Sicily

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Someone Just Pulled a Bloody Godfather Stunt in Sicily

Severed horse's head found on businessman's property near Palermo, an apparent Mafia warning

(Newser) - It's one of the most famous scenes in moviemaking history, and it just played out in real life on the Italian island of Sicily. The Guardian reports that a severed horse's head was found on the property of a local contractor, located in Altofonte near Palermo, placed on...

'Dry Drowning' Blamed in Superyacht Deaths

Autopsies on 4 individuals suggest they found an air bubble, eventually asphyxiated

(Newser) - Initial autopsies performed on four of the seven people who lost their lives in the sinking of a superyacht off the coast of Sicily indicate they didn't drown , at least not in the usual way. Chris and Neda Morvillo and Jonathan and Anne Bloomer had no water in their...

Superyacht's Chef Is Confirmed to Have Died in Sinking

6 others who are still missing are feared dead

(Newser) - The person confirmed dead after a luxury superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily is believed to be chef Recaldo Thomas, one of 10 crew members aboard the vessel. The Canadian-Antiguan national was a kind person beloved by those who knew him, a friend tells the BBC , adding that Thomas...

Divers Can't Get to Sunken Superyacht's Cabins

Debris is blocking their path amid search for 6 people missing some 165 feet below the waves

(Newser) - Divers are continuing to search the superyacht that sank Monday off the coast of Porticello, Sicily, but have yet to find any of the six people still missing from the luxury vessel. After five dives on Monday, dive teams were back in the water early Tuesday, per the BBC . Officials...

'For Two Seconds, I Lost My Baby in the Sea'

Survivor recounts frantic moments after sinking of superyacht off the coast of Italy

(Newser) - As the search goes on for six people missing after a superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily, one of the 15 survivors is recounting her harrowing tale. Britain's Charlotte Golunski, 36, says she was aboard the Bayesian with her husband, James, and her 1-year-old daughter, Sofia, when she...

Tech Billionaire Among the Missing After Yacht Sinks
Tech Billionaire Among
the Missing After Yacht Sinks
the rundown
Aug 19, 2024 10:34 AM CDT

Tech Billionaire Among the Missing After Yacht Sinks

Britain's Mike Lynch is among 6 people who remain lost at sea in Italy

(Newser) - A prominent British tech entrepreneur is among six people missing after a luxury superyacht sank Monday off the coast of Sicily, reports the Wall Street Journal . Billionaire Mike Lynch was among 22 people aboard the vessel, which got caught in a surprise storm. One unidentified person has been confirmed dead....

Mounts Etna, Stromboli Are Acting More Ornery Than Usual

Catania's airport shut down on Italian island of Sicily after 2 volcanoes erupt

(Newser) - Italy's civil protection agency put out a red alert on Friday, its top warning, for Sicily after two of the Mediterranean island's volcanoes got more rumbly than usual. Both Mount Etna, near Catania in the east, and Mount Stromboli, in the nearby Aeolian Islands, have erupted, hurling hot...

Just Months After Capture, the 'Last Godfather' Dies
Mob Boss 'Took
With Him His Secrets'
OBITUARY
Sep 25, 2023 7:31 AM CDT

Mob Boss 'Took With Him His Secrets'

Sicilian 'last Godfather' Matteo Messina Denaro, 61, dies just months after his capture

(Newser) - An infamous Italian mob boss who was captured in January after 30 years on the run has died. Officials tell Reuters that 61-year-old Matteo Messina Denaro, known as the "last godfather," has succumbed to colon cancer, after falling into a coma on Friday from which he never emerged....

Mount Etna Erupts in Italy, Suspending Flights

No injuries have been reported

(Newser) - Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, was erupting on Sunday, spewing ash on Catania, eastern Sicily’s largest city, and forcing a suspension of flights at that city’s airport. The AP reports that Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, which closely monitors Etna with instrumentation on...

Inside Mob Boss's Hideouts: Cellphones, Viagra

2 hideouts found in close proximity, just 5 miles from Matteo Messina Denaro's birthplace

(Newser) - Italian police have uncovered two hideouts believed to have been used by Cosa Nostra mob boss Matteo Messina Denaro toward the end of his 30 years on the run. Car keys in his possession during his arrest on Monday led authorities to a home in the Sicilian town of Campobello...

What Gave Away One of Italy's Biggest Mob Bosses

Matteo Messina Denaro's sickness led cops right to a Sicilian health clinic

(Newser) - In a story that seems made for Hollywood, Italian police this week captured one of Italy's most famous fugitives: Matteo Messina Denaro, who helped lead the Cosa Nostra mob syndicate even as he was on the run for the past three decades. And it was a routine, somewhat expected...

It's the First Study to Examine Sicily's Child Mummies

Researchers to examine 41 'tiny dolls' mummified in Sicily's Capuchin Catacombs

(Newser) - The Capuchin Catacombs in Sicily, Italy, are famous for their nearly 1,300 mummified corpses on display to the public. Now researchers plan to conduct the first-ever study devoted to a subset of those mummies—the children. Specifically, researchers from Staffordshire University in the UK will examine 41 mummified children,...

Europe's Tallest Volcano Is Growing—and Fast

Mount Etna at its tallest recorded height following 50 eruptions in 6 months

(Newser) - Europe's tallest and most active volcano has grown 100 feet in just six months, owing to some 50 eruptions, reaching its tallest height in recorded history, according to a new analysis. For the past 40 years, Mount Etna's tallest peak has been its northeastern crater. But the southeastern...

Sicily May Have Just Broken Temp Record for All of Europe

But the 48.8C temp must still be confirmed

(Newser) - Sicily reached a difficult-to-imagine 48.8 degrees Celsius (119.85 Fahrenheit) Wednesday, in what may be a record high temperature for all of Europe. The World Meteorological Organization must still confirm the temperature, which would break the previous record of 48 degrees Celsius set in Athens in 1977, the Guardian...

Volcanic Ash Cleanup Could Bankrupt Towns

Each eruption can cost Sicilian towns more than $1M

(Newser) - For the people of Sicily, the seemingly unending eruptions of Mount Etna are getting old—and expensive. Since February , the eruptions have been covering dozens of towns with volcanic ash that needs to be removed. Cleanup costs can top $1 million each time, the Guardian reports, pushing the towns toward...

On an Island, Elephants Shrink Surprisingly Fast
On an Island, Elephants
Shrink Surprisingly Fast
new study
Jul 2, 2021 1:04 PM CDT

On an Island, Elephants Shrink Surprisingly Fast

Study suggests it took only 40 generations for ancient beasts to lose 85% of their size

(Newser) - Somewhere around 400,000 years ago, hulking elephants made their way to what we know now as the Italian island of Sicily. In a relative blink of the eye—roughly 40 generations—they shrank to miniature versions of their former selves, reports the New York Times . That's one estimate...

Move to This Town, Get a Free House

Mayor wants new residents to spark revival in Sicily

(Newser) - "I can't stand to see this gorgeous, old historical center empty and turn into a ruin," Vincenzo Giambrone said. Owners have abandoned the crumbling, ancient houses, said the mayor of Cammarata, a town in Sicily, rather than repair them. "It leaves a deep scar on the...

Tourists Jump in Sea to Escape Volcano

Eruption killed hiker on Stromboli

(Newser) - Minor eruptions of the volcano on the Italian island of Stromboli happen so often it is nicknamed the "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean"—but the one Wednesday evening was very different. Tourists on the island north of Sicily fled into the sea after a huge blast created a mushroom...

Huge Volcano May Face 'Catastrophic Failure'

Mount Etna is slowly drifting toward the Mediterranean

(Newser) - Europe's biggest and most active volcano is sliding into the Mediterranean Sea and could suffer catastrophic failure one day—even if that day is far away, the BBC reports. Scientists who studied Mount Etna on the Italian island of Sicily say it is sliding just over half an inch...

Tourists Gawking at Mount Etna Get Nasty Surprise

10 people are injured from magma

(Newser) - Volcanic rocks and steam injured at least 10 people, including tourists and scientists, following an explosion on Sicily's Mount Etna Thursday, witnesses and media reported, per the AP . Tourists had been drawn to Etna to observe the spectacle of the active volcano erupting, only to be caught by surprise...

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