Harbor city, Sicilian capital of the Metropolitan City
A record summer of heat, drought and wildfires has prompted an emergency Cobra meeting and voluntary retailer suspensions of disposable-barbecue sales. Green groups have written to Prime Minister Andy Burnham urging him to call the crisis 'climate change' and stop new North Sea drilling; Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice has questioned net zero and urged adaptation and celebration of warmer weather.
Europe endures a blistering heat wave with temperatures above 40C in several countries. Italy places all 27 major cities on red heat alerts; authorities extend evening hours at Rome’s Colosseum and Pantheon and open cooling measures. Wildfires, drought and energy stress accompany the heat, prompting precautions for residents and visitors.
Mount Etna’s ongoing eruption has kept Catania airport closed or operating under strict restrictions, disrupting nearly 2,000 flights over the past week, with passengers rerouted to other hubs and price pressures rising during Ferragosto travel. Authorities warn ash emissions will continue to affect air traffic in the region.
Thieves have taken three panels from Antonello da Messina's San Gregorio polyptych and a small double-sided devotional panel from the Regional Museum in Messina late on Aug. 15 during the city's Vara procession. Two panels were later abandoned near the museum. Authorities are investigating a likely commissioned theft and probing how alarms were circumvented.
Stolen artworks attributed to Antonello da Messina have been taken from the Regional Interdisciplinary Museum of Messina during a late Saturday burglary caught on Assumption Day in the city. Five wooden panels comprising the San Gregorio Polyptych and a small two-sided Virgin and Christ painting have been seized; two panels were left behind near the museum grounds. Authorities suspect the theft was ordered for high-value art trafficking.