Today in Italy: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
Italian PM hails migrant deal with Egypt, climbers rescued in Italian Alps, Sicily offers flight discounts for residents, and more news stories from Italy on Monday.
Local public transport strikes around Italy
Public transport workers in various Italian cities have called localised strikes on Monday, March 18th.
The strike was called by several unions including those representing workers from four transport companies in Sicily, who told local media they were to strike from 9.30-1.30pm.
Strikes were also expected to hit public transport in Parma, Frosinone, Ravenna, and Capri at different times throughout the day.
You can find details of the strikes on the website of Italy's transport ministry.
Meloni hails new EU migrant deal with Egypt
The European Union and Egypt signed a 7.4-billion-euro deal on Sunday as part of a push to stem migration to Europe, which has been criticised by human rights groups.
The agreement, designed to boost cooperation in areas including renewable energy, trade and security, was unveiled as a delegation of leaders visited Cairo, AFP reported.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the "historic" deal was "the best way to address migratory flows" after travelling to Cairo alongside EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the Greek, Austrian and Belgian prime ministers, and the Cypriot president.
Activists have criticised Western backing for Sisi, who came to power a decade ago after leading the overthrow of Egypt's first democratically elected leader.
Three climbers rescued on Mount Mondolè
Three mountaineers were rescued by Italy's fire and rescue service on Saturday after becoming stranded in the Italian Alps.
A video shared by the helicopter rescue team showed the three being brought to safety after getting stuck in an icy gully at a height of 2,300 metres (7,500ft) on Mount Mondolè in the north-west Piedmont region.
Rescuers were winched off a helicopter and proceeded to climb the mountain using pickaxes to reach the three. They were then winched back up to the helicopter with the mountaineers one by one.
It was not known how the climbers became trapped, though many rescues in the Alps are due to landslides caused by melting ice.
Sicily announces flight discounts for residents
All Sicilian residents have access to a 25 percent discount on air fares to all airports in mainland Italy under a scheme running from March 15th until the end of the year, Sicily Governor Renato Schifani announced on Thursday.
The measure extends to a discount introduced at the start of 2024 on flights from the island to Rome and Milan, news agency Ansa reported.
The discounts can be obtained by anyone registered as a resident in Sicily by uploading their tickets onto a special platform created by the Sicilian regional government.
The publicly-funded measure was intended to help mitigate soaring fares to and from the island region, after an attempt in 2023 by the national government to regulate airlines' pricing algorithms was scrapped.
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Local public transport strikes around Italy
Public transport workers in various Italian cities have called localised strikes on Monday, March 18th.
The strike was called by several unions including those representing workers from four transport companies in Sicily, who told local media they were to strike from 9.30-1.30pm.
Strikes were also expected to hit public transport in Parma, Frosinone, Ravenna, and Capri at different times throughout the day.
You can find details of the strikes on the website of Italy's transport ministry.
Meloni hails new EU migrant deal with Egypt
The European Union and Egypt signed a 7.4-billion-euro deal on Sunday as part of a push to stem migration to Europe, which has been criticised by human rights groups.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the "historic" deal was "the best way to address migratory flows" after travelling to Cairo alongside EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the Greek, Austrian and Belgian prime ministers, and the Cypriot president.
Activists have criticised Western backing for Sisi, who came to power a decade ago after leading the overthrow of Egypt's first democratically elected leader.
Three climbers rescued on Mount Mondolè
Three mountaineers were rescued by Italy's fire and rescue service on Saturday after becoming stranded in the Italian Alps.
A video shared by the helicopter rescue team showed the three being brought to safety after getting stuck in an icy gully at a height of 2,300 metres (7,500ft) on Mount Mondolè in the north-west Piedmont region.
Rescuers were winched off a helicopter and proceeded to climb the mountain using pickaxes to reach the three. They were then winched back up to the helicopter with the mountaineers one by one.
It was not known how the climbers became trapped, though many rescues in the Alps are due to landslides caused by melting ice.
Sicily announces flight discounts for residents
All Sicilian residents have access to a 25 percent discount on air fares to all airports in mainland Italy under a scheme running from March 15th until the end of the year, Sicily Governor Renato Schifani announced on Thursday.
The measure extends to a discount introduced at the start of 2024 on flights from the island to Rome and Milan, news agency Ansa reported.
The discounts can be obtained by anyone registered as a resident in Sicily by uploading their tickets onto a special platform created by the Sicilian regional government.
The publicly-funded measure was intended to help mitigate soaring fares to and from the island region, after an attempt in 2023 by the national government to regulate airlines' pricing algorithms was scrapped.
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