Termini-Battistini section of Rome’s Metro A line reopens
The section of Rome’s Metro A line between Termini and Battistini was set to reopen on Monday after being shut for over two weeks, the city’s public transport operator Atac said in a statement on X.
The Termini-Battistini section had been closed on August 10th to allow for planned maintenance and construction works ahead of the 2025 Jubilee Year, when the city was expected to welcome between 30 and 35 million visitors according to estimates from local media.
Three Metro A stations were set to remain shut over the remainder of August: Ottaviano, Spagna and Furio Camillo.
Besides planned metro station and line closures, Rome's entire tram network was set to be replaced by buses from September 16th until November 3rd under efforts to upgrade key parts of the city’s tram infrastructure.
Ius scholae citizenship reform is ‘our idea of society’: Foreign minister
Changing Italy's birthright (or ius soli) citizenship laws to create a quicker path for children of foreign parents born in Italy "is our idea of society but not a government priority," Foreign Minister and centre-right Forza Italia party leader Antonio Tajani said on Sunday, according to Ansa.
"We are loyal [to our government partners] but we must also focus on changing Italy and, as a centre-right party, we must not leave certain topics to the left," he added.
Tajani’s words came after several members of his party last week signalled that they were open to the introduction of a ius scholae (‘school law’) model, which would grant citizenship to children born in Italy to foreign parents upon completion of a cycle of studies in the country.
Forza Italia’s proposal sparked tensions among the ruling coalition, with Deputy PM and League party leader Matteo Salvini saying last Monday there was "no need" to change Italy's birthright citizenship laws.
Italy currently has one of Europe’s toughest citizenship regimes when it comes to children of foreign nationals born in the country as they are unable to apply for an Italian passport until the age of 18.
Head of state Mattarella condemns ‘cowardly’ knife attack in Germany
Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Sunday expressed “deep condolences” and “personal sorrow” after three people were killed and eight injured in a knife attack during a street festival in the city of Solingen, western Germany, Ansa reported.
"I wish to express the deep condolences of the Italian Republic and my own personal sorrow for the cowardly attack that has bloodied the city of Solingen," Mattarella said in a message to German President Frank Walter Steinmeier.
“Once again, a blind and unjustifiable act of violence has been unleashed against defenceless civilians, bringing the threat of terrorism [...] back to the heart of Europe," he added.
German police said in a statement on Sunday that a 26-year-old Syrian national had "given himself up to authorities in charge of the investigation and declared himself responsible for the attack".
Coffin found opposite anti-mafia activist’s Rome home
A black plywood coffin was found opposite the home of anti-mafia activist Tiziana Ronzio in Rome's Tor Bella Monaca suburb on Sunday, La Repubblica reported.
The context and proximity of the coffin to Ronzio’s home suggested an act of intimidation against her, the report said.
Tiziana Ronzio is the president of anti-mafia association Torpiùbella, which has been fighting organised crime in the Tor Bella Monaca neighbourhood since 2015.
In 2019, Ronzio was awarded the title of Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic for her "commitment [...] to the structural and social revitalization of the Tor Bella Monaca neighbourhood”.
Police launched an investigation into the incident on Sunday.
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