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☆ Italian police net record 5-tonne cocaine haul off Sicilian coast
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, July 21 (Reuters) - Italian authorities have seized a record 5.3 tonne cocaine haul being transferred between ships off the southern coast of Sicily, police said on Friday. The consignment had an estimated value of 850 million euros ($946 million) and five people have been arrested, the Guardia di Finanza said in a statement. They stopped the trawler and found large quantities of drugs in a hidden compartment behind some panelling on the vessel. In April, Italian police had found almost 2 tonnes of cocaine floating at sea off eastern Sicily which they believe had been left by a cargo ship for collection. ($1 = 0.8986 euros)Writing by Keith Weir; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Finanza, Renato Schifani, Keith Weir, Alex Richardson Organizations: Police, Thomson Locations: Sicily, South America, Albanian

☆ Review: A Lack of Passion Keeps This ‘Orpheus Descending’ Earthbound
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Elisabeth Vincentelli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

That mythical figure is Val (Pico Alexander), and it’s easy to see why he fascinates Lady (Siff). For most of the play, Jabe is heard rather than seen, making his presence felt by imperiously knocking on the floor of the couple’s quarters, which are above the store. Like Val, Lady is different, which also puts her at odds in the community. Williams writes that Lady “verges on hysteria under a strain,” but Siff (best known for the Showtime series “Billions”) evokes neither. Here it is a hindrance, as she can’t quite give in to the forces pressing down on Lady.

Persons: Pico Alexander, Jabe, Michael Cullen, imperiously, Val, Williams, Siff, “, ” Alexander, ”, Marlon Brando, Anna Magnani, Uncle Pleasant, Schmidt, Mac Beth, Cyrano ”, Peter Dinklage, Carol Cutrere, Julia McDermott Organizations: Eastern Europe —, Ku Klux, Showtime Locations: Eastern Europe, runny eyeliner

☆ 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

☆ Europe sizzles as a heatwave sweeps the continent, pushing temperatures close to record levels
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The record for the highest temperature in European history was broken in August 2021, when 48.8C was registered in Floridia, a town in Italy's Sicilian province of Syracuse. In Italy, meanwhile, temperatures could soon reach as high as 48 degrees Celsius on the islands of Sardinia and Sicily. Scientists at the European Space Agency said that record could be broken again in the coming days. The Italian Meteorological Society (SMI), meanwhile, told CNBC that it was not yet possible to forecast whether Europe's temperature record would soon be equaled or surpassed. Researchers say global heating is strongly increasing the odds of heatwaves such as the one currently sizzling in countries across Europe.

Persons: 48.8C Organizations: European Space Agency, Italian Meteorological Society, CNBC Locations: Tempio Pausania, Sardinia, Italy, Floridia, Italy's Sicilian, Syracuse, Europe, Spain, France, Greece, Croatia, Turkey, Sicily, Rome, Florence, Bologna

☆ Douglas Stuart Doesn’t Need 3 People at His Dream Dinner Party
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I’ve been itinerant lately, so I tend to carry my reading everywhere I go. Right now, I’m trying to make sense of the forces that misshaped me, so I’m reading “The Reformation: A History,” by Diarmaid MacCulloch, and “The Scottish Enlightenment,” by Arthur Herman. What’s the last great book you read? Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how). A great book can make any reading experience ideal.

Persons: I’ve, Diarmaid MacCulloch, ”, Arthur Herman, I’m, Pam Zhang, Catherine Lacey, David Hare, Michael Cunningham’s, Alan Bennett, John Lahr’s, Joe Orton, Sebastian Barry, Tomasi di Lampedusa, Maria McCann’s Organizations: Scottish Locations: Edinburgh, “

☆ Restaurant Review: Raf’s Conjures Swirling Abundance from a Wood-Fired Oven
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Pete Wells | More About Pete Wells | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Her elegantly narrow sliver of torte plays a dark-chocolate filling against a darker chocolate glaze. More surprisingly, she has finally figured out what to do with white chocolate: It is caramelized and made into a dense pudding that looks a bit like a cappuccino, and tastes more like one than whatever it is white chocolate usually tastes like. The kitchen is at the end of the room, where cooks slide pans in and out of the mouth of the oven in a gleaming wall of white tile. Follow New York Times Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Pinterest. Get regular updates from New York Times Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice.

Persons: Mick Organizations: New York Times, Facebook, YouTube

☆ Ancient Greek altar unearthed at archaeological site in Sicily
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] An ancient Greek altar for family worship dating back at least 2,000 years is pictured after it was found in the Sicilian archaeological site of Segesta, Italy, June 29, 2023. Flavio Leone Sisilab CoopCulture Sicilia/Handout via REUTERSROME, June 30 (Reuters) - An ancient Greek altar for family worship dating back more than 2,000 years has been found in the archaeological site of Segesta on the Italian island of Sicily, local authorities said on Friday. It had been buried for centuries by a few centimetres of earth and vegetation in the area of the Southern Acropolis at the Segesta site, which is in the western part of the island. "The Segesta site never ceases to amaze us," said Sicily's regional culture minister Francesco Paolo Scarpinato. Segesta, renowned for its 5th-century-BC temple, was an ancient Greek city nestled between mountains.

Persons: Flavio Leone Sisilab CoopCulture, Francesco Paolo Scarpinato, Segesta, Federica Urso, Gavin Jones, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Southern Acropolis, Thomson Locations: Segesta, Italy, Flavio Leone Sisilab CoopCulture Sicilia, Handout, REUTERS ROME, Sicily, , Southern

☆ 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

☆ Three historical shipwrecks uncovered in the Mediterranean
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —An international team of scientists discovered three historical shipwrecks during an underwater archaeological expedition last year in the Mediterranean Sea. Scientists conducted their expedition in the Mediterranean last year aboard the Alfred Merlin research vessel. The team used the research vessel’s underwater mapping and imaging equipment to catalog shipwrecks, dating from ancient times to the 20th century, with sonar. Located along a heavily traveled route in the Mediterranean, the Skerki Bank in the Strait of Sicily is one of the most treacherous maritime areas. As you know, the Mediterranean with its very rich history, and its countless shipwrecks and archaeological sites offer a unique and fascinating stage for such expeditions.

Persons: Robert Ballard, Anna Marguerite McCann, Alfred Merlin, Arthur, Keith Reef, Angel Fitor, DRASSM, ”, Barbara Davidde, Lazare Eloundou Assomo Organizations: CNN, UNESCO, Skerki Bank of, Skerki Bank, DRASSM UNESCO, Drassm, UNESCO World Heritage, “ UNESCO Locations: Paris, Algeria, Croatia, Egypt, France, Italy, Morocco, Spain, Tunisia, Skerki Bank of Tunisia, Strait, Sicily, Tunisian

☆ A Superquick Sicilian Pasta With Anchovies and Cauliflower
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Sam Sifton | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Write to us at cookingcare@nytimes.com and someone will get back to you. Want to say hello or get something off your chest? He sees the trouble in the paintings, inextricably linked to their beauty. I enjoyed the baker Rick Easton’s dinner diary for Grub Street last week. Listen to that and I’ll be back on Friday.

Persons: Vermeer, Rick Easton’s, Grub, Here’s, Madeline ffitch, Jon Pareles, ”, I’ll Organizations: New York Times Magazine, Harper’s Magazine, Blades Locations: Amsterdam

☆ Engie, Amazon inaugurate Italy's biggest agrivoltaic farm
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, May 26 (Reuters) - France's Engie (ENGIE.PA) and Amazon (AMZN.O) on Friday officially opened Italy's biggest agrivoltaic farm to supply green energy to the Italian unit of the e-commerce giant. The solar power farm, near the Sicilian city of Trapani, will create power through photovoltaic panels placed high above the ground in order to allow cultivation in the fields below. The rest will go to the Italian power grid. Amazon Italy plans to power all its activities with renewable energy by 2025. The Italian subsidiary of Engie aims to reach 2 gigawatt (GW) of installed green capacity by 2030, its CEO Monica Iacono said in a statement.

☆ Ayvalık and Cunda: Turkey's prettiest Aegean coast resorts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Feride Yalav-Heckeroth | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Alongside classic beach towns like Bodrum and Alaçatı, two of the coast’s loveliest spots are the little-known seaside town of Ayvalık and the nearby island of Cunda. Near the Taksiyarhis Memorial Museum, in a beautifully renovated historic house with large arched windows, is Moyy Atölye. For a truly Aegean dining experience inside an olive grove, Karina Ayvalık is worth the 10-minute drive south to the village of Küçükköy. “I can breathe in the Aegean air and feel history as I walk through the old streets with their historic houses. Getting lost on Cunda leads to discoveries – like the Cunda Taksiyarhis Rahmi M. Koç Museum inside a renovated Greek Orthodox church with a collection of antique cars, motorcycles and toys.

☆ Mount Etna eruption halts flights to Sicily's Catania airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

ROME, May 21 (Reuters) - Flights serving the eastern Sicilian city of Catania were halted on Sunday after an eruption from nearby Mount Etna spewed volcanic ash onto its runways, airport authorities said. The 3,330 metre (10,925 ft) high volcano can burst into spectacular action several times a year, firing lava and ash high over the Mediterranean island. Flights to and from Catania, a popular tourist destination, would be suspended until normal safety conditions could be guaranteed, the airport said on Twitter. Cars in the city were covered in a layer of dark gritty dust, images in the Italian media showed. Writing by Keith Weir; editing by Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Elon Musk's super-app ambitions took an interesting turn with his first acquisition at Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The move speaks to a broader strategy Musk has hinted at of creating a US super app. While extremely popular in Asia, super apps haven't caught on in the US. There are multiple forces working against the success of a super app in the US, let alone one run by someone as polarizing as Musk. When I think of super apps, my mind goes toward pursuing users' wallets. And here's why industry experts remain unconvinced about Elon Musk's plans to turn Twitter into a super app.

☆ A California-based woman bought 3 abandoned houses in a Sicilian village for $3.30, cashing in on Italy's desperation to repopulate its fast-emptying ghost towns
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Amanda Goh | Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rubia Daniels flew to the town of Mussomeli in Sicily after hearing about its cheap homes. Many Italian towns have introduced similar schemes in an attempt to repopulate rural Italy. Rubia Daniels standing in front of one of her Mussomeli properties Rubia Daniels. Rubia Daniels. She currently splits her time between San Francisco and Mussomeli and spends at least a month in the Italian village each time.

☆ World's longest bridge could transform Sicily. But not if the Mafia and earthquakes get in the way
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Since then, various plans, including a short-lived idea for a tunnel, have come and gone – like water under the bridge. If built, the bridge across the Straits of Messina would span two miles (3.2 kilometers) and would be the longest suspension bridge in the world. When Salvini became transport minister, he made it his priority, betting his legacy on the bridge. “The bridge over the Strait of Messina is a project that can break ground immediately. The recent arrest of Cosa Nostra boss Matteo Messina Denaro after 30 years on the lam in Sicily represented a victory.

☆ Irsina, the Italian village being repopulated by Americans
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Silvia Marchetti | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

More than 15 families from the US and Canada have bought old properties in this remote village, known for its premium wheat fields and olive groves. The first foreign “pioneer” to buy a house in Irsina was Sandy Webster, a 63-year-old writer from San Diego. The couple fell in love with the village, bought an old house with thick stone walls, antique furniture and ancient maiolica-tile floors, and spent four years renovating it. “When we got here in 2016, over 80% of the population had fled to the newer district of Irsina, the old Irsina was empty and we loved how it looked. Their house, built into the old village walls, was on sale for 70,000 euros ($77,000).

☆ Meet the real-life manager of the luxury hotel in Sicily where 'The White Lotus' was filmed, with rooms starting at $2,000 a night
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Lorenzo Maraviglia is the general manager of the hotel where "The White Lotus" Season 2 was filmed. He told Insider what the show gets right about his job and where it embellishes reality. That's because the renovated 14th-century convent overlooking the Ionian Sea was the central filming location of the hit-TV drama — and it's all hotel guests want to talk about. "It's funny because in "The White Lotus," Jennifer Coolidge gets killed on the cruise — so I don't know how inspiring that can be." Sabrina Impacciatore plays the hotel manager Valentina in "The White Lotus" season 2.

☆ Sister's note led police to mafia boss Messina Denaro
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Alvise Armellini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Rosalia (Rosetta) Messina Denaro, 67, was detained in Sicily on mafia membership charges, Carabinieri police said, releasing a 57-page arrest warrant. Her brother, Matteo Messina Denaro, 60, was Italy's most wanted man until his arrest on Jan. 16, after 30 years on the run. Italian authorities had already said that Messina Denaro was snared by his failing health, but on Friday they revealed the source of the key tip. 'BIG STRAWBERRY'While on the run, Messina Denaro followed mafia tradition in communicating with relatives and affiliates via "pizzini", small pieces of paper sometimes written in code. Rosalia's husband, Filippo Guttadauro, is another convicted Sicilian mobster, while her daughter Lorenza is Matteo Messina Denaro's defence lawyer.

☆ Italy's La Scala goes live with opera and concert streaming service
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Italy's La Scala has launched a streaming service allowing viewers to watch its operas, concerts and ballets online, in an effort to widen its audience worldwide. The first concert will be broadcast live on "La Scala TV" on Saturday with three Mozart symphonies conducted by Daniel Barenboim, the renowned Milan-based opera house said in a statement. With a ticket price range between 2.9 euros and 11.9 euros ($3.1-$12.7), subscribers this year can choose between seven live opera performances, nine concerts and three ballets. The online service debuted on Tuesday with Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi opera' "The Sicilian Vespers", conducted by director Fabio Lusi. "The project is part of a broader effort to modernize the theatre ahead of the 2026 Olympics" that will take place in the Milan area, La Scala said.

☆ The next 'White Lotus' is expected to be filmed in one of these locations in Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Chris Dwyer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

When the HBO black comedy "The White Lotus" premiered in the summer of 2021, it took viewers to Hawaii's sunny Maui. The Maldives was named-dropped near the end of season two of "The White Lotus," leading fans to speculate it would be the next filming location. Cue the theories that "The White Lotus" is heading to the Southeast Asian nation known as "The Land of Smiles." Two characters spent the night in Villa Tasca in the second season of "The White Lotus." Beyond "The White Lotus," the broader trend of traveling to visit iconic TV and movie locations continues to grow.

☆ Italy's TIM suffers internet connection problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Thousands of Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) (TIM) customers across Italy complained of internet outages and glitches on Sunday which the company blamed on problems with an international link. Users from the northern city of Milan to the Sicilian capital Palermo reported problems, with the issue mainly focused on fixed-line internet services. Analyses are underway to resolve the problem," a TIM spokesperson said. There was no indication that the problems were caused by hackers, Italy's ANSA news agency reported. Reporting by Keith Weir and Elvira Pollina; Writing by Keith Weir; Editing by Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/4] A member of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) looks at a migrant after he was rescued by the ship 'Geo Barents' during a search and rescue (SAR) operation in the Mediterranean Sea, January 25, 2023. La Spezia is the furthest and northernmost destination that Italy has assigned to an NGO ship. Forcing NGO ships to reach ever-more distant ports increases costs at a time when budgets are stretched by inflation and higher fuel costs following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Last month, the SOS Mediterranee NGO appealed for donations, saying fuel charges for its Ocean Viking rescue ship had increased by over 1 million euros during 2022. The new docking destinations policy adds to a December decree which forces NGO ships to request and head to a port "without delay" after each rescue, rather than continue looking for boats in distress.

Catalano's brother, Agostino, was a policeman who died in a 1992 bomb that killed anti-mob magistrate Paolo Borsellino - a attack that prosecutors say Messina Denaro helped mastermind. The last confirmed sighting of Messina Denaro was in 1993, making it difficult for police to identify the most wanted man in Italy. Only one of them decided to collaborate with justice," said Roberto Piscitello, a prosecutor who tried to capture Messina Denaro from 1996 to 2008. FALSE IDENTITYPolice say they managed to catch Messina Denaro after learning from wiretaps of his relatives that he had cancer. BUSINESS CONTACTSMagistrates said they found evidence that Messina Denaro had visited Spain, Greece and Austria over the years.

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