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☆ Top Sicilian mafia boss buried but the criminal enterprise lives on
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Rome CNN —Sicilian mob boss Matteo Messina Denaro, widely thought to be the last godfather of his kind, was buried Wednesday in a private funeral in Castelvetrano, Sicily. A police handout photo shows Matteo Messina Denaro after he was arrested in Palermo, Italy, on January 16, 2023. “With the death of Matteo Messina Denaro, a life full of violence, plots and mysteries ends,” Grasso told CNN. Messina Denaro, even with his rap sheet of murders, was highly critical of the Catholic church over the clerical sex abuse scandal. Matteo Messina Denaro was arrested at a private health clinic in Palermo after 30 years on the run.

Persons: Rome, Matteo Messina Denaro, Nicola Consales, Messina Denaro, Antonella Bonomo, Giuseppe Di Matteo, Paolo Borsellino, Giovanni Falcone, Messina Denaro –, –, Giovanni Motisi, “, ” Toto Riina –, He’s, Stefano Fidanzati, Pietro Grasso, Giuseppe Auteri, ” Grasso, Salvatore “ Toto ” Riina, Messina, Italy’s, ”, Don Ciccio Messina Organizations: Rome CNN, Reuters, CNN, Cosa Nostra, Catholic, Police Locations: Castelvetrano, Sicily, Palermo, Italy, Cosa, Messina, Campobello, Abruzzo, Calabria

☆ Jailed Italian Mafia boss Messina Denaro dies: ANSA
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] A screengrab taken from a video shows Matteo Messina Denaro the country's most wanted mafia boss being escorted out of a Carabinieri police station after he was arrested in Palermo, Italy, January 16, 2023. Carabinieri/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Italian Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, who was arrested in January after spending 30 years on the run, has died, ANSA news agency reported on Monday. Messina Denaro, 61, was suffering from cancer at the time of his arrest. The son of a mafioso, Messina Denaro was born in the southwestern Sicilian town of Castelvetrano in 1962. Despite his notoriety, prosecutors have always doubted that Messina Denaro became the Mafia "boss of bosses", saying it was more likely that he was simply the head of Cosa Nostra in western Sicily.

Persons: Matteo Messina Denaro, Messina Denaro, Denaro, ANSA, Giovanni Falcone, Paolo Borsellino, Giuseppe Di Matteo, Salvatore, Riina, turncoats, Crispian Balmer, Kanjyik Ghosh, Kim Coghill, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Carabinieri, REUTERS, Rights, Mafia, La Repubblica, Messina, Police, Cosa Nostra, Thomson Locations: Palermo, Italy, Rome, Florence, Milan, Messina, Sicilian, Castelvetrano, Sicily, Campobello

CNN —A Mafia boss who spent nearly three decades evading law enforcement before he was arrested in January has died while receiving medical treatment, according to Italian media reports. Crime was a family affair for Messina Denaro, born to a known Mafia boss in Sicily on April 26, 1962. Among those arrested in the 2009-2010 crackdown was his brother, Salvatore Messina Denaro, who refused to testify about his whereabouts. In 2013, his sister, Patrizia Messina Denaro, was sentenced to 14 years in prison, a term she is still serving, for being a member of the Mafia. Felia Allum, professor of comparative organized crime and corruption at the UK’s University of Bath, said in January that Messina Denaro was the last of an old generation of Mafia bosses.

Persons: CNN —, Matteo Messina Denaro, San Salvatore, Rai, Maurizio de Lucia, Messina Denaro, Giovanni Falcone, Paolo Borsellino, Falcone, Borsellino, Giuseppe Di Matteo, Maddalena, Bernardo Provenzano, Salvatore Messina Denaro, Patrizia Messina Denaro, Felia Allum, ” Organizations: CNN, Cosa Nostra, San, Sicilian Mafia, Cosa, Mafia, UK’s University of Bath Locations: L’Aquila, Italy, Palermo, Europe, Milan, Florence, Rome, Messina, €, Corleone, Sicily, Cosa

☆ China's Wang claims maiden WTA title in Guangzhou
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The 22-year-old Wang's victory marked the fourth time that a Chinese player has been crowned champion in Guangzhou, following Wang Qiang (2018), Zhang Shuai (2013, 2017) and Li Na (2004). "It was very exciting and it's a very emotional moment because in this tournament, every player is really tough," Wang said. "I wanted a title from the first day, even when I started tennis. China last hosted a WTA tournament in 2019, before the COVID crisis wreaked havoc on the global sports schedule. The WTA was widely praised for suspending tournaments in China but reversed its decision in April.

Persons: Wang Xiyu, Russia's Mirra Andreeva, Toby Melville, Magda Linette, Wang Qiang, Zhang Shuai, Li Na, Wang, I'm, Zhu Lin, Hua Hin, Zheng Qinwen, Peng Shuai, Peng, Shrivathsa Sridhar Organizations: Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, WTA, Guangzhou, women's, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Guangzhou, Palermo, China, Bengaluru

☆ They bought a one euro home in Italy. Then they bought another
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Silvia Marchetti | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Sign up to CNN Travel’s Unlocking Italy newsletter for insider intel on Italy’s best loved destinations and lesser-known regions to plan your ultimate trip. In 2021, Jeffrey Pfefferle bought two abandoned houses in the Sicilian town of Mussomeli. Jeffrey PfefferleThe couple bought it fully furnished: antique furniture, glass chandeliers, plates and blankets were left behind by the former owners. Once it’s fully renovated, it will be liveable.”The couple was last in Mussomeli in February to check on the works. ‘I can’t believe there’s community’The pair bought a turnkey property, and then a one-euro home.

Persons: we’ll, Stanley Tucci, Jeffrey Pfefferle, Leon McNaught, ”, “, Sicily Mussomeli, expats, –, Pfefferle, it’s, “ We’ve, ‘, Sicily’s, Sicily, Stephan Knodler, Agenzia Immobiliare Organizations: CNN, intel, ”, Mussomeli, Palermo, “ Locations: Sicilian, Mussomeli, South California, Sicily, Campania, Zungoli, Rome, Southern California

☆ Italy's Meloni champions 'family values.' But critics say she's doing little to protect women from violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“Perhaps we should start passing this message across and be a little more protective, in terms of vocabulary and language,” he added. We don’t know what to do with a woman in government who penalizes women,” the Democratic Women caucus said in a statement to CNN. Instead, Meloni has focused on her own family, which is increasingly prominent in party politics. Giorgia Meloni and Francesco Lollobrigida talk during the election of the new President of the Chamber of Deputies, on October 14, 2022 in Rome, Italy. Meloni’s party won the September 22 elections last year with nearly 26% of the vote.

Persons: Rome, Giorgia Meloni, ” Meloni, Andrea Giambruno, ”, you’d, Giorgia, Ivan Romano, Giambruno, don’t, ’ ”, Ginevra, Joe Biden, Meloni, Pope Francis, “, “ Donna Moderna ”, assertively, ” Giorgia Meloni, Gian Mattia D'Alberto, Rosa, –, Elly Shlein, Donna, Francesco Lollobridgida, Arianna, Meloni’s, Massimo Milani, Francesco Lollobrigida, Alessandra Benedetti, Corbis, Giovanni Montuori, Giovanni, Silvio Berlusconi Organizations: Rome CNN, Italy’s, Democratic, Democratic Women, CNN, Brothers Locations: Caivano, “ Italy, Italian, Sicilian, Palermo, United States, Italy, Rome, Rome’s Garbatella

☆ Rape Cases Seize Italy’s Attention and Expose Cultural Rifts
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Gaia Pianigiani | More About Gaia Pianigiani | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ms. Veltri was referring to the sensation created by another recent case of gang rape in Palermo, which is still under investigation. This summer, seven young men met a 19-year-old woman at a downtown club. A frame from security video that appeared in the news media showed them carrying her through the streets, as she could barely walk. Another shot showed them leaving her on the ground as they headed to a nearby deli. In an interview in an Italian newspaper, she spoke of having suicidal thoughts.

Persons: Veltri, ” Organizations: Repubblica Locations: Palermo, Rome

☆ Help! I Fell in Sicily and my Travel Insurance Ditched Me
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Seth Kugel | More About Seth Kugel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

I had purchased the RoundTrip Choice plan from Seven Corners Travel Insurance, so I called, expecting they would help coordinate my medical care with Italian-speaking doctors. But they told me to seek help on my own, save the receipts and file a claim when I got home. Seven Corners finally paid $5,772 for my bills and missed trip, but refused to reimburse me for most of my business-class fare. I have registered complaints with the Better Business Bureau and the state insurance agencies of Florida and Indiana (where Seven Corners is based), but I’ve gotten nowhere. Seven Corners says it will, according to its website, boasting of “a 24/7 multilingual team available to help with travel emergencies,” including help finding medical care and second opinions as well as “interpreter referrals” and medical evacuations.

Persons: I’ve, Makenzie, Greg Jung, Ilaria Organizations: Seven Corners Travel Insurance, Google, Better Business Bureau, Seven Locations: Sicily, Palermo, Munich, New York, Jacksonville, Florida, Indiana, St, Augustine, Fla, French, Belgian, California

☆ Mount Etna eruption disrupts Sicily's troubled Catania airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, lights up the night sky with eruptions as seen from Rocca Della Valle, Italy, August 13, 2023. Etna Walk/Marco Restivo/ Handout via REUTERSCATANIA, Sicily, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Flights serving the eastern Sicilian city of Catania were halted on Monday after an eruption from nearby Mount Etna, local authorities said, bringing fresh travel woe to the crisis-plagued Italian airport. The 3,330 metre (10,925 ft) high volcano burst into action overnight, firing lava and ash high over the Mediterranean island. Flights to and from Catania, a popular tourist destination, would be suspended until 8:00 p.m. (1800 GMT), the airport said on Twitter. The latest cancellations at Catania airport, which attracts more arrivals than the island's capital, Palermo, came a month after a fire at a terminal building led to weeks of disruptions for passengers.

Persons: Rocca Della Valle, Marco Restivo, Enrico Trantino, Crispian Balmer, Conor Humphries Organizations: REUTERS, Twitter, Catania, Thomson Locations: Etna, Italy, Handout, REUTERS CATANIA, Sicily, Sicilian, Catania, Mount Etna, Palermo

☆ Catania airport in Sicily cleared to reopen main terminal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A screen grab taken from a video shows people waiting outside the Catania Fontanarossa International Airport in Catania, Italy July 26, 2023. REUTERS/Giselda Vagnoni/File PhotoROME, Aug 5 (Reuters) - The Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) on Saturday gave its green light to reopen the main terminal at Sicily's Catania airport, a statement said, nearly three weeks after it was shut down due to a fire. "ENAC's order ... allows the airport to return immediately, as of this evening, to normal conditions," Sicilian regional governor Renato Schifani said in the statement published on the airport's website. Following the accident, the airport operated at reduced capacity through a smaller terminal, alongside which tent-like structures were built to help cope with the flows of passengers. The Catania airport is regularly used by tourists heading to places including the resort town of Taormina, which is about 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) away, and Siracusa, with its Greek Theatre.

Persons: Giselda, Renato Schifani, Schifani, Angelo Amante, David Holmes Organizations: Catania, REUTERS, Italian Civil Aviation Authority, Saturday, Greek Theatre, Thomson Locations: Catania, Italy, Sicily's Catania, Sicily, Palermo, Mount Etna, Taormina

☆ Pizza party: 14 versions of the world’s favorite food
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Terry Ward | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

The solution was to fry the pizza dough, with ricotta and pork fat tucked inside, for a puffier and more substantial effect. With several locations in Miami, Rey Pizza offers Cuban pizza varieties that include chorizo, picadillo (ground beef) and platano (plantain). New York slice pizzaNew Yorkers just fold their slices to eat on the move. “New York slice pizza uses a low-moisture and low-fat mozzarella that’s dry, almost more of a provolone,” Verde says. He recommends trying authentic New York slice pizza at Amore Pizzeria in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens (for a whole pie, try the Italo-Americano New York style pepperoni pizza at Coco Pazzeria).

Persons: Fabio Errante, , “, ” Errante, ”, Nino Coniglio, ” Coniglio, Enzo Algarme, ” Algarme, ’, Henry Cunningham, Gabriele Bonci, Cunningham, Stefano Politi Markovina, Tatyana Serraino, that’s, Lisa Cherkasky, it’s, Errante, . Wood, Allen Brown, Derek Gaughan, Pala, ” Gaughan, Louis, Steve Dolinsky, there’s, Dolinsky, Lou Malnati’s, crème, Khachapuri, Maggie Rossetti, iStockphoto, Ciro Verde, Coco Pazzeria, Pazzeria, Coniglio, you’re Organizations: CNN, CNN Travel, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Food, Netflix, Washington Post, Uno, Pizza, Americano Locations: Naples, Italy, Italian, Brooklyn, New York City, Neapolitan, Virginia, Rome, Rome’s, Prati, Rome's Trastevere, Errante, Olive, Sicily, United States, Palermo, Detroit, Michigan, Trumbull, Columbus, New Haven, New Haven , Connecticut, Chicago, Cuban, Miami, Gouda, France’s Alsace, Germany, Catalonia, Spain, Balearic, Istanbul, Yerevan, Berlin, Hamburg, Armenia, Turkey, Georgia, York, Astoria , Queens, ” Verde, Flushing, Queens, Yorker

☆ It’s Been a Hellish Summer for the Mediterranean. And It’s Not Over.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Jason Horowitz | More About Jason Horowitz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“We wanted to leave the house, but then the flames were behind the door,” a resident told Live Sicilia television. Things could hardly be worse for Italy and its Mediterranean neighbors this month. Wildfires and successive heat waves transformed their summer paradises into ghoulish hellscapes. And if it was not the heat, it was hail — the size of billiards in northern Italy — as the country ricocheted between weather extremes. But the many tourists who had come looking for a summer holiday found an inferno, and there was more than a hint of buyer’s remorse.

Persons: “ Organizations: Live Sicilia, Italy — Locations: Palermo, Italy, Greece

☆ An 'exceptional' Roman shipwreck was discovered with hundreds of intact 2,000-year-old jars off the coast of Italy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Relics of an ancient Roman cargo ship were found near Rome on Friday. The vessel was filled with hundreds of Roman vases, and is estimated to be more than 20 meters long. The vessel, dating back to the second or first century BC, was found loaded with hundreds of ancient Roman terracotta jars, also known as amphorae. The ship was likely part of the Cura Annonae, an ancient Roman body that was charged with importing and distributing grain to the residents of the cities of Rome. Last year, archaeologists discovered a similar shipwreck dating back nearly 2,200 years stocked with jars used to transport food off the coast of Palermo, Sicily.

Organizations: Service, Repubblica, Carabinieri Locations: Rome, Wall, Silicon, Italy, Spain, Civitavecchia, Italy's, Palermo, Sicily

☆ Opinion: Vacations as we know it are over
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Opinion Bill Mcguire | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

On the contrary, the extreme weather conditions across southern Europe this summer are a wake-up call — a reminder that not even our vacations are insulated from the growing consequences of global heating. Even northern Europe would see a tripling of extreme heat events, which could be expected once every five years. Climate breakdown is set to become all-pervasive and affect every aspect of our lives and livelihoods, and already extreme weather can happen pretty much anywhere. This can’t go on, nor should it, both for the peace of mind of holiday-makers increasingly worried about growing extreme weather, and for the good of the planet. Holidays abroad need to be decoupled from flying, which means – as far as Europe is concerned – train, car or coach.

Persons: Bill McGuire, Read, Lefteris Damianidis, jetting, staycations, we’ll Organizations: Geophysical, University College London, CNN, Reuters, Greenpeace, scot, Catania, Twitter Locations: Rhodes, Corfu, Evia, Europe, American, Lindos, Greece, Palermo, Sicily

July 26 (Reuters) - German sportswear retailer Puma (PUMG.DE) on Wednesday said second-quarter sales grew by 11%, slightly ahead of market expectations thanks to stronger revenues from Asia and Europe. "The macroeconomic environment and volatile retail demand remain challenging, particularly in North America and Europe, as recession risks weigh on consumer sentiment." Puma' sales came in at 2.12 billion euros ($2.34 billion) in the quarter, up from 2 billion a year earlier and above the 2.05 billion expected by analysts polled by Refinitiv Eikon. The company confirmed its full-year outlook for currency adjusted revenue growth in a high single-digit percentage rate, and an operating profit of between 590 million and 670 million euros. Operating earnings of 115 million euros for the quarter were down 21% from a year earlier but still above the 110 million expected by analysts.

Persons: Puma, Rihanna, Refinitiv Eikon, Linda Pasquini, Helen Reid, Milla Nissi, Jane Merriman Organizations: Puma, Super Team, Thomson Locations: Asia, Europe, North America, China, Frankfurt, Gdansk, London

CATANIA, Italy, July 26 (Reuters) - A fire early last week at Sicily's main airport is still causing massive disruption for visitors to the island, laying bare the disorganisation and poor infrastructure that challenge Italy's tourism ambitions. The fire broke out on July 17 at Catania airport, below Mount Etna, which acts as a hub for the east of Sicily and attracts more arrivals than the capital Palermo. Some disruption was inevitable, but visitors describe scenes of utter chaos that jar with the government's jaunty "Welcome to Wonder" advertising campaign, which aims to attract tourists using a computerised "influencer" version of Venus. "We are now told our flight won't leave before 6 p.m. (1600 GMT). "Airport people were shouting the names of the flights to be boarded, but what happens if you don't hear them?," she said.

Persons: Julie, Maria Grazia Salamone, Ugo Zinna, Guglielmino, Alberto Chiumento, Gavin Jones, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: CATANIA, Italy, Sicily's, Catania, Mount Etna, Sicily, Palermo, California, Taormina, Syracuse, Rome, Genoa, Catania's, Belpasso

☆ Three dead as Sicily counts losses from 'devastating' fires
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Alvise Armellini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Another woman in her late 80s died in the Palermo province after an ambulance was unable to reach her home due to fires in the area. In an overnight message on Facebook, Sicilian President Renato Schifani said "scorching heat and unprecedented devastating fires" had turned Tuesday into "one of the most difficult days in decades". Fires were still burning on the hills around Palermo on Wednesday, with Canadair planes back in operation to try to douse the flames. Large areas of the Mediterranean have been sweltering under an intense summer heatwave on Tuesday, causing deadly blazes across the region. "I hope that tourist flows in the areas affected by the fires will not suffer losses," Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci, a Sicilian, told the La Stampa newspaper.

Persons: Renato Schifani, Nello Musumeci, Alvise, Keith Weir Organizations: Facebook, Canadair, La Stampa, Thomson Locations: Sicily, Palermo, Sicilian, Calabria, Catania, Rome, Bari, Puglia

☆ Wildfires rage across the Mediterranean destroying land and claiming lives
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau Hamdi Alkhshali Martin Goillandeau Isa Soares Sugam Pokharel Elinda Labropoulou Chris Liakos Hande Atay Alam Laura Paddison | Barbie Latza Nadeau | Hamdi Alkhshali | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

More than 8,000 firefighters have been deployed to control the blazes as residents living near forested areas were evacuated, according to EPTV. Nasri Elyas/APThe Algerian Ministry of the Interior announced at least 34 deaths in multiple forest fires across the country. A 98-year-old man died as flames reached his home in the coastal city of Reggio Calabria in southern Italy, according to ANSA. Flames burn a tree in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty ImagesIn Turkey, forest wildfires ignited Monday night in the southern Mediterranean province of Antalya, according to Antalya Municipality’s statement.

Persons: Nasri Elyas, Billel, Nello Musumeci, ”, Alberto Lo Bianco, Fabrizio Villa, Maria Feggou, ” Feggou, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Petros Giannakouris, Angelos Tzortzinis, Muhittin Bocek, “, ” Bocek Organizations: CNN, EPTV, Reuters, Algerian Ministry of, Interior, ANSA, Civil, Twitter, Residents, Hellenic Red Cross, Greek Air Force, Getty, Anadolu Locations: Italy, Greece, Algeria, North, Bourbatache, Sicily, Calabria, Abruzzo, Puglia, Reggio Calabria, Palermo, Capaci, Catania, Rhodes, Corfu, Evia, Crete, Vati, AFP, Turkey, Antalya, Antalya’s Kemer, Croatia, Dubrovnik, Croatian

☆ Palermo airport closed, two killed in north as fires and storms batter Italy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Federico Maccioni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Firefighters work to extinguish a wildfire burning near the Sicilian village of Curcuraci near Messina, Italy, July 25, 2023. Vigili del Fuoco/Handout via REUTERSMILAN, July 25 (Reuters) - Wildfires forced the closure of Palermo airport in Sicily on Tuesday as extreme weather continued to batter Italy, with severe storms causing damage and at least two deaths in the north of the country. The island's main airport of Catania, Italy's fifth-biggest, was closed last week due to a fire in a terminal building and has reopened only for a few flights. On Tuesday, Italy put 16 cities on red alert because of the high temperatures. Italy is one of the European countries most affected by climate change, and suffered deadly floods in May.

Persons: Italy's, Federico Maccioni, Alvise, Keith Weir Organizations: REUTERS, Twitter, Catania, Thomson Locations: Curcuraci, Messina, Italy, Handout, REUTERS MILAN, Palermo, Sicily, Catania, Europe, Milan, Monza, Brescia, New York, Milan's Malpensa, Rome

CNN —Italy is facing multiple kinds of extreme weather at once, with southern parts of the country scorched by blistering heat, while the north is battered by deadly storms. On Tuesday alone, extreme weather killed at least three people, according to Italian authorities. Fabrizio Radaelli/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockAs storms disrupt the north, the south is sweltering under an extreme heat wave. Ufficio Stampa Gesap via ReutersMost budget airlines have been diverted to Trapani airport, according to the Palermo airport authority. Catania has also been affected by power and water supply cuts in part because of the extreme heat, according to Reuters.

Persons: Fabrizio Radaelli, Palermo’s Falcone, Falcone, Borsellino, Stampa, Nello Musumeci, ” Musumeci Organizations: CNN, Firefighters, SkyTG24, Stampa Gesap, Reuters, Twitter Locations: Italy, Veneto, Sicily, Palermo, Trapani, Catania

☆ Wildfires bring death and destruction to Mediterranean
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Fedja Grulovic And Lamine Chikhi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Without human-induced climate change, the events this month would have been "extremely rare", according to a study by World Weather Attribution, a global team of scientists that examines the role played by climate change in extreme weather. The heat, with temperatures topping 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), is well in excess of what usually attracts tourists who flock to southern European beaches. Neighbouring Algeria deployed some 8,000 firefighters to bring its deadly fires under control, authorities said. Malta, another major Mediterranean holiday destination, suffered a raft of power cuts across the country, affecting its largest hospital, after a week-long heatwave. "I have been through 65 summers in my lifetime... and what I am seeing now is not normal, we can no longer deny it, climate change is changing our lives," Mayor Giuseppe Sala said on social media.

Persons: Rhodes Blaze, RHODES, Ramzi Boudina, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Rhodes, Lanai Karpataki, Europe's sweltering, Giuseppe Sala, Angeliki Koutantou, Renee Maltezou, Federico Maccioni, Alvise, Lamine Chikhi, Jana Choukeir, Nayera Abdalla, David Stanway, Keith Weir, Janet Lawrence Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Algeria, Rhodes, Palermo, Tunisia, Malta, ALGIERS, Sicily, China, United States, Europe, North Africa, Bejaia, Kiotari, Europe's, Milan

☆ Italy shuts main Sicily airport until Wednesday due to fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, July 17 (Reuters) - The airport in the Sicilian city of Catania, close to some of the main tourist hot spots in eastern Sicily, has been shut down until Wednesday due to a fire, its management company wrote on Twitter. The fire broke out late on Sunday and there were no injuries, the airport said. Firefighters said they managed to contain the blaze about 90 minutes after it was called in, but provided no details on possible causes or any link to current high temperatures in the region. Flights at the Sicilian airport, which according to the Assoaeroporti sector group, ranked fifth for traffic in Italy last year and first on the island, have been suspended until 1200 GMT on Wednesday, the company said. The Catania airport is regularly used by tourists heading to places like Mount Etna and Taormina, which is about 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) away, and Siracusa, with its Greek Theatre and the historical centre on the Ortigia island.

Persons: Firefighters, Angelo Amante, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Twitter, Greek Theatre, Thomson Locations: Sicilian, Catania, Sicily, Palermo, Messina, Italy, Mount Etna, Taormina

☆ 'Heat storm' stretches into southern Europe, health alerts issued
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, July 16 (Reuters) - Italy issued hot weather red alerts for 16 cities on Sunday, with meteorologists warning that temperatures will hit record highs across southern Europe in the coming days. Spain, Italy and Greece have been experiencing scorching temperatures for several days already, damaging agriculture and leaving tourists scurrying for shade. "We need to prepare for a severe heat storm that, day after day, will blanket the whole country," Italian weather news service Meteo.it warned on Sunday. Italy's Health Minister Orazio Schillaci said authorities were keeping a close eye on Rome and urged people to take care. Europe's highest recorded temperature of 48.8C (119.8F), registered in Sicily two years ago, could be exceeded in the coming days, notably on the Italian island of Sardinia, meteorologists have said.

Persons: Charon, Meteo.it, Orazio Schillaci, Il, Crispian Balmer, Graham Keeley, David Goodman Organizations: Italy's, Thomson Locations: Italy, Europe, Spanish, La Parma, Spain, Greece, Africa, Acropolis, Rome, Florence, Palermo, Sicily, Bari, Seville, Sardinia, Barcelona

☆ The first battery-powered trains have arrived in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Enter Europe’s first battery-powered trains. In Calabria, the trains are running on the Ionian Coast, while Sicilian routes include Messina to Palermo and Messina-Catania-Syracuse. “It is the first time that batteries are used as the main energy source on a fleet of trains for commercial use in Europe,” Trenitalia said in a statement. The fleet – made with 93% recyclable materials – will cut carbon emissions and fuel consumption by 50% versus diesel trains, Hitachi said in a statement. A battery-powered futureThe trains are running in several regions of Italy.

Persons: ”, ” Trenitalia Organizations: CNN, Hitachi, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Catania, Hitachi Rail Locations: Italy, Calabria, Lazio, Tuscany, Sicily, Sardinia, Messina, Palermo, Syracuse, Europe

Sicily isn’t the only European destination bustling with tourists ahead of the peak summer season in July and August. After three years of pandemic restrictions, travelers are flocking to Europe in record numbers, despite high airfares, limited accommodations, sweltering heat and crowded sites. Among American travelers, Europe is the most popular destination this year, according to Hopper’s “Summer Travel to Europe” report. “I had to sell my car to pull this off, but if I’m traveling this far, I’m going to see everywhere,” she said. But there was nothing, so, unfortunately, I had to turn down business,” said Abby Lagman, the founder of the Blissful Travel Company, a U.S.-based travel agency.

Persons: Hopper’s, ”, Elizabeth Hughes, “, Abby Lagman Organizations: Hopper Locations: Sicily, Europe, London, Paris, Rome, Lisbon, Athens, Sicilian, Palermo, Chicago, France, Italy, Greece, U.S

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