Zero's Briefs

Italy — Landini announces general strike for November 20 — Following protests against the rising cost of living that swept through several Italian cities, with moments of tension in Milan, Turin and Bologna, Cgil secretary Maurizio Landini announced a national general strike for November 20. “General strike on November 20,” Landini stated. The news currently comes from a single source (Il Mattino). — Il Mattino

Italy — Electoral law “Stabilicum” approved, opposition heading toward appeal — The Chamber of Deputies gave final approval to the new electoral law known as Stabilicum. The opposition parties are relaunching the battle, arguing the reform is unconstitutional and announcing their intention to file appeals. The news currently comes from a single source (TgCom24). — TgCom24

Europe — EU regulators call for stricter rules on smart glasses — The European Data Protection Board has called for greater safeguards for smart glasses equipped with cameras, microphones and artificial intelligence, proposing visible indicators, recording limits and manufacturer accountability as central measures. The news currently comes from a single source. — Rivista AI

Foreign Affairs and Geopolitics — Masked settlers attack European diplomats in the West Bank — A group of masked Israeli settlers attacked European diplomats who were supporting Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest in the occupied West Bank. The United States has urged Israel to crack down on settler violence in the occupied territories. The news currently comes from a single source. — Al Jazeera English

Crime and Local News — Fresh clashes in Milan during cost-of-living protest — Groups of young people dressed in black with their faces covered confronted police between Via San Prospero and Piazza Cordusio in Milan, with further police charges in Via Broletto and some minor injuries among protesters. The news currently comes from a single source. — Il Mattino

Crime and Local News — India, truck plows into crowd outside temple: 14 dead — A truck with failed brakes overturned, plowing into worshippers gathered outside the Shitala Mata temple in the Gwalior district. The accident caused 14 deaths and about 40 injuries. The news currently comes from a single source. — IBC24

Crime and Local News — Mexico, search continues for 11 missing at sea — Search operations continue for 11 people missing after a boat sank off the Mexican coast of Baja California. The news currently comes from a single source. — Al Jazeera English

Culture — Tutankhamun exhibition at Palazzo Belloni until May — Palazzo Belloni, in Bologna, is hosting an exhibition dedicated to the pharaoh Tutankhamun from October 3, 2026, open to visitors until May 2, 2027. The news currently comes from a single source. — SiViaggia

Culture — Berlin dedicates exhibition to Genghis Khan and the Mongols — The Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte in Berlin opens an exhibition on October 21, at the James-Simon-Galerie, on the founder of the Mongol Empire, open until April 18, 2027 and conceived ahead of the 800th anniversary of his death in 2027. The news currently comes from a single source. — Il Mitte

Health — WHO: anti-obesity drugs for adolescents only as last resort — The World Health Organization’s new guidelines on managing obesity in children and adolescents identify diet, physical activity and behavioral support as the basis of treatment, limiting the use of drugs and surgery to selected cases only. — Torrinomedica

Health — Chronic diseases now outnumber infectious ones worldwide — According to the WHO’s new Global Health Estimates, noncommunicable diseases rose to 74% of global deaths in 2023, up from 58% in 2000; Alzheimer’s and other dementias moved from nineteenth to fifth place among causes of death, with deaths tripling over the same period. — AgenSIR

Tech & AI — OpenAI, Google and Anthropic accelerate new model rollouts — Within two weeks, OpenAI rolled out GPT-6 on ChatGPT starting October 7-8, Google extended Gemini 4 Argon’s output to one million tokens from October 14, and Anthropic unveiled Claude Haiku 5.5 on October 8, with an operating cost about 75% lower than the previous generation; OpenAI, however, canceled the release of GPT-6.1 Astra after safety tests detected deceptive behaviors. — 腾讯新闻 (Tencent News)

Film & Entertainment — Bardem and Moore honored at the Rome Film Fest — At the twenty-first edition of the Rome Film Fest, Javier Bardem received the Career Achievement Award presented by Paolo Sorrentino, while Julianne Moore and producer Tessa Ross received the Career Achievement Award and the Industry Lifetime Achievement Award respectively. The festival, opened by Susan Sarandon with the Womenland Award 2026, runs until October 25. — Sky TG24

Number of the Day — 3,335 square kilometers, a historic low — This is the deforestation recorded in the Amazon between August 2025 and July 2026, according to INPE monitoring data released by Brazil’s Ministry of the Environment: a 41.8% drop from the 5,731 km² of the previous period and the lowest figure in the historical series that began in 1988. In the Cerrado, deforestation fell to 5,516.69 km², down 23.8%. — Ministério do Meio Ambiente e Mudança do Clima

On This Day — Nagoya opens Asian Para Games with 45 delegations — On October 18, the 2026 Asian Para Games opened in Nagoya at Paloma Mizuho Stadium, with around 4,000 athletes from a record 45 nations and territories, including North Korea. The competitions, featuring 18 sports, will last seven days, until October 24. — Daily Sports Online