Pope Francis ordered all fountains in the Vatican to go dry in a show of solidarity with Italians suffering a severe drought that has caused water shortages and crop damage. It is the first time in history Vatican City authorities recall being forced to turn off fountains in its gardens and squares, Greg Burke, Vatican spokesman, said. For 2000 years, an abundant supply of water has burbled through Rome's ancient aqueducts, baths and fountains, but the city's 1.5 million inhabitants may be sacrificing water for eight hours a day in alternating neighbourhoods if a proposed water-rationing plan goes into effect on July 28.
He was once the Solo Man, an Australian soft drink advertising star from the 1980s famous for man-of-action feats like canoeing off cliff faces. Now Mark Robert Coutelas has been charged in Cambodia with using and selling the drug ice (P), just years after being jailed in Thailand for drug offences. Coutelas was arrested at a guesthouse by military police in the coastal city Sihanoukville. The 57-year-old appeared at Preah Sihanouk provincial court and was charged with the unlawful keeping, transporting or trafficking of narcotics.
A US Navy patrol boat fired warning shots near an Iranian vessel that American sailors said came dangerously close to them during a tense encounter in the Gulf. Iran's Revolutionary Guard blamed the American ship for provoking the situation. The encounter involving the USS Thunderbolt, a Cyclone-class patrol ship based in Bahrain, is the latest confrontation between Iranian vessels and American warships. The Thunderbolt was taking part in an exercise in international waters when the Iranian patrol boat approached it, 5th Fleet spokesman Lieutenant Ian McConnaughey said. The Iranian ship did not respond to radio calls, flares and horn blasts as it came within 137m of the Thunderbolt, forcing the US sailors aboard to fire the warning shots, McConnaughey said.
The owner of a guesthouse has sparked anger in Italy after refusing to host a gay couple, saying "we don't accept gays and animals". The couple from Naples said they were dismayed to be told they were not welcome at Ciufo guesthouse near Vibo Valentia, in the southern region of Calabria, because the owner "believes in traditional families". Gennaro Casalino told Arcigay, Italy's largest gay organisation: "I was reminded of the infamous images of Nazi signs outside shops saying 'entry forbidden to dogs and Jews'." Filippo Mondella, the owner of the guesthouse, told Radio Capital that he did not mean to put gay people and dogs in the same category and it was a punctuation mistake. He added: "The guesthouse is not a public structure, it's a private house. We are Catholic, devout Christians".
- agencies
