About this Episode
Former Autostrade executives and officials received prison sentences over the 2018 Genoa Morandi bridge collapse that killed 43. Giovanni Castellucci, ex‑CEO of Autostrade per l’Italia, was jailed for 12 years; Michele Donferri Mitelli received 11 years. Several other managers and engineers were also convicted, with sentences including five‑and‑a‑half years for some defendants. Victims’ relatives reacted with relief, while defence lawyers argued design flaws were to blame.
Protests erupted in several Ukrainian cities after President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed popular defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, with crowds in Kyiv and elsewhere chanting support for Fedorov and denouncing the decision. The move followed a public split between Fedorov and Commander‑in‑Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi; Fedorov said his reform initiatives were blocked, declined an offer to remain as an adviser and some senior officers protested or resigned in response. Parliament was set to consider replacement candidates as the political and military fallout continued.
Iran warned it would “crush” regional infrastructure in retaliation if the US struck Iranian sites, calling any interference in the Strait of Hormuz an “inviolable red line” and threatening superior, widespread strikes; the warnings came amid reciprocal strikes over several days that hit Bushehr and other sites, reports that Tehran asked Houthi allies to prepare to close the Bab el‑Mandeb shipping route, and parliamentary moves to assert control over Hormuz as mediators urged de‑escalation.
