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cover art for George Gibney found guilty of historic sex abuse; and wildfires rage across southern Europe

Early Edition

George Gibney found guilty of historic sex abuse; and wildfires rage across southern Europe

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Former Olympic swimming coach George Gibney, who’s 77 with an address in Florida, has been found guilty of sexually abusing four girls more than 50 years ago.


Authorities in France have evacuated 10,000 people because of wildfires burning out of control near the Spanish border. Fires are also raging in northern Spain, Portugal, and Greece.


With Donald Trump reigniting his feud with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ahead of the Nato summit in Ankara this week, leaders in the military alliance have much bigger questions to answer.


Personal records of children who were “boarded out” from religious institutions will be withheld from a new public archive set up to remember the abuse of women and children in 20th-century Ireland. 


Presented by Andrew McNair.

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