Rail sabotage blights Italy as Winter Olympics kick off
Suspected acts of sabotage disrupted northern Italy's rail network as the Winter Olympics opened, with a fire on lines between Bologna and Venice causing hours of delays, severed cables and a rudimentary explosive device found nearby, and a track switch set alight near Pesaro. The Ministry of Transport called the incidents serious sabotage, with no claim of responsibility yet. Bologna's high-speed hub was temporarily closed, but services were expected to recover by the weekend. Officials drew comparisons to sabotage during the Paris Olympics while stressing Italy's image remains intact as the Games unfold.