Zero's Briefs

Italy — Trains halted for 24 hours on September 7 — The month opens with a nationwide twenty-four-hour rail stoppage between September 7 and 8, called by independent trade unions and aimed at driving and on-board staff of the FS group as well as freight and passenger companies. In air transport the most exposed days are September 11, 13 and 30, when a four-hour stoppage is also expected for Enav and Techno Sky staff (Today.it). The schedule currently comes from a single source (the independent unions’ announcements relayed by Today.it); no independent confirmation available.

Europe — Italy and Spain extend border checks — On August 31 the Italian Interior Ministry extended by fifteen days the suspension of the Schengen agreement with Spain, maintaining checks on passengers arriving at ports and airports; the decision was communicated by phone by Matteo Piantedosi to his counterpart Fernando Grande-Marlaska (Infobae). Madrid responded with the same duration, extending the checks launched on August 8 on travelers arriving from Italy (The Objective). The Spanish ministry counts 1,066 flights and 12,337 travelers from third countries checked in one month.

Europe — Sánchez credits Morocco with immediate cooperation on Ceuta — Interviewed by Cadena SER before the Italian announcement on the extension, the president of the Spanish government claimed Rabat’s “instant cooperation” (transl. from Spanish) in containing migratory pressure on the enclave (La Nación). In July tens of thousands of people crossed over several days the border into Spanish territory, which has 80,000 residents and already applies exit checks by sea and air (El Tiempo). Tension between the two governments remains open.

Foreign Affairs and Geopolitics — White House details oil agreement with Caracas — A fact sheet released late Monday evening spells out the deal announced by Donald Trump: hundred-year rights granted to the company North American Blue Energy Partners, owned by Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt, over seventeen fields with proven reserves of 65 billion barrels (White House). The Pentagon would receive 35% of the joint venture and the State Department the right to purchase 20% of production at cost price (NBC News). The text of the agreement has not been made public (Al Jazeera).

News in Brief — Two dead in Grand Canyon flood — The flash flood that began around 2:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, August 29 hit the Phantom Ranch area of the US national park: the park service reports 62 people airlifted out and the destruction of nearly all footbridges over Bright Angel Creek (National Park Service). The count of unaccounted-for persons was revised from 15-20 on Sunday to at least one by Monday evening, with two confirmed deaths and at least 82 evacuations (CBS News). With the water pipeline out of service, the roughly 1,600 permanent residents are under water restrictions.

News in Brief — In Nepal, searches for missing workers end without result — Nepalese rescue teams closed without results a day of searches for workers missing after the major flood in Rasuwa district, according to the September 1 bulletin from WORLD Radio. Authorities meanwhile traced the last Spanish citizen who had been reported missing after the flood (Córdoba Buenas Noticias). The overall number of missing persons was not specified by the available sources; the searches concern personnel employed in the affected area.

Economy and Markets — Gasoline exceeds two euros per liter — According to the survey by the National Consumers Union, the average price of gasoline on the Italian road network reached 2.008 euros per liter, with 2.085 euros on highways (Torresette.news). The government has extended until September 5 the cut in excise duties on diesel, postponing to the deadline the choice between a general extension and more targeted measures. The renewal of the discount is among the topics of discussion between Giorgia Meloni, Matteo Salvini and Antonio Tajani (Il Fatto Quotidiano).

Culture — Ephesus surpasses 200,000 visitors in night openings — Evening visits to the Turkish archaeological site of Ephesus have surpassed 200,000 admissions, according to the September 1 programming report from international broadcaster TRT World (relay). The figure measures the boost from night openings at major sites in the eastern Mediterranean, where extended hours have become a tool for managing visitor flows. The story currently comes from a single source, TRT World (a Turkish state broadcaster); no independent confirmation available and no reference period specified.

Cinema & Entertainment — Venice preview opens with Tinto Brass in 4K — The 83rd International Film Festival opened on September 1 at 9 p.m., in the Sala Darsena at the Lido, with the screening of “Col cuore in gola,” a thriller shot by Tinto Brass in 1967 and starring Jean-Louis Trintignant and Ewa Aulin (La Biennale). The film, 105 minutes, is scheduled out of competition in the Venice Classics section (Biennale website). The 4K digital restoration is the work of the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia with support from Netflix (Vera Classe).

Sports — Djokovic out in first round of the Us Open — The Serbian, 39 years old and fourth seed, lost on Arthur Ashe to Argentina’s Mariano Navone 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 after four hours and 36 minutes, complaining of cramps and back and shoulder pain (Agencia Andina). It is his first opening-round elimination in twenty appearances at Flushing Meadows and his first at a Slam since the 2006 Australian Open (El Comercio). Rain suspended other matches, including that of Federico Cinà (PugliaIn).