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Europe storms: Children among dead in France, Austria and Italy

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Areas of central and southern Europe have been blasted by strong storms that have killed at least 12 people, including three children. In Italy, Austria, and on the French island of Corsica, there were documented deaths, the majority of which were caused by fallen trees.

Campsites on the island were destroyed by strong winds and rain, while in Venice, Italy, stone was blown from the belltower of St. Mark’s Basilica. Following weeks of scorching and drought across much of the continent, the storms hit. Wind gusts of up to 224 km/h (140 mph) in Corsica destroyed trees and harmed mobile homes.

Authorities there said that a 13-year-old girl was murdered on a camping by a tree that fell.

Due to human-induced climate change, extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and storms, have gotten worse and more common in recent years.

Since the start of the industrial age, the world has already warmed by around 1.1C, and temperatures will continue to rise unless governments drastically reduce emissions.

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Sanna Marin: Finland PM partying video causes backlash

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After being caught partying in a leaked video, Sanna Marin, the prime minister of Finland, is receiving criticism. She and her companions, who include Finnish celebrities, can be seen dancing and singing in the clip, which is said to have been stolen from social media.

Opposition parties have criticised her, and one leader has called on her to submit to a drug test. Ms. Marin, 36, denied using narcotics, claiming that all she did was drink wine and party “loudly.” Formerly the youngest head of state in the world (the honour is now held by President Gabriel Boric of Chile), Ms. Marin is known for her frequent appearances at music festivals and her love of partying.

She apologised for going out clubbing last year after being in close proximity to a Covid-19 case.

Ms. Marin was been referred to as the “coolest prime minister in the world” by the German news organisation Bild.

She acknowledged being filmed in a statement she made on the video on Thursday, but expressed disappointment that it had been made public.”I danced, sang, and partied – perfectly legal things. And I’ve never been in a situation where I’ve seen or known of others [using drugs],” she added.

Riikka Purra, the leader of the opposition party, demanded that Ms. Marin submit to a voluntary drug test since the prime minister was under “doubt.”

Additionally, Ms. Marin’s coalition partner MP Mikko Karna tweeted that it “would be wise” for her to “voluntarily submit to a drugs test.”

Ms. Marin expressed to reporters that she had “not used drugs” and had “no trouble passing tests,” indicating that she was receptive to the idea.

“I lead a busy life that includes my family, my job, and my free time with friends. The majority of people my age pretty much agree,” Ms. Marin added.

She added that she felt no need to change her behaviour. “I am going to be exactly the same person as I have been until now and I hope that it will be accepted,” the prime minister added.Since December 2019, Ms. Marin has been in power, and her party continues to back her.

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Spanish fires: Passengers injured fleeing train in Bejís

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Three of the ten passengers who attempted to flee a train that became engulfed in a massive inferno north of Valencia in eastern Spain were critically injured.  Strong gusts have whipped up the fire near Bejs, sending some firefighters fleeing for their life.

When the fire stopped the train, the passengers were travelling on a route from Valencia to Zaragoza in the north. Some passengers became frightened when the train driver requested them to stay on board.

Some of the 48 people on board the train, which had left Valencia late on a Tuesday afternoon, broke windows in an effort to escape as the flames got closer as he prepared to reverse the train.

Some of them who ran away had burns, and one of them needed to be evacuated to a Valencia hospital for treatment. According to Spanish news sources, a 58-year-old mother and a 15-year-old girl suffered the most severe burns. Those who remained on the train were unharmed.

As the flames got closer to the train, social media users revealed how intense it was. The conductor eventually retreated to the station of Caudiel after moving to the rear of the train. The train’s departing passengers re-boarded, and those who were hurt received immediate care on board. Bejs and the other towns have seen a more than 2,000 person evacuation.

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Darius Campbell Danesh: Pop Idol and West End star dies aged 41

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Darius Campbell Danesh, a singer and actor who gained popularity on the ITV talent series Popstars and Pop Idol two decades ago, has passed away at age 41.

In 2002, the Scot finished third on Pop Idol behind Gareth Gates and Will Young. Later that year, he debuted at number one in the UK with Colorblind, while his album Dive In peaked at number ten.

He went on to become a West End sensation after his chart-topping performance, making appearances in shows like Chicago and the Olivier Award-winning Guys and Dolls.

He was found dead in his US apartment room, his family announced on Tuesday.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Darius Campbell Danesh,” they said in a statement. “Darius was found unresponsive in bed in his apartment room in Rochester, Minnesota, on August 11 and was pronounced dead in the afternoon by the local medical examiners’ office.

There were no indications of malice or strange circumstances, according to the local police department. His unexpected death has no known cause at this time, however investigations into his health are ongoing.

“Please accept our request for privacy at this time as we process the devastating death of our son and brother,” the request reads.

Campbell, who studied English literature and philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, was born in Glasgow in 1980 to a Scottish mother and an Iranian father.

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Cats in  German town will be released from a special lockdown

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When the authorities release a particular lockdown in one German town, cat owners will be able to let their cats out for the first time in three months. To safeguard an endangered bird, residents of Walldorf in the southwest were instructed to confine their cats inside in May.

Cats were only permitted to go outside if a leash no more than two metres (six feet) in length was used to control them. But starting at 00:01 local time on Monday, the animals will once more be free to wander. Owners were instructed to phone a special hotline, locate, and imprison the offending cat if one escaped while the lockdown was in effect.

Any violation would incur a fine. An owner who caused harm to or death to one of the protected birds was subject to a fine of up to €50,000 (£42,000). Because the crested lark is an endangered species in the German state of Baden-Württemberg and throughout the country, authorities have been working to safeguard the local population.

Only three breeding pairs were said to be left in Walldorf proper. While underlining their support for measures to protect the larks, activists criticised the limits, claiming they would be detrimental to the wellbeing of the cats.

According to Britain’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, many millions of birds die naturally each year, and there is no proof that cat assaults in gardens are to blame for the population drop (RSPB).

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Oder river: Mystery surrounds thousands of fish deaths

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Officials from Poland and Germany are attempting to determine what is causing a large-scale fish die-off in the Oder river, which divides the two nations. Since late last month, hundreds of kilometres of the river have been covered in thousands of dead fish.

Although tests have been conducted, it is believed that a harmful substance entered the water. However, the precise chemical is yet unclear. The German government has issued warnings about an impending environmental catastrophe and has advised people to stay away from the river.

However, activists have accused the government of both nations of neglecting to cooperate in order to promptly respond to the tragedy and protect people. Mateusz Morawiecki, the prime minister of Poland, fired two environmental officials on Friday for how they handled the situation.

German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke demanded a thorough inquiry into the incident and stated that investigators were working “full out” to determine its cause. Following the first complaints of a problem from Polish fishermen and anglers as early as July 28, tonnes of dead fish are alleged to have been pulled from the river.

According to the news agency AFP, the Oder is a river that is typically regarded as clean and serves as a habitat for 40 domestic fish species. However, a representative of the Brandenburg state in eastern Germany claimed test findings indicated elevated oxygen levels in the water, suggesting the presence of an alien material.

According to Katarzyna Kojzar, a journalist for the Polish investigative website OKO.press, beavers, birds, and ducks have also been impacted.

However, a heatwave and record low water levels on the Oder meant that fish were already in trouble, according to Christian Wolter of the Leibniz Institute.

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Medusa festival: One killed as strong winds cause stage collapse in Spain

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Early on Saturday, heavy winds at a festival in Spain caused pieces of a stage to fall, leaving one man dead and at least 40 others hurt.Video of the festival in Cullera, south of Valencia, showed some attendees scurrying away in fear while others could be seen carrying on with their revelry.

Later, the well-known electronic music festival Medusa was cancelled. According to local media, the deceased man was in his 20s. Three of the victims experienced severe trauma. Witnesses described an unexpected sandstorm that hit the festival site. In the country’s eastern coastal region at the time, winds gusting over 80km/h (50mph) were reported by Spain’s meteorological agency.

One of the attendees informed Spanish media that they were “in a state of disbelief.” “Anyone could have done it, including myself,”

The event’s organisers posted a statement on Facebook in which they expressed their “devastation and sadness” at what had occurred.

They said “severe strong winds” damaged the venue’s infrastructure at around 4:00 local time (02:00 GMT), and the decision to evacuate the area was made right away.

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Suspected bank robber rescued from tunnel near Vatican

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Police believe an Italian guy who was pulled from a collapsed tunnel not far from the Vatican may have been trying to tunnel his way into a bank. After firefighters spent eight hours pulling him out from beneath a road, he is now recovering in a hospital.

However, given that he and another man were both taken into custody by police for “resisting a public authority,” he may now need to bail himself out of even more trouble. He might have been a member of a gang trying to rob a bank, according to police speculation.

A police spokesman told the AFP news agency, “We are still investigating; we do not exclude that they are thieves, it is one of the ideas.

The two were also held for causing damage to public property. According to local media, the reason is obvious because the tunnel was discovered close to a bank just before the long weekend on August 15, when the majority of the city is empty.

The Corriere della Sera daily’s headline read, “The whole gang.”

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France firefighters battle ‘monster’ wildfire near Bordeaux

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Almost 7,000 hectares (17,300 acres) of woodland have already been burnt by a “monster” wildfire in southwest France, according to officials. A number of homes have been destroyed by the raging fire nearby Bordeaux, which has also compelled 10,000 locals to escape.

Gregory Allione, a firefighter spokesperson, told France’s RTL Radio that “it’s an ogre, it’s a monster.” The firefighting effort is being hampered by strong winds and hot heat. Austria, Germany, Greece, Poland, and Romania, according to President Emmanuel Macron, “are coming to aid” France in putting out the fire. He tweeted, “European solidarity at work!”

Several other European nations, including France, have experienced a wave of catastrophic wildfires this summer as a result of the continent-wide drought and high heat. In Portugal and Spain, the heat has been blamed for more than 1,000 fatalities.

With temperatures expected to reach 37C (99F) in some regions over the next four days, the UK has now issued an amber extreme heat warning. The officials warn that the heatwave would likely have an impact on transportation, working conditions, and health. About 30 kilometres (19 miles) south-east of Bordeaux, in the Gironde region of France, a sizable wildfire has been burning for the past two days close to the community of Landiras.

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Domino’s: the fast food juggernaut departs from Italy, the birthplace of pizza

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According to sources, Domino’s Pizza’s final locations in Italy have been shut down as a result of the bankruptcy of the company that ran its locations there. According to Bloomberg, who broke the news, the pandemic affected franchise owner ePizza SpA.

Since its arrival in the pizza capital in 2015, Domino’s had had trouble attracting customers. Some social media users rejoiced at the news of the fast food giant’s departure from the nation. After being adversely affected by coronavirus restrictions, EPizza SpA initially declared bankruptcy in the beginning of April.

“The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent and prolonged restrictions from a financial point of view have seriously damaged ePizza,” the company said.

The business also said that as more conventional eateries began utilising delivery apps, competition was growing. The company received 90 days of creditor protection as part of the bankruptcy process. However, that defence expired last month.

Since its peak in 2020, the Italian company has already begun to reduce its operations, and deliveries ceased at the end of July. According to the bankruptcy records, as of 2020, the company operated 23 stores in Italy directly and six more through sub-franchising.

With more than 1,200 locations, the UK and Ireland is by far the largest Domino’s market in Europe. The largest pizza company in the world has more than 18,300 locations throughout more than 90 different countries, the majority of which are franchisee-run.

Domino’s set out to differentiate itself from the country’s traditional pizza producers seven years ago by offering a thorough home delivery service and a distinctive menu that featured US-style toppings like pineapple. Nevertheless, it encountered escalating competition during the epidemic as neighbourhood eateries joined services like Deliveroo and Just Eat for meal delivery.

Some social media users applauded the news that Domino’s was abandoning the birthplace of pizza.

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