Zero's Briefs

Italy — Donzelli brings the electoral law to the Versiliana — The Caffè della Versiliana, in Marina di Pietrasanta, hosts today a public meeting with MP Giovanni Donzelli, national head of organization for Fratelli d’Italia. The event is announced as being dedicated to the main topics on the national agenda ahead of September’s resumption: among these, reform of the electoral law, internal balances within the majority coalition, and the economic situation. The news currently comes from a single source (the organizers’ statement carried by Libera Cronaca); no independent confirmation available.

Europe — Four governments demand withdrawal of the E1 plan — On August 20 the heads of state and government of the United Kingdom, Italy, France and Germany issued a joint statement on the publication of Israeli tenders for the E1 settlement project. The decision is described as “unacceptable,” with a call for the immediate withdrawal of the plans: according to the four governments, the area would divide the West Bank, damaging the territorial unity of the Palestinian Territories. The text advises businesses against bidding for the tenders due to legal and reputational risks. Single source (Nachrichten Heute), no independent confirmation.

World Affairs and Geopolitics — The U.S. Senate votes 86 to 11 for Russia sanctions — The United States Senate approved, with 86 votes in favor and 11 against, a bill targeting Russian energy revenues, financial institutions, officials and the so-called shadow fleet. The text authorizes tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil and gas. The measure fits within the framework of sanctions linked to the invasion of Ukraine. The news comes from a single source (the account of the floor vote reported by Wikipedia’s Current Events Portal); no independent confirmation available.

World Affairs and Geopolitics — Kushner expected in Israel and Egypt next week — Jared Kushner, negotiator and son-in-law of the U.S. president, is expected in the coming days in Israel and Egypt to advance the American administration’s plan for a ceasefire in Gaza. Together with other members of the so-called Board of Peace, he will meet Israeli officials before moving on to Cairo, where a Palestinian technocratic group intended to eventually administer the Strip will be discussed. Single source: U.S. administration sources cited by NewsNation.

Chronicles — Amazon deforestation drops to 2,874 square kilometers — Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research reported that between August 2025 and July 2026 the deforested area of the Amazon was 2,874 square kilometers, equivalent to 287,400 hectares. This is a 37% decrease from the previous year and the lowest level since the institute’s satellite monitoring system began in 2016. The news comes from a single source (INPE data relayed by the AFP agency and gathered by the Current Events Portal).

Economy and Markets — Stripe buys OpenRouter for $7.5 billion — Stripe has confirmed the acquisition of the OpenRouter platform. According to the New York Times’ account, the deal is worth $7.5 billion. With the purchase, the payments company enters directly into the artificial intelligence inference market, that is, the phase in which already-trained models are queried by users. The news comes from a single source (Smartphonology, on the corporate confirmation and the American newspaper’s account).

Tech & AI — Google expands agreement with Marvell on custom chips — On the same day as the Stripe deal, Google expanded its agreement with Marvell for custom chips, and Samsung raised prices for its most advanced manufacturing processes. These are two moves on the same point in the chain: those who design and those who manufacture the components destined for artificial intelligence computing centers. Single source (Smartphonology); no independent confirmation available.

Tech & AI — Amazon targets nearly 500 locations for drones — Amazon is preparing an expansion of its Prime Air drone delivery service in the United States: the stated goal is to reach nearly 500 cities and locations by the end of 2026. The news emerged on August 20 as part of announcements on the intersection of artificial intelligence, infrastructure and new distribution models. It comes from a single source (corporate plans reported by Smartphonology); no independent confirmation available.

Sport — Three matches open the German Cup — Today sees three matches of the first round of the German Cup: Preussen Münster-Karlsruher, St. Tönis-Eintracht Frankfurt and Waldhof Mannheim-Kaiserslautern. Tomorrow the Franz Beckenbauer German Supercup between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich is scheduled. The day also features Premier League, Liga, Serie B fixtures and Serie C group matches, including Vicenza-Catanzaro among the Italian games. Sources: Calcio Magazine and Gamereactor.

Sport — Libertadores and Sudamericana play overnight — The overnight South American schedule includes LDU Quito-Mirassol, Macará-Santos and Olimpia-Vasco da Gama in the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana. In the afternoon, the Saudi League features Al Riyadh-Al Nassr at 18:00 and Al Qadsiah-Al Ittihad at 20:00: two of the tournaments that in recent years have shifted the center of gravity of the international calendar outside Europe. Source: Calcio Magazine, on broadcasters’ schedules and federation calendars.

Culture — Rothko leaves Palazzo Strozzi on Sunday, August 23 — The exhibition “Rothko in Florence,” open since March 14 at the Palazzo Strozzi Foundation and presented as one of the most important ever dedicated in Italy to Mark Rothko, closes on August 23. The project did not remain confined to the palace’s halls but extended to other locations in the city. During the same period, several major summer exhibitions remain open in Italy across Florence, Milan, Rome, Turin, Venice and Aosta, many of them closing in these days. Single source: Civonline.

Cinema & Entertainment — Clooney and Burstyn receive career Golden Lions — The career Golden Lions of the 83rd Venice Film Festival are awarded to George Clooney and Ellen Burstyn. The edition’s jury is chaired by Maggie Gyllenhaal. The festival runs at the Lido from September 2 to 12 under the direction of Alberto Barbera, with twenty films in competition. Sources: La Biennale di Venezia and Sky TG24.

Cinema & Entertainment — Booking for Venice 83 opens August 27 — Festival tickets can be booked online starting Thursday, August 27, six days before the Lido opening. The opening film, on September 2 in the Sala Grande, is “Ink” by Danny Boyle; the closing slot out of competition goes to “Dio ride” by Giovanni Veronesi. Among the twenty titles in competition are also films by Martin McDonagh, Werner Herzog, Hirokazu Koreeda and Shinya Tsukamoto. Source: Il Post, on the official list released by the Biennale.

Health — Uganda declared its outbreak over in July — On July 28, 2026, Uganda’s Ministry of Health declared the country’s Ebola outbreak over, with 20 confirmed cases and two deaths. This is a very different outcome from that in Congo, where mid-August bulletins count thousands of cases. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control assesses the probability of infection for residents of the European Union and the European Economic Area as very low. Sources: WHO and ECDC.

Number of the Day — Fatality rate of the Congolese outbreak rises to 47.4% — This is the crude case fatality rate of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the WHO AFRO weekly report with data as of August 16: it stood at 45.9% in the previous report. This means that nearly one in every two confirmed cases ends in a recorded death. Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa.

On This Day — In 2019 Pogačar made his Vuelta debut with three stage wins — Tadej Pogačar’s only previous participation in the Spanish race dates back to 2019: third place overall and three stage victories. Tomorrow the Slovenian returns to the start in Monte Carlo, seven years later, with the chance to complete the Triple Crown of Grand Tours. Source: Sky Sport.