Zero's Briefs

Italy — 2027 budget divides unions — The Council of Ministers has approved the 2027 Budget Law, the last of the legislature. The text raises the revenue ceiling for the flat-tax regime to 100,000 euros, up from the current 85,000, and strengthens tax deductions for hiring young people and mothers, up to 180%. A fund of just under one billion euros is planned for flexibility in retirement. Cisl and Cgil reacted with differing positions. (Il Sussidiario)

Europe — Brussels wants a stronger Frontex — The European Commission has presented a structural reform of Frontex, outlined by the Commissioner for Home Affairs Magnus Brunner. The goal is to make the agency the linchpin of the Union’s external border management and returns. The plan envisages expanding the standing corps to up to 30,000 officers, thanks to a new European Border and Return Reserve. (Dire)

Foreign Affairs and Geopolitics — Machado thanks Trump, calls for 2027 vote — Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has publicly thanked the US administration for the capture of Nicolás Maduro, which took place on January 3, and has called for elections in 2027. Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, had fled to Oslo in December to collect the award after a year in hiding. Since Maduro’s abduction, Venezuela has been governed by former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez. (Al Jazeera)

News — Seismic swarm in the Tyrrhenian off Sicily — Between 1:17 and 7:15 overnight, Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology recorded more than ten tremors in the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, off the Sicilian coast. Magnitudes ranged between 2.1 and 3.6, with the latest tremor detected at a depth of 10 kilometers. The swarm affects a marine area monitored by Ingv. (Adnkronos)

Economy and Markets — Italian inflation at 5.4%, GDP flat — According to Istat, Italian inflation rose in October to 5.4% year-on-year, up from 4.2% in September, returning to the level of August 2023. Energy prices rose 31.4% annually, up from 22.6% the previous month. Third-quarter GDP, seasonally adjusted, was unchanged after the +0.2% recorded in the previous quarter. Flash estimates put French inflation at 3.4% and Spanish inflation at 4.9%. (Il Sole 24 Ore)

Culture — A Bronze Age site resurfaces in Loculi — The archaeological excavation at via San Pietro in Loculi, Sardinia, has yielded a multi-layered area of about 700 square meters with evidence dating from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages. The site had been discovered by chance in 2019 during parking lot construction work. On October 26 the Superintendency announced the results of the dig, which was exceptionally opened to the public on October 29. (Scripta Manent Italia)

Culture — A district destroyed in 406 BC resurfaces in Agrigento — The third excavation campaign by the University of Milan in the Case Montana plateau, within the Valley of the Temples Archaeological Park, has brought to light a district of ancient Akragas that had remained unknown for over two thousand years. The monumental structures, dating from the fifth century BC, were destroyed during the Carthaginian siege of 406 BC. Archaeologists have opened two excavation areas at the site. (AgrigentoNotizie)

Health — Ema approves six new drugs in October — The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has given a favorable opinion to six new medicines in October 2026. The Chmp also recommended five extensions of therapeutic indication for drugs already authorized in the European Union, including AstraZeneca’s H5N1 pandemic flu vaccine and Novo Nordisk’s insulin icodec semaglutide. (FarmaciaVirtuale.it)

Health — Nine flu vaccines authorized for winter — The Italian Medicines Agency, in agreement with Ema, has confirmed nine flu vaccines for the 2026-2027 season. The formulations have been updated with the switch to trivalent vaccines, as recommended by Ema. Regional vaccination campaigns began in early October, with free provision for at-risk groups identified by the Ministry of Health. (AIFA)

Tech & AI — Nasa weighs mission to save Hubble — On October 29 Nasa published a request for information to private companies for a possible mission to the Hubble telescope, to be used either to raise its orbit or to bring it down in a controlled reentry. According to the agency’s estimates, the probability of an uncontrolled reentry rises from 10% by September 2032 to 50% by December 2033. In 2024 Nasa had already shelved a similar project with SpaceX. (AstroSpace.it)

Film & Entertainment — Bardem and Moore honored with career awards in Rome — The 21st edition of the Rome Film Fest, directed by Paola Malanga, awarded the Career Achievement Award to Javier Bardem, presented by Paolo Sorrentino, and to Julianne Moore, honored in the Grand Public section on October 21. The opening night on October 13 also saw the Industry Career Achievement Award presented to producer Tessa Ross. (Sky TG24)