Italy's local elections continue across 750 towns
Polling stations are open from 7am to 3pm on Monday, as the second day of voting gets underway in municipal elections across some 750 towns and cities.
READ ALSO: What to know about Italy’s local elections
Among the 18 provincial capitals choosing new mayors and city councillors are Venice, Prato, Salerno, Reggio Calabria, Arezzo and Messina, in the last major vote in Italy before next year's general election.
As of Sunday evening, turnout was around the same as in the last round of local elections (in 2020) standing at 34.5 percent.
Counting begins immediately after the cutoff. Early results are expected through Monday afternoon, with full results in larger cities likely to take until Tuesday, according to Italian media reports.
Truckers cancel strike after government deal on fuel costs
A five-day national road haulage strike due to begin on Monday was called off after the government agreed to fuel duty cuts and offered hauliers a tax credit worth 300 million euros, news agency Ansa reported.
The stoppage had threatened to empty supermarket shelves and disrupt fuel deliveries, as unions said rising fuel costs were pushing smaller haulage firms out of business.
Transport associations welcomed the deal following a meeting on Thursday, though said they would wait to see the measures formally confirmed before making assurances about possible future strike action.
Meloni acknowledged that the sector was "fundamental to the economy of the country" but said a lasting solution to fuel costs depended on decisions at EU level.
Italy urges Israel to end settlement expansion
Italy, along with eight other countries including France, Germany and the UK, urged Israel to stop expanding its settlements in the West Bank in a statement made on Friday, saying it was "undermining stability" and prospects for a two-state solution.
"We call on the government of Israel to end its expansion of settlements and administrative powers, ensure accountability for settler violence and investigate allegations against Israeli forces," said the countries in a joint statement.
It also warned that businesses bidding for construction projects "should be aware of legal and reputational consequences of participating in settlement construction including the risk of involving themselves in serious breaches of international law," Ansa reported.
The statement came after a tense week in European-Israeli relations following the release of a video showing activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla being forced to kneel with their hands tied while in Israeli custody.
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