The general strike against Meloni's economic policies began at dawn, with CGIL leader Landini claiming 500,000 participants while government sources cited 5% participation. By mid-morning, protests in Turin escalated as demonstrators burned photos of Meloni and Salvini, leading to clashes with police and six officers injured.
A nationwide payment system failure paralyzed digital transactions across Italy, reportedly caused by damaged network cables during gas pipeline works in Switzerland. The Bank of Italy announced partial service restoration by late afternoon.
Evening brought two significant developments: Brussels approved the Ita-Lufthansa merger, marking a milestone in Italian aviation, while Zelensky signaled openness to ceasefire negotiations under NATO protection. A plutonium contamination case at Rome's Casaccia research center emerged as a concerning development requiring investigation.
The events occurred against the backdrop of growing coalition tensions, following yesterday's RAI television fee dispute between Forza Italia and Lega.