Today in Italy: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Italy pushes ahead with Messina Strait bridge project, Salvini's League breaks ties with Russia, warm weather on the way, and more news from around Italy on Wednesday.
League breaks Russia ties ahead of Salvini's no-confidence vote
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini's League party said on Tuesday that a cooperation agreement it had signed with Russia’s ruling party United Russia in 2017 was “no longer valid” following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
The announcement came a day before MPs in the lower house of parliament were scheduled to vote on a no-confidence motion fielded against Salvini by Italy’s opposition over his party’s links with Russia, national broadcaster Rai reported.
The League said that “the war totally changed opinions and political relations with Russia”, adding that it was “regrettable that the House has to waste time on pointless polemic triggered by the opposition".
Salvini, who has made multiple public displays of appreciation for Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past, came under fire in March after saying that "a people is always right when it votes" following Putin's re-election.
Italy pushes ahead with Messina Strait bridge project
A land expropriation notice for the construction of a controversial bridge crossing the Messina Strait to connect Sicily with the Italian mainland was to be published in national and local newspapers in the regions of Sicily and Calabria on Wednesday.
The publication of the notice comes a month and a half after the board of the Stretto di Messina, the state-owned company in charge of construction, approved the final version of the project, newspaper La Repubblica reported.
The dream of building a bridge over the Strait of Messina dates back decades, with Silvio Berlusconi's government backing the plan in the early 2000s; but critics say it's highly impractical, at risk of mafia infiltration, and a waste of public funds that would be better spent on improving existing infrastructure.
Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, who has made building the bridge his personal mission, insisted on Tuesday that the project "will represent the flagship of Italian engineering".
Italy set for sunny spell with highs of 25C expected in the north
Much of the country is set to see clear skies and warm temperatures over the rest of the week, forecasts said, after a stormy front from western Europe delayed the arrival of spring in the north of the country over Easter.
A warm front sweeping in from northern Africa is expected to push up temperatures starting from Thursday, April 4th, with daytime highs of 25C expected in the northern regions (that's around 5 to 6C over local season averages).
But the mercury should also pass the 20-degree mark in most areas of the centre and south during the day.
The incoming warm spell could last until Tuesday, April 9th, according to the latest forecasts.
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League breaks Russia ties ahead of Salvini's no-confidence vote
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini's League party said on Tuesday that a cooperation agreement it had signed with Russia’s ruling party United Russia in 2017 was “no longer valid” following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
The announcement came a day before MPs in the lower house of parliament were scheduled to vote on a no-confidence motion fielded against Salvini by Italy’s opposition over his party’s links with Russia, national broadcaster Rai reported.
The League said that “the war totally changed opinions and political relations with Russia”, adding that it was “regrettable that the House has to waste time on pointless polemic triggered by the opposition".
Salvini, who has made multiple public displays of appreciation for Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past, came under fire in March after saying that "a people is always right when it votes" following Putin's re-election.
Italy pushes ahead with Messina Strait bridge project
A land expropriation notice for the construction of a controversial bridge crossing the Messina Strait to connect Sicily with the Italian mainland was to be published in national and local newspapers in the regions of Sicily and Calabria on Wednesday.
The publication of the notice comes a month and a half after the board of the Stretto di Messina, the state-owned company in charge of construction, approved the final version of the project, newspaper La Repubblica reported.
The dream of building a bridge over the Strait of Messina dates back decades, with Silvio Berlusconi's government backing the plan in the early 2000s; but critics say it's highly impractical, at risk of mafia infiltration, and a waste of public funds that would be better spent on improving existing infrastructure.
Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, who has made building the bridge his personal mission, insisted on Tuesday that the project "will represent the flagship of Italian engineering".
Italy set for sunny spell with highs of 25C expected in the north
Much of the country is set to see clear skies and warm temperatures over the rest of the week, forecasts said, after a stormy front from western Europe delayed the arrival of spring in the north of the country over Easter.
A warm front sweeping in from northern Africa is expected to push up temperatures starting from Thursday, April 4th, with daytime highs of 25C expected in the northern regions (that's around 5 to 6C over local season averages).
But the mercury should also pass the 20-degree mark in most areas of the centre and south during the day.
The incoming warm spell could last until Tuesday, April 9th, according to the latest forecasts.
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