Zero's Briefs

Italy — Lombardy asks the government for a state of emergency — Regional President Attilio Fontana has requested recognition of a state of emergency over damage from the storm. The request was made public on the evening of Saturday, August 22, and is now awaiting review by the Council of Ministers. The Region reported over 450 fire department interventions and more than 400 people evacuated. il Dolomiti

Europe — A French report warns of the risks of the special law — The Inspection générale des finances, in a study commissioned by the government in May and published on Thursday, warned that resorting to the special budget law would have serious consequences for France. It is the mechanism that allows the State to collect and spend without an approved budget. The news currently comes from a single source (franceinfo); no independent confirmation is available. franceinfo

Foreign Affairs & Geopolitics — Putin ties negotiations to the situation on the ground — In an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin released on August 22, the Russian president reiterated Moscow’s willingness to discuss a peaceful solution to the conflict with Ukraine, specifying that negotiations must take into account the military situation on the ground. This is a position stated by one of the parties, not a documented negotiating step. OSN

Foreign Affairs & Geopolitics — Six candidates in the running to succeed Guterres — Four women and two men are competing for leadership of the United Nations: Michelle Bachelet, Rebeca Grynspan, María Fernanda Espinosa, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Rafael Grossi and Macky Sall. Guterres steps down on December 31, 2026; the recommendation falls to the Security Council, where the five permanent members hold veto power. “We need someone energetic, someone optimistic” (transl. from French), said diplomat Corinne Momal-Vanian. RTS

Foreign Affairs & Geopolitics — A two-hour debate among the six UN candidates — On July 23, 2026, the six aspiring secretaries-general debated for two hours in the General Assembly hall in New York. The selection process had begun on November 25, 2025. France 24

Economy & Markets — Washington has no talks scheduled with Ottawa — U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stated: “We don’t have any new talks scheduled with the Canadians” (transl. from English). Carney recalled negotiators to Ottawa. The rupture complicates the future of the continental free trade agreement USMCA. NBC News

News — Red alert today on Northeast highways — The Autostrade Alto Adriatico network forecast around 175,000 crossings for Sunday, August 23, with a red alert, following about 180,000 on Saturday under a black alert. The peak of the return traffic coincides with road closures caused by landslides in the Alpine valleys. Calabria Inchieste

Culture — Ermal Meta directs the Melpignano Concertone — The 29th Notte della Taranta was held on Saturday, August 22, in the square of the former Convento degli Agostiniani, themed “The Routes of the Mediterranean,” with guests including Alessandra Amoroso, Levante, Gisela João and Maria Mazzotta. The opening was dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Republic, with footage from the Teche Rai archive on women’s vote in 1946. The conductor described the orchestra as “A collection of imperfections.” Sky TG24

Culture — Leo XIV visits San Marino before the Meeting — Before his stop in Rimini, the Pontiff traveled to the Republic of San Marino, the third Pope to do so, and had lunch at the convent of the Augustinian nuns in Pennabilli. At the Fair he visited two exhibitions, on Saint Augustine and on Leon Harmel, before speaking at the Grand Auditorium. Open

Sport — Pogacar wins the opening time trial of the Vuelta — The 81st Vuelta a España started on Saturday, August 22, from Monaco with a 9-kilometer individual time trial: according to Claro Sports, the winner was Tadej Pogacar. Today’s second stage covers 215 kilometers from Monaco to Manosque. The race crosses four countries over approximately 3,275 kilometers and concludes on September 13 in Granada, with twenty-three teams at the start. Claro Sports

Health — WHO counts 914 attacks on healthcare in eight months — Between January and August 2026 the organization recorded 914 attacks on facilities, staff and patients, with 911 deaths and 1,486 injured: “more than four attacks a day” (transl. from English), according to Altaf Musani, director for emergency operations and disaster response. Twelve of these episodes are linked to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Il Sole 24 Ore

Tech & AI — NVIDIA reports a perfect score on ARC-AGI-3 with fewer moves — On August 21 the company published on its technical blog the results of its agentic system AVO: 100.00 RHAE on the interactive reasoning benchmark, with 6,624 total actions against the 7,542 of the previous record holder VISTA, 12% fewer. The environments had not been explained to the system in advance. The news currently comes from a single source (the company’s technical blog); no independent confirmation is available. Pasquale Pillitteri - News

Film & Entertainment — Golden Lions for lifetime achievement to Clooney and Burstyn — The two honors of the 83rd Mostra go to George Clooney and Ellen Burstyn, proposed by artistic director Alberto Barbera and approved by the Biennale’s board of directors. Barbera has been confirmed as head of the Mostra through the 2027 edition. La Biennale di Venezia