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☆ ‘Every Politician Has Got to Have Somebody That’s the Hit Man’
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Ian Macdougall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

As he neared a retention pond, Clark pulled over and stepped out into the warm Florida air. A little before noon, sheriff’s deputies found Clark lying behind the pond, the handgun in the grass between his legs. A few years earlier, he had decided to reconnect with Larry Householder, the powerful speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. Clark and Householder first met in the late 1990s, a couple of years after Householder joined the Ohio House. Householder was a self-styled outsider, none too fond of the Ohio Republican Party’s Reaganite establishment, which was, in turn, none too fond of him.

Persons: Clark, “ DeWine, ”, ” Clark, Larry, Ohio Republican Party’s, Bob, Betty Buckeye Organizations: Statehouse, Ohio, Ohio House, Ohio Republican, Republicans, Republican Locations: Florida, Gulf, Columbus, Perry County, Appalachia

☆ The best islands in Europe for getting away from almost everyone
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Terry Ward | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Here are some of the best islands in Europe for getting away from almost everyone:Schiermonnikoog, the NetherlandsThe Netherlands is better known for canals, dikes and tropical Dutch Caribbean Islands like Bonaire and Curaçao than the sandspun isles along the country’s North Sea coast. Flores Island, Azores, PortugalWaterfalls trickle down an imposing rock face on the island Flores in the Azores. aroxopt/Adobe StockOne of the most remote islands in an already remote archipelago, Flores Island in the westernmost stretches of the Azores is a nature lover’s dream. To say there’s room to stretch out and breathe on these Baltic Sea islands is an understatement. The best islands in Europe for getting away from almost everyoneHavsVidden offers a secluded escape on northern Fasta Åland with villas with their own saunas overlooking the rocky shoreline.

Persons: Annemarieke Romeijn, ”, Eyrún, Gabriela Silva, Flores, Rocha dos Bordões, Santa Cruz das Flores, Randi Skaug, “, Torunn Tronsvang, Richard Kellett, Luis Fonseca, iStockphoto, São João Baptista, Berlengas, Arlindo Serrao, Mola mola, Francesco Curione, Lent, Skyros, revelry, – it’s, Drake, Åland Organizations: CNN, Adobe, Heimaey, puffin, Norway Visitors, Intrepid, UNESCO, Visitors Locations: Europe, Ibiza, Netherlands, Caribbean, Bonaire, Curaçao, West Frisian, Wadden, Schier, Lauwersoog, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland, Heimaey, Westman, Hotel Ranga, gannet, fulmar, Flores Island, Azores, Portugal, Flores, Santa Cruz, Naustholmen, Norway, Bodø, Northern Norway, Norwegian, Lofoten, ”, Tiree, Scotland, Hawaii, Scottish, Oban, Glasgow, Loganair, Berlengas, Peniche, São, Grande, Alicudi, Sicily, Italy, Taormina, Skyros, Greece, Mykonos, Rathlin, Northern Ireland, Ballycastle, Åland, Finland, Bothnia, Sweden

☆ Italian designers Krill are using fruit peel to make furniture
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Arya Jyothi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Using fruit peel, orange seeds and coffee ground waste collected from businesses in Italy, Krill products can be redistributed to the same businesses for use in their offices, instead of furniture made from common plastics. “After three or four years, you have to change your furniture [anyway],” says Marco Di Maio, director of operations at Krill. “But if all that furniture was made using our materials, we would be able to recover them, crush them and print other furniture with the same material. First, the food waste is dried and crushed into a very fine powder. It’s also looking to develop injection molding — injecting the molten compound of food waste and PHB into a mold instead of 3D-printing — which could cut costs and save time.

Persons: “, ”, Marco Di Maio, Di Maio, won’t, Rekrill, we’ve, ” Di Maio, San, Iles, Ellen MacArthur, bioplastics, ” Iles, It’s Organizations: CNN, Circle Economy Foundation, bioplastics, Ellen MacArthur Foundation Locations: Milan, Italy, San Pellegrino, Sicily, “

The world also said goodbye to former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who died Nov. 29. Political Cartoons View All 1277 ImagesAnother political figure who died this year was former U.S. first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died Nov. 19. Among the entertainers who left the world this year was singer Tina Turner, who died May 24. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2023 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___Fred White, 67. A Hall of Fame forward who helped the Chicago Blackhawks win the 1961 Stanley Cup Final.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin’s, Henry Kissinger, Rosalynn Carter, Jimmy Carter, Silvio Berlusconi, Dianne Feinstein, James Buckley, James Abourezk, Nigel Lawson, Pervez Musharraf, Sandra Day O’Connor, Li Keqiang, Martti Ahtisaari, United Nations Bill Richardson, Gov, Sheila Oliver, Theodoros Pangalos, Tina Turner, Ike Turner, Suzanne Somers, Matthew Perry, Raquel Welch, Richard Belzer, Chaim Topol, Jacklyn Zeman, Lance Reddick, Alan Arkin, Paul Reubens, David McCallum, Richard Roundtree, Tom Sizemore, Jimmy Buffett, Sinéad O’Connor, Rita Lee Jones, Burt Bacharach, David Crosby, Fito Olivares, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Astrud Gilberto, Coco Lee, Tony Bennett, Harry Belafonte, Cormac McCarthy, William Friedkin, Bob Barker, Jerry Springer, Louise Glück, Jeff Beck, Mary Quant, Kaija Saariaho, Lloyd Morrisett, Fred White, Maurice, Verdine White, Ken Block, Walter Cunningham, Fay Weldon, ” Jan, Russell Pearce, Charles Simic, Lynette “ Diamond ” Hardaway, Donald Trump, Diamond, Constantine, Jan, Tatjana Patitz, George Michael’s, Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis Presley, Robbie Knievel, Evel Knievel, Ray Cordeiro, Elmo, Cookie, Gina Lollobrigida, Chris Ford, Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, Cindy Williams, Shirley, “ Laverne, Billy Packer, Sylvia Syms, Alex ”, Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield, “ Papa, Rollin ’ Stone, Tom Verlaine, Patti Smith, Bobby Hull, Paco Rabanne, Harry Whittington, Dick Cheney, Hsing Yun, ”, San Jose ”, Carlos Saura, Spain’s, Hugh Hudson, Oscar, “ Greystroke, Hans Modrow, David Jude Jolicoeur, Huey “, ” Smith, Little Richard, Lloyd Price, “, Leiji Matsumoto, Yamato ”, Tim McCarver, Stella Stevens, Jerry Lewis’s, John Munch, Ahmed Qureia, Betty Boothroyd, Ricou Browning, Gill, Gérard Latortue, Fontaine, Barbara Everitt Bryant, Ryan ”, Kenzaburo Oe, Judy Heumann, Gary Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Georgina Beyer, Traute Lafrenz, Rose, Peterson Zah, Tevye, Robert Blake, Jiang Yanyong, Bud Grant, Dick Fosbury, Pat Schroeder, Gloria Bosman, Jacqueline Gold, Britain’s Ann Summers, John Wick ”, John Jenrette, Juana La, Willis Reed, Darcelle, Paul O’Grady, Lily Savage, Emperor ”, Hedda Kleinfeld Schachter, Margaret Thatcher, Ben Ferencz, Nuremberg, Elisabeth Kopp, Michael Lerner, Jack Lipnick, “ Barton Fink, Bugsy Calhoun, Anne Perry, Thomas Pitt, William Monk, Al Jaffee, magazine’s, Charles Stanley, Richard Riordan, Todd Haimes, Tony Awards, Barry Humphries, Tony, Dame Edna Everage, Len Goodman, Carolyn Bryant Donham, Emmett Till, LeRoy “ Lee ” Carhart, Larry “, ___ Gordon Lightfoot, Tori Bowie, Vida, Grace Bumbry, Rock ”, Ovelha, Denny Crum, Heather Armstrong, Bobbie Spencer, Rolf Harris, Kenneth Anger, Doyle Brunson, Jim Brown, Timothy Keller, Andy Rourke, Ray Stevenson, Thor ”, Ed Ames, George Maharis, Carroll Cooley, Miranda, John Beasley, Kaija, George Winston, Ipanema ”, Robert Hanssen, Richard Snyder, Simon & Schuster, Françoise Gilot, Pablo Picasso —, Pat Robertson, Theodore “ Ted ” Kaczynski, Roger Payne, Treat Williams, Glenda Jackson, Daniel Ellsberg, Richard Nixon, Big, George Frazier, Lee Sarokin, Rubin “, ” Carter, Winnie Ewing, Sheldon Harnick, Jerry Bock, “ Fiorello, John Goodenough, Peg Yorkin, Sue Johanson, Yan Mingfu, John Berylson, James Lewis, poisonings, Mikala Jones, André Watts, Jane Birkin, Kevin Mitnick, San Francisco ”, Frank Sinatra, Lady Gaga, Hugh “ Sonny ” Carter Jr, Jimmy, Randy Meisner, Herman, Angus Cloud, Fezco, ” O’Neill, ___, Mark Margolis, Hector Salamanca, Saul, Sixto Rodriguez, flamed, Robbie Robertson, Tom Jones, Magoo, Timbaland, Aaliyah, Missy Elliott, Clarence Avant, Quincy Jones, Bill Withers, Ada Deer, Jerry Moss, Herb Alpert, Alpert, Michael Parkinson, Muhammad Ali, Miss Piggy, Jiri Cerny, Betty Tyson, Richard Nixon’s, John Warnock, Ron Cephas Jones, Howard Hubbard, Samuel “ Joe ” Wurzelbacher, Joe, Barack Obama, Gil Brandt, Tom Landry, Tex Schramm, Bill Richardson, Steve Harwell, Shabtai Shavit, Jordan, Ian Wilmut, Dolly, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Roy Kidd, Eno Ichikawa, Michael McGrath, Fernando Botero, Giorgio Napolitano, Matteo Messina Denaro, Michael Gambon, Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter ”, Mankombu Sambasivan, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Hosni Mubarak, Tim Wakefield, Dick Butkus, Michael Chiarello, Michael Chiarello ”, Masters, Burt Young, Paulie, Sylvester Stallone, Hughes Van Ellis, Kevin Phillips, Louise Meriwether, Mark Goddard, Major Don West, Rudolph Isley, Isley, unblinking, Piper Laurie, Chrissy Snow, Bobby Charlton, Bishan Bedi, Richard Moll, Xi Jinping, Wu Zunyou, Chandler Bing, Ken Mattingly, Bob Knight, Frank Borman, Steve Norton, Don Walsh, Mariana Trench, Terry R, Taylor, Daisaku Ikeda, Herbie Hancock, Bobby Ussery, George “ Funky ” Brown, Joanna ”, Marty Krofft, Pufnstuf, Donny, Marie ”, Terry Venables, Tim Dorsey, Serge A, Frances Sternhagen, ” “, Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, Gerald Ford, Shane MacGowan, Bernard McGhee Organizations: Wagner Group, Russian, White House, U.S, Supreme, United Nations, Greek Foreign, Republican, Hong, Boston Celtics, NBA, NBC, CBS, Television, Fame, Chicago Blackhawks, ”, New, of Fame, Louis Cardinals, “, Palestinian, Israel, South Dakota Democrat, Arab, Arab American U.S, Britain’s, Commons, . Census Bureau, Alabama ”, Zealand, Navajo, Minnesota Vikings, People, Playboy, Capitol, Juana La Cubana, New York Knicks, Guinness, World Records, Hollywood, Treasury, Southern Baptist Convention, Los Angeles, Roundabout Theatre Company, Air Force, Harlem Globetrotters, Janeiro Games, baseball’s, Germany’s Bayreuth, NCAA, Hall of Famer, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Legion, Ames, Phoenix, FBI, Simon &, Christian Broadcasting Network, Republican Party, Christian Coalition, Harvard, Feminist Majority Foundation, “ Little, Communist Party, Millwall, New York Philharmonic, San, Brigade, Wing, Eagles, HBO, of Indian Affairs, M, Police, Carpenters, Adobe Systems, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dallas Cowboys, escapist, Democratic, Zulu, Eastern, AA, Broadway, Communist, U.S . Senate, Red Sox, Yankees, Boston, Chicago Bears, Major, Isley Brothers, New York Times, Manchester United, India, Indiana, Nevada — Resorts, Atlantic City —, Navy, Associated Press, Soka Gakkai, Kentucky Derby, Kool, The, European, Barcelona, Tottenham, City Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Russian, U.S, Finnish, New Mexico, New Jersey, British, Greece, American, Hong Kong, Italian, America, New York, Spanish, catwalks, Texas, Taiwan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, San, New Orleans, Rosebud, Arab American, Haiti, “, African, Brooklyn, London, Los, Mississippi, United States, Rivers, Georgia, Savannah, Louisville, New York City, Irish, HBO’s “ Rome, Brazilian, Ipanema, Moscow, Virginia, Montana, Vietnam, Canada, Asia, Chicago, Hawaii, France, South Africa, Wisconsin, Los Angeles, Czech, Eastern Kentucky, Colombian, ”, California, Tulsa, Finland, China, Nevada, Atlantic City, Florida, Berkshire

☆ Niger junta repeals law aimed at slowing migration to Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Niger's junta, which took power in a July coup, repealed the law on Saturday and announced it on Monday evening on state television. In return, the European Union launched the 5 billion euro Trust Fund for Africa in 2015, aimed at eradicating the root causes of migration, but many felt it was not enough. How European leaders greet the news, and the impact on migration to Europe, is yet to be seen. Andre Chani used to earn thousands of dollars a month driving migrants through the desert before police impounded his trucks in 2016. Reporting by Moussa Aksar and Edward McAllister; editing by Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yara, Andre Chani, Moussa Aksar, Edward McAllister, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Fund, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, NIAMEY, West Africans, Europe, Niger, Africa, Agadez

☆ A tiny ancient elephant that roamed Sicily 200,000 years ago had babies the size of pet dogs
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Maiya Focht | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Over a hundred years ago, in the late 19th century, researchers discovered the bones of an ancient elephant in Sicily, near Syracuse. AdvertisementExtreme elephant evolutionThe juvenile Sicilian dwarf elephant. AdvertisementWhy did this ancient elephant get so tiny? One group of giant straight-tusked elephants moved to Sicily about 200,000 years ago. Understanding cases like the Sicilian dwarf elephant helps scientists better understand evolution as a whole, Van der Geer, said.

Persons: —, might've, Alexandra van der Geer, It's, Van de Geer, Ross MacPhee, MacPhee, there's, Van der Geer Organizations: American Museum of, Service, Leiden University Locations: Sicily, Syracuse, NYC, Netherlands, Europe, European

☆ Arab American Comedy Festival Goes On Amid Troubled Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Christopher Kuo | More About Christopher Kuo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Antisemitic hate speech and hate crimes have also risen sharply since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. On Nov. 8, a group of Muslim, Jewish and Christian comedians performed in a “Comedy for Peace” event for the New York Comedy Festival. Eventually, he took a comedy class and realized he wanted to do stand-up. She began doing stand-up in 1999 and performed for free at dive bars in New York City. When the two aspiring comics crossed paths in 2001 at an open mic event, Zayid was the first female Arab American comedian Obeidallah had met.

Persons: ”, ” Zayid, Zayid, Obeidallah Organizations: New York Comedy, Rakia Media, NBC, Palestinian Locations: Israel, Los Angeles, Coney, Obeidallah, New Jersey, New York, Palestinian American, New York City, Arab American

☆ This US couple sold their house and moved to Italy for good
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Silvia Marchetti | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The pandemic’s enforced period of no travel led an American couple to rethink their life and retire to sunny southern Italy. “We decided to sell our home, our car and all superfluous possessions and make Italy our retirement home for good. The couple looked at different southern Italian regions offering a 7% flat tax for new immigrant retirees, before picking Puglia. The unexpected rising temperatures in southern Italy are too much even for Louisiana natives. “There is a great amount of work that goes into the legal preparations in Italy if you want to actually live there,” says Glenda Tuminello.

Persons: we’ll, Stanley Tucci, Seventysomethings Glenda, Randy Tuminello, Covid, ” Glenda Tuminello, “, –, ”, Glenda Tuminello Randy Tuminello, it’s, Glenda Tuminello, they’ve, Michal Ludwiczak, they’re Organizations: CNN, intel, CNN Travel, “, Louisiana Locations: American, Italy, Spokane , Washington, Polignano, Puglia, Adriatic, Cefalù, Louisiana, Italian, Mare

☆ Albania to host no more than 3,000 migrants under deal with Italy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An Italian Coast Guard vessel carrying migrants rescued at sea passes near a tourist boat, on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 18, 2023. The figure compares with the more than 145,000 sea migrants who have arrived in Italy so far this year, a sharp increase from 2022 which Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government is keen to contain. Announcing the deal with Albania on Monday, Meloni said as many as 36,000 migrants per year could pass through the Albanian camps, but hitting this target depends on how quickly Italy can process asylum applications. The protocol states that Italy will shield Albania from any costs from legal action against the initiative. The facilities are more than 1,000 kilometres from Lampedusa, the island where most Italy-bound sea migrants currently land.

Persons: Yara, Giorgia Meloni's, Meloni, repatriating, Alvise, Christina Fincher Organizations: Italian Coast Guard, REUTERS, Rights, Amnesty International, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Albania, EU, Shëngjin

☆ Gambino family Mafia crackdown: 16 arrests by New York feds and Italian authorities
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Federal prosecutors in New York on Wednesday announced the arrests of 10 men allegedly belonging to or associated with the Gambino Mafia family, as well as the arrests in Italy of six other alleged organized crime members and associates. Prosecutors said the Brooklyn defendants, who are charged in a 16-count indictment, committed those crimes as part of an effort to dominate New York's carting and demolition industries. It previously was led by the late notorious boss John Gotti, who died in a federal prison in Missouri in 2002. The defendants arrested in New York on Wednesday included the alleged Gambino captain Joseph "Joe Brooklyn" Lanni. Prosecutors said the arrests were part of a coordinated operation with Italian law enforcement, who arrested the six defendants in Italy on charges that include mafia association and related offenses.

Persons: Gambino, Prosecutors, John Gotti, Joseph, Joe Brooklyn, Diego, Danny, Tantillo, Angelo Gradilone, Fifi, James LaForte, Vito Rappa, Francesco Vicari, Ciccio, Salvatore DiLorenzo, Robert Brooke, Kyle Johnson, Vincent Minsquero, Vinny Slick Organizations: Attorney's, Eastern, of, Federal, Wednesday, Gambino Mafia, Cosa Nostra, Mafia, CNBC PRO Locations: Brooklyn, of New York, New York, Italy, Missouri, Lanni, U.S

☆ Italy PM hails migrants deal with Albania as possible model for EU
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The agreement announced on Monday is the first example of a non-EU country accepting migrants on behalf of an EU nation. "I believe it (the deal) could become a model of cooperation between EU and non-EU countries in managing migration flows... I think this agreement features a bold European spirit," Meloni told Il Messaggero daily. Asked about the scheme by two Italian newspapers, Rama said Italy had not been the only EU country to propose such a deal, but he said he accepted Rome's offer as a sign of "gratitude". In the 1990s, Italy took in large numbers of Albanians and Rome is now one of the most solid backers of Albania's EU accession hopes.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, Giorgia Meloni's, Yara, Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, Il, Rama, Federico Maccioni, Alvise Armellini, Nick Macfie Organizations: Italian, REUTERS, Rights, European Union, EU, European Commission, La Stampa, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Albania, EU, British, Rwanda, Rome

☆ Travel news: Amsterdam will increase its tourist tax in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —This week in travel news: An ancient Italian site, a hefty European tourist tax and a bunch of bears in Alaska all got bigger. Norbert Eisele-Hein/imageBROKER/Shutterstock An Indian icon: The Hawa Mahal is part of the larger City Palace complex in the middle of Jaipur. According to Indian authorities in charge of the monument, roughly 1 million people visit Hawa Mahal each year. To experience its cooling effects firsthand, head inside Jaipur's City Palace -- it's located on the edge of the palace grounds. Vishal Bhatnagar/NurPhoto/Getty Images India's stunning Hawa Mahal Prev NextThe Hawa Mahal isn’t just one of India’s most beautiful buildings – it was also way ahead of its time in terms of sustainability.

Persons: It’s, Grazer, F, Jimenez, Alaska’s, Grazer “, She’ll, Jeffrey Pfefferle, Leon McNaught, Pfefferle, they’ve, “, ”, Norbert Eisele, Hein, imageBROKER, Hawa, Vishal Bhatnagar, Elena Odareeva, what's, Sanjay Sharma, Kavita Jain, Lola Fdez, Jain, Mickey Mousing, – Organizations: CNN, Amsterdam, Bear, &, Grazer, CNN Travel, UNESCO, Heritage, Adobe, KS, IKEA Locations: Alaska, overtourism Amsterdam, Europe, ”, Amsterdam, Italy, American, Sicilian, Mussomeli, Zhangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Fujian province, Indian, Jaipur, Jaipur's, Nogales, Kenya, Swedish

☆ EU states try to seal migration deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Migrants arrive on an Italian Coast Guard vessel after being rescued at sea, near the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 18, 2023. Envoys were meeting at 0730 GMT on an amended text of the tentative agreement proposed by Spain, which chairs EU talks until the end of the year, sources said. The meeting is the last chance to seal a deal before the bloc's 27 national leaders meet in Spain's Granada on Thursday and Friday, where they are due to discuss irregular migration amid increased arrivals across the Mediterranean, including to the Italian island of Lampedusa. A dispute over NGOs picking up people in the sea prevented an deal among the EU's migration ministers last week but the bloc is still keen to get it done ahead of key elections in Germany, Poland and a pan-European parliamentary vote in 2024. Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; editing by Bart MeijerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yara, Gabriela Baczynska, Bart Meijer Organizations: Italian Coast Guard, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Rights BRUSSELS, Brussels, Rome, Berlin, Spain, Granada, Germany, Poland, Hungary, East, Africa

☆ EU talks migration as Italy, Germany worry over increased arrivals
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] An Italian Coast Guard vessel carrying migrants rescued at sea passes near a tourist boat, on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 18, 2023. REUTERS/Yara Nardi Acquire Licensing Rightsサマリー Higher arrivals, looming elections put migration high on agendaFocus on whether Berlin backs proposed new EU 'crisis mechanism'Some propose Egypt for next migration deal after TunisiaBRUSSELS, Sept 28 (Reuters) - The European Union's migration ministers meet in Brussels on Thursday to discuss how to handle migrants arriving by sea as Italy and Germany worry over increased immigration, with Berlin launching border controls inside Europe's zone of open travel. "There is a lot of unrest in (the) direct neighbourhood of Europe," said one senior EU diplomat. The EU has been pushing tougher anti-immigration policies since more than a million people reached its southern shores in 2015, catching the bloc by surprise and overwhelming security and reception capacities in countries including Italy. The 27-member governments have since struggled to modernise their shared asylum and migration rules - including the "crisis mechanism" - especially as they want to look in control for their voters ahead of a pan-EU parliamentary election in 2024.

Persons: Yara, Giorgia Meloni, Nancy Faeser, Faeser, Gabriela Baczynska, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Italian Coast Guard, REUTERS, Berlin, Italy's, EU Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Egypt, Tunisia BRUSSELS, Brussels, Germany, Berlin, Tunisia, Europe, EU, Poland, Czech Republic, Bavaria, East, Africa, Asia

☆ 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

☆ Italy criticises Germany for funding migrant charity groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A woman reacts, as she disembarks from a vessel after being rescued at sea, on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 18, 2023. The review of the applications has already been completed in two cases," the spokesperson told Reuters, saying the funding amounted to between 400,000 and 800,000 euros ($426,000-$852,160) for each project. Latest interior ministry data shows over 132,000 migrants have reached Italy by boat so far this year against around 69,000 in the same period of 2022. On Saturday, charity SOS Humanity said in a statement it would receive around 790,000 euros from the German government. ($1 = 0.9388 euros)Reporting by Angelo Amante in Rome and Friederike Heine in Berlin; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatarsieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yara, Guido Crosetto, Italy's Crosetto, Berlin, Giorgia Meloni's, Angelo Amante, Friederike Heine, Emelia Sithole Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, La, SOS Humanity, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Rome, La Stampa, Berlin

☆ Pope Francis moved as Reuters photographer shows him child migrant picture
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nardi, who was travelling with the Pope, showed the large-sized picture to Francis as he was greeting media correspondents during the flight from Rome on Friday. "He was immediately moved, as soon as I took it out of the envelope," Nardi said, adding silence fell among the aircraft's passengers and Francis had commented: "They keep them in Libyan detention camps, then they throw them to sea". On Saturday in Marseilles Pope Francis condemned "belligerent nationalisms" and called for a pan-European response to migration to stop the Mediterranean, where thousands have drowned, from becoming "the graveyard of dignity". Nardi said that the day before travelling with Francis she was putting in order her photo archive, as she normally does before her assignments. "I saw that picture I had taken in Lampedusa and suddenly felt I had to show it to the Pope," she said.

Persons: Yara Nardi, Pope Francis the, Pope Francis, Nardi, Pope, Francis, Claudine Nsoe, Marseilles Pope Francis, Giulio Piovaccari, David Holmes Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Cameroon, Lampedusa, France, ROME, Marseilles, Rome, North Africa

☆ Germany's Baerbock joins chorus criticizing EU migration deal with Tunisia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Migrants rescued at sea walk after disembarking from a vessel, on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 18, 2023. "Democracy, human rights and the rule of law must guide us in our cooperation - something that was not given suitable consideration, in the agreement with Tunisia," she wrote. "The MoU (memorandum of understanding) with Tunisia cannot become a template for further agreements," she added. 'SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AND ABUSES'Asked to comment on the letters, a European Commission spokeswoman said the EU executive consulted member states enough. On Friday, the EC announced 60 million euros ($64 million) in support for the Tunisian budget and a further 67 million euros ($71 million) in assistance on migration.

Persons: Yara, Annalena Baerbock, Kais, Giorgia Meloni, Baerbock, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Oliver Varhelyi, Viktor Orban, Meloni, Gabriela Baczynska, Howard Goller Organizations: Migrants, REUTERS, UNITED, EU, Commission, Reuters, European Commission, EC, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Germany, EU, Tunisia, Netherlands, Tunis, Africa, Egypt, Hungary, East, Geneva, Ukraine

☆ Asylum seekers in Italy told to pay to avoid detention
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] An Italian Coast Guard vessel carrying migrants rescued at sea passes between tourist boats, on Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 18, 2023. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Asylum seekers in Italy will have to pay 4,938 euros ($5,259) to avoid detention while their request for protection is being processed, the government said on Friday, in a measure apparently aimed at deterring migrants. "They are looking to make detention for migrants the norm, but it is hard to see how they can do that," she told Reuters. At present there are 10 repatriation centres in Italy, which have a current capacity of just 619. In 2022 Italy reviewed 52,625 asylum requests, rejecting 53.5% of them, according to official data.

Persons: Yara, Giorgia Meloni's, Anna Brambilla, Meloni, Luca Zaia, Crispian Balmer, Alex Richardson Organizations: Italian Coast Guard, REUTERS, Rights, Association, Immigration, Reuters, League, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Veneto, Rome, Africa, Europe

☆ 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

☆ Analysis: EU, Italy talk tough on migration but action won't be easy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Alvise Armellini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/5] An Italian Coast Guard vessel carrying migrants rescued at sea passes between tourist boats, on Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy. Well over 10,000 migrants reached the Italian island - whose permanent population is about 6,000 - last week. Lampedusa sits in the Mediterranean between Tunisia, Malta and the larger Italian island of Sicily and is a first port of call for many migrants seeking to reach the EU. In 2020, it was discontinued as other EU nations balked at Italian requests to have them redistributed around the bloc. Other EU states have not commented publicly on the idea of a naval blockade, which Italy says would also need the consent of North African states.

Persons: Yara, Sophia, Giorgia Meloni, Lampedusa, Meloni, Ursula von der Leyen, Ferruccio Pastore, Pastore, von der Leyen, Maurizio Ambrosini, Jan Strupczewski, Gavin Jones, Janet Lawrence Organizations: Italian Coast Guard, EU, European Union, European, International, European Forum, Research, Immigration, Human, Reuters, Dublin, University of Milan, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, North Africa, ROME, Tunisia, Malta, Sicily, Europe, Albania, Italian, Rome, Tirana, France, Austria, Dublin, EU, Germany, Brussels, repatriations

☆ Italy to pass tougher measures to deter migrant arrivals
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Angelo Amante | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A man disembarked from Guardia di Finanza vessel is taken away on a stretcher after being rescued at sea, on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 18, 2023. Under Italian law, migrants facing repatriation can be held if they cannot be immediately expelled. More than 127,000 migrants have arrived in Italy so far this year, according to government data, almost double the figure for the same period of 2022. Officials say a majority of migrants head to Italy for economic reasons and are therefore not eligible for asylum. ($1 = 0.9379 euros)Reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Crispian Balmer and Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yara, Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, Ursula von der Leyen, Von der Leyen, Angelo Amante, Crispian Balmer, Christina Fincher Organizations: Guardia, REUTERS, Rights, European, Thomson Locations: Guardia di, Lampedusa, Italy, Rome, Brussels

☆ EU chief pledges migrant action plan in Italy's Lampedusa
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Yara Nardi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Yara Nardi Acquire Licensing RightsLAMPEDUSA, Italy Sept 17 (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday visited the Italian island of Lampedusa, which is struggling with a surge in migrant arrivals, and promised a 10-point EU action plan to help Italy deal with the situation. Nearly 126,000 migrants have arrived in Italy so far this year, almost double the figure by the same date in 2022. Von der Leyen was accompanied by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the car carrying them to Lampedusa's migrant reception centre was briefly blocked by locals protesting over the burden facing the island. The plan includes using the EU's external borders agency Frontex to identify migrants arriving in Italy and repatriate those not eligible for asylum. Frontex would also step up sea and aerial surveillance of migrant boats and help crack down on people-smugglers, von der Leyen said, adding that she had already spoken to several EU leaders about the plan and was confident of their support.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, Giorgia Meloni's, Yara, Von der Leyen, Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, von der Leyen, Frontex, Tony Colapinto, Gavin Jones, Louise Heavens Organizations: Italian, REUTERS, Sunday, Meloni, coastguard, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, European, Tunisia, Tunis, Europe

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