An Italian holiday may be a priceless experience for those who have enjoyed all this country has to offer. But the summer of 2023 will go down as one of the priciest in history after a slew of price gouging scandals at cafes and restaurants that have affected foreign tourists and Italians alike.

Take the couple charged 2 euros ($2.20) to cut their ham sandwich in half on the shores of Lake Como, or the young mother in the Roman seaside town of Ostia charged 2 euros to have her baby’s bottle heated in the microwave.

Tourists were also charged 2 euros for an extra – empty! – plate near Portofino in northern Italy, and 10 cents for a sprinkle of cocoa on a cappuccino at a Lake Como coffee bar. Italian cafes rarely use cocoa on cappuccinos, hence why they justified the charge.

These cases, dubbed “crazy receipts” by local media, have been documented by the consumer protection group Consumerism No Profit, which reports a staggering 130% increase in prices in tourist areas in Italy this summer.

Easy targets

It’s not just restaurateurs driving prices. High fuel and energy prices have made it an incredibly expensive summer.

The prices have become so out of control—some 240% higher than other Mediterranean destinations —that many Italians are abandoning their usual local haunts for their August vacations, instead opting for coastal countries like Albania and Montenegro, which don’t quite offer the same Italian charm or cuisine, but are affordable.

Even Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni took a short beach vacation in Albania this year, her office confirmed.

The group Confcommercio predicts that only 14 million Italians will take their vacation at home around the traditional Ferragosto or August 15 break, around 30% down from pre-Covid figures.

“The very strong price increases in the air transport, accommodation and holiday package sectors has profoundly changed the holiday habits of Italians,” said Furio Truzzi of consumer watchdog group Assoutenti.

Truzzi added that the prices won’t stop Italians from vacationing, but it will affect how long they stay.

“And the paradox is that despite the reduction in holiday days, spending will be higher: the 2023 summer holidays will cost Italians 1.2 billion euros more than in 2022, albeit with fewer nights away from home,” he said.

Foreign tourists have more than made up for the decline, with Italy’s tourism ministry predicting that 68 million tourists will visit Italy over the summer, more than three million more than pre-pandemic figures, making them the easiest target for price gouging.

Americans and Asian tourists have come in droves this year, Italy’s tourism ministry says, replacing the higher spending Russian tourists who tended to spend more and stay longer, but who are absent this year because of the war in Ukraine.

Worst offenders

One of the worst offenders are beachfront establishments which rent sunbeds and umbrellas.

In Puglia, daily rental for two sunbeds and one umbrella during the week averages 50 euros, and nearly double on the weekend, but further north, the price to sit in the front row on a crowded beach can be triple that, starting at around 150 euros ($163) a day during the week, especially in the more exclusive areas like Portofino—that is if the front row umbrellas aren’t already reserved by locals.

“Sharm el Sheik [in Egypt] costs less, which is why so many Italians are going abroad,” Paolo Manca of the Federalberghi (Hotel Federation) says, explaining that to get to traditional Italian vacation spot like the island of Sardinia, a family can pay thousands a day, starting with an expensive ferry or airfare, inflated hotel prices and expensive meals.

When asked what they paid for two Aperol Spritzes at a café in Piazza Navona in central Rome, Americans Betsy and James Cramer said they were embarrassed to admit how much they paid. But they knew they would pay more to sit at a popular location.

“You just have to read the menu and ask if there are extra charges. And if there are, then you have to either walk away or just eat it.”

‘Year zero’

While high prices may be impacting the average tourist, luxury tourism has risen this year, according to Italy’s tourism ministry, which says a record-breaking 11.7 million travelers will stay in five-star hotels in Italy this summer, according to reservation records.

“In August, high-end tourism continues to grow, unlike normal tourism,” Antonio Coviello, a researcher with Italy’s National Research Center wrote in a report on luxury travel issued this week, adding that the risk of over-tourism in the luxury sector is a concern because it could drive up prices in the mid-range travel sector to accommodate the bigger spenders. 

Italy’s tourism minister, Daniela Santanche, said that despite a season marked with bad headlines about price gouging and fewer Italians traveling, the summer has been a defining moment in Italy’s post-pandemic recovery.

“I would not speak of a failure, but neither of a success,” she said this week. “I would say that we can finally start discussing tourism again and plan our next moves. In fact, this is the first year without pandemic restrictions, and therefore, in a certain sense, we can speak of 2023 as ‘year zero’.”

German food is rich, hearty and diverse. It’s comfort eating with high-quality, often locally sourced ingredients.

The cuisine of Germany has been shaped not only by the country’s agricultural traditions but by the many immigrants that have made the country home over the centuries.

It’s definitely more than a mere mix of beer, sauerkraut and sausage.

Today Germans appreciate well-prepared, well-served meals as much as they do a quick bite on the go. This is a country of food markets, beer gardens, wine festivals, food museums and high-end restaurants.

So: Haben sie hunger? Are you hungry now? Check out our list of 20 traditional German dishes that you need to try when you travel there.

Königsberger klopse

Named after the former East Prussian capital of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad in Russia), this tasty dish of meatballs in a creamy white sauce with capers is beloved by grandmothers and chefs alike.

The meatballs are traditionally made with minced veal, onion, eggs, anchovies, pepper and other spices. The sauce’s capers and lemon juice give this filling comfort food a surprisingly elegant finish.

In the German Democratic Republic, officials renamed the dish kochklopse (boiled meatballs) to avoid any reference to its namesake, which had been annexed by the Soviet Union. Today it’s possible to find königsberger klopse under their traditional name in most German restaurants, but they are especially popular in Berlin and Brandenburg.

Maultaschen

Maultaschen from Swabia, southwestern Germany, are a lot like ravioli but bigger. They are typically palm-sized, square pockets of dough with fillings that run the gamut from savory to sweet and meaty to vegetarian.

A traditional combination is minced meat, bread crumbs, onions and spinach – all seasoned with salt, pepper and parsley. They’re often simmered and served with broth instead of sauce for a tender, creamier treat, but are sometimes pan-fried and buttered for extra richness.

Today you can find maultaschen all over Germany (even frozen in supermarkets) but they’re most common in the south.

Here the delicious dumplings have become so important that in 2009, the European Union recognized Maultaschen as a regional specialty and marked the dish as significant to the cultural heritage of the state of Baden-Württemberg.

Labskaus

Labskaus is not the most visually appealing dish, but a delectable mess that represents the seafaring traditions of northern Germany like no other. In the 18th and 19th centuries, ship provisions were mostly preserved fare, and the pink slop of labskaus was a delicious way of preparing them.

Salted beef, onions, potatoes and pickled beetroot are all mashed up like porridge and served with pickled gherkins and rollmops (see below). It has long been a favorite of Baltic and North Sea sailors.

Today the dish is served all over northern Germany, but especially in Bremen, Kiel and Hamburg. And while on modern ships fridges have been installed, it remains popular as a hangover cure.

Sausages

There is no Germany without sausages.

There are countless cured, smoked and other varieties available across wurst-loving Germany, so, for this list we will focus on some of the best German street food: bratwurst, or fried sausages.

There are more than 40 varieties of German bratwurst. Fried on a barbecue or in the pan, and then served in a white bread roll with mustard on the go, or with potato salad or sauerkraut as the perfect accompaniment for German beer.

Some of the most common bratwurst are:

– Fränkische bratwurst from Fraconia with marjoram as a characteristic ingredient.

– Nürnberger rostbratwurst that is small in size and mostly comes from the grill.

– Thüringer rostbratwurst from Thuringia, which is quite spicy. Thuringia is also the home of the first German bratwurst museum, which opened in 2006.

The most popular incarnation of bratwurst, however, is the next item on our list.

Currywurst

Practically synonymous with German cuisine since 1945, currywurst is commonly attributed to Herta Heuwer, a Berlin woman who in 1949 managed to obtain ketchup and curry powder from British soldiers, mixed them up and served the result over grilled sausage, instantly creating a German street food classic.

Today boiled and fried sausages are used, and currywurst remains one of the most popular sausage-based street foods in Germany, especially in Berlin, Cologne and the Rhine-Ruhr, where it’s usually served with chips and ketchup or mayonnaise or a bread roll.

Not the most sophisticated of dishes, but a filling street snack born out of necessity about which all of Germany is still mad: some 800 million are consumed a year.

Döner kebab

Döner kebab was introduced to Germany by Turkish immigrant workers coming here in the 1960s and ’70s. One of the earliest street sellers was Kadir Nurman, who started offering döner kebab sandwiches at West Berlin’s Zoo Station in 1972, from the where the dish first took both West and East Berlin by storm and then the rest of Germany.

From its humble Berlin beginnings when a döner kebab only contained meat, onions and a bit of salad, it developed into a dish with abundant salad, vegetables (sometimes grilled), and a selection of sauces from which to choose.

Veal and chicken spits are widely used as is the ever-popular lamb, while vegetarian and vegan versions are becoming increasingly common.

Schnitzel

Some might argue that schnitzel is Austrian and not German, but its origins are actually Italian.

This controversy hasn’t stopped the breaded and fried meat cutlets to become popular everywhere in Germany, however. While the Austrian or Vienna schnitzel is by law only made with veal, the German version is made with tenderized pork or turkey and has become a staple of most traditional restaurants.

Whereas Vienna schnitzel is served plain, Germans love to ladle a variety of sauces over their schnitzel. Jägerschnitzel comes with mushroom sauce, zigeunerschnitzel with bell pepper sauce and rahmschnitzel is served with a creamy sauce.

All go well with fried potatoes and cold lager or a Franconian apple wine.

Käsespätzle

Spätzle originally come from Baden-Württemberg. Essentially a sort of pasta, the noodles are a simple combination of eggs, flour, salt and often a splash of fizzy water to fluff up the dough. Traditionally served as a side to meat dishes or dropped into soups, it can be spiced up by adding cheese: the käsespätzle variant is an extremely popular dish in southern Germany, especially Swabia, Bavaria and the Allgäu region.

Hot spätzle and grated granular cheese are layered alternately and are finally decorated with fried onions. After adding each layer, the käsespätzle will be put into the oven to avoid cooling off and to ensure melting of cheese. Käsespätzle is a popular menu item in beer gardens in summer and cozy Munich pubs in winter.

Rouladen

Rouladen is a delicious blend of bacon, onions, mustard and pickles wrapped together in sliced beef or veal. Vegetarian and other meat options are also now widely available but the real deal is rinderrouladen (beef rouladen), a popular dish in western Germany and the Rhine region.

This is a staple of family dinners and special occasions. They are usually served with potato dumplings, mashed potatoes and pickled red cabbage. A red wine gravy is an absolute requirement to round off the dish.

Sauerbraten

Sauerbraten is regarded as one Germany’s national dishes and there are several regional variations in Franconia, Thuringia, Rhineland, Saarland, Silesia and Swabia.

This pot roast takes quite a while to prepare, but the results, often served as Sunday family dinner, are truly worth the work. Sauerbraten (literally “sour roast”) is traditionally prepared with horse meat, but these days beef and venison are increasingly used.

Before cooking, the meat is marinated for several days in a mixture of red wine vinegar, herbs and spices. Drowned in a dark gravy made with beetroot sugar sauce and rye bread to balance the sour taste of the vinegar, sauerbraten is then traditionally served with red cabbage, potato dumplings or boiled potatoes.

Himmel un ääd

This is another messy and not necessarily optically appealing dish, but nevertheless definitely worth trying. Himmel und erde, or himmel un ääd in Cologne (both mean “Heaven and Earth”) is popular in the Rhineland, Westphalia and Lower Saxony. The dish consists of black pudding, fried onions and mashed potatoes with apple sauce.

It has been around since the 18th century, and these days is a beloved staple of the many Kölsch breweries and beer halls in Cologne, where it goes perfectly well with a glass or three of the popular beer.

Zwiebelkuchen and federweisser

October is the month to taste the first wines of the year in Germany, and a well-known culinary treat in the south is federweisser und zwiebelkuchen (partially fermented young white wine and onion tart).

Federweisser literally means “feather white” and is made by adding yeast to grapes, allowing fermentation to proceed rapidly. Once the alcohol level reaches 4%, federweisser is sold. It is mostly enjoyed near where it is produced. Because of the fast fermentation, it needs to be consumed within a couple days of being bottled. In addition, the high levels of carbonation means that it cannot be bottled and transported in airtight containers.

In most towns and cities along the Mosel River, people flock to marketplaces and wine gardens in early October to sip a glass of federweisser and feast crispy, freshly made onion tarts called zwiebelkuchen. Because of its light and sweet taste, it pairs well with the savory, warm onion cake.

Saumagen

World politics in a pig’s stomach. Saumagen was made famous by former Chancellor of Germany Helmut Kohl, who (like the dish) hailed from the western Palatinate region. Kohl loved saumagen and served it to visiting dignitaries including 1980s British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.

The literal translation of this dish is “sow’s stomach,” but saumagen is a lot less curious than its name implies.

Somewhat resembling Scottish haggis, it is prepared by using the stomach of a pig (or an artificial one) as a casing for the stuffing made from pork, potatoes, carrots, onions, marjoram, nutmeg and white pepper.

It is then sliced and pan-fried or roasted in the oven, and, as Kohl knew, goes down perfectly well with sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and a dry white wine from the Palatinate.

Pinkel mit grünkohl

Pinkel mit grünkohl, or cooked kale and sausage, is a delicious winter comfort food eaten mainly in northwest Germany, especially the region around Oldenburg, Bremen and Osnabrück as well as East Frisia and Friesland.

The cooked kale is mixed with mustard and bacon, and the “pinkel” sausage (named after the pinky) is made of bacon, groats of oats or barley, beef suet, pig lard, onions, and salt and pepper.

Germans sometimes celebrate winter with a traditional so-called “Grünkohlfahrt,” where family and friends go on a brisk hike accompanied by schnapps and finished off with a warm kale dinner in a country inn.

Spargel

Germans are mad about white asparagus. As soon as harvest time arrives around mid-April, asparagus dishes appear on the menus of restaurants all over Germany, from Flensburg to Munich and Aachen to Frankfurt.

This is spargelzeit, the time of the asparagus, and it is celebrated with passion. During spargelzeit, the average German eats asparagus at least once a day. This adds up to a national total of over 70,000 tons of asparagus consumed per year.

No one can truly say where this fixation with white asparagus comes from, but the first document that mentions the cultivation of this vegetable around the city of Stuttgart dates to the 1686. There are spargel festivals, a spargel route in Baden-Württemberg and countless stalls along the roads of Germany selling the “white gold.”

In restaurants, asparagus is boiled or steamed and served with hollandaise sauce, melted butter or olive oil. It comes wrapped in bacon or heaped upon schnitzel; as asparagus soup, fried asparagus, pancakes with herbs and asparagus, asparagus with scrambled eggs or asparagus with young potatoes. There is an audible sigh all over Germany when spargelzeit ends on June 24, St. John the Baptist Day.

Reibekuchen

Fried potato pancakes are so popular in Germany that we have more than 40 names for them. They are known as reibekuchen, kartoffelpuffer, reibeplätzchen, reiberdatschi, grumbeerpannekuche and so on and so on.

Another quintessential German comfort and street food, reibekuchen are often served with apple sauce, on black pumpernickel rye bread or with treacle (a type of syrup).

They’re popular all year around: in Cologne and the Rhineland they are beloved of revelers during the Karneval festivities in spring, and all German Christmas markets have reibekuchen vendors where hundreds of litres of potato dough are being processed every day during the holiday season.

Rollmops

Rollmöpse (plural) are cooked or fried and then pickled herring fillets, rolled around a savory filling like a pickled gherkin or green olive with pimento, and have been served on the coasts since medieval times.

Becoming popular during the early 19th century when the long-range train network allowed pickled food to be transported, Rollmöpse have been a staple snack on German tables ever since.

Rollmöpse are usually bought ready-to-eat in jars and are eaten straight, without unrolling, or on bread and sometimes with labskaus (see above). And like labskaus, they are commonly served as part of the German katerfrühstück or hangover breakfast.

Schwarzwälder kirschtorte

Germany has a vast variety of cakes, but among the most popular is the Schwarzwälder kirschtorte or Black Forest gateau.

The cake is not named after the Black Forest mountain range in southwestern Germany, but the specialty liquor of that region, Schwarzwälder kirsch, distilled from tart cherries.

Allegedly created by Josef Keller in 1915 at Café Agner in Bonn in the Rhineland, it typically consists of several layers of chocolate sponge cake sandwiched with whipped cream and sour cherries, and then drizzled with kirschwasser. It is decorated with additional whipped cream, maraschino cherries and chocolate shavings.

Its popularity in Germany grew quickly and steadily after World War II, and it’s during this period that the kirschtorte starts appearing in other countries too, particularly on the British Isles.

Whatever the reason for its success, it is both perfect for kaffee und kuchen in a German cafe on a Sunday afternoon as well as dessert.

Käsekuchen

There are rarely any strawberries in German cheesecake (or any other fruits for that matter), and the base is surely not made from crackers but freshly made dough (or even without base, like in the East Prussian version).

The filling is made with low-fat quark instead of cream cheese and egg foam is added to give it more fluff, plus lemon and vanilla for some extra freshness.

Maybe this purity and the focus on a handful of ingredients is why a version of cheesecake exits in almost every region of Germany: there’s käsekuchen, quarkkuchen, matzkuchen and even topfenkuchen in Austria.

Wherever you try it, you can be sure that it is the perfect treat with some added fresh cream and a hot cup of coffee.

Spaghettieis

This dessert is another immigrant legacy and is popular with German children.

Spaghettieis is an ice cream dish made to look like a plate of spaghetti. Vanilla ice cream is pressed through a modified noodle press or potato ricer, giving it the appearance of spaghetti. It is then placed over whipped cream and topped with strawberry sauce representing the tomato sauce and white chocolate shavings for the Parmesan.

Besides the usual dish with strawberry sauce, there are also variations with dark chocolate ice cream and nuts available, resembling spaghetti carbonara instead of spaghetti bolognese.

Spaghetti ice cream was invented in 1969 by Dario Fontanella, son of an ice cream-making Italian immigrant in Mannheim, Germany. Thankfully for us and perhaps unfortunately for Dario, he didn’t patent his spaghetti ice cream and it is today available at almost every ice cream parlor anywhere in Germany.

Dario did, however, receive the “Bloomaulorden,” a medal bestowed by the city of Mannheim, for his culinary services in 2014.

Six people died after a boat carrying migrants sank in the English Channel, authorities say, while two people could still be missing.

According to testimonies of survivors, 65 or 66 people were on board the boat which sank, local French authorities said. They added that more than 20 people were taken to Dover by British authorities.

Local mayor Franck Dhersin tweeted an image of some of the migrants who had been rescued aboard a rescue boat covered with gold aluminum blankets.

“Here is another catastrophe off the coast of Calais/Wissant with several drowned migrants. One day, we will have to stop simply recording the number of deaths in the Channel and the Mediterranean,” he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

All six people who drowned were Afghan men, according to Peymana Assad, a local councilor in the London Borough of Harrow.

“Afghans are running from Afghanistan because of the Taliban. They are on small boats because the UK government won’t open safe and legal routes for Afghans like they have for Ukrainians. Don’t even know what to say anymore,” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The English Channel is one of the world’s busiest waterways and crossing on small boats is extremely dangerous.

Human traffickers typically overload vessels and deaths are common in the choppy seas.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak – whose governing Conservatives have been struggling in the polls – made stopping boats making the perilous crossing across the English Channel one of his top priorities.

But 755 migrants were detected crossing the channel to the UK Thursday, government figures showed. The figure is the highest recorded in a single day this year.

As of this week 100,000 migrants have crossed the Channel since 2018, including nearly 16,000 this year, figures show.

On Friday 39 asylum seekers were removed from a controversial barge meant to house hundreds of people after Legionella bacteria was discovered in the water.

French authorities have stepped up patrols and other deterrent measures after the UK agreed in March to send Paris hundreds of millions of euros annually.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said in a tweet that her “thoughts are with the victims” of the migrant boat that capsized.

“I salute the commitment of the rescue teams mobilized around the (French Navy) who saved around fifty shipwrecked people,” she said in the post on X, formerly known as Twitter, adding that French secretary of state for the sea, Herve Berville, is heading to the scene.

UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman also tweeted, writing, “My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the tragic loss of life in the Channel today.”

“This morning I spoke with our Border Force teams who have been supporting the French authorities in response to this incident,” she added.

Ukraine has claimed “partial success” at a village along the southern front, as Kyiv’s counteroffensive continues to struggle to make significant progress.

Elsewhere, Russia is attacking near Kupiansk in the northeastern Kharkiv region that borders Russia, an area that has seen significant shelling and the first major Ukrainian evacuation in months.

Ukraine’s effort to push down to the Sea of Azov continues, with fierce fighting along the frontlines.

The area is a major target for Ukraine as pushing deep into the territory would mean breaking Russia’s land-bridge between annexed Crimea and eastern Donetsk.

Ukraine claimed “partial success” near the village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region, the General Staff of the Armed Forces said. On Friday, social media video and images showed Ukrainian troops had entered the village.

The Institute for the Study of War [ISW] said even marginal gains by Ukraine in this area are significant.

“The Ukrainian forces’ ability to advance to the outskirts of Robotyne – which Russian forces have dedicated significant effort, time, and resources to defend – remains significant even if Ukrainian gains are limited at this time,” the ISW said.

Meanwhile, Russians made “unsuccessful attempts” to regain lost ground near the village of Urozhaine in the eastern Donetsk region, the General Staff said. On Thursday, Ukraine claimed “partial success” in gaining positions in the area.

Also in Eastern Ukraine, Russian forces are trying to “escalate and take over the initiative” on an effort to “pull” Ukrainian troops from other areas of the frontlines, according to a regional military official.

In the Lyman-Kupiansk direction in the northeastern Kharkiv region, “the enemy is trying escalate and take over the initiative at this direction and attacking our positions,” said the Deputy Commander of the Eastern Military Group for Strategic Communications Serhii Cherevatyi, in comments made on national television on Saturday.

Russian forces attempted offensives near Kupiansk which were repelled in a number of settlements in the area, according to the Ukraine General Staff’s daily update. The city fell during the early stages of the conflict but was liberated last fall.

This week a mandatory evacuation was ordered for Kupiansk and surrounding areas as Russia intensified shelling of the area and claimed to have captured some Ukrainian positions.

Ukraine’s highly-anticipated counteroffensive has been underway for weeks with fighting focused along the eastern and southern fronts. Kyiv launched the campaign in the hope of recapturing territory seized by Russia. But so far, any gains have been small and painfully fought for.

As Manchester United continues to consider Mason Greenwood’s future, the English Premier League club faces growing scrutiny from fans, some of whom have staged protests at games.

In February, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced that charges of attempted rape and assault filed against the striker in October 2022 had been dropped, as had a charge of controlling and coercive behavior.

According to the CPS, a combination of key witnesses withdrawing from the investigation and new material coming to light meant there was “no longer a realistic prospect” of the 21-year-old being convicted.

Greenwood had denied all the charges against him.

Earlier this week, United said that the club is in “the final stages” of making a decision on the player’s future. Days prior to that statement, one campaign group, Female Fans Against Greenwood’s Return, said on X (formerly Twitter) that allowing Greenwood to play again “legitimises and normalises sexual assault and domestic abuse.”

Meanwhile, broadcaster Rachel Riley, the co-presenter of UK quiz show Countdown, said on Thursday that she “won’t be able to support United if Greenwood remains at the club.”

Writing on X, Riley added: “We’ve all seen and heard enough. Pretending this is ok would be a huge part of the problem.”

Greenwood hasn’t played for the team since he was arrested in January 2022 following the emergence of graphic videos and images on social media. Charges followed in October.

In that statement, the club said that it has “conducted a thorough investigation” into the allegations against Greenwood.

The statement added: “This has drawn on extensive evidence and context not in the public domain, and we have heard from numerous people with direct involvement or knowledge of the case.

“Throughout this process, the welfare and perspective of the alleged victim has been central to the club’s inquiries, and we respect her right to lifelong anonymity.

“We also have responsibilities to Mason as an employee, as a young person who has been with the club since the age of seven, and as a new father with a partner.

“The fact-finding phase of our investigation is now complete, and we are in the final stages of making a decision on Mason’s future.”

Before every Women’s World Cup game in Australia and New Zealand, the rhythmic tones of ancient songs rumble across the stadium to give thanks to the lands’ traditional owners.

The co-hosts provided a world stage for Indigenous culture but some fear that when the lights fade after Sunday’s final, so too will the opportunity to create a lasting legacy for young Indigenous soccer players looking to grow within the sport.

Two of Australia’s largest grassroots Indigenous football bodies – Indigenous Football Australia (IFA) and the Australian Indigenous Football Council (AIFC) – say there’s no funding for Indigenous football in Legacy ’23, the 357 million Australian dollar ($228 million) post-tournament fund dedicated to growing soccer in Australia.

“We want to see something during this tournament where that’s acknowledged and it’s redressed and that the Legacy fund does in fact, out of somewhere in its $357 million budget, find some support for these grassroots movements,” said Ros Moriarty, IFA council member and co-founder of the Moriarty Foundation, which provides soccer training to Indigenous children.

If it doesn’t, the FA is facing a potential mutiny in its National Indigenous Advisory Group (NIAG), the body it formed to advise it on Indigenous issues.

“I’ll sit on this body, but if things don’t improve, I’m gone, I’ll just walk away from the game,” said Maynard, author of “The Aboriginal Soccer Tribe.”

First Nations and the FA

NIAG’s influence was evident at the Women’s World Cup, from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags flying over the stadium to the Indigenous artwork and place names on FIFA programs.

Before each game, Indigenous Elders performed a “Welcome to Country,” an important sign of respect in Australia, the only Commonwealth country not to have signed a treaty with its Indigenous people.

It’s particularly important this year ahead of a historic referendum, the country’s first in 24 years, when Australians will vote – yes or no – to recognize First Nations people in the constitution, and to create a special body – the Voice to Parliament – to advise the government on matters pertaining to Indigenous people.

Campaigners on both sides of the debate claim a vote for the other will divide the country, but a common aim is to improve the lives of First Nations people, who’ve suffered historic disadvantage since the colonization of their country more than 200 years ago.

It’s against this backdrop that some First Nations football groups say their work with Indigenous children has been overlooked, even as the World Cup brings in millions of dollars of revenue.

The Moriarty Foundation runs John Moriarty Football, named after the first Aboriginal man to be selected for the Australian national soccer team. Each week, they train thousands of children, ages 2 to 18, on fields in remote and rural communities.

“These are absolutely Australia’s most disadvantaged children, so the ability for families to pay for the boots and the strip and the registration, let alone get their kids into competition (is limited),” said Ros Moriarty, John’s wife.

We need to have these programs that are community-driven, community-developed.

Ros Moriarty, Moriarty Foundation

“We need to have these programs that are community-driven, community-developed.”

Lawrence Gilbert, co-founder of the AIFC and the organizer of Indigenous tournaments, says he has a large network of volunteers and they don’t trust the FA or FIFA to deliver.

“They’re using all the artwork, and then scratch below the surface, there’s nothing,” said Gilbert. “Turn up, do the ‘Welcome to Country’ and see you later, guys.”

Decades of neglect

The criticism is not new – Indigenous football has been chronically underfunded for decades, despite the depth of talent evident in the success of Aboriginal players in other Australian football codes.

Football Australia CEO Johnson says the body wants to do more for Indigenous players.

“I know that we would love to be able to be already into the implementation of programs, but we’ve only really been focused on this area, rightly or wrongly, over the past two or three years,” he said.

“There will be Indigenous programs that are funded through Legacy. We’ve just got to get there. It’s not too far away at all. And it’s not a promise, it is happening.”

The FA says it’s already working with the New South Wales government on a 10 million Australian dollar ($6.4 million) program that includes expanding the NAIDOC Cup, an Indigenous tournament for Under 14 and 16 boys and girls.

There will be Indigenous programs that are funded through Legacy. We’ve just got to get there

James Johnson, CEO, Football Australia

But critics say that competition lasts just three days each year in one state.

By contrast, the AIFC oversees state and territory Indigenous football councils and organizes the First Nations Indigenous Football Championships and teams who play as the Indigenous Roos and Koalas.

But Gilbert, who co-founded the teams and claims to have trademarked their name, has even bigger ambitions.

The AIFC recently signed a “Football Treaty” with New Zealand equivalent, Māori Football Aotearoa, and Gilbert wants to create a World Indigenous Football Council and Indigenous World Cup, independently of FIFA.

“We’d like to work in partnership, but no one seems to want to do that,” said Gilbert.

Telling Indigenous stories

Last year, well before the competition started, FIFA established an all-women First Nations Australian and Māori panel to “recognize the unique cultures and stories of both countries and ensure they are respected.”

The panel included three First Nations women from Australia and female Māori panelists, including Jennifer Pickering, a Ngāpuhi/Ngāti Wai descent of Te Tai Tokerau, New Zealand’s north island.

“You’re sitting there, you’re one person – but you’re not, you’re representing so much more,” Pickering said.

“I think the more we get to see those players in the spotlight, the more Māori children and other Indigenous cultures can see people that look like them and know that if they want to become a professional footballer, that’s achievable,” she said. “Off the back of this World Cup, I would like to see more participation in football for boys and girls.”

Phillip Pickering-Parker, Chairman of Māori Football Aotearoa, says his group’s programs, run by volunteers, are “transformational” for Māori kids.

“They think they come in just for football. And we have to educate them about themselves. What is the DNA that you have? Do you actually know what it is, how special it is and how it can be really helpful to you in your life?” he said.

Pickering-Parker seems more hopeful that the World Cup will bring more funding to his small team of volunteers: “Right now. I’m hopeful. Because Māori people always build on hope. Right?”

Two Aboriginal players are in the Matildas squad that made it to the 2023 World Cup semifinals: striker Kyah Simon, who’s a NIAG member, and goalkeeper Lydia Williams.

“It was really basketball and AFL (Australian Football League) where we had professional players come out and say, ‘Hello,’ and I think they were the sports that we admired because we actually saw professional players come and share that with us,” Williams said.

When Williams goes back to Kalgoorlie now, she is greeted with the sight of children playing soccer. “To see that football is making the right steps towards that (Indigenous awareness), hopefully then it gives more Indigenous kids and communities more opportunities,” she said.

‘Now is the time’

The desire to see more Indigenous kids playing football is a common theme across all parties, from grassroots organizations to the sport’s governing bodies.

But groups that have spent years working unpaid to build networks with local communities now fear that the opportunity presented by Australia’s role in hosting the most successful Women’s World Cup will pass them by.

That’s not soon enough, according to the IFA, which has started crowdfunding to bolster the funding it receives from government, philanthropic foundations and the public.

Of the potential Legacy ’23 funding, Moriarty says: “We’re really wanting to see now, what is it?”

“How will we secure what our young kids and coaches and communities and families need to have some participation in this game? Because at the moment, it’s prohibitive,” she said.

NIAG member Maynard says the advisory body will ask the FA to compile a national report on Indigenous groups and players, so they can identify where they are and what they need. He said there was no doubt the Moriarty Foundation and the AIFC need funding, but there are others.

If hosting a Women’s World Cup isn’t going to do it, I don’t know what else is

Karen Menzies, NIAG co-Chair

He urged community groups to come forward and work with NIAG, comparing it to the Voice to Parliament that will advise the Australian government, if the referendum passes.

“It’s no good just trying to crash through the front door, you’re better off to utilize that we’ve got an Indigenous body in that space,” said Maynard.

Menzies, the NIAG co-Chair and former national player, says the World Cup should drive more funding into Indigenous football and the advisory body will take its proposals to the FA at their next meeting in September.

“Now is the time. If hosting a Women’s World Cup isn’t going to do it, I don’t know what else is,” she said.

“If we’re not able to lubricate that relationship with Football Australia and NIAG … I’m not entirely sure that I could continue to justify my position there.”

Where are Sabrina Ionescu’s shoes?

The New York Liberty star took to social media on Thursday from Las Vegas about her signature basketball shoes going missing while she and her team are on the road – and that she at least wants to retrieve her custom-made insoles.

“Never thought I would get my shoes stolen from an opposing arena … Please just bring me my insoles back,” Ionescu said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “RIP to my Sabrina 1s.”

Her post, which shows two pairs of her Nike shoes, came before the Liberty’s game against the Las Vegas Aces at Michelob Ultra Arena. The Liberty lost to the Aces 88-75 on Thursday, and Ionescu led her team with 22 points. It was the team’s second consecutive game against the Aces: They had previously beaten Las Vegas on Tuesday night at the same venue to win the WNBA’s Commissioner’s Cup championship.

As to what happened to the shoes, Ionescu said after Thursday’s game, according to ESPN: “I have no idea. I haven’t heard anything yet.”

“As an athlete, it’s not about the shoes, per se, it’s about the insoles,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello, speaking before Thursday’s game, told reporters, according to ESPN. “That’s the thing, going into a game not wearing your insoles. But I’m sure it will be taken care of. Our focus now is just on the game.

“She’s got some (other) shoes here. They travel with enough shoes. It was just about the insoles. Hopefully, they can be found. Keep the shoes, but give the insoles back. She can get plenty of shoes. But we’re on the road, so it’s not like we can just get some insoles.”

Concern is growing Hurricane Hilary will unleash a prolific amount of flooding rainfall on the southwestern US and parts of California as it makes a rare move over the region Sunday and into early next week, triggering the first ever tropical storm watch for California.

Hilary could dump more than a year’s worth of rain in parts of three states: California, Nevada and Arizona. Because of the threat, parts of California face a rare high risk for excessive rainfall. This Level 4 of 4 threat is the first to ever be issued for this part of Southern California.

Hilary was a powerful Category 4 hurricane churning about 325 miles south of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Friday afternoon with sustained winds of 130 mph with stronger gusts, the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm underwent incredible rapid intensification Thursday into Friday, strengthening from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane in just 24 hours. Hilary is forecast to remain a Category 4 as it approaches Mexico’s Baja California peninsula through Saturday.

Officials have issued hurricane and tropical storm watches and warnings for Baja California, including the Los Angeles area and extending as far north as Point Mugu in Ventura County, and northwest Mexico as Hilary’s center approaches the country through the weekend.

There remains a wide range of outcomes for the strongest winds in the US as the storm moves north over the next couple of days. Small deviations in the hurricane’s track could change the forecast for the most intense rain and wind.

The hurricane is moving faster than expected, so Mexico and California are also expected to see impacts sooner than early predictions indicated. The center now projects that Hilary’s core will be “very near the central portion of Baja California Saturday night and move inland over southern California by Sunday night.”

The NHC also noted strong winds and heavy rains will hit areas far before they see the hurricane’s center.

Hilary is more likely to make landfall in Mexico and cross into California, but if it makes landfall in California as a tropical storm, it would be the first such storm to make landfall in California in nearly 84 years, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The first ever tropical storm watch was issued for parts of Southern California Friday morning, the National Hurricane Center said. It extends from the California/Mexico border to the Orange County/Los Angeles County line.

“The threat of significant wind impacts continues to increase for northern portions of the Baja California Peninsula and the Southwestern United States, especially in areas of mountainous terrain,” the hurricane center said Thursday night.

Southwest braces for significant flooding

Hilary is expected to substantially weaken before reaching Southern California and parts of the Southwest but, regardless of its strength, the storm will enhance heavy rainfall and increase flooding danger.

Heavy rainfall is expected to begin impacting the Southwest Saturday and through early next week, with the most intense downpours likely on Sunday and Monday.

It’s hard to overstate how big of a deal the high risks for excessive rainfall is. High risks are issued on fewer than 4% of days per year on average, but are responsible for 83% of all flood-related damage and 39% of all flood-related deaths, research from the Weather Prediction Center shows.

Southern parts of California and Nevada could receive 3 to 5 inches of rain with isolated amounts of up to 10 inches. Rainfall of 1 to 3 inches is expected across central parts of those states as well as across western Arizona and southwest Utah.

Thanks to Hilary, “multiple years’ worth of precipitation could potentially fall in some of the driest parts of California,” Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California at Los Angeles, said Wednesday.

Among those spots is Death Valley, California, the hottest place on Earth. Death Valley typically receives about 2 inches of rain across an entire year, according to NWS data. Moisture from Hilary could unleash enough rain to give Death Valley 1 to 2 years worth of rainfall in a single day. And Las Vegas could get 2 to 4 inches of rain. It only averages 3.75 inches of rain a year.

Prolonged rain may oversaturate the ground and overwhelm waterways, potentially worsening the flood threat.

Weekend flood watches have been issued across southern California stretching from San Diego to Los Angeles as residents brace for potential deluges.

The National Weather Service in Los Angeles has also warned of the potential for dangerously high surf, rip currents and coastal flooding.

Tropical activity ramping up in the Atlantic

Not to be outdone by the East Pacific, the Atlantic is gearing up for a dramatic increase in tropical activity in the coming days. Four separate areas of concern stretch across the entire basin from west of the Cabo Verde Islands to the Gulf of Mexico.

Of most immediate concern to the United States is an area in the extremely warm Gulf of Mexico where atmospheric conditions can come together to support tropical development next week. An area of low pressure may slowly organize in the basin, strengthen and acquire tropical characteristics over the western Gulf by the middle of the week.

Three separate areas of concern are in the tropical Atlantic. An area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms west of the Cabo Verde Islands may organize into a tropical depression over the weekend and could strengthen further into a tropical storm. Another area of disturbed weather just to the west could become a tropical depression by early next week. Yet another area has a low chance of gaining tropical characteristics near the Lesser Antilles.

Gissella Cecibel Molina doesn’t know if she will lose her right eye, which was injured last week when her colleague and friend, presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, was assassinated in front of her as they left a political rally in Ecuador’s capital, Quito.

“As he (Villavicencio) approached the car, there was a man with a flag around his neck that said ‘Fernando Villavicencio for President.’ The man ran around the car to the other side, pulled out a gun and started shooting,” she said.

The last thing Molina remembered before passing out was Villavicencio shaking as bullets hit him in the head, she said. “I then felt like something hit me in the face and fell to the floor. When I regained consciousness, I could still hear gunshots and there were many people injured around me,” she added.

The brutal murder of Villavicencio, an outspoken anti-corruption candidate and former investigative journalist, has shaken the country ahead of this Sunday’s crucial presidential and legislative elections. It has also brought international attention to the powerful criminal organizations driving the violence that has plagued Ecuador.

The suspected shooter died in police custody, officials said, while six Colombian nationals were arrested in connection with the killing. The suspects are members of organized criminal groups, said Ecuador’s Interior Minister Juan Zapata, citing preliminary evidence.

Several other politicians have been assassinated this year. On Monday, a left-wing local party official, Pedro Briones, was shot dead in Esmeraldas province, officials said. Last month, Agustin Intriago, the mayor of Ecuador’s sixth largest city Manta, was shot dead alongside a young athlete he was talking with on the street, and in May, candidate-elect Walker Vera was murdered just before he was going to take office in the city of Muisne, Esmeraldas province.

Cartel violence

The dire situation is a stark change from a decade ago, when Ecuador was known as a relatively safe country in the region. According to figures by the Ecuadorian National Police, the murder rate in 2016 was 5.8 homicides per 100,000 people. By last year, it had spiked to 25.6, a similar level to that of Colombia and Mexico, countries with a long history of drug cartel violence.

Now, foreign syndicates like Mexican cartels, Brazilian urban gangs, and even Albanian mafia cells are working with local Ecuadorian criminal groups to fuel the ongoing conflict, say analysts. A report published in March by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime said “traffickers from the Balkans and members of Italian crime groups have set up in Ecuador to establish supply lines to European markets.”

Drug money has helped fuel corruption in the country, said the presidential candidate Topic. “All of that cocaine and all of that heroine that comes into the country helps to finance the corruption of politicians, cops, soldiers, judges and district attorneys,” he said.

“By the very fact that we’re not controlling our borders, we’re getting an influx of money that is literally corrupting the country,” Topic added.

Tackling crime has been high on the political agenda in the runup to this year’s snap poll, even more so since Villavicencio’s assassination. Political candidates have scrambled in the past week to reemphasize their approach to the problem.

Topic, a businessman who has had a stint fighting with the French Foreign Legion, has been described as the “Ecuadorian [Nayib] Bukele” – in reference to the Salvadorean president known for his iron first strategy against criminal gangs.

The 36-year-old environmentalist stressed that she wants to change Ecuador for the better. “I want this country to be a place of peace, a productive country… I believe Ecuador is a paradise and they have turned it into hell,” she said, referring to criminal groups and corrupt politicians.

During a televised presidential debate on Sunday, election frontrunner Luisa González said she would strengthen Ecuador’s security forces and intelligence systems.

González, who is from the Citizen Revolution Movement party, the political coalition of former leftist President Rafael Correa, also discussed restarting a joint intelligence task force with Colombia. “I’ve already had conversations with European ambassadors from the European Union with the Colombian President [Gustavo Petro] and we will restore security for all of you, Ecuadorian families,” she said.

Molina, who is a veterinarian, now risks becoming partially blind from last week’s attack, but she remains defiant. “We are not going to be subdued by mafiosos, corrupt politicians who want to be elected to the assembly, the Latin Kings, the [Mexican] Zetas [cartel], the Albanians that are now operating in the country, extortionists, kidnappers and all those terrorizing the population,” she said.

Despite her injury, she still plans to run in the August 20 elections, insisting that she wants to ensure justice is served.

Beaches officially opened for swimming in Ukraine’s largest port city of Odesa for the first time since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, local officials announced Saturday.

Bathing during air raid alerts, however, remains banned in the Black Sea city.

Odesa has seen relentless waves of Russian attacks over the last 17 months, filling the waters with sea mines and leading officials to close the stretch of sandy beaches and holiday resorts once popular with Ukrainian and foreign holidaymakers.

However, despite officially banning swimming since the start of the war, some people have continued to do so.

The city’s beaches were further tarnished in June when filthy waters from the collapse of the Russia-controlled Nova Kakhovka dam washed downstream, posing what the Odesa municipality described as a “genuine threat” to the health of residents.

Head of the Odesa region military administration, Oleh Kiper, said several “swimming and recreation areas” would open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in a post on the Telegram messaging app on Saturday, adding more beaches would open up as inspections were completed.

Kiper said lifeboats and mesh fences to protect against explosive ordnance would be required in open swimming areas, adding divers would be sent to inspect the Black Sea waters if necessary. Daily coastal cleaning would also take place, he said.

Oleksandr, a lifeguard and a former diver who gave only his first name, told Reuters that an anti-mine net was placed in between two piers to prevent swimmers encountering shallow-water mines.

“The net will stop them. And they (mines) will also be visible from the shore under such weather conditions. Emergency workers will be notified, they will come to handle it,” he said.

In a Telegram post, Odesa’s municipality said air raid shelters were available nearby the reopened swimming spots, with shelter locations indicated on information boards at the beaches.

But while Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov said it was the administration’s responsibility “to prepare all the necessary infrastructure,” he added, “In my personal opinion, beach vacations – as recreation – are a bit out of time while our defenders are fighting for every meter of Ukrainian land.”

Despite being cautious, residents have welcomed the move as a distraction from the war.

“I want to swim at last and distract myself,” Yevhen, a student from Mykolaiv whose school was shelled and who went to Odesa for a short vacation, told Reuters. “I don’t want to think about the war and bad things. I dont want to think about it.”

“I have been dreaming of going to the beach and inhaling salty air. We have been missing it a lot. But safety is a top priority,” Svitlana, a resident of the Odesa region, told Reuters.

Odesa still remains a Russian target. At least 25 architectural monuments, including a historic Orthodox cathedral, were destroyed in the region in an intense wave of attacks by Russia near the end of July. Russian strikes last week damaged a critical port facility and key industrial infrastructure in the city.