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Drought emergency declared in northern Italy

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In light of the worst drought in 70 years, Italy has declared an emergency in five northern districts around the Po River. To address the water scarcity, emergency funding totaling €36.5 million (£31 million; $38 million) will be allocated to Emilia-Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Piedmont, and Veneto.

According to the agricultural group Coldiretti, the drought puts more than 30% of Italy’s agricultural output in jeopardy. Water rationing has already been announced by a number of municipalities. Water problems in northern Italy have been made worse by unusually warm temperatures and minimal rainfall during the winter and spring.

The Italian government stated that “the state of emergency is intended to manage the current crisis with unprecedented means and powers.” If things didn’t get better, it threatened to take more action. Italy’s longest river, the Po, flows more than 650 kilometres eastward (404 miles).

Farmers in the Po Valley claim that crops are being destroyed by seawater that is now leaking into the river. Mario Draghi, the prime minister, travelled to the Dolomites on Monday, where a glacier fall left 13 people missing. He claimed there was “no doubt” that global warming contributed to the calamity.

On the Marmolada mountain, an avalanche brought on by the glacier’s disintegration resulted in at least seven fatalities and eight injuries.

Drones with thermal imaging capabilities are helping in the search for the missing, who also include a number of international nationals.

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Michael Longley: Belfast poet wins €250,000 Feltrinelli Poetry Prize

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Michael Longley, a poet from Belfast, has received a €250,000 (£216,000) European cultural award. At a ceremony in November, Longley will accept the Feltrinelli International Prize for Poetry. Former winners of the award include John Ashbery, Eugenio Montale, and WH Auden.

Longley was born in 1939, and at the age of 30, he released No Continuing City, his debut book of poetry. From 2007 to 2010, he served as Ireland’s professor of poetry. Italy’s Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei bestows the prize once every five years in each discipline, on a national and international level.

According to the Accademia dei Lincei, Mr. Longley won because of “the extraordinarily relevant nature of his ideas and the cultural ramifications they have, as well as the very high level of stylistic excellence of his work.”

It read: “Longley is a tragic singer of Ireland and its dramatic past and an amazing poet of landscape, especially of the Irish West, which he examines with the careful and passionate attention of an ecology.

But he has also addressed subjects such as loss, grief, and sympathy in his poetry, as well as the seduction, conquest, and enchantment of love, the shock of war in all times, the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the gulags.

The Belfast native’s parents, both Londoners who emigrated to Northern Ireland prior to the birth of their son, were both World War One veterans from England.

He and his twin brother were born on July 27, 1939, in Lower Crescent, a neighbourhood off University Road in Belfast, only weeks before World War Two broke out.

Both the Royal Belfast Academical Institution (also known as Inst) and Trinity College in Dublin, where Longley later studied classics, had an impact on his career.

When he “fell in love very strongly” with a girl from a local school, Methodist College, he began his writing career in his early teens.

He was given the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in 2001, as well as the Wilfred Owen Award in 2003. In 2010, he was appointed CBE.

For his contributions to literary and cultural life in Belfast, where he and his wife, the critic Edna Longley, reside and work, he was given the freedom of the city in 2015.

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Deadly blasts hit Russian border city

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According to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, explosions in the Russian city of Belgorod, which is close to the Ukrainian border, have killed at least three people.

At least 39 privately owned residential buildings and 11 apartment complexes were partially destroyed by the explosions, he claimed. The blasts, he said, activated air defence systems. The governor’s claim could not be independently verified, and Ukraine showed no immediate response. The information was obtained through Mr. Gladkov’s Telegram channel.

Numerous civilians and combatants have been killed or injured since Russia’s invasion on February 24 on the pretext of “demilitarising” and “de-Nazifying” Ukraine as it moved closer to Nato, and at least 12 million people have left their homes. In response, Western nations have armed Ukraine and imposed previously unheard-of sanctions on Russia, a nuclear powerhouse and a major source of energy.

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Germany, Nigeria to sign accord on returning Benin Bronzes

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In order to facilitate the return of significant sculptures known as the Benin Bronzes that were stolen from Africa in the late 19th century, Germany is scheduled to sign an agreement in Nigeria on Friday.

In Europe and North America, ownership issues over items that were plundered during colonial periods have become a growing concern for governments and museums. The bas-relief Bronzes were among many other priceless artefacts that were taken from the Kingdom of Benin’s royal palace in 1897 by a British colonial force.

Many of Berlin’s institutions are governed by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which declared last year that it was starting official talks to restore items to its collection. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Culture Minister Claudia Roth, and their respective Ministers of State for Foreign Affairs Zubairo Dada and Lai Mohammed will all sign the agreement of understanding in Berlin.

Although the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation hopes to maintain some of the Bronzes on loan from Nigeria, the final details of the restitution have not yet been disclosed. Ten pieces of Benin Bronze were taken off display at the National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., last year, and the Smithsonian promised to return them to Nigeria. Talks on returning the items have already started in other museums.

Many of the items are still housed in the British Museum, which has defied requests to give them back.

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Technoblade: Minecraft YouTuber dies from cancer aged 23

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Minecraft YouTuber Technoblade passed away at the age of 23, according to a heartfelt farewell video made on his behalf by his family. His father referred to him in the “so long nerds” video as “the most amazing kid anyone could possibly ask for.” The video was shared to his 10 million followers.

The US internet celebrity became well-known by livestreaming and uploading videos of himself playing the sandbox game. Technoblade informed his followers of his cancer diagnosis last year. His father read the final letter, which was penned just hours before he passed away: “Hello everyone, Technoblade here. If you’re watching this. I am dead.”

Then, after recalling the time he had tricked viewers into thinking his name was Dave, he admitted that his real name was Alex. He stated, “Thank you all for supporting my stuff throughout the years. “If I had an additional 100 lives, I believe I would choose to once more live as Technoblade since those were the best years of my life,” she said.

The online celebrity revealed in a fundraising video released in February that he had undergone chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and a limb salvage operation after developing a painful tumour in his right arm. He won Minecraft tournaments and amassed hordes of fans by humorously talking about his life while playing the game.

In August 2021, he revealed his cancer diagnosis, adding that at first he believed the discomfort he was experiencing was the result of a repetitive stress injury brought on by his obsessive gaming. He visited the hospital when his arm started to swell, and there he was given the cancer diagnosis.

Technoblade, who kept his true identity a secret until the very end, is a mystery. But a picture of a crowned pig served as his internet persona.

His bio on his YouTube channel, which has 10.8 million subscribers, reads: “I engage in excessive video game use. I may not be the best, but my elbows are heated.”

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Paris trial: Salah Abdeslam guilty as historic trial ends

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The solitary survivor of the group responsible for the attacks in Paris in November 2015 was found guilty of terrorism and murder.  Salah Abdeslam was sentenced to a remarkable complete life term for his involvement in the 130 fatal gun and bomb attacks. 19 additional males were found guilty by the court, six of whom are thought to be deceased.

The trial, which is the largest in contemporary French history, started in September. In order to piece together the events surrounding the bloodiest attack on French soil since World War Two, victims, journalists, and the families of the deceased waited up outside the specially constructed courtroom in Paris for more than nine months.

Along with the fatalities, hundreds of people were hurt during the assaults on November 13, 2015, at clubs, restaurants, the national football stadium, and the Bataclan concert hall. Abdeslam was adamant at the start of the trial, calling himself a “soldier” of the so-called Islamic State (IS) organisation.

In his final words to the court, he later apologised to the victims and said that he was “not a murderer or a killer” and that a murder conviction would be “an injustice.” He also testified that he opted against setting off his suicide vest the night of the attack and instead dumped it in a suburb of Paris.The court, however, did not think that Abdeslam had suddenly changed his mind since it recognised evidence that the suicide vest was flawed.

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Nato summit: Turkey pushes Finland and Sweden on extradition after deal

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According to a deal that removed Ankara’s objections to the two Nordic countries’ Nato membership ambitions, Turkey said it would now demand for the extradition of 33 “terror” suspects from Finland and Sweden.

The justice minister stated that Turkey would ask them to “fulfil their promises”. Both Finland and Sweden have been charged by Ankara with harbouring extremist Kurds. Late on Tuesday night, the Nordic countries decided to “handle Turkey’s pending deportation or extradition demands of terror suspects swiftly.”

In May, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden expressed their intention to join the 30-member Western defence alliance.

At first, Turkey threatened to veto their application, but following four hours of negotiations at the NATO summit in Madrid, the three nations came to an agreement. Before the meeting is through, Nato officials are anticipated to formally invite Finland and Sweden to join.

The NATO expansion was denounced by Russia as a “strictly destabilising element.” According to the Interfax news agency, Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, “the Madrid summit reinforces the bloc’s aim towards aggressive containment of Russia.”

Terrorists’ extradition would be sought, according to Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag. He urged Finland to extradite six PKK members and another six members of the Fethullah Gulen organisation, an exiled Turkish cleric. Additionally, Turkey is requesting the extradition of 10 Gulenists and 11 PKK members from Sweden.

The PKK, which was founded in the late 1970s and demanded an autonomous Kurdish state within Turkey, started an armed uprising against the Turkish government in 1984. Turkey, meanwhile, holds the Gulenists accountable for the 2016 failed coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.While the EU, US, and UK label the PKK as a terrorist organisation, they do not do the same for the Gulen movement. Sweden and Finland have not yet responded publicly to the Turkish request.

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AOC uses Twitter jibe to spread information about abortions rights and resources

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AOC posted instructions for getting a safe, self-managing medication-induced abortion, per the WHO’s advice, on Instagram. Women’s rights advocates around the world have condemned the US Supreme Court’s decision to reverse the 50-year-old Roe v. Wade ruling.

Since the landmark decision was overturned on June 24, Americans no longer have a constitutional right to abortion. Legal experts predict that states will be allowed to create their own abortion regulations without a federal statute supporting them, which might lead to near-total prohibitions on abortion in nearly half of the US states governed by the Republican Party.

After Roe v. Wade was overturned, US politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, sometimes known as AOC, posted a number of Instagram stories regarding abortion rights and resources that could assist women seeking abortions in places where they are currently illegal or may soon become so. AOC provided instructions for getting a safe, self-managing medication-induced abortion on her Instagram stories, in accordance with WHO recommendations.

The former Washington Examiner contributor John Gage tweeted photos of AOC’s Instagram stories on Tuesday, writing, “.@AOC is posting on how people can dodge abortion bans.”

AOC took advantage of this jab to send her Twitter followers a link to her stories, which were collected in an Instagram highlight.

Within hours, AOC’s tweets received hundreds of likes and retweets. As a veteran of the original struggle for Roe, I must say that your courage, intensity, and provision of knowledge is a delight to behold, a Twitter user said on AOC’s post in which she provided the link to her Instagram highlight. We did it before social media, so your ability to reach more people is a true gift!

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Nato plans huge upgrade in rapid reaction force

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NATO has stated that it intends to significantly raise the number of troops in its high-readiness status to over 300,000. 40,000 troops are presently available to the bloc’s rapid reaction force, with many of them stationed near the alliance’s eastern flank.

The increase, according to Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, came after Russia directly threatened the security of Europe. The eastern defences of the alliance would be “dramatically upgraded,” he had earlier claimed, according to “the new military strategy.”

In order to convey a clear message of deterrence to Russia, Mr. Stoltenberg said that certain Nato battlegroups in eastern Europe will be strengthened to “brigade level” — tactical forces of several thousand troops.

At a news conference in Brussels, Mr. Stoltenberg told reporters, “I’m certain that Moscow, President Putin, knows our collective security guarantees, understands the cost of invading a Nato-allied country.” “It will result in a reaction from the entire Alliance. And we are boosting NATO presence to support that message.”

A combination of land, sea, and air assets make up NATO’s rapid reaction force, which is intended to be quickly deployed in the event of an assault. Since 2014, it has progressively increased in size from 13,000 troops to 40,000.

Many of these units were first placed at “high readiness” following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Battlegroups from several nations are now operating in a number of nations bordering Russia, including Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland.

Other plans include for the deployment of additional battlegroups in Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria.

The G7 summit of industrial democracies, which is presently taking place in Germany, will be followed by this week’s NATO summit in Madrid, where it is anticipated that the measures suggested by Mr. Stoltenberg will be accepted.

The alliance’s official position on Russia, which was adopted in 2010 and referred to Moscow as a “strategic partner,” is also anticipated to change.

According to Mr. Stoltenberg, “that will not be the case under the strategic framework that we will agree upon in Madrid.” “I anticipate friends will make it abundantly clear that Russia directly threatens our security, our values, and the rules-based international system.”

New, “strong” language will be used toward China, according to US officials who have briefed the media.

According to reports, the US and the UK have both urged for a tougher approach to counter what they perceive as Beijing’s growing threat to attack the democratic island of Taiwan.

But according to Nato diplomats who spoke to the Reuters news agency, France and Germany wish to take more measured action against China.

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G7 face battle for unity as cost of Ukraine war mounts

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The G7 conference in Bavaria will unavoidably centre on Russia’s conflict with Ukraine. Also facing a challenging situation are the leaders of the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, and Japan. They want to project a sense of cohesion and resolve in the face of the conflict. The Western alliance has exhibited indications of strain and weariness recently.

Some people, namely in France, Germany, and Italy, have questioned whether it wouldn’t be better for the war to stop even if it meant that Ukraine would have to relinquish some of its land. According to a new study conducted across Europe, some people prioritise the cost-of-living crisis over punishing Russia. Others debate whether it will be necessary to have a connection with Russia in the future.

These arguments have been resisted by nations like the UK, Poland, and the three Baltic States, who claim that any peace agreement with Moscow that is not on Ukraine’s terms will result in future Russian aggression. When he addresses the summit remotely on Monday, President Zelensky is likely to support this claim.

The G7 leaders will likely promise Ukraine more weapons and harsher sanctions against Russia in an effort to clear up these murky seas during the conference. The goal is to demonstrate to Russian President Vladimir Putin that, despite domestic political pressure from citizens worried about rising prices, the West has the patience to continue supporting Ukraine.

The challenge for the G7 leaders is that they are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that they are responding to the financial crisis. Hunger and unrest are being caused by the rising cost of food and fuel worldwide. And some nations blame the West for their problems.

The concerns that the West has about Russian aggression are not shared by many nations in the developing world. They regard the battle as a war of Europe, and they don’t seem to care about the claims made by the West that Vladimir Putin is waging a colonial war. As much as the Russian invasion, they attribute the rising price of gas and oil as well as the severe lack of wheat and fertiliser to Western sanctions.

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