According to an ex Italian mobster an estimated 35 sunken ships containing large amounts of toxic waste have been illegally exposed of by the Italian mafia, claims Francesco Foti, now a criminal informant for the Italian government.
Foti confessed that the Italian Calabria Mafia has been sinking ships packed with the poisonous stuff in the Mediterranean Sea for the last 20 years. Foti says he sank three of the ships himself; the whereabouts of the other 32 are unknown.
According to CNN, Foti’s tip was confirmed when Italy’s environmental agency sailed to the alleged dump site 18 miles off the country’s southwest coast and found a ship about 1,600 feet below the ocean surface, flanked by yellow garbage drums marked “toxic.” Foti says the drums contain nuclear waste from Norway—due to increasingly strict waste disposal regulations by the European Union, it was cheaper to pay the mob to load the waste onto a ship and sink rather than dispose of legally.
Thirty-four other sunken ships are suspected to also contain nuclear waste as well as toxic medical supplies, according to World Health Organization.
So far, no one is speculating about whether the offshore toxic dumping is a significant threat to marine life–or to fish-eating humans–but let’s be realistic; nuclear waste dumping news is never good news.
Monday 21 September 2009
Tuesday 15 September 2009
Italian soccer club to get Texan owner
It didn't take long for Tim Barton to realize the impact he was making by becoming the first American to buy a top Italian soccer club.
When the Texas-based entrepreneur landed in Bari last month to sign off on the $35.8 million deal, 1,500 Italian fans surged past security and onto the tarmac to greet him, temporarily closing down the southern city's airport.
The excitement grew six days later when Bari rallied for a 1-1 draw at the home of four-time defending Serie A champion Inter Milan -- a great day for a team playing its first match back in the top Italian division in eight years.
Barton signed a preliminary deal last month to acquire Bari from the Matarrese family that has controlled the club for the past 32 years.
It's little wonder the Matarrese family is ready to finish the sale. Running Italian teams can be a risky business.
Italian Serie A clubs totaled $2 billion in cumulative operating losses over the 10-year span ending in 2007-08 -- the last season for which full records are available, according to London-based accounting firm Deloitte. English clubs gained nearly $2.87 billion over the same period.
When the Texas-based entrepreneur landed in Bari last month to sign off on the $35.8 million deal, 1,500 Italian fans surged past security and onto the tarmac to greet him, temporarily closing down the southern city's airport.
The excitement grew six days later when Bari rallied for a 1-1 draw at the home of four-time defending Serie A champion Inter Milan -- a great day for a team playing its first match back in the top Italian division in eight years.
Barton signed a preliminary deal last month to acquire Bari from the Matarrese family that has controlled the club for the past 32 years.
It's little wonder the Matarrese family is ready to finish the sale. Running Italian teams can be a risky business.
Italian Serie A clubs totaled $2 billion in cumulative operating losses over the 10-year span ending in 2007-08 -- the last season for which full records are available, according to London-based accounting firm Deloitte. English clubs gained nearly $2.87 billion over the same period.
Tuesday 8 September 2009
Festival highlights Italian traditions
Three bands and traditional Italian cooking will be featured in this year's riverside festival on Sunday.
More than 300 years ago, Quakers first settled in Bristol. But now it's the Italians holding down the fort and they will be celebrating their heritage Sunday in Lions Park.
Italians made their ways into Bristol mostly for industrial work, many settling their families in the 1.7-square-mile borough and starting up Italian community groups.
The Italian Presbyterian Mission was founded in 1905. It was housed at the old Presbyterian Church on Radcliffe Street until a chapel was built in 1910 on the corner of Wood Street and Lincoln Avenue, according to the Bristol Cultural & Historical Foundation Web site.
St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church, an Italian parish, was also founded in 1905. A new church was built in 1908 on the corner of Pond and Washington streets. A new rectory was built next to it, reads the Web site.
Years later, some Italian traditions still survive in Bristol. The annual Bristol Lions Italian Festival is one of them. This year's festivities will be held in Lions Park on the Delaware River. Like every year, attendees can enjoy a day full of traditional Italian music and food.
Food booths will be set up around the park throughout the celebration. The Bristol Lions Club usually cooks up sausage and peppers, Italian hot dogs and roast pork sandwiches.
Nice.
More than 300 years ago, Quakers first settled in Bristol. But now it's the Italians holding down the fort and they will be celebrating their heritage Sunday in Lions Park.
Italians made their ways into Bristol mostly for industrial work, many settling their families in the 1.7-square-mile borough and starting up Italian community groups.
The Italian Presbyterian Mission was founded in 1905. It was housed at the old Presbyterian Church on Radcliffe Street until a chapel was built in 1910 on the corner of Wood Street and Lincoln Avenue, according to the Bristol Cultural & Historical Foundation Web site.
St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church, an Italian parish, was also founded in 1905. A new church was built in 1908 on the corner of Pond and Washington streets. A new rectory was built next to it, reads the Web site.
Years later, some Italian traditions still survive in Bristol. The annual Bristol Lions Italian Festival is one of them. This year's festivities will be held in Lions Park on the Delaware River. Like every year, attendees can enjoy a day full of traditional Italian music and food.
Food booths will be set up around the park throughout the celebration. The Bristol Lions Club usually cooks up sausage and peppers, Italian hot dogs and roast pork sandwiches.
Nice.
Thursday 3 September 2009
Italian skier to miss start of World Cup season
Italian skier Peter Fill will miss the first three months of the World Cup season with a groin injury, putting his participation in the Vancouver Olympics at risk.
Fill was injured in a fall during training in Argentina last month and was evaluated by Dr. Sakari Orawa in Finland on Wednesday, the Italian Winter Sports Federation said.
Fill will undergo surgery Thursday to repair a torn tendon and the federation said it will take four months for him to return to racing, placing his comeback in either late December or early January. The World Cup season begins in Soelden, Austria, on Oct. 24-25.
The 27-year-old Italian won the silver medal in super-G at the world championships in Val d'Isere, France, last season. He also won a downhill in Lake Louise, Alta., for his first World Cup victory, and finished 10th in the overall World Cup standings.
Fill was injured in a fall during training in Argentina last month and was evaluated by Dr. Sakari Orawa in Finland on Wednesday, the Italian Winter Sports Federation said.
Fill will undergo surgery Thursday to repair a torn tendon and the federation said it will take four months for him to return to racing, placing his comeback in either late December or early January. The World Cup season begins in Soelden, Austria, on Oct. 24-25.
The 27-year-old Italian won the silver medal in super-G at the world championships in Val d'Isere, France, last season. He also won a downhill in Lake Louise, Alta., for his first World Cup victory, and finished 10th in the overall World Cup standings.
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