A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday

One dead, ten injured after roof collapses at restaurant south of Rome

A 31-year-old woman died after the roof of a Michelin-starred restaurant in the Italian seaside town of Terracina, south of Rome, collapsed on Monday evening, according to Ansa.

Ten customers were injured in the incident, with three reported as being in critical condition.

The victim, identified by Italian media as Mara Severin, had been working as a sommelier at the Essenza restaurant for 11 years.

The cause of the collapse, which occurred just over five months after the restaurant underwent extensive renovation work, remained unknown as of Wednesday morning.

According to eyewitness reports, two loud bangs were heard across the restaurant right before the roof caved in.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Latina has launched an investigation into the incident in connection with potential charges of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm.

Owned by 38-year-old Italian chef Simone Nardoni, Essenza was awarded one Michelin star in 2020. 

Italian ‘hero’ sniffer dog killed with nail-filled sausages

An Italian sniffer dog died after sausages filled with nails were thrown into its kennel, Italian media reported on Monday.

Bruno, a seven-year-old bloodhound, was once honoured by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for helping rescue teams locate nine missing people.

Advertisement

The animal died an agonising, hours-long death from internal bleeding, his trainer, Arcangelo Caress said.

“Today I died with you,” Caressa said in a Facebook post announcing Bruno’s death.

“You fought your whole life to save humans and now it was a human who did this to you. You were, you are and you will continue to be my hero,” he added.

Caressa said he knew who was responsible for the killing, claiming that it was carried out in retaliation for Bruno’s role in dismantling dog-fighting rings in recent months.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Taranto, Puglia, has launched an investigation into the case, according to Italian media reports.

Meloni condemned Bruno’s killing as “vile, cowardly [and] unacceptable” in a post on X. 

“Thank you for all you have done, Bruno,” she said.

Advertisement

Eastern Libya expels EU delegation in diplomatic spat

Eastern Libya authorities ordered an EU delegation from three member states, including Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, to leave the country immediately on Tuesday after they arrived in the city of Benghazi for planned talks.

Libyan officials said they had cancelled the visit and told the EU delegation to “leave Libyan territory immediately” following a “flagrant breach of diplomatic norms”.  

The bloc’s executive had flown in from the Libyan capital of Tripoli after it held talks with the UN-backed Government of National Unity headed by Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah.

Besides Piantedosi, the delegation included the EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, Malta’s Interior Minister Byron Camilleri, and Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris.

The head of the eastern Libyan administration, Osama Hammad, declared all four men persona non grata shortly after they arrived in Benghazi. 

Advertisement

Hammad urged EU ministers to “respect the sovereignty of the Libyan state”.

Libya has been gripped by conflict since the 2011 overthrow and killing of long-time ruler Moamer Kadhafi in a NATO-backed uprising.

The country remains split between Dbeibah’s government in Tripoli and Hammad’s rival administration, based in the east.

Italian energy giant Eni signs $1.35 billion deal with Algeria’s Sonatrach

Algeria’s state-run oil and gas company Sonatrach and Italian energy giant Eni have signed a production sharing contract worth $1.35 billion to explore and develop hydrocarbons in the North African nation, AFP reported on Tuesday.

The 30-year agreement covers the development of hydrocarbons in the Zemoul El Kbar area, in Algeria’s Berkine Basin, Sonatrach said in a statement.

Planned investments stand at approximately $1.35 billion, including $110 million earmarked for research projects.

Advertisement

The partnership aims to achieve the extraction of “415 million barrels of oil equivalent (BOE), including 9.3 billion cubic metres of natural gas over the entire contractual period,” Sonatrach said.

Sonatrach’s CEO, Rachid Hachichi, said the deal “will enable the use of the latest digital solutions and innovative technologies” to “improve productivity, and recover reserves”.

Eni and Sonatrach currently manage the TransMed gas pipeline, which connects Algeria to Italy via Tunisia.

Algeria is Africa’s largest natural gas exporter and the world’s seventh largest.

With reporting from AFP.