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Today — 1 July 2024Main stream

‘We can’t let the animals die’: drought leaves Sicilian farmers facing uncertain future

Rainfall is down 40% since 2003 and experts predict a third of Sicily will be desert by 2030

Every morning, as soon as he wakes up, Luca Cammarata looks to the sky in the hope that some clouds on the horizon will bring a few drops of water. On his farm in the Sicilian interior, it hasn’t rained for months. Cammarata’s 200 goats graze on a parched landscape resembling a lunar surface, forced to eat dry weeds and drink from a muddy pond.

The 53-year-old has never experienced a drought like it. “If things continue like this,” he said, “I will be forced to butcher my livestock and close down my farm.”

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© Photograph: Alessio Mamo/The Guardian

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© Photograph: Alessio Mamo/The Guardian

Yesterday — 30 June 2024Main stream

Seven dead after storms lash France, Switzerland and Italy

30 June 2024 at 07:57

Three people died when tree crushed car they were travelling in, while torrential rains triggered landslides

Ferocious storms and torrential rains that lashed France, Switzerland and Italy this weekend have left seven people dead, local authorities said.

Three people in their 70s and 80s died in France’s north-eastern Aube region on Saturday when a tree crushed the car in which they were travelling during fierce winds, the local authority told Agence France-Presse. A fourth passenger was in critical care, it added.

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© Photograph: Jean-Christophe Bott/AP

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© Photograph: Jean-Christophe Bott/AP

Italy begin inquest after suffering embarrassing Euros elimination | Nicky Bandini

30 June 2024 at 07:37

The holders were meekly disposed of by Switzerland in the last 16 and now a root-and-branch review is required

Berlin, the city where they won a World Cup in 2006, has a special place in Italy’s footballing imagination. The prospect of returning for a last-16 tie at Euro 2024 was so thrilling it caused one commentator to trip over his tongue. Fabio Caressa, whose breathless repetition of “goal by [Fabio] Grosso!” became almost as iconic as that player’s semi-final strike 18 years ago, spluttered for a moment after Mattia Zaccagni’s equaliser against Croatia on Monday and briefly was unable to speak.

Caressa had no such trouble finding his words, on Saturday night, after the Azzurri were eliminated by a 2-0 defeat to Switzerland. “The way we played tonight was unacceptable,” said Caressa during a post-match discussion on the Italian broadcaster Sky Sport. “We have to be able to say that. This match was unwatchable … this is not the level of our national team.”

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© Photograph: Michael Zemanek/REX/Shutterstock

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© Photograph: Michael Zemanek/REX/Shutterstock

Before yesterdayMain stream

Germany beat the storm and the Danes while the Swiss roll Italy – Football Daily

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Nedum Onuoha and Nicky Bandini as the hosts win in controversial style and the holders bow out disgracefully

On the podcast today: A storm stops the match in Dortmund but can’t stop Germany beating Denmark with goals from Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala. Denmark were hard done by with the decisions, having been denied a goal and then conceding a penalty for a very harsh handball against Joachim Anderson.

Elsewhere, Switzerland knocked out the holders, Italy, with relative ease thanks to a dismal display from Luciano Spalletti’s side. The Swiss will now face the winners of England v Slovakia in the quarter-finals.

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© Photograph: Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty Images

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© Photograph: Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty Images

Switzerland outclass Italy to reach last eight and end the torment for Spalletti

In hindsight – and really, only in hindsight – this was how it was always going to end. We still believed, and they still believed, because this was Italy, and for all their foibles and frailties, that name and that crown still count for something. But scarcely can a crown have weighed more heavily. The defending champions are out, and most crushingly they barely threw a punch in the process.

By the end, perhaps the most damning indictment of Luciano Spalletti’s team was that it didn’t even feel like a shock. Switzerland were not just better but braver, not just quicker but slicker, squeezing Italy’s weak spots with a sadistic relish, Remo Freuler and Ruben Vargas with the goals either side of half-time. Italy were overwhelmed for the first hour of this game, and by the last half-hour, when they were finally able to string a few passes together, who cared?

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© Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

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© Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Like father, like son: the children of greats lighting up Euro 2024

By: Sid Lowe
29 June 2024 at 13:18

Once again, Thuram, Chiesa and Hagi are shining on the big stage – and making everyone feel ancient in the process

Schmeichel, Thuram, Blind, Chiesa, Hagi and Conceição head into the last 16. This is not nostalgia, an old goals tape discovered among the videos in the junk room; this is now. As the knockout round of Euro 2024 gets under way, Kasper, Marcus, Daley, Federico, Ianis and Francisco, sons of Peter, Lilian, Danny, Enrico, Gheorghe and Sergio, go in search of the chance to make their countries proud and their parents prouder. And to make everyone else feel very, very old, in the name of the father.

This is not the first time there have been footballers’ sons at the Euros – a goal from Federico Chiesa at Euro 2020, 25 years and 12 days after his dad, Enrico, scored at Anfield during Euro 96, made the Chiesas the first family to have two goalscoring generations in the competition – and some of these kids are not so young any more, a third generation on the way. Some are better than their dads were; some never will be. Daley Blind has 107 caps, 65 more than his father, Danny; “something we can both be proud of,” he says. Kasper Schmeichel is 37 and on 104 caps, closing in on his dad.

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© Photograph: Alexander Scheuber/UEFA/Getty Images

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© Photograph: Alexander Scheuber/UEFA/Getty Images

Euro 2024: Switzerland v Italy, last 16 – live

29 June 2024 at 10:47

Italy: While many Italians were relieved to squeeze past Croatia, their national team manager Luciano Spalletti still feels he has more to prove at Euro 2024. Nicky Bandini reports …

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© Photograph: Lisi Niesner/Reuters

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© Photograph: Lisi Niesner/Reuters

Original Observer Photography

29 June 2024 at 06:00

From joining the election trail across Britain to chef José Pizarro’s summer recipes: the best original photographs from the Observer commissioned in June 2024

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© Photograph: Perou/The Observer

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© Photograph: Perou/The Observer

Spot of bother? How Euro 2024’s last 16 measure up in penalty shootouts

By: Alex Reid
29 June 2024 at 04:29

Is anyone’s record worse than England’s? Can any team better Germany’s habit of success? We look at the numbers

The last European Championship that did not feature penalty shootout heartbreak/ecstasy was 1988, which had eight teams and only three knockout games. So it’s almost certain that at least one country will exit Euro 2024 on pens in the coming weeks. But of the sides in the last 16, which have the most reason for fear – or confidence – based on their past shootout record? And is there really a nation with a worse record than England? Answer: yes. Sort of.

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© Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

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© Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Spiky Luciano Spalletti still fighting his corner as Italy face Swiss mission

28 June 2024 at 06:55

While many Italians were relieved to squeeze past Croatia, the manager still feels he has more to prove at Euro 2024

To watch Luciano Spalletti speak at the end of Italy’s draw against Croatia felt like being pitched into an alternate timeline. Outside, on the pitch at Leipzig Stadium, there had been joy and relief for the Azzurri after Mattia Zaccagni’s 98th-minute equaliser secured progress to Euro 2024’s knockout phase. Inside, at the press conference, there was the sort of prickly postmortem you might expect after early elimination.

In a series of monologues, Spalletti railed against perceived critics. When one journalist, Dario Ricci, asked whether the decision to change formation to a 3-5-2 had been influenced by a “pact” with players, the manager accused him of sharing leaked information from the changing room.

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© Photograph: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images

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© Photograph: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images

Italy Cyberattacks: Three Companies Targeted in 24 Hours by RansomHub, RansomHouse

Italy Ransomware Attack

Hackers have claimed three prominent cyberattacks in Italy in the last 24 hours. The Italy ransomware attacks were allegedly carried out by the RansomHub and RansomHouse groups. RansomHub targeted the websites of the Cloud Europe and Mangimi Fusco firms, while RansomHouse took credit for orchestrating a cyberattack on Francesco Parisi.

Details of Italy ransomware attacks

Cloud Europe is a Tier IV certified carrier-neutral data center located in Rome’s Tecnopolo Tiburtino. According to details on the company website, it specializes in the design and management of data centers, with particular attention to the problems of security and service continuity. The company builds, hosts and manages modular infrastructure for customer data centers in the private and public sectors. [caption id="attachment_79490" align="alignnone" width="1173"]Italy ransomware attack Source: X[/caption] The threat actor RansomHub claimed to have encrypted the servers of Cloud Europe, exfiltrating more than 70 TB of its data. “In addition, we have stolen over 541.41 GB of your sensitive data, obtained access to another company from your sensitive transformations,” RansomHub stated on its site. The other company targeted by RansomHub is Mangimi Fusco, which is an animal food manufacturer. It also supplies farm products and raw materials to wholesale merchants. According to the ransomware group, it has stolen 490 GB of “Private and confidential data, client documents, budget, payroll, accounting, contracts, taxes, IDs, finance information, etc…we give you three days to come for negotiations.” [caption id="attachment_79491" align="alignnone" width="1189"]Italy ransomware attack Source: X[/caption] Meanwhile, RansomHouse has allegedly breached the website of Francesco Parisi, which is a group of freight forwarding and shipping agents. It was established by Francesco Parisi in Trieste and has been operating in Central Europe since 1807. The group has around 100 employees and has a revenue of $13.7 million. The ransomware group claims that it stole 150 GB of the company’s data on May 29. [caption id="attachment_79492" align="alignnone" width="1491"]Italy ransomware attack Source: X[/caption] Despite these claims, a closer inspection reveals that that the websites of Cloud Europe and Mangimi Fusco seem to be functioning normally, showing no signs of the ransomware attack as alleged by the threat actor. However, Francesco Parisi has put up a disclaimer on its home site which reads, “Important notice: Hacker Attack. We are aware that our infrastructure was subjected to a hacker attack. We want to reassure our users, customers and suppliers that we have immediately taken the necessary measures to restore operations and protect their data. Safety is a top priority. We are working hard to investigate the incident and implement additional security measures to prevent future attacks. We apologize for any inconvenience this event may have caused. We will keep you informed of developments in the situation and will let you know as soon as we have further information. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. Thank you for understanding.” [caption id="attachment_79494" align="alignnone" width="1196"]Italy ransomware attack Source: X[/caption] Meanwhile, The Cyber Express has reached out to both Cloud Europe and Mangimi Fusco regarding the purported cyberattack orchestrated by the RansomHub group. However, at the time of publication, no official statements or responses have been received, leaving the claims of the ransomware cyberattack on these entities unverified.

Inglorious Past of RansomHub, RansomHouse

The origins of RansomHub trace back to February 2024, when it emerged as a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) on cybercrime forums. They employ sophisticated encryption techniques and target organizations predominantly in the IT & ITES sector. RansomHub has hackers from various global locations united by a common goal of financial gain. The gang openly mentions prohibiting attacks on non-profit organizations. RansomHouse emerged in March 2022 and is labelled as a multi-pronged extortion threat. In the words of RansomHouse representatives, the group claims to not encrypt data and that they are ‘extortion only,’ claiming itself as a ‘force for good’ that intends ‘shine a light’ on companies with poor security practices. The group has been observed accepting only Bitcoin payments.  Media Disclaimer: This report is based on internal and external research obtained through various means. The information provided is for reference purposes only, and users bear full responsibility for their reliance on it. The Cyber Express assumes no liability for the accuracy or consequences of using this information.

Weather tracker: Heavy rain in Switzerland and Italy causes flooding

28 June 2024 at 05:07

Downpours moved south from Alps as far as Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, causing rivers to overflow

Heavy rain and thunderstorms have caused havoc in Switzerland and northern Italy over the past week. Switzerland was badly hit on Friday 21 June, with downpours delivering more than 100mm across many areas – more than half of this within one hour.

Flash flooding and landslides swept away cars and houses, with at least one person known to have died, alongside widespread damage to transport infrastructure. The mountain resort of Zermatt was entirely cut off due to a combination of flood water, road closures and suspended train services.

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© Photograph: Michele Lapini/EPA

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© Photograph: Michele Lapini/EPA

Euro 2024 last 16: tie-by-tie analysis

28 June 2024 at 03:00

The first knockout stage has several intriguing matches, including Spain against Georgia and France v Belgium

Italy are unbeaten against Switzerland in 11 games stretching back to qualifying for the 1994 World Cup but they look vulnerable here. They were worryingly open against both Albania and Spain and the switch to a back three against Croatia only seemed to make them flatter going forward. In goal Gianluigi Donnarumma has had a fine tournament, but a lack of creativity and the absence of a top-class centre-forward are major issues.

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© Composite: Anadolu/Getty Images; Reuters; AP

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© Composite: Anadolu/Getty Images; Reuters; AP

Italian PM criticised by opposition after fascist chants by party’s youth wing

27 June 2024 at 10:42

Meloni has not yet commented on revelation of Nazi salutes and antisemitic rants by members of National Youth

Italian opposition parties have rounded on the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, after an investigative outlet published video clips and messages showing members of her far-right party’s youth wing engaging in fascist chants, Nazi salutes and antisemitic rants.

Undercover reporters from the investigative website Fanpage infiltrated groups and chat forums used by members of National Youth, the youth wing of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party.

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© Photograph: Francesco Fotia/REX/Shutterstock

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© Photograph: Francesco Fotia/REX/Shutterstock

Ursula von der Leyen, António Costa and Kaja Kallas endorsed as EU leaders – Europe live

27 June 2024 at 17:47

Estonian PM Kaja Kallas ‘honoured’ to be nominated as EU’s next foreign policy chief

Daniel Freund, a German Green MEP, has sent a letter with 20,000 signatures to the European Council president calling for the upcoming Hungarian presidency of the Council of the EU to be suspended.

“Together with 20.000 citizens, we, the undersigned Members of the European Parliament, ask you to officially suspend the Hungarian Presidency of the Council, which is currently set to begin on July 1st, 2024,” he wrote.

It would be extremely harmful for the reputation of our Union, if the current Hungarian government would represent us Europeans in any capacity, just after the European elections. The EU has officially frozen funds under the Rule of Law Conditionality Mechanism due to the high levels of corruption in Hungary. Over the years, the Orbán government has also undermined their elections, the Rule of Law, and media freedom in Hungary.

On the European level, the Orbán government has compared the European Union with a dictatorship. They published posters across the country with bombs bearing the EU flag, when sanctions against Russia were passed. At the time when imperialist dictator Putin is bombing Ukraine, an EU candidate country, Orbán went out of his way to China just to be able to shake hands with him.

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© Photograph: Olivier Hoslet/EPA

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© Photograph: Olivier Hoslet/EPA

The Life and Death of Olive Trees

By: moonmilk
18 June 2024 at 19:28
"The Via Francigena is an ancient pilgrimage route that traverses all of Italy from north to south, the remaining 45 stages being at the southern tip of the peninsula in Puglia, the region I call home. In the autumn of 2023 I walked nine of those stages, documenting the drastic changes of landscape and society happening due to xylella fastidiosa (xylella), an incurable disease killing the olive trees." Amanda Roelle, olive farmer and artist, spent 9 days walking and documenting the olive groves in watercolor and ink.
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