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Italy's thread 15 June 2019


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Sea-Watch 3 captain Rackete probed, as deadlock continues

Several States ready to take in migrants on board search-and-rescue ship says PM Conte

 

Redazione ANSA Agrigento
28 June 201912:38 News

 

 

 

http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2019/06/28/sea-watch-3-captain-rackete-probed-as-deadlock-continues_82a6b40f-11d4-433f-8ec6-9795f83809d3.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final remaining sections of Morandi bridge demolished

Viaduct collapsed in Genoa last year, killing 43 people

 

Redazione ANSA Genoa
28 June 201910:39 News

 

 

 

http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2019/06/28/final-remaining-sections-of-morandi-bridge-demolished_a82e9eb1-fee9-4764-9468-7a34b5297743.html

 

 

 

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Sea Watch: Italy says other countries have agreed to take in migrants

 

The captain of a charity rescue ship blocked off Italy with 40 people on board said Friday the situation was "incredibly tense", as Rome signalled the stand-off may be nearing a close after other European countries offered to take the migrants in

 

 

AFP
28 June 2019
10:27 CEST+02:00
 
 

"At the moment the situation is incredibly tense, getting worse and worse," Carola Rackete, captain of the Sea Watch 3 told journalists in Rome, via a live video-link from the ship.

 

"It's very difficult for them all psychologically," said the 31-year old, who has become a symbol of defiance in Italy for challenging Interior Minister Matteo Salvini's "closed-ports" policy.

 

She has warned that those rescued are victims of trauma and are being hit hard by the uncertainty over their fate. 

 

🔴BREAKING: A medical evacuation just took place. One patient under serious pain and his brother were disembarked from #SeaWatch3. "We can not wait for every single person to become a medical emergency until #Europe recognizes they have basic rights" says captain #CarolaRackete. pic.twitter.com/I6Hmd9l1tE

— Sea-Watch International (@seawatch_intl) June 27, 2019
 

Just a couple of hours later, Italy's foreign ministry said Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg and Portugal had agreed to host the migrants.

 

It was not immediately clear if or when they would be allowed to disembark. "We are waiting for precise guarantees on numbers, timelines and means," interior ministry sources said.

 

The Dutch-flagged Sea Watch 3 has been stuck in the Mediterranean, during a heat wave, since rescuing 53 migrants drifting in an inflatable raft off the coast of Libya on June 12th. The most vulnerable people were evacuated, but Salvini insisted the rest were unwelcome.

 

On Wednesday, after over two weeks at sea, and as tempers on the small boat frayed, Rackete decided she had no choice but to enter Italian waters illegally to bring the remaining 42 migrants to safety.

 

Salvini has called for her to be slapped with a hefty fine and face legal action, and he wants the ship seized. 

 

While a sick 19-year-old migrant and his young brother were evacuated from the vessel Thursday, on Friday the ship was still stuck off the island of Lampedusa. It had tried to enter the port -- where demonstrators have been massing in support -- but was blocked by police.

 

"The mood on the ship is quite bad," Rackete said.

 

Salvini has said the migrants can only disembark if they head straight to the Netherlands, where the Sea Watch 3 is registered, or to Germany. The head of the nationalist League party has seen his popularity inch steadily upwards on the anti-immigrant platform.

 

On Thursday, EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said Brussels was "closely involved in coordinating with the member states to find a solution for relocating the migrants on board Sea Watch 3 once they are disembarked." 

 

Five Italian left-wing MPs spent the night onboard the ship in a gesture of solidarity.

"We'll remain onboard until all of the migrants have disembarked," said Graziano Delrio, who was the minister in charge of the Italian coastguard between 2015 and 2018.

 

Salvini has called for the Sea Watch 3 to be seized and its crew to be arrested for aiding and abetting illegal immigration.

 

Despite Salvini's hard-line stance, migrants are continuing to arrive, even if not in the same numbers as during the period between 2014 and 2017. Nearly 500 migrants have landed on Italy's coast over the past 16 days, according to the Italian interior ministry. 

 

 

https://www.thelocal.it/20190628/italy-allows-two-migrants-off-the-sea-watch-3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How the rest of the world sees Italy: Good for tourism, bad for tolerance?

 

In a new ranking of countries' global reputation, Italy scores highly for food, heritage and authentic products, but worse for tolerance, environmental protection and quality of life

 

 

The Local
28 June 2019
15:16 CEST+02:00

 

 

Italy comes 14th out of 75 countries ranked by FutureBrand, a branding consultancy firm that studied how nations are perceived by the rest of the world.

 

Its 2019 Country Index looked at the World Bank's biggest countries by GDP and asked people from all over the world to rank them on factors including standard of living, business potential, environmental friendliness, heritage, tourism options and tolerance.

 

Italy has improved its position since 2014, when the last index put it at number 18. But it still ranks behind many of its northern European neighbours including Switzerland (3), Sweden (4), Germany (6), Denmark (7) and the Netherlands (13), as well as lower than Canada (8), New Zealand (11) and the United States (12).

 

The top country once again is Japan, which also took the top spot in 2014.

Italy's highest scores were for its food, history, heritage, art and culture, which all contributed to make it the top country that respondents said they'd like to visit for a holiday – even if travelling in Italy wasn't considered to offer great value for money.

 

Italy also scored well for its made-in-Italy products, which had a reputation for quality and authenticity. 

 

But when it came to factors that people considering a longer-term stay need to consider, Italy lost points. It was 28th for quality of life (judged on health and education, safety and standard of living), 33rd in the category 'good for business', 37th for advanced technology, and 46th for environmental friendliness.

 

And Italy came 44th for tolerance, suggesting that it is not perceived as a particularly welcoming place among foreigners.

 

Other global surveys have produced similar results, with international respondents rating Italy best for heritage and culture, and worst for affordability, job opportunities, political stability and income equality. 

 

Meanwhile Rome came 20th on FutureBrand's list of the world's "most influential cities", which was topped by New York, London and Beijing. The Italian capital, meanwhile, languished behind Brussels, Istanbul and Toronto.

 

The index was based on the opinions of around 2,500 people from 17 different countries worldwide (not including Italy). Each of the 75 countries rated was ranked by around 230 people, each of whom had travelled abroad at least once in the past year.

 

 

https://www.thelocal.it/20190628/good-for-tourism-bad-for-tolerance-how-the-rest-of-the-world-sees-italy

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Sea-Watch captain arrested as ship docks at Lampedusa

 

Italian police arrested the German captain of a migrant rescue ship after she docked at the port of Lampedusa. Sea-Watch told DW Italy is the safest option and bringing migrants to Germany is risky and time consuming.

 

Sea Watch off the Sicilian coast

 

 

 

2 vids

 

https://www.dw.com/en/sea-watch-captain-arrested-as-ship-docks-at-lampedusa/a-49407861

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'What I wish I'd known': An American's advice on getting residency in Italy

 

Moving to Italy as an American retiree was "exhausting and relentless", reader Mark Hinshaw told us. Here's his account of the process

 

 

11 June 2019
09:22 CEST+02:00
By  Mark Hinshaw
 
 

Most Americans visiting Italy will never need to go through what we went through. An American passport allows you to spend up to 90 days in any 180 day period, happily exploring the country and the culture. An American can even buy property In Italy.

 

But you are held to a maximum stay of 90 days, which works for people with summer homes.

 

However. Wanting to live in Italy as a legal resident is a whole different story. Over a two-year period, we counted 168 discrete steps: I would compare it to being in a maze, with dead ends, blind corners, and confusing circuitous paths.

 

We wish we had been mentally prepared.

 

For those wishing to live in Italy longer or permanently, we offer three cautionary notes:

 

1. Everything will take longer. Much longer. Likely double or triple anything you guess.

 

2. There will always be another form required. Something not on any list you find online.

 

3. Eventually, it will come down to your dealing with a real person behind a glass-fronted counter. If you have an entitled attitude, they will quickly see that. I guarantee that person will find a rule that says no to you.

 

These are the three big permits you'll need, along with my experience applying for them.

 

 

1. The visa

To get one of these glued into your US passport, you'll probably need to fall into one of the following categories: a student with proof of enrolment, a worker with a signed job contract, a dependent of someone else with the legal right to be in Italy, or a person who doesn't plan to work and has a sufficient pension or savings to support themselves.

 

You apply to the Italian consulate that serves your region in the US. They will require a long list of documents. You will also need to get an appointment for a personal appearance, which you can get online.

 

This step is where Cautionary Note #3 is crucial. We came with the attitude of being supplicants. Every document they asked for we had in a tabbed file. While we were waiting we saw a student turned away in tears because she did not have a copy of her degree curriculum. Two acquaintances were rejected because they wanted to live near their son who was stationed in Italy.

 

They will want bank records, a rental or purchase agreement, health insurance and an FBI background check (a whole other process!). You also have to prove your ability to live with a certain income. (The amount varies by region.)

 

Approving a visa application will take several months. Meanwhile, a visa is usually only valid for a year from the date of application. That gives you enough time – but just barely – to complete the next steps.

 

 

2. The permesso di soggiorno (stay permit)

Essentially this allows you to stay longer than 90 days. You can only apply for it once you are in Italy: it necessitates going to the regional police headquarters, where they will want everything you gave the consulate, plus more. You will be finger-printed and checked by Interpol.

 

It took us several false leads to realize that the Questura (police headquarters) was even the right place. Our British-Italian real estate agent misled us, saying "Oh, your local city can handle it". Not true.

 

We heard about a non-profit agency that offers assistance. We found ourselves waiting in tiny room packed with refugees. But the agency did help us fill out forms and send them electronically. After two hours, they handed us a thick stack of completed forms and told us to mail them from a nearby post office. They said: “Keep the receipt.” (Spoiler alert: VERY IMPORTANT!)

 

Two months later we received a notice to appear at the Questura, located in a city an hour away. We were given a specific time – 9:00 am. This turned out to be only the time they opened the office. As we walked in the door, we again found ourselves in another tiny waiting room. With 50 other people. Standing up. For three hours. Only after standing two hours did we realize we had to put a form in a box near a door. There was no sign saying to do this.

 

After getting called, we were told we had to attend an Italian civics class before we could receive a permesso. They gave us a date for the class, which we assumed was there. Not so. We showed up only to be told it was in another city. An hour away. And, because we were in the wrong place, we missed the class. And there was no available date for the class for two more months.

 

Finally, we received a text message to pick up the permesso – a full five months after we first applied. Same waiting room. Another 50 people standing for three hours. I was the next to last to be called. Before me, a couple was called up to the window.

 

The clerk asked, “Where is your postal receipt?” They had not kept it. So they were rejected.

 

In the ensuing discussion, the clerk slapped a receipt onto the glass window. I saw it. And I realized I had it!

 

Two minutes later I had my permesso.

 

 

3. The identity card

Everyone in Italy must carry this card at all times. It is as important as a driving licence in the US. The electronic version has key information on it required by banks and even some stores when you make large purchases.

 

The place to apply for your ID card is the anagrafe, or registry office. Book your appointment online via the Interior Ministry website to stand a better chance of finding someone there.

 

Good luck and don't let the crazy process get to you!

 

Mark Hinshaw is a retired city planner who moved to Le Marche with his wife two years ago. A former columnist for The Seattle Times, he contributes to journals, books and other publications.

 

 

https://www.thelocal.it/20190611/advice-for-getting-residency-in-italy-american

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Rome's Repubblica metro station finally reopens after 8 months of repairs

 

One of Rome's central metro stations is finally open again, 246 days after it was closed due to an accident on one of its escalators that left dozens of passengers injured

 

The Local
26 June 2019
11:34 CEST+02:00

 

 

Passengers were surprised to find the Line A stopping at Repubblica on Wednesday morning after eight months of trains skipping the station, which lies between Rome's Opera House and Termini train station.

 

Few people believed it would happen, commuters told La Repubblica

 

Travellers had become resigned to not being able to exit either at Repubblica or the adjacent station, Barberini, which has now been closed for just over three months since one of its escalators also malfunctioned. 

 

For a while the next stop, Spagna by the Spanish Steps, was also closed, leading to jokes that the council was planning to create "the world's fastest metro" that would run between the two end stations without making a single stop.

 

Spagna has since reopened, but Barberini is set to remain closed for another four months. On top of the inconvenience for passengers, local business owners say the closure is costing them money and are threatening to sue Rome's city hall and public transport company Atac for more than a million euros in compensation.

 

Atac drivers went on strike on Tuesday to protest what they say are hazardous working conditions in the metro, including at Barberini – where unions claim that so much fine dust pollution was dislodged during repair works that it covered the entire platform. 

 

Repubblica was closed in October 2018 after one of its escalators malfunctioned, dramatically picking up speed and sending passengers flying. Some people became tangled in the end of the walkway, with one person reported to have lost a foot. 

 

While the incident was originally blamed on a large group of Russian football fans who reports said were jumping up and down on the escalator, witnesses disputed those accounts. The malfunction at Barberini five months later also suggested a wider problem with the infrastructure in Roman metro stations.

 

The escalator in question at Repubblica remains closed even now, with four of the station's six walkways in operation. Workers have apparently spent the past eight months carrying out preventative maintenance on the other escalators at risk rather than repairing the broken one.

 

More disruption is on the way: Atac has scheduled major engineering works on the Line A, the busiest of Rome's three metro lines, throughout the month of August that will see entire sections closed off for days at a time.

 

 

https://www.thelocal.it/20190626/rome-repubblica-metro-station-finally-reopens-after-8-months-of-repairs

 

Shameful in the least

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Captain defends her decision to force rescue boat into Italian port

 

Carola Rackete says act of ‘disobedience’ in Lampedusa was necessary to avert tragedy

 

Agence France-Presse in Rome

Sun 30 Jun 2019 14.24 BST

 

 

 

1933.jpg?width=700&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=761130007377cfddd0591fee57cbb3e9
Carola Rackete is escorted off the Sea-Watch 3 by police on Saturday
Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters
 
 
 
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Sea Watch skipper quizzed for arrest ruling

'Acted in state of necessity' says lawyer

 

Redazione ANSA Agrigento
01 July 201917:41 News

 

 

 

http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2019/07/01/sea-watch-skipper-quizzed-for-arrest-ruling_5a35550b-20ea-4be4-b879-9cb68d4ea356.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waste truck falls into sinkhole near Naples

Driver taken to hospital

 

Redazione ANSA Naples
01 July 201911:15 News
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Everything you need to know about Calcio Storico (historical football/soccer), Italy's most violent tradition

 

On June 24th each year, Florence's main square turns into an arena for a sport that's a brutal combination of rugby, football, and wrestling. The Local explores the history of this unique tradition

 

 

Catherine Edwards
22 June 2017
12:50 CEST+02:00
 
 
Calcio Storico (Historical football) is a game thought up by 16th-century Florentines and as the name suggests, it's an early - and very violent - form of football. It was also known as giuoco del calcio fiorentino (Florentine kicking game) and was very popular several centuries ago.
 
These days, your only chance to watch a match is in June, when four local teams battle it out in Florence to be crowned the champions. The whole city turns out to enjoy the spectacle.
 
 

How do you play?

The game is played on a rectangular field with a length roughly twice as long as the width, and covered with sand. It's divided down the middle into two matching squares, with goal nets at each end.

Two teams of 27 players take part in the matches which last for 50 minutes. No substitutions are allowed, even if there are injuries - which there often are. The ball is thrown into the centre of the pitch, and the teams descend on it in an effort to gain possession and kick it over a fence at the opposing team's end of the field.

 

Players can use hands and feet and tactics such as tripping and tackling are also admissible, meaning things get pretty violent - though there is a long list of rules aimed at keeping injuries to a minimum, updated from the original version written by a Renaisance count. For example, while many fighting techniques (including martial arts) are allowed, it's not OK for more than one player to attack a single opponent at once.

 

 

Is it dangerous?

Yes. While there have been no deaths during the game in modern times, there have been numerous cases of players hospitalized, sometimes for months.

 

City authorities in 2007 banned the match for a year after a brawl which saw around 50 players (that's almost all of them) taken to court. After that, new rules banned convicted criminals from taking part.

 

 

Who takes part?

Four teams take part in the Florentine Calcio Storico, each representing a different district of the city: Santa Croce (blue), Santa Maria Novella (red), Santo Spirito (white), and San Giovanni (green). Semi-finals take place early in June, with the pairings decided by drawing coloured balls on Easter Sunday, and the finals are held on June 24th, the feast day of Florence's patron saint, John the Baptist.

 

In 2014, the rules regarding participation in the tournament were changed, so only people born in Florence or who have lived in the area for at least ten years can take part. Those rule changes also aimed to cut down on violence, for example banning head-to-head clashes.

 

 

Are there prizes?

Of course! The winning team used to take home a butchered calf, but now they get a free ready-cooked dinner at a restaurant. There's no official prize-giving or medal ceremony - the players play for glory.

 

 

So ... why do we celebrate it?

At one time, the game was practiced regularly, and today's match is in part a reenactment of a game played while Florence was under imperial siege. It's held on the city's patron saint's feast day as a celebration of Florentine pride by remembering the defiance of that match.

 

However, after the 17th-century, it fell out of favour and the tradition seems to have been forgotten for a couple of hundred years. Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini revived the game in the 1930s, promoting it as part of his regime's focus on glorifying Italy's past, and amateur games were held up and down the country.

 

But now, the only time you'll be able to watch it is in June in Florence.

 

 

Is there anything else going on?

Yes. Calcio Storico is not just a sporting event but a celebration of Florence, and the day begins with a medieval pageant. Marching bands and costumed people, including Calcio Storico players from each of the four teams, make their way through the city's streets on the way to Piazza Santa Croce.

 

The final takes place in the late afternoon at around 5pm, so afterwards you can expect a lively atmosphere in Florentine bars and pubs. St John's Day is rounded off with a fireworks display over the River Arno.

 

 

https://www.thelocal.it/20170622/what-is-florences-calcio-storico-the-strange-history-of-the-worlds-most-violent-sport

 

 

Access any free anon proxy in order to view pics in article

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More than €1m ($1,130,000) raised for rescue ship captain detained in Italy

 

Money will go towards paying Carola Rackete’s legal fees if charges are brought

 

 

Josie Le Blond in Berlin

Tue 2 Jul 2019 13.13 BST

 

 

 

3500.jpg?width=700&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ba99e07e6c210d4a0eb74c6af449f308
Carola Rackete was arrested in Lampedusa on Saturday after forcing her way into port
Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters
 
 
 
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Sea-Watch captain Rackete released from house arrest

 

Salvini says commander of migrant-rescue ship will be expelled

 

Redazione ANSA Rome
02 July 201921:56 News

 

 

 

http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2019/07/02/sea-watch-captain-rackete-released-from-house-arrest_122013f6-5f55-45d4-b405-d62a8222e895.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Italian judge frees Seawatch captain Carola

 

2 July 2019

 

 

http://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/8281

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Fake’ migrant charities exposed, 11 arrests

 

2 July 2019

 

 

 

http://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/8280

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Italy insists it's 'on track' to avoid EU budget fines

 

After spending less money than expected so far in 2019, Italy's government says it is set to avoid threatened EU disciplinary procedures over its controversial budget and high levels of public debt

 

AFP/The Local
2 July 2019
13:21 CEST+02:00

 

 

The public deficit is "perfectly on track" to reach 2.04 percent of gross domestic product in 2019, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Tuesday.

 

"We're on track with the forecasts that we've made," Conte told journalists in Brussels.

 

Italy is expecting some 6.24 billion euros of additional revenue this year, the government has calculated.

 

A huge chunk of money that had been earmarked for early retirement payments and a citizens' income for the less well-off has been frozen, due to lower than expected demand.

 

Meanwhile expenditure is set to rise only by an extra 130 million euros, meaning the overall deficit for this year would be around 7.6 billion euros lower than anticipated, the cabinet said in a statement late Monday.

 

"The best thing that we tell Italian citizens is that we're not cutting social or other spending, these are additional receipts," Conte said.

 

"We made prudent estimates for some elements... this is an update to our accounts."

 

On June 20, Conte had already suggested that Rome would achieve a deficit ratio of 2.1 percent this year, while the EU Commission is pencilling in a figure of 2.5 percent for the bloc's fourth-largest economy..

 

Italian finance minister Giovanni Tria said the government regarded its budget as "perfectly in line with the rules of the Stability and Growth Pact," under which EU members must consistently reduce their deficits and target a balanced budget in the long term.

 

At the start of June, Brussels formally put Italy on notice about its deteriorating deficit and snowballing debt and opened an excessive deficit procedure which could result in an unprecedented fine of more than 3.0 billion euros for the country.

 

The European Commission in October rejected the big-spending budget submitted for approval by the Italian coalition government of the far-right League and the anti-establishment Five Star Movement.

 

https://www.thelocal.it/20190702/italy-insists-its-on-track-to-avoid-eu-budget-fines

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Italian judge orders release of ship captain who rescued refugees

 

Carola Rackete, a German national, was arrested for breaking a naval blockade

 

Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo and Josie Le Blond in Berlin

Tue 2 Jul 2019 22.36 BST

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/02/more-than-1m-raised-for-rescue-ship-captain-carola-rackete-italy

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Captain who rescued 42 migrants: I’d do it again despite jail threat

 

Carola Rackete faces prospect of long trial for defying Italy’s ban on rescue ships

 

Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo

Fri 5 Jul 2019 17.00 BST

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/05/captain-who-rescued-42-migrants-id-do-it-again-despite-jail-threat

 

 

 

 

 

Sea Watch captain to sue Italy's Salvini for defamation

 

The captain of detained migrant rescue ship the Sea Watch 3, Carola Rackete, will sue Matteo Salvini for defamation after a tirade of insults from Italy's anti-immigration interior minister, her lawyer said on Friday

 

AFP
5 July 2019
17:46 CEST+02:00

 

 

"We have prepared the legal complaint against minister Salvini," Alessandro Gamberini told Italian radio, saying "it's not easy to make a complete list of all the insults Salvini has made these last weeks".

 

Salvini, who is also deputy prime minister and an admirer of US President Donald Trump, is an avid user of social media, which he also uses to insult people he disagrees with.

 

Salvini "stirs the troubled waters of hate. A defamation lawsuit is a way to send a signal," the lawyer said, prompting a swift and angry response from the League minister.

 

"She breaks laws and attacks Italian military vessels, and then she sues me," Salvini tweeted. "I'm not afraid of the Mafia, let alone a rich and spoiled communist!"

 

Italian police last week arrested Rackete, 31, after she defied orders to stay away and forced her way into port on Italy's southern Lampedusa island to disembark 40 rescued migrants who had been stuck at sea on her vessel for two weeks.

 

An Italian judge this week ordered her freed as she had been acting to save lives, a decision which also sparked Salvini's ire.

 

Two other investigations, on charges of helping people smugglers and resisting the authorities are still underway after she forced her way past Italian customs vessels.

 

During the two-week standoff and after Salvini launched a series of furious tweets at the charity worker, including calling her a "pain in the arse", "criminal", "delinquent" and "poor woman who only tried to kill five Italian soldiers".

 

Rackete has gone into hiding following numerous threats, Sea Watch said on Wednesday, a day after her release from Italian custody. 

 

 

https://www.thelocal.it/20190705/sea-watch-captain-carola-rackete-sue-matteo-salvini-defamation-italy

 

 

Good....Fully deserved......

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(New) Migrant ship standoff, Salvini maintains 'heartless stance'

 

5 July 2019

 

 

http://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/8293

 

 

 

 

 

 

Italy, population decline due to expatriation, fewer births

 

4 July 2019

 

 

 

http://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/8290

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Island of Stromboli volcano erupts, least one dead

 

3 July 2019

 

 

http://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/8288

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corruption, Naples judge among five arrested

 

3 July 2019

 

 

http://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/8284

 

 

 

 

 

 

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O captain, my captain: sailors who risk jail to save migrants' lives

 

Carola Rackete is latest in string of rescue ship captains who challenge Italy’s closed-port policy

 

Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo

Fri 5 Jul 2019 17.00 BST

 

 

5760.jpg?width=700&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=15aba6b17438b18dba32bfcb632f2737
Pia Klemp, the Iuventa ship captain, is facing up to 20 years in prison for saving 6,000 people from drowning in the Mediterranean
Photograph: Lisa Hoffmann

 

 

 

More pics

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/05/o-captain-my-captain-sailors-who-risk-jail-to-save-migrants-lives

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Second migrant rescue boat defies Salvini and docks in Italy

 

Mediterranea’s Italian-flagged Alex arrives in Lampedusa with 41 shipwrecked migrants

 

Agence France-Presse

Sat 6 Jul 2019 19.01 BST

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/06/second-migrant-rescue-boat-defies-salvini-and-docks-in-italy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Saving lives is no crime’: migrants rescuer facing jail would do it again

 

A Spaniard who went to sea to save refugees could go to prison in Italy for 20 years. He talks about why humanity must come before politics
 
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Ten unexploded allied bombs at Pompeii, Italian paper reports

 

Explosives are yet to be located within archaeological area, according to investigation

 

 

Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo

Sun 7 Jul 2019 18.21 BST

 

 

3000.jpg?width=700&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=71281dfbce85246568ee3b04f65355cd
Of the 66 hectares of the archaeological area, only 44 have been excavated
Photograph: Marco Cantile/LightRocket via Getty
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Rescued refugees land in Sicily as another ship defies Salvini

 

Charity vessel carrying 41 docks in Lampedusa after two days stranded at sea

 

Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo

Sun 7 Jul 2019 11.54 BST

 

 

3072.jpg?width=700&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=db01ad5105e775ee26d5d81803840314
The Alex arrives in Lampedusa, Sicily, with refugees rescued off the coast of Libya
Photograph: Elio Desiderio/EPA

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/07/migrants-disembark-in-sicily-as-rescue-ship-defies-salvini-lampedusa

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One of Italy's top drug dealers arrested in Brazil after five years on the run

 

Nicola Assisi, member of the organized crime group ’Ndrangheta was arrested with his son and await extradition to Italy

 

 

Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo

Mon 8 Jul 2019 21.12 BST

 

 

3000.jpg?width=700&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=eb4c21ba6939fa08eaccad708a768216
Nicola Assisi and his son Patrick were detained at a luxury seaside apartment in São Paulo state
Photograph: filipefrazao/Getty Images/iStockphoto
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Italian court jails 24 over South American Operation Condor

 

Dictatorships of six countries conspired to kidnap and kill political opponents in 1970s

 

 

Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo

Mon 8 Jul 2019 18.06 BST

 

 

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Family members hold photos of people who disappeared during Operation Condor, in Santiago, Chile, in 2004
Photograph: Ian Salas/EPA
 
 
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/08/italian-court-jails-24-over-south-american-operation-condor

 

It's something symbolic of course but still important

Edited by umbertino
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Meet the ’Ndrangheta: It's time to bust some myths about the Calabrian mafia

 

Southern Italy's infamous 'Ndrangheta mafia has stretched its tentacles all over the world, but there are common misperceptions about how the brutal criminal group actually works. Criminologist and mafia expert Anna Sergi explains

 

 

9 July 2019
10:52 CEST+02:00

 

 

 

The global war against mafias has a new number one enemy: the Calabrian ’Ndrangheta.

 

At the centre of drug busts and manhunts throughout Europe and around the world, this mafia group from the deepest south of Italy seems to be everywhere. The ’Ndrangheta dominates the drug trade and shares business with El Chapo, all the while maintaining a constant presence in countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Canada and the United States.

 

Although it was only recently categorised as a mafia in Italian law in 2010, the ’Ndrangheta has been around for as long as its well-known sister group, the Sicilian Cosa Nostra.

 

The name first entered the public consciousness during the 1980s and 90s, when the ’Ndrangheta carried out a series of kidnappings across Italy, in what was one of the bloodiest chapters of Calabrian history.

 

In August 2007, it stepped onto the global stage, when an internal feud led to the public murder of six Italians in Duisburg, Germany. By the end of the 2000s, the ’Ndrangheta was notorious around the world for operating a major trans-Atlantic cocaine ring.

 

The group’s singular name has Greek origins: the word “andranghateia” refers to a “society of men of honour”, and “andrangathō” means “to do military actions”.

 

Like any other mafia, the ’Ndrangheta is highly secretive and operates within strict honour codes, which are deeply embedded in the societal values of Calabria. It has built a reputation on the violence of its feuds, the reliability of its business affiliates, its political influence and its global presence.

 

The ’Ndrangheta can move and settle in areas beyond the Calabrian region, and has a flexible, family-based, web-like structure, made up of various clans – much like Al-Qaeda.

 

In this society, local roots count for as much as global reach.

 

 

A secret identity

Much of what we know about the ’Ndrangheta came to light in 2010, when Operation Crimine resulted in the arrest of 305 of its members. In the subsequent court trial, anti-mafia prosecutors proved that clans in the province of the Calabrian capital, Reggio Calabria, were coordinating with chambers of control in Canada, Australia and the north of Italy.

 

The family clans, known as ’ndrine, formed strategical alliances with each other, through blood or marriage ties, across villages in the area.

 

Each ’ndrina then shared business with affiliates and family members, outside of the region or internationally, while simultaneously responding to local coordination structures (such as the “crimine” – the figure who is in charge of resolving issues and hostilities across the clans). Communication was mostly conducted in code over the phone but also online when necessary.

 

The revelation of these coordinating structures – which are primarily in place to help the ’Ndrangheta to boost business and share risks – has led many to think of ’Ndrangheta as a stable, monolithic criminal association, with a strong resemblance to the Sicilian Cosa Nostra.

 

 

A different picture

But details learned from other anti-mafia operations portray quite a different reality.

In fact, the ‘ndrangheta is as fragmented as the region of Calabria itself. Scholars have talked about “Le Calabrie” (plural), to highlight how different parts of the region are politically, financially, industrially and socially diverse, and sometimes also geographically secluded.

 

Just as there are various “Calabrie”, so there are various “’Ndranghete”: similar to the ’Ndrangheta we learnt about through Operation Crimine, yet with important differences. While the clans are all territorial units, based on blood and family ties, they do not act together under a shared strategic plan.

 

Rather, they are often involved in different types of illegal activities: some local (the infiltration and extortion of the construction sector), and others global (the importation of cocaine from Latin America). All ’Ndrangheta clans have unique structures, which are either more or less centralised depending on which operations they undertake, their strength and their reach.

 

 

A powerful brand

In this sense, the name “’Ndrangheta” is more like a brand.

 

It refers to both criminal organisations – like the one we heard about from Operation Crimine – but also to a set of behaviours, which are adopted by disparate criminal groups. In a process of “'ndranghetisation”, any group which exploits Calabria’s shared cultural values and relationships through the use of prevarication, arrogance, intimidation, violence, and subjection, while engaging in illegal activities for profit, can lay claim to the name.

 

For example, clans originating from villages in the hinterland near Reggio Calabria established themselves in Australia. From there, they can interact with ’Ndrangheta clans containing relatives in Canada, via Calabria, while also maintaining profitable relationships with local criminal groups, such as outlawed motorcycle gangs.

 

The fact is, the misconception of the ’Ndrangheta as a single organisation is likely to work to the advantage of such groups. By adopting these behaviours, they can invoke the ’Ndrangheta’s formidable international reputation to exploit weak political systems, invest in new ventures and grow.

 

The versatility and prevalence of the ’Ndrangheta could also lead to innocent Calabrian migrants being incorrectly labelled as criminals.

 

If authorities around the world are to put a stop to these activities, we must first understand the diverse and complex nature of the ’Ndrangheta.

 

Anna Sergi, Lecturer in Criminology, University of Essex

 

 

https://www.thelocal.it/20190709/meet-the-ndrangheta-its-time-to-bust-some-myths-about-the-calabrian-mafia

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Wild weather hits Adriatic coast, 18 people injured

 

10 July 2019

 

 

Violenta grandinata a Pescara © ANSA
 
Pescara, Abruzzo region

 

 

 

http://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/8308

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Senior former judge ‘sex pest’ under house arrest

 

10 July 2019

 

 

 

http://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/8306

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Eternal City’s (umb's note:very) dirty secret

 

9 July 2019

 

 

 

http://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/8304

 

 

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Milan prosecutors open probe into League's 'Russian funds'

 

Salvini repeats denial, possible charges of international graft

 

Redazione ANSA Milan
11 July 201917:34 News

 

 

 

http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2019/07/11/milan-prosecutors-open-probe-into-leagues-russian-funds_e9df2f1b-4c48-4653-9a80-e8ee5d959d1e.html

 

 

Good....The appropriate thing to do

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rackete to ask to close Salvini social media accounts

'Stokes hate on FB, Twitter, instigates crimes'

 

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Battle with time: Italian towns face demise by depopulation

 

Small Sicilian villages reflect the shifting demographics of economic migration and declining birth rates

 

Lorenzo Tondo in Acquaviva Platani

Fri 12 Jul 2019 05.00 BST

 

 

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Most of the people in Acquaviva Platani are over 60 years old
Photograph: Alessio Mamo/The Guardian
 
 
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Italian prosecutors investigate League over alleged Russian oil deal claims

 

Inquiry to examine corruption claims over alleged plan to channel Russian oil funds to Salvini party

 

Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo

Thu 11 Jul 2019 16.57 BST

 

 

3467.jpg?width=700&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e2864b8192c524434f242625db181101
Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy PM, leader of the League party and minister of Interiors, which denies arrangement of a Russian deal before the May European election campaign
Photograph: Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images
 
 

 

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Russia funding claims are 'ridiculous' says Salvini

League balance sheets transparent, never asked for money

 

Redazione ANSA Rome
12 July 201913:21 News
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

'Disgusting dumpsters': Rome garbage crisis sparks health fears

 

Landfills in flames and rats feasting on waste in the streets have sparked health fears in Rome, as doctors warn families to steer clear of disease-ridden curbside garbage and locals launch a disgusting dumpster contest online

 

 

AFP
13 July 2019
08:50 CEST+02:00
 
 
Crowds of summer tourists are forced to navigate overflowing bins in the stifling heat, as the pungent perfume of neglected garbage draws scavenging animals and the threat of disease to the Eternal City and locals fume over the city's refuse management.  
 
   
Rome's chief physician Antonio Magi has issued a "hygiene alert", telling AFP this could be upgraded to a health warning, with disease spread through the faeces of insects and animals banqueting on rotting waste. His warning prompted local prosecutors to open an investigation this week into the city's refuse collection.
 
 
In the meantime, furious Rome residents have launched a contest on Twitter to find the most fetid dustbins.
 
   
Discarded pizza boxes or the remains of spaghetti lunches and fruit rinds draw opportunistic seagulls, rats and even wild boars to the streets of Rome, with wolves also spotted closer to the city's outskirts than ever before.
 
   
Adding to the indignation of Rome residents is the steep price they are paying for their garbage to rot in the streets.  
 
   
The city spent more than 597 euros ($670) per inhabitant on household waste treatment in 2017 -- by far the highest in the country, ahead of Venice (353 euros) and Florence (266 euros), according to a report by the Openpolis Foundation.
 
   
But the city lacks infrastructure: of its three main landfills, one has closed and the others were ravaged by fire in recent months.   
 
 
And two biological treatment sites have reduced their activities for maintenance work.
 
 
 
 
'Degradation and abandonment' 
 
Some residents make matters worse by simply dumping their old mattresses, fridges and sofas next to garbage bins.
 
   
But local Salvatore Orlando, 50, told AFP the council was entirely to blame.
 
   
"Of course it's the mayor's fault. You certainly can't blame the citizens," he said. "They produce waste, they have to throw it away, and the public services have to collect it. It's simple. We pay taxes for it".
 
   
Rome's mayor and the president of the Lazio region both assured Italy's environment minister Tuesday that the crisis would be resolved "within 15 days".
 
   
But to do so, more of the city's 5,000 tons of daily waste will have to be sent for incineration elsewhere.
 
   
"Everyone complains about waste but no one wants an incinerator. Instead, we take the waste abroad, to Austria, to Germany!", another aggrieved resident said, declining to give his name.
 
   
Even Pope Francis has commented on the decline, lamenting in June Rome's "degradation and abandonment".
 
   
Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, head of the far-right League, has jumped on the chance to use the crisis as a political weapon against mayor Virginia Raggi, who hails from the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S).
 
 
The stench and sticky pavements have given him ammunition ahead of the next municipal elections, scheduled for 2021. But in a city where key sectors are riddled with inefficiency and corruption, residents will wonder whether Salvini has a magic recipe for resolving a situation that has stumped parties over the years across the political spectrum.
   
 
In the meantime, rubbish is just one more daily challenge in a city with countless potholes, trees that topple at the first gust of wind and buses that catch fire -- if their engines start at all.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Ten awe-inspiring routes for cycling through Italy

 

Get inspired to explore Italy on two wheels.

 

 

The Local
11 May 2017
08:35 CEST+02:00

 

 

The country has plenty to offer cyclists, with long stretches of coastline, mountain ranges to explore, and hilly countryside from north to south. And taking to your bicycle is a great way to see parts of Italy you may not otherwise have thought to explore.

Here are some of the most picturesque and exciting bike rides to get you started on your very own Giro d'Italia.

 

 

 

Appia Antica, Lazio

Known by the Romans as 'the Queen of the Roads', the ancient Appia Antica connects Rome to the harbour of Brindisi. The route passes through the Caffarella park, a vast natural park that in the heart of Rome, and takes you past ancient monuments and fantastic Mediterranean pine trees.

 

 

Riviera dei fiori, Liguria

This cycle path has replaced the old monorail road which used to run along the coast and cliffs. The 24km route winds through eight different communes and breathtaking panoramas - with the option of taking off-road tracks for serious mountain bikers.

 

 

The Tuscan coastline from Scansano to Grosseto

This route stretches along 77km of Tuscan coast, famous for the long, sandy, and wild beaches; the clean water of the sea; and the colourful flower fields, with sunflowers, Mediterranean pines, and cypresses.

 

 

A nearby alternative is the Sentiero della Bonifica from Arezzo to Chiusi, which is almost entirely flat - perfect for beginners.

 

 

Aspromonte National Park, Calabria

This route takes you through Italy’s rugged southern Calabria region. While touring the area, cyclists should make the mountain climb to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi, a pilgrimage site and at times a meeting point of ‘Ndrangheta mafia bosses.

 

 

Valley of Raganello

Also in Calabria, this route perfectly showcases the regions's unrivalled rural landscape which boasts both mountains and an extensive coastline.

 

 

Lake Varano, Puglia

Try out this 48km cycling route around Italy's largest coastal lake, known as "circumpedalada" (literally 'pedalling in a circle'). And for those looking for more than cycling, there is also an annual triathlon. 

 

 

Campo Imperatore, Abruzzo

Campo Imperatore is best known for ski holidays, but cyclists can also pedal their way between the slopes. Start in Santo Stefano di Sessanio and be sure to take in Castel del Monte, Piano San Marco, Colle della Battaglia and Rocca Calascio.

 

 

The mountain passes of the Dolomites

The beautiful Dolomite mountains are a Unesco World Heritage Site, and the best way to explore them has to be by bike. The annual Maratona race is open to amateur cyclists, with a 175km course weaving through several mountain passes. It's split into several courses for different difficulty levels, each based around the Sella mountain group ( umb's note: that's close to my hometown). If you're new to the sport, try the easier Sellaronda route, which takes you through picturesque villages in a clockwise direction around the mountains.

 

 

Sentiero della Valtellina, Lombardy

This cycleway follows the river Adda in Lombardy for almost 110km, and is mainly traffic-free. It provides a useful link between Lombardy’s lakes and the region’s mountains and the classic climbs around Bormio and Livigno.

 

 

https://www.thelocal.it/20170511/top-cycling-routes-in-italy-bike-travel-adventure-vacation-italian-cyclists

 

You can access site through any free anon proxy in order to be able to view  the great pics

 
 
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