Today in Italy: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
Mount Etna puffs rare 'smoke rings', PD to bring in new ethics code after vote-buying scandal, EU to vote on tougher immigration rules, and other news from Italy on Monday.
PD leader Elly Schlein brings in new ethics code
The leader of Italy's largest opposition party, the centre-left Partito Deomcratio (PD), over the weekend announced a new code of ethics for electoral candidates which immediately led to at least one stepping down, reported La Stampa.
Schlein introduced the rules ahead of local elections set for June, and following a recent furore over alleged vote-buying and corruption in the cities of Bari and Turin.
PD ally the Five Star Movement (M5S) said it would pull out of upcoming elections in Bari over the scandal, leading to a split between the two parties.
In response, Schlein vowed to press ahead with changes to the way her party is run and warned M5S "you only win if you're united" against the powerful right-wing bloc.
Mount Etna puffs 'smoke rings' in rare show
Near-perfect circles of gas emerged from Mount Etna in a rare display captured on camera by residents and tourists over the weekend.
A new crater opened on the summit of Europe's largest active volcano leading to an unusual display of 'smoke rings', with thousands recorded in recent days, according to La Repubblica.
Boris Behncke, researcher at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) in Catania, said they were called "volcanic vortex rings", rings of volcanic gas emitted by Etna “more than any other volcano on earth”.
The rare phenomenon occurs only in very specific conditions. On Sunday afternoon, a volcanic tremor and "about six summit explosive events" were recorded below the southern crater, INGV said.
Surprise as former Uffizi director joins race to be Florence mayor
The German-born former director of Florence’s Uffizi gallery has announced his decision run for mayor of the city with the right-wing coalition that rules Italy, in what is expected to be a major blow for the left.
Eike Schmidt, who has been credited with modernising the world-famous Uffizi, said he would compete as a candidate in the June election and pledged to tackle over-tourism in the Tuscan capital.
The former museum director enjoys great popularity among residents of Florence, which for more than three decades has been a leftwing political stronghold.
His announcement ended months of speculation and his choice to run with the ruling coalition surprised many, particularly after Schmidt told La Repubblica in December that he considered himself “a democrat and antifascist. I won’t back down on this, even if I decide to run for mayor.”
EU to vote on tighter immigration rules
The European Parliament was to vote on Wednesday on a vast overhaul of immigration policies that would notably harden entry procedures for asylum seekers and require all the bloc's countries to share responsibility.
The European Parliament will decide a series of laws forming the bloc's migration and asylum pact, based on a European Commission proposal first made in September 2020.
READ ALSO: 'Regain control': How the EU plans to overhaul its migration laws
The EU has also been striking agreements with several outside countries to try to reduce the number of migrants leaving their territories with the goal of reaching Europe.
The approach comes amid a rise in asylum applications in EU, which last year reached 1.14 million, the highest level since 2016, as well as a rising number of irregular migrant entries, up to 380,000 last year according to Frontex.
The migration and asylum pact has long been opposed, for very different reasons, by the far right, the far left and some socialist lawmakers.
"After years of impasse, the new migration rules allow us to regain control over our external borders and reduce pressure on the EU. State authorities, not smugglers, have to decide who enters the European Union," said Manfred Weber, head of the biggest political group in the European Parliament, the centre-right European People's Party.
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PD leader Elly Schlein brings in new ethics code
The leader of Italy's largest opposition party, the centre-left Partito Deomcratio (PD), over the weekend announced a new code of ethics for electoral candidates which immediately led to at least one stepping down, reported La Stampa.
Schlein introduced the rules ahead of local elections set for June, and following a recent furore over alleged vote-buying and corruption in the cities of Bari and Turin.
PD ally the Five Star Movement (M5S) said it would pull out of upcoming elections in Bari over the scandal, leading to a split between the two parties.
In response, Schlein vowed to press ahead with changes to the way her party is run and warned M5S "you only win if you're united" against the powerful right-wing bloc.
Mount Etna puffs 'smoke rings' in rare show
Near-perfect circles of gas emerged from Mount Etna in a rare display captured on camera by residents and tourists over the weekend.
A new crater opened on the summit of Europe's largest active volcano leading to an unusual display of 'smoke rings', with thousands recorded in recent days, according to La Repubblica.
Boris Behncke, researcher at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) in Catania, said they were called "volcanic vortex rings", rings of volcanic gas emitted by Etna “more than any other volcano on earth”.
The rare phenomenon occurs only in very specific conditions. On Sunday afternoon, a volcanic tremor and "about six summit explosive events" were recorded below the southern crater, INGV said.
Surprise as former Uffizi director joins race to be Florence mayor
The German-born former director of Florence’s Uffizi gallery has announced his decision run for mayor of the city with the right-wing coalition that rules Italy, in what is expected to be a major blow for the left.
Eike Schmidt, who has been credited with modernising the world-famous Uffizi, said he would compete as a candidate in the June election and pledged to tackle over-tourism in the Tuscan capital.
The former museum director enjoys great popularity among residents of Florence, which for more than three decades has been a leftwing political stronghold.
His announcement ended months of speculation and his choice to run with the ruling coalition surprised many, particularly after Schmidt told La Repubblica in December that he considered himself “a democrat and antifascist. I won’t back down on this, even if I decide to run for mayor.”
EU to vote on tighter immigration rules
The European Parliament was to vote on Wednesday on a vast overhaul of immigration policies that would notably harden entry procedures for asylum seekers and require all the bloc's countries to share responsibility.
The European Parliament will decide a series of laws forming the bloc's migration and asylum pact, based on a European Commission proposal first made in September 2020.
READ ALSO: 'Regain control': How the EU plans to overhaul its migration laws
The EU has also been striking agreements with several outside countries to try to reduce the number of migrants leaving their territories with the goal of reaching Europe.
The approach comes amid a rise in asylum applications in EU, which last year reached 1.14 million, the highest level since 2016, as well as a rising number of irregular migrant entries, up to 380,000 last year according to Frontex.
The migration and asylum pact has long been opposed, for very different reasons, by the far right, the far left and some socialist lawmakers.
"After years of impasse, the new migration rules allow us to regain control over our external borders and reduce pressure on the EU. State authorities, not smugglers, have to decide who enters the European Union," said Manfred Weber, head of the biggest political group in the European Parliament, the centre-right European People's Party.
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