Zero's Briefs

Italy — Genoa’s mayor excluded from ribbon-cutting at Boat Show — At the opening ceremony of the Genoa Boat Show, Mayor Silvia Salis was not included in the ribbon-cutting. The Democratic Party called it an institutional snub by the government; Giorgia Meloni said she was sorry and called the mayor. Source: Il Fatto Quotidiano.

Italy — Security tightened for October 7 demonstrations — A meeting at the Interior Ministry ordered stepped-up security measures ahead of demonstrations planned for October 7, a sensitive anniversary internationally. Source: ANSA.

Europe — Von der Leyen tours the Balkans for EU enlargement — In Podgorica, the European Commission president called Montenegro the country closest to joining the EU, with the goal of making it the 28th member state by 2028; 15 of the 33 opened negotiating chapters remain to be closed. In Skopje she then announced a new step, agreed for next week, to unblock North Macedonia’s accession process. Sources: Eunews, ANSA.

Europe — Spanish Congress rejects two housing decrees — On October 2 the Congress of Deputies rejected both of the government’s housing decrees: the first with 172 votes in favor and 178 against, the second with 166 in favor and 184 against. The second text, which provided for the automatic renewal of rental contracts, had been in force for just 16 hours. Sources: EFE, El País.

Foreign Affairs & Geopolitics — Washington sanctions a Hamas financing network in France — The United States has imposed sanctions on three individuals and two France-based charities, accused of being part of a financing network linked to Hamas. Source: Newscord — originating from the US Treasury Department (OFAC).

Foreign Affairs & Geopolitics — Brazil votes October 4, over 158 million voters — The first round of Brazil’s elections will be held on October 4: 158,745,463 voters are eligible to vote, up 1.46% from 2022. Voters will elect the president, 27 governors, 54 senators and 513 federal deputies; a possible runoff is set for October 25. Sources: Tribunal Superior Eleitoral, Agência Brasil.

Economy & Markets — Milan’s stock exchange, bank shares sink over 4% — A heavy session for Italian bank stocks: UniCredit lost 4.07%, closing at 79.53 euros, Intesa Sanpaolo 4.02% at 6.378 euros. Selling also hit Mediobanca (-4.23%) and Banca Mediolanum (-4.3%); trading volume fell to 4.11 billion euros from 5.01 billion in the previous session. Source: La Mia Finanza.

Culture — A Roman mausoleum in Albania among the finalists for the Palmyra award — Among the five archaeological discoveries nominated for the International Archaeological Discovery Award “Palmyra” is a large Roman mausoleum from the 3rd-4th century AD found in Albania, the first discovery of its kind in the country. The verdict will be delivered on October 30 in Paestum, at the 28th edition of the Mediterranean Exchange of Archaeological Tourism. Source: Cronache Turistiche.

Sport — Cagliari one point behind the top trio in Serie A — After five rounds of the championship, Roma, Inter and Lazio lead the standings with 13 points, followed by Cagliari on 12. Source: Corriere dello Sport.

Health — WHO: more countries investing in healthy aging, but not enough — The mid-point report on the 2021-2030 Decade of Healthy Ageing, prepared by the WHO with the UN and the World Bank and submitted to the 81st General Assembly, notes that more countries are adopting policies on the matter but more structured investment is needed. Source: AgenSIR.

Tech & AI — Chinese models enter OpenAI’s enterprise purchasing for the first time — Open-weight models such as Kimi K3 and Zhipu’s GLM-5.3-Flash can now be billed under customers’ existing purchase commitments with OpenAI, without adding a new vendor: it is the first time Chinese models of this kind have entered the billing system of a major US company in the sector. The news was made public by Baseten engineer Philip Kiely. Source: Sina News.

Film & Entertainment — Refn and Cavani honored in Lucca, Porcaroli and Riondino in Ventotene — At the 22nd edition of the Lucca Film Festival, Nicolas Winding Refn receives the Golden Panther Award and presents the thriller Her Private Hell, while Liliana Cavani is honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. At the Ventotene Film Festival, running through October 4 in its 31st edition, Benedetta Porcaroli and Michele Riondino receive the Vento d’Europa Award and Paola Randi the Julia Major Award. Sources: Guida Festival Cinematografici, Viviroma.

Today’s Number — A hundred times fewer errors in quantum computing — A new qubit design based on superfluid helium could cut quantum computing error rates by roughly a hundredfold, shielding quantum information from common forms of electromagnetic noise. Source: ScienceDaily.

On This Day — Tutankhamun exhibition opens in Bologna — Starting Saturday, October 3, Palazzo Belloni in Bologna hosts an immersive exhibition on the discovery of the pharaoh’s tomb, featuring over 100 replicas certified by Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities in Cairo and a virtual reality experience dedicated to Howard Carter. Source: Cronache Turistiche.