sunday he would answer the charges “before a judge, then you’ll see what happens”.
"I did my job with absolute dignity and professionalism and with my methods, not those used by bureaucrats," he added.
READ ALSO: Rogue agent and reporters: What you need to know about Italy's latest privacy scandal
Striano is currently under investigation for allegedly acquiring and leaking to reporters private data on several high-profile figures, including football star Cristiano Ronaldo, Italian rapper Fedez and Defence Minister Guido Crosetto.
The investigation caused widespread uproar in Italy last week. Elly Schlein, leader of the centre-left Democratic Party, said the case was a "scandal of unprecedented gravity", whilst deputy PM Matteo Salvini called it "illegal Soviet-style espionage".
Camorra drug trafficker arrested in Portugal after 32 years on the run
A drug trafficker affiliated with Italy’s Camorra crime group was arrested in Portugal on Saturday after some 32 years on the run according to national media reports.
69-year-old Colombian national Omar Rivera Gomez was detained in the northern Portuguese city of Porto and jailed ahead of extradition to Italy.
Gomez was reportedly sentenced to 15 years in jail for international drug trafficking in 1992 but escaped apprehension by fleeing Italy.
The Camorra, which is based in Italy’s southern Campania region, is one of Italy's major organised crime groups along with Sicily's Cosa Nostra and the 'Ndrangheta, based in the Calabria region.
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