Italian PM Meloni to step down as head of EU Conservative party
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday that she was stepping down as the president of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group that her hard-right Brothers of Italy party belongs to, according to news agency Ansa.
"When I was asked to extend my term until the [EU] elections [in June], I agreed," she said during the Brothers of Italy’s annual Atreju festival in Rome.
"Now that the elections have taken place, I think I have fulfilled my duty and I want to announce that I am going to resign as president of the European Conservatives," she added.
Meloni said the group "deserves to have a president who can deal with it full time," noting that she expected former Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki of the Law and Justice (PiS) party to run.
Morawiecki was the only non-Italian member of the ECR to attend the Atreju festival on Sunday.
Formal procedures for the election of the new ECR president were expected to begin next week.
Authorities launch rescue operation for speleologist trapped in northern Italy cave
Italy’s Alpine and Cave Rescue corps (CNSAS) on Sunday launched a major operation to rescue a speleologist who had remained trapped in the Bueno Fonteno cave, near Bergamo, Lombardy, Ansa reported.
Rescue authorities said the operation to pull 32-year-old Ottavia Piana out of the cave could take days.
Piana was reportedly located around four kilometres away from the cave’s exit area.
The speleologist got stuck in the same cave in July 2023. She was rescued by authorities after spending two days at a depth of around 150 metres.
The Bueno Fonteno cave stretches for over 19 kilometres through a vast network of tunnels and underground waterways.
It has been the subject of extensive study and exploration by Italian speleologists since its discovery in 2006.
Mont Blanc tunnel reopens after 15-week closure
The Mont Blanc tunnel – a major trans-Alpine route linking France with Italy – is scheduled to reopen at 10pm on Monday, December 16th, after closing for 15 weeks.
The tunnel was closed on September 2nd to allow for major renovation work on a 600-metre stretch of its vault.
“The autumn period was chosen because of its lower traffic volumes, particularly for light vehicles, the tunnel’s main users,” TMB, the Franco-Italian company responsible for managing the tunnel, said.
Though the exact dates haven’t been announced yet, a second closure should take place in 2025, as TMB plans to renovate another 600-metre section of the tunnel’s vault.
Rome to hold free New Year's Eve concert at Circus Maximus
Rome will ring in the new year with a free concert at the historic Circus Maximus venue, local authorities announced in a statement.
The All you need is Roma concert is scheduled to start at 9.30pm, with performances by Italian acts including Mahmood, Mara Sattei and Tony Effe followed by a DJ set by Dimensione Suono Roma.
The event is scheduled to end at 2am on Wednesday.
Rome’s tourism councillor Alessandro Onorato said that "at least 70-80,000" people are expected to attend the concert.
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