The stampede at the Lanterna Azzurra (Blue Lantern) club was a tragedy that traumatised Italy in December 2018, leaving five teenagers and a woman dead. Two hundred others, mainly young Italians, were injured in the panic in the crowded club in Corinaldo. Six men were facing a judge at a court hearing in Ancona, central Italy, on Thursday on charges of manslaughter.

Prosecutors believe the panic was started deliberately to rob the crowd. But it swiftly became a disaster, known in the Italian media as the “Corinaldo massacre”, with Pope Francis saying prayers for the victims in St Peter’s Square.

The Lanterna Azzurra club was overflowing with young fans of popular rapper Sfera Ebbasta. At least 1,400 people had gathered for the event in the small town near Ancona in the Marche region of central Italy. However, the venue was big enough for fewer than 900, police say. Most of the victims at the club were aged between 14 and 16, and were enjoying the 8 December public holiday on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.(BBC)…[+]

California has declared a state of emergency after announcing its first coronavirus death, bringing the US death toll from the disease to 11. The 71-year-old man had underlying health conditions and had been on a cruise ship, said officials. Eleven passengers and 10 crew members are potentially infected on board the Grand Princess now being held off the coast of California.

There are now at least 150 reported US patients with Covid-19 in 16 states. Worldwide, authorities have confirmed more than 92,000 cases of the virus, of which more than 80,000 are in China. More than 3,000 people have died globally, the vast majority in China where the virus originated.  Ten of the 11 US deaths were in Washington state.

Meanwhile Washington and Florida both declared states of emergency over the weekend to help prevent the coronavirus. Such a declaration gives cities and counties the ability to ask the state or other municipalities for aid if and when their own resources are depleted. Officials have said that a state of emergency is meant to expedite the distribution of resources and should not be cause for panic.(BBC)…[+]

Abduction, forced return, torture and a campaign of intimidation. On Thursday the damning allegations made against the billionaire ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, by his former wife, Princess Haya Bint Al-Hussain, became established fact, published in a series of judgements by Britain’s High Court.

Following a high-profile case that began eight months ago, the court has published a Fact Finding Judgement (FFJ) in favour of Princess Haya who fled Dubai last year, along with her two children, telling friends she was in fear of her life. Sheikh Mohammed had tried, unsuccessfully, to keep the judgement out of the public domain but had his appeal rejected after it was ruled to be in the public interest. The ruler of Dubai was found to have “not been open and honest with the court”. In a statement issued after the judgments were published, Sheikh Mohammed said: “As a head of government, I was not able to participate in the court’s fact-finding process. This has resulted in the release of a ‘fact-finding’ judgment which inevitably only tells one side of the story.”(BBC)…[+]

Turkish officials have said a man was fatally wounded when Greek security forces opened fire as migrants gathered at the border on Wednesday. Greece immediately issued a flat denial, saying it was not involved in any such incident involving gunfire. Thousands of people have headed to the border after Turkey said it would no longer stop migrants crossing. Greece has also denied claims that two Syrians were fatally shot while trying to cross the border last night.

Videos taken close to Turkey’s northern border with Greece on Wednesday showed dozens of migrants hurrying through a field, escaping tear gas. Several men are seen carrying a man in a blanket as he held his head.One of the men, speaking in Farsi, is heard on a video saying Greek soldiers had fired at their legs and that five migrants were wounded.(BBC)…[+]

The World Bank has committed $12bn (£9.4bn) in aid for developing countries grappling with the spread of the coronavirus. The emergency package includes low-cost loans, grants and technical assistance.

The action comes as leaders around the world pledge to shield their countries from the economic impact of the outbreak. It follows warnings that slowdown from the outbreak could tip countries into recession. The aid is intended to help countries improve their public health response to the crisis, as well as work with the private sector to reduce the economic impact. “What we’re trying to do is limit the transmission of the disease,” World Bank Group President David Malpass told the BBC.

The organisation said it would prioritise the poorest and most at-risk countries in distributing the aid to counter the effects of the virus, which has spread to more than 70 countries around the world. Half of the package comes from the bank’s International Finance Corporation, which works with the private sector. About $4bn of the $12bn is being shifted from previously available funds. Countries with weak health systems, limited financial resources and close economic links with China are said to be most vulnerable to the coronavirus outbreak.(BBC)…[+]

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has urged women to have six children “for the good of the country”. Appearing at a televised event promoting a national women’s healthcare plan, Mr Maduro instructed women to “give birth, give birth”. The country is facing an economic crisis which has resulted in severe food and medicine shortages.

Between 2013 and 2018, 13% of Venezuelan children were malnourished, says UN children’s agency Unicef. A bitter power struggle between the government and the opposition has exacerbated the country’s trials. Opposition leader Juan Guaidó is considered the legitimate leader of Venezuela by more than 50 countries. But President Maduro, the country’s left-wing leader who enjoys the support of the Venezuelan military, has remained in power. “May God bless you for having given life to six little girls and boys”, Mr Maduro told a woman who attended the healthcare event.(BBC)…[+]

Russian President Vladimir Putin wants marriage to be defined as the union of a man and woman in a revised constitution, ruling out gay marriage. It is among several constitutional amendments proposed by Mr Putin, which are set to be put to a public vote. Critics see the proposals as a move by Mr Putin to keep a hold on power after his presidential term ends in 2024.

The package includes a proclamation of Russians’ faith in God and a ban on giving away any Russian territory.

The territorial amendment would strengthen Russia’s hold on Crimea – a Ukrainian region it annexed in 2014 – and the Kuril Islands, disputed with Japan since World War Two, according to Vladimir Mashkov, a renowned actor-director involved in drafting the new constitution. Mr Putin also proposed an amendment on “historical truth”, to protect “the great achievement of the people in their defence of the Fatherland”. He has railed against what he sees as foreign attempts to diminish the enormous sacrifice made by the USSR in World War Two. The defeat of Nazi Germany cost an estimated 27 million Soviet lives.(BBC)…[+]

 Colombia will have to resume aerial spraying to destroy coca crops, US President Donald Trump has said. Mr Trump made the remarks at a joint press conference with Colombian President Ivan Duque in Washington. Colombia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine, while the US is the world’s largest consumer.

Aerial spraying of crops was suspended in 2015 after a court ruled that the herbicide used – glyphosate – could cause cancer and pollute land. “Well, you’re going to have to spray. If you don’t spray, you’re not going to get rid of them. So you have to spray, with regard to the drugs in Colombia,” the US president told Mr Duque. Mr Duque said that the country would “combine all the options available” in order to combat the problem, including the manual destruction of crops.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) issued statistics in September that showed coca production acreage in Colombia in 2017 was the highest ever recorded. The total surface area used for cultivation – about 171,000 hectares – was an estimated 17% higher than 2016.(BBC)…[+]

At least seven people have died after two tornadoes ripped through central Tennessee, including the state’s biggest city Nashville. Officials said the tornadoes also caused widespread damage to buildings in the city. Nashville Mayor John Cooper said the city was “devastated”, and urged people to “lend a helping hand” to neighbours. Neighbourhoods throughout the city have been plunged into darkness amid infrastructure damage.

About 44,000 people have been left without power, Nashville Electric said. There was also “significant damage” to John C Tune Airport, about eight miles from the city centre, the airport said.  Police in the Mt Juliet suburb, east of Nashville, said: “There are gas lines that are leaking, power lines that are on the ground, and multiple emergency responders are responding to those who are injured.” Nashville’s Emergency Operations Centre said it had opened a shelter with running water in a farmer’s market to help displaced residents. The city’s schools, courts and transport lines will be closed on Tuesday due to the damage, officials said. Election polling sites located at schools will be open, but four polling stations have been moved. Tennessee is one of 14 US states voting in Super Tuesday for a Democratic nominee to stand in November’s presidential election.(BBC)…[+]

At least 33 Turkish soldiers have died in a Syrian government attack in opposition-held north-western Syria, in a major escalation of the conflict. Turkey, which backs the opposition, says it hit 200 government targets in response, “neutralising” 309 soldiers.

Russia, Syria’s key military ally, says Turkish troops were attacked in Idlib province by Syrian forces while operating alongside jihadist fighters. The EU has warned the crisis could escalate further. “There is a risk of sliding into a major open international military confrontation,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell tweeted. “It is also causing unbearable humanitarian suffering and putting civilians in danger.”

The Turkish and Russian presidents spoke by phone on Friday. Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin both expressed concern and agreed on the need for “additional measures” to normalise the situation, with the possibility of a summit in the near future, the Kremlin says. Russian and Turkish officials are due to meet at the Turkish foreign ministry. Russia also says top Russian and US military officials have discussed the situation in Idlib.

Russia denies its own forces were involved in the fighting in the Balyun area. Government forces, supported by Russia, have been trying to retake Idlib from jihadist groups and Turkish-backed rebel factions based there. The attack came after Turkish-backed rebels retook the key town of Saraqeb, north-east of Balyun. Idlib is the last Syrian province where Syrian rebel groups still control significant territory.(BBC)…[+]