Zero's Briefs

Italy — Crosetto reaffirms Italy’s role on the Eastern flank — At the end of an official visit to Finland — reported so far by a single source (Sky TG24) — Defence Minister Guido Crosetto reaffirmed Italy’s role as the leading contributor on NATO’s eastern flank. “Italy’s commitment on NATO’s Eastern Flank reaffirmed,” the minister stated, adding his intention to strengthen a European defence complementary to the Alliance.

Europe — Brussels allocates 4.9 billion euros for Ukraine — The Council of the European Union announced that the European Peace Facility is mobilizing 4.9 billion euros to support Ukraine. The decision is part of the weekly calendar of EU institutions, alongside the renewal of sanctions against ISIL/Daesh and Al-Qaeda and an agreement on Baltic Sea fishing for 2027. Source: Consilium.

Foreign Affairs and Geopolitics — Bolsonaro contests the vote, Trump speaks of fraud — Flávio Bolsonaro announced that he will seek to annul the Brazilian presidential runoff won by Lula da Silva with 51.8% of the vote against his 48.2%, challenging the two-hour extension of polling station closing times ordered by a Supreme Court judge. US President Donald Trump described the vote as “rigged,” while saying he has personal sympathy for Lula. Sources: Il Post, ANSA.

News — Earthquake widely felt in Japan — A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Japan’s Chiba prefecture, widely felt by the population. Within the same 24 hours, a magnitude 6.0 tremor was also recorded in the Coral Sea, between Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. Source: 3BMeteo.

Economy and Markets — Oil retreats on diplomatic hopes — On October 29, Brent crude lost 1%, falling to $114.2, while WTI shed 1.4% to settle at $101.4, on hopes of a resumption of negotiations between the United States and Iran. In the previous session both benchmarks had risen, after the Houthi movement claimed to have struck Saudi Arabia’s largest refinery. Sources: HDFC Sky, Investing.com Italia.

Culture — Akragas, the hydraulic channels of the vanished district — The third excavation campaign by the University of Milan in the Valley of the Temples at Agrigento has brought to light, alongside the monumental walls already uncovered, ancient hydraulic channels belonging to a district destroyed during the Carthaginian siege of 406 BC — the only source currently available (AgrigentoNotizie).

Health — The Lancet study on the century’s health threats — An international Commission of The Lancet places low educational attainment, estimated at 16.1 billion disability-adjusted life years, and income inequality, at 13.8 billion, among the leading forces weighing on global health through 2100, particularly in Africa and South Asia — the only source currently available (Il Sole 24 Ore - Infodata).

Tech & AI — A possible dwarf planet beyond Pluto — The Vera C. Rubin Observatory announced on October 28 the discovery of an object that is a candidate dwarf planet located beyond Pluto’s orbit — the only source currently available, pending confirmation (AstroSpace.it).

Tech & AI — OpenAI reportedly aiming to buy Google’s TPUs — According to a report by The Information, picked up by Reuters, OpenAI is planning to purchase Google’s Tensor Processing Units, in addition to continuing to lease them, and has posted a job listing for compiler engineers specializing in TPUs. Neither OpenAI nor Google has officially confirmed the deal. Source: The Star.

Film & Entertainment — Clio Barnard wins the Rome Film Fest — The film ‘I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning’ by Clio Barnard won the award for best film at the 21st Rome Film Fest. Anthony Boyle and Paolo Pierobon tied for best actor, while the Terna Audience Award went to ‘Congo Boy’ and ‘Mustang’. Source: Sky TG24.

Film & Entertainment — Bardem and Moore honoured with lifetime achievement awards in Rome — Javier Bardem received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the hands of Paolo Sorrentino, Julianne Moore from Jesse Eisenberg. Recognition was also given to producer Tessa Ross and composer Nicola Piovani at the 21st Rome Film Fest. Source: Sky TG24.

Film & Entertainment — The Coen brothers awarded the Prix Lumière in Lyon — The 18th edition of the Lumière Festival, held in Lyon from October 10 to 18, awarded the Prix Lumière to Joel and Ethan Coen on October 16, in the presence of Javier Bardem. The festival closed with a screening of ‘The Big Lebowski’. Sources: France Télévisions, Wikipedia (fr).

Number of the Day — Twenty-six billion for the legislature’s final budget — This is the overall value stated by the government for the 2027 Budget Bill, approved yesterday by the Council of Ministers and now headed to Parliament for review. Sources: Il Messaggero, Euronews Italia.

On This Day — Florence remembers the flood on Red Cross day — On the day marking the anniversary of the founding of the International Red Cross, Florence is inaugurating the photographic exhibition ‘1966. Oltre il fango’ (‘1966. Beyond the Mud’), in the year marking sixty years since the flood that struck the city. Source: La Nazione.