Italy's Mount Etna and Mount Stromboli volcanoes have both erupted in recent days, spewing smoke and ash into the air as authorities issue red alerts. The two volcanoes are among the most active in the world, but others also pose a risk in Italy, where a larger threat could be brewing beneath the surface.

What is the state of Italy's volcanoes?
Italy has 12 volcanoes in total, of which nine are still considered active, and is also prone to earthquakes and other seismic activity. One of the most famous disasters resulting from this combination occurred in AD79, when a powerful earthquake preceded the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that destroyed the city of Pompeii. Now, scientists are worried an even bigger disaster could be on the horizon. 

With 24 hidden underground craters, the Campi Flegrei, a so-called supervolcano near Naples, "dwarfs the better-known Vesuvius", said Politico. Since the summer of 2023, several small earthquakes have hit the region, fuelling fears of a potentially catastrophic future eruption.

How likely is a supervolcanic eruption?
"The scientific community agrees that the tremours and uplift are signs that the volcano is awakening", but there are two competing models, said Scientific American. One theory suggests the magma is pushing to break through the surface, which would cause an "explosive eruption". The other suggests it is deeper underground, meaning the eruption would pose a lesser, but still potentially lethal, threat.

Camp Flegrei is incredibly large, making it difficult to predict volcanic activity. "The eruptions migrate over time, so we'll never know where, nor when of course, there'll be the next eruption," Vincenzo Morra, a geologist at the University of Naples Federico II, told the BBC. 

What is Italy doing about it?
Scientists are using drones "equipped with thermal monitoring devices to study surface temperatures around the fumaroles", which are "vents in the Earth's surface that emit steam and hot volcanic gases like sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide", said BBC Science Focus. 

Governments are also looking at rehousing residents, although some will want to stay, to avoid "uprooting their families" and to protect their homes "amid fears about looting", said Politico. "People have lived here for generations," said Mara Muscarà, a regional councillor. "They are used to earthquakes."

"Let's talk cobblers," said Ian Acheson in The Spectator. The country's "shoe mender-in-chief" has been named minister for prisons.

Keir Starmer's appointment of Timpson Group CEO James Timpson, a campaigner for the employment of former prisoners, has been "universally acclaimed by the criminal justice commentariat", who will be expecting him to "make good on the pre-appointment poetry that suggested two-thirds of people currently incarcerated should not be there". It is a "bold move", said Acheson, a former prison governor, "but not one without risk".

'Perfect for the job'
Born in Knutsford, Cheshire, Timpson studied geography at Durham University, before joining Timpson Group, owned by his father, John. His mother, Alex, was a campaigner for children's rights, and as well as having three children, she and her husband adopted two and fostered 90 over 31 years at their home in Manchester. 

Growing up "in a culture of kindness" has "translated" into "unusual policies" at the family business , said John Podmore in Prospect. Timpsons, which specialises in shoe repairs and key cutting, welcomes applications from former prisoners, who make up more than 10% of the firm's workforce. It also offers to clean job interview outfits for free for customers who are unemployed.

In an interview with Channel 4 in February, Timpson suggested only a third of the 85,000 people in prison in England and Wales "should definitely be there".

His "outstanding track record of supporting ex-offenders" makes him "perfect for the job", said Simon Hattenstone in The Guardian.

'Most dangerous man in Britain'
Timpson is "a man who gets things done", said Libby Purves in The Times. His writings reveal a "rare spirit of ethical capitalism, head, heart and collaborative energy", and his recruitment could be "political and practical genius".

For a penal reform lobby familiar with "get tough" policies, Timpson's appointment was certainly a "bolt from the blue", said Podmore. Yet while he "seems to have grasped, rather than been handed, this poisoned chalice, a poisoned chalice it remains". The criminal justice system, particularly the prison and probation service, "have all but collapsed". 

Is Timpson the "most dangerous man in Britain", asked Rory Geoghegan, the founder of the Public Safety Foundation, in The Telegraph. The "rehabilitation narrative promoted by figures like Timpson is mostly a myth" and, while the lack of prison space is not Labour's fault, emptying prisons rather than expanding them will "turn a budding crisis into a chain of avoidable tragedies".

Home to more sheep than people, the self-governing Faroe Islands within the Kingdom of Denmark is often overlooked as a holiday destination. But a new direct flight from Gatwick running until the end of August has made getting there much easier. 

Sitting between Scotland, Norway and Iceland in the North Atlantic Ocean, the isolated archipelago is known for its breathtaking scenery and windswept fjords. The tiny capital, Torshavn, is also a "nexus of creativity", said The New York Times, and is filled with "buzzy coffee shops, wine bars and fashion emporia". 

The "narrow cobblestoned streets" and "black-tarred houses" conjure the backdrop for "the most magical Nordic city break you've never had", said Mike MacEacheran in The Times. But with rain expected up to 300 days a year, don't forget your waterproof jacket.

It's well worth visiting Tinganes – the location of one of the oldest parliaments in the world. With "bright red walls" and "turf-green roof", "it looks a bit like the House of Commons, if designed by Noddy and Big Ears," said MacEacheran. Make sure you "snoop respectfully", though. Many of the buildings are still in use and politicians live locally in the "surrounding warren" of Reyn. 

Be sure to stop at the Nordic House, too. With its grassy roof and "cave-like interiors", it could "almost be a hide-out for elves". The cultural institution hosts regular concerts and the cafe has sweeping views all the way to the island of Nolsoy. 

Art lovers may also enjoy an afternoon at the National Gallery of the Faroe Islands. And if you have time, consider a boat trip to Vestmanna to spot seabirds such as puffins and Arctic terns.

In wars children are never legitimate targets, whether in Ukraine or in Gaza
The Daily Mirror editorial board
The bombing of a Kyiv children's hospital "in Russia's biggest missile strike for months" was a "grim reminder that this bloody conflict is grinding on", says the Daily Mirror. As in Gaza, where "thousands of Palestinians" have been killed and hospitals "pulverised" in Israeli attacks, "the innocents are victims" who will "never be legitimate targets". UK support for Ukraine and calls for a Gaza ceasefire are the "foundations of a foreign policy that champions justice and peace".

Felix Zwayer: UEFA had an easy out over controversial referee… but chose to ignore it
Malik Ouzia in the London Evening Standard
Choosing Felix Zwayer to referee tomorrow's Euro 2024 semi-final between England and the Netherlands is a "baffling, needless act of self-spotlighting" by Uefa, says Malik Ouzia. Zwayer was previously "banned for six months for accepting a €300 bribe", as Jude Bellingham noted in a "punchy post-match interview" in 2021 that "earned" the footballer a €40,000 fine. The association "must have known" that "outburst would resurface", yet scored an own goal with the "utterly avoidable controversy" over this appointment.

I don't want children… why do I feel so much pressure to 'make up' for that?
Ellen Scott in Stylist
When people praise the achievements of working mothers, "I can't help feeling lesser", writes Ellen Scott. As a child-free woman, "I've always felt pressure to have immense career success". Society tells us that "having children gives your life so much meaning" while a childless life is "empty". It's tempting to try to "get ahead of the narrative by proclaiming just how brilliant our lives are", but perhaps this "impassioned defence" just "piles on the pressure".