Zero's Briefs

Italy — Lower fines and digital-only driving licence — The Council of Ministers has approved the new Highway Code: fines of 83 and 87 euros will drop to 80 euros due to the suspension of automatic inflation adjustment, and municipalities will have 45 days instead of 90 to notify violations. The requirement to carry paper driving and registration documents will be dropped, as they can be checked electronically by officers. New helmet and tag requirements are introduced for power-assisted cycles, such as those used by food delivery riders, along with fines of up to 7,249 euros for unlicensed taxis. Source: Today.it.

Italy — Campania president named special commissioner until 2036 — The government has issued a decree-law on the Campi Flegrei bradyseism, appointing the President of the Campania Region as Special Commissioner until December 31, 2036, for the municipalities of Bacoli, Naples, Pozzuoli and Monte di Procida. The measure establishes two funds of 50 million euros annually for ten years aimed at reducing seismic vulnerability and redeveloping the building stock, as well as a Permanent Conference for the area chaired by the Commissioner himself. Source: Agenpress.

News — Fire on AVE train halts Madrid-Barcelona line — A fire that broke out Monday in the rear cabin of a Renfe high-speed train on the Madrid-Barcelona route forced competing companies to reorganize their services. Iryo cancelled four trains scheduled for Wednesday, October 14, while Ouigo changed the schedules of two trains and relocated passengers with free rebooking or refunds. Source: El Democrata.

Economy and Markets — Piazza Affari withstands chip selloff — Eurostoxx 600 futures traded in volatile territory amid turbulence in the chip and artificial intelligence sector, with selling concentrated on stocks such as Technoprobe and StMicroelectronics. The Ftse Mib was the only European index to close above parity, up 0.04% at 50,057 points. The Btp-Bund spread fell to 107 points, with the ten-year yield at 4.54%. Source: MilanoFinanza.

Culture — One hundred Picasso works on display in Bari — The exhibition “Picasso. Lo sguardo rivoluzionario” opened in Bari on October 10, bringing together more than one hundred works including oils, lithographs, etchings, ceramics and documents by the Spanish artist. The exhibition traces seventy years of artistic research and will remain open until March 7, 2027. Source: Itinerari nell’Arte.

Culture — Matisse retrospective at Milan’s MUDEC — Milan’s MUDEC museum is hosting, from October 8, a major exhibition dedicated to Henri Matisse, open until February 21, 2027. Source: Milanoguida.

Health — The Lancet lists 17 threats to humanity — A study published in The Lancet identifies 17 major interconnected risks to human health and survival over the next 75 years, including the hostile use of artificial intelligence, a possible nuclear conflict, climate collapse and new health emergencies. The study emphasizes that these scenarios are linked to one another and require coordinated global responses. Source: La Voce Nuova.

Health — EMA recommends twelve new drugs — The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has recommended authorization of 12 new medicines at its September 2026 meeting. The therapies include Frehemgo for the prophylaxis of bleeding in patients with hemophilia A, Sepalna as maintenance treatment for advanced ovarian cancer, and Povofortay, the first once-daily oral treatment for moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa. Sources: Farmacista33, Quotidiano Sanità.

Tech & AI — Japan launches mission to Mars’s moon — The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission, led by Japan’s space agency JAXA together with NASA, ESA, CNES and DLR, will lift off aboard an H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center on October 20, 2026. It will be the first mission to orbit Phobos, a moon of Mars, and collect samples to bring back to Earth. Source: ESA.

Tech & AI — SpaceX resupplies the International Space Station — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has launched the NASA CRS-35 cargo mission, part of the Commercial Resupply Services program. The Dragon C211 capsule will arrive at the International Space Station on Thursday, October 15, docking at the Harmony module with new solar panels and scientific material. Source: Spaceflight Now.