Latest news with #Calabria
Reuters
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Italian officials to face trial over deadly Cutro migrant shipwreck
ROME, July 21 (Reuters) - An Italian judge on Monday ordered six police and coastguard officers to stand trial for mishandling operations during a migrant shipwreck that killed more than 90 people near the town of Cutro in 2023, media reports said. The migrant accident, one of the deadliest in Italy's history, involved a wooden sailboat that set out from Turkey and smashed apart on rocks within sight of a beach near the shore of the southern Calabria region. The officials -- two from the coastguard and four from the Guardia di Finanza police force -- have been charged with multiple manslaughter related to negligence that may have contributed to the shipwreck, according to Ansa news agency. Under Italian law, prosecutors have to ask a judge whether to call a formal trial for the suspects after wrapping up their probe. Ansa said the trial is due to start in January. The decision to order the trial against the six suspects triggered an angry reaction from Matteo Salvini, the leader of the anti-immigrant League party and deputy prime minister in the right-wing government of Giorgia Meloni. "A single word: SHAME. To put on trial six officials who risk their lives every day to save others. SHAME," Salvini wrote on his account on X. Late last year, in a separate trial connected to the Cutro case, three people were convicted of aiding and abetting illegal immigration causing the death of the migrants and were sentenced to up to 16 years in jail.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Canada's deportation of alleged Mafia boss hinges on foreign eavesdropping
A federal deportation appeal on Monday that will decide whether an alleged Mafia boss must return to his native Italy is raising questions about foreign interference and constitutional rights in Canada. At stake is the question of whether a foreign government should be able to arrange warrantless surveillance of a person on Canadian soil, and then use evidence obtained in a Canadian legal proceeding. Vincenzo (Jimmy) DeMaria was born in Siderno, Italy, but has resided in Canada for most of his life. Siderno is in the poor, southern region of Calabria — the toe on the boot of the Italian peninsula. The seaside town was home to a group of family clans of the Calabrian Mafia known as 'Ndrangheta that began to migrate to the Toronto area in the 1950s. The DeMaria family arrived in Canada in 1955 when Vincenzo DeMaria was just nine months old. Despite living in the country for all of his 71 years, he would never become a Canadian citizen. Both the Italian and Canadian governments declined to speak directly about the case. However, court filings provide a clearer picture of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)'s allegations against the alleged mob boss. 'Ndrangheta, a powerful Mafia in Canada The 'Ndrangheta surpassed the Sicilian Mafia to become Italy's most powerful organized crime group many years ago, and it has spread its operations across Europe and the world, most notably Canada. In Toronto the 'Ndrangheta has been targeted in some of the biggest police operations of recent years, such as Project Sindacato in 2019, which focused on its illegal gambling operations. Canadian police have identified the most prominent branch of the 'Ndrangheta operating in Canada as the "Siderno Group," sometimes referred to in Italy as the Society of Siderno, because of its origins in DeMaria's hometown. Members of the group have allegedly accumulated considerable wealth through drug-smuggling, loan-sharking and other illegal activities, and were even able to infiltrate Canadian banks. The Government of Canada has argued that DeMaria is a senior figure in that criminal underworld, which he denies. His lawyer Jessica Zita told CBC News that DeMaria is a property manager. "He owns a number of properties and he manages all of them. Previously he was in the financial services business," she said. Italian police, however, have described him as one of the most senior leaders of the 'Ndrangheta in Canada, and a member of the group's Camera di Controllo, the equivalent of the Sicilian Mafia's Commission. DeMaria has denied those allegations. A murder in Little Italy In 1981, DeMaria shot a fellow Italian immigrant seven times in Toronto's Little Italy neighbourhood, and received a second-degree murder conviction for which he served eight years in prison. Because of that conviction he was never able to obtain Canadian citizenship and, like all convicted murderers, DeMaria is on parole for life, making him subject to re-arrest at any time. DeMaria has spent much of his life fighting to remain in Canada. His original deportation order, resulting from his murder conviction, was quashed in 1996. He was arrested again in 2009 and 2013 for associating with organized crime figures in violation of his parole conditions. In April 2018, he was ordered deported again on grounds of organized criminality, and placed in detention in the Collins Bay Institution in Ontario, pending appeal, only to be released into house arrest in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic hit and he had his own health complications. A visit from the old country While he was in prison in 2019, a murder in Siderno triggered a string of events that would become central to his case. A high-ranking mafioso called Carmelo "Mino" Muià was ambushed, and his brother Vincenzo Muià set off on a quest to find out who did it. Police have suggested he may also have been seeking the permission of the 'Ndrangheta's governing body to take revenge. His journey brought him to Canada, where he visited his second cousin DeMaria in prison at Collins Bay. What Muià didn't know was that the Italian Carabinieri — equivalent to Canada's RCMP — had installed spyware that effectively turned his phone into a microphone that was always on. In order to record his conversations on Canadian soil, however, they needed the co-operation of Canadian police. The Italians asked York Regional Police (YRP) for assistance both in intercepting communications and in maintaining surveillance on Muià while he was in Canada. But a Canadian Crown lawyer who was asked to review the request argued it should not be granted. Jeffery Pearson sent a letter to police in March 2019 stating that that he had found an "insufficient basis" to authorize surveillance under Part VI of the Criminal Code. He said there were "no reasonable and probable grounds to believe that either Mr. Muià or [travelling companion] Mr. Gregoarci have committed, or are committing, an offence in Canada." 'Illegal' surveillance, lawyers argue DeMaria's lawyers argue in their petition that things should have stopped right there. "Despite Pearson's clear denunciation and without the required judicial authorization, YRP moved ahead with the investigation and Mr. Muià's conversations during that time were illegally intercepted." They say the Muià was not only bugged but also placed under physical surveillance, without seeking judicial authorization and ignoring the legal advice given by Pearson. If they are successful, it would not be the first time that over-aggressive surveillance by York Regional Police may have sabotaged a case against alleged 'Ndrangheta members. Prosecutions arising from the Project Sindacato investigation, announced with great fanfare in 2019, ultimately fell apart in 2021 because YRP investigators were accused of eavesdropping on privileged conversations between the accused and their attorneys. Precedent for more snooping? DeMaria's lawyers dispute CBSA's arguments that the recordings made on Muià's phone support its contention that DeMaria is involved in organized crime. Only transcripts have been provided to Canadian courts and those appear to include lengthy sections that are paraphrased rather than verbatim. They also dispute whether references to a "Jimmy" in the recordings are really even about their client. And DeMaria's defence has poured scorn on the use of a police informant, Carmine Guido, who at times professed ignorance about the inner workings of the 'Ndrangheta, and who also made hundreds of thousands of dollars selling drugs while working with police. But their main argument against the CBSA's effort to remove DeMaria is that it relies on illegal recordings made at the instigation of a foreign government without regard for Canadian laws and civil liberties. If the precedent is allowed to stand, Zita says, "what that's saying is any foreign government can listen to us." She argued that the admission of paraphrased discussions "that aren't authenticated, that aren't tested," would also set a dangerous precedent. CBSA says all laws followed While declining to discuss DeMaria's case specifically, CBSA spokesperson Rebecca Purdy told CBC News that officials follow the law. "CBSA has a legal obligation to remove all foreign nationals found to be inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act," she said. "There are multiple steps built into the process to ensure procedural fairness and the CBSA only actions a removal order once all legal avenues of recourse have been exhausted." Zita says it's not that CBSA broke the law, but rather that it's relying partly on evidence collected illegally by York Regional Police. That, she said, must not be allowed to stand. "[Officials could] find ways through other countries outside of our borders with lower standards for evidentiary rules, take whatever evidence they're able to get using our technology, without having to report to anyone about it, bring that evidence back into our country and rely on it without any sort of testing whatsoever," she said. "That's as good as having no evidence at all. And it is demonstrably unfair for there's no way to reply to that. That's teetering very close to being an authoritarian regime." The virtual hearing begins on Monday at the Immigration Appeal Division in Toronto. The first witness is expected to be an investigator of the Carabinieri unit that made the original request for surveillance of Muià in Canada. Solve the daily Crossword
CBC
a day ago
- Politics
- CBC
Canada's deportation of alleged Mafia boss hinges on foreign eavesdropping
A federal deportation appeal on Monday that will decide whether an alleged Mafia boss must return to his native Italy is raising questions about foreign interference and constitutional rights in Canada. At stake is the question of whether a foreign government should be able to arrange warrantless surveillance of a person on Canadian soil, and then use evidence obtained in a Canadian legal proceeding. Vincenzo "Jimmy" DeMaria was born in Siderno, Italy, but has resided in Canada for most of his life. Siderno is in the poor, southern region of Calabria — the toe on the boot of the Italian peninsula. The seaside town was home to a group of family clans of the Calabrian Mafia known as 'Ndrangheta that began to migrate to the Toronto area in the 1950s. The DeMaria family arrived in Canada in 1955 when Vincenzo DeMaria was just nine months old. Despite living in the country for all of his 71 years, he would never become a Canadian citizen. Both the Italian and Canadian governments declined to speak directly about the case. However, court filings provide a clearer picture of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)'s allegations against the alleged mob boss. 'Ndrangheta, a powerful Mafia in Canada The 'Ndrangheta surpassed the Sicilian Mafia to become Italy's most powerful organized crime group many years ago, and it has spread its operations across Europe and the world, most notably Canada. In Toronto the 'Ndrangheta has been targeted in some of the biggest police operations of recent years, such as Project Sindacato in 2019, which focused on its illegal gambling operations. Canadian police have identified the most prominent branch of the 'Ndrangheta operating in Canada as the "Siderno Group," sometimes referred to in Italy as the Society of Siderno, because of its origins in DeMaria's hometown. Members of the group have allegedly accumulated considerable wealth through drug-smuggling, loan-sharking and other illegal activities, and were even able to infiltrate Canadian banks. The Government of Canada has argued that DeMaria is a senior figure in that criminal underworld, which he denies. His lawyer Jessica Zita told CBC News that DeMaria is a property manager. "He owns a number of properties and he manages all of them. Previously he was in the financial services business," she said. Italian police, however, have described him as one of the most senior leaders of the 'Ndrangheta in Canada, and a member of the group's Camera di Controllo, the equivalent of the Sicilian Mafia's Commission. DeMaria has denied those allegations. A murder in Little Italy In 1981, DeMaria shot a fellow Italian immigrant seven times in Toronto's Little Italy neighbourhood, and received a second-degree murder conviction for which he served eight years in prison. Because of that conviction he was never able to obtain Canadian citizenship and, like all convicted murderers, DeMaria is on parole for life, making him subject to re-arrest at any time. DeMaria has spent much of his life fighting to remain in Canada. His original deportation order, resulting from his murder conviction, was quashed in 1996. He was arrested again in 2009 and 2013 for associating with organized crime figures in violation of his parole conditions, which bar him from contact with even his own brother. In April 2018, he was ordered deported again on grounds of organized criminality, and placed in detention in the Collins Bay Institution in Ontario, pending appeal, only to be released into house arrest in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic hit and he had his own health complications. A visit from the old country While he was in prison in 2019, a murder in Siderno triggered a string of events that would become central to his case. A high-ranking mafioso called Carmelo "Mino" Muià was ambushed, and his brother Vincenzo Muià set off on a quest to find out who did it. Police have suggested he may also have been seeking the permission of the 'Ndrangheta's governing body to take revenge. His journey brought him to Canada, where he visited his second cousin DeMaria in prison at Collins Bay. What Muià didn't know was that the Italian Carabinieri — equivalent to Canada's RCMP — had installed spyware that effectively turned his phone into a microphone that was always on. In order to record his conversations on Canadian soil, however, they needed the co-operation of Canadian police. The Italians asked York Regional Police (YRP) for assistance both in intercepting communications and in maintaining surveillance on Muià while he was in Canada. But a Canadian Crown lawyer who was asked to review the request argued it should not be granted. Jeffery Pearson sent a letter to police in March 2019 stating that that he had found an "insufficient basis" to authorize surveillance under Part VI of the Criminal Code. He said there were "no reasonable and probable grounds to believe that either Mr. Muià or [travelling companion] Mr. Gregoarci have committed, or are committing, an offence in Canada." 'Illegal' surveillance, lawyers argue DeMaria's lawyers argue in their petition that things should have stopped right there. "Despite Pearson's clear denunciation and without the required judicial authorization, YRP moved ahead with the investigation and Mr. Muià's conversations during that time were illegally intercepted." They say the Muià was not only bugged but also placed under physical surveillance, without seeking judicial authorization and ignoring the legal advice given by Pearson. If they are successful, it would not be the first time that over-aggressive surveillance by York Regional Police may have sabotaged a case against alleged 'Ndrangheta members. Prosecutions arising from the Project Sindacato investigation, announced with great fanfare in 2019, ultimately fell apart in 2021 because YRP investigators were accused of eavesdropping on privileged conversations between the accused and their attorneys. Precedent for more snooping? DeMaria's lawyers dispute CBSA's arguments that the recordings made on Muià's phone support its contention that DeMaria is involved in organized crime. Only transcripts have been provided to Canadian courts and those appear to include lengthy sections that are paraphrased rather than verbatim. They also dispute whether references to a "Jimmy" in the recordings are really even about their client. And DeMaria's defence has poured scorn on the use of a police informant, Carmine Guido, who at times professed ignorance about the inner workings of the 'Ndrangheta, and who also made hundreds of thousands of dollars selling drugs while working with police. But their main argument against the CBSA's effort to remove DeMaria is that it relies on illegal recordings made at the instigation of a foreign government without regard for Canadian laws and civil liberties. If the precedent is allowed to stand, Zita says, "what that's saying is any foreign government can listen to us." She argued that the admission of paraphrased discussions "that aren't authenticated, that aren't tested," would also set a dangerous precedent. CBSA says all laws followed While declining to discuss DeMaria's case specifically, CBSA spokesperson Rebecca Purdy told CBC News that officials follow the law. "CBSA has a legal obligation to remove all foreign nationals found to be inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act," she said. "There are multiple steps built into the process to ensure procedural fairness and the CBSA only actions a removal order once all legal avenues of recourse have been exhausted." Zita says it's not that CBSA broke the law, but rather that it's relying partly on evidence collected illegally by York Regional Police. That, she said, must not be allowed to stand. "[Officials could] find ways through other countries outside of our borders with lower standards for evidentiary rules, take whatever evidence they're able to get using our technology, without having to report to anyone about it, bring that evidence back into our country and rely on it without any sort of testing whatsoever," she said. "That's as good as having no evidence at all. And it is demonstrably unfair for there's no way to reply to that. That's teetering very close to being an authoritarian regime." The virtual hearing begins on Monday at the Immigration Appeal Division in Toronto. The first witness is expected to be an investigator of the Carabinieri unit that made the original request for surveillance of Muià in Canada.
Khaleej Times
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Dubai: Why Chic Nonna's chef Francesco Torcasio likes his pasta a bit burnt
The glow was warm and inviting. The clang of pots and pans, the shuffle of feet, the gentle shower of flour as dough scratched the table and was kneaded into submission, the burble of the tomato sauce boiling on the stove, and the mumble of voices swapping stories amid it all – young Italian Francesco Torcasio found himself mesmerised as watched his mother and grandmother cook for the family. 'I kept wanting to try helping with the preparation and everything, but they would keep refusing,' says the recently appointed executive chef of Chic Nonna, DIFC. 'It was like a big secret that I wanted to know. Especially when I tasted the food, I wanted to know how they did it,' he laughs. Not one to ignore his curiosity, by 15 the Calabria-born Francesco was working at a local pastry shop, learning about precise measurements and the science of creating treats from scratch. He went on to work in kitchens across the country, exploring delicacies from different regions, cultivating a skill that would work greatly in his favour when he made his move to the UAE in 2017. It was here that he joined the Il Borro Tuscan Bistro's foundational team as a commis at 18. By 21, he had worked his way to senior chef de partie. And in 2021, he helped the brand expand to London. Two years ago, he returned to Dubai as the head chef of Chic Nonna, which pays homage to Italy and the nonnas (or grandmothers) who truly perfected the cuisine. This is where his vision found expression; he is currently known for making the traditional unconventional through the subtle use of flavours and the expert use of technique. Take, for example, the spaghetti all'assassina – a dish traced to the Puglia region in Italy – that is almost burnt to perfection. 'Basically, the spaghetti doesn't go in the water,' explains Francesco. It's made using leftover pasta that is directly put in a pan with garlic, chilli, spic-es, and tomato sauce until it's a bit charred and superbly crunchy. To contemporise the dish, Francesco added burrata to it. 'For someone who is not Italian, this may be a little difficult to navigate, because the dish is spicy. But by adding the burrata, I balanced the flavours,' he says. It was a calculated addition to the restaurant's offerings because in the UAE, he ex-plains, people like the Arrabbiata sauce. Which is similar, if not as concentrated. 'Adding burrata was like taking two things locals loved and putting them together.' Another interesting addition is the risotto Milanese, which is made by slow cooking veal shank. 'I added locally produced saffron (from Sharjah) to this dish. The colour is perfect, the risotto is very balanced and has a nice taste,' he says. His efforts have won him plenty of fans – and Chic Nona a Golden Lion at the Venice Festival, for its role in preserving and exporting Italian culinary heritage. And the brand is all set to reach further; it has already expanded to Courchevel, and looking at branches in Monaco, London and Miami. To take an international favourite and give it a local twist is something the chef excels in. He hopes the familiarity will help people discover new dishes. 'One of the common mistakes people make in Dubai is that they always order the same food, because maybe they think that this is all there is to Italian food. But Italian cuisine is very deep in the region, and there is a lot of variance in dishes when you go from south to north. When I go to the table to meet a guest, I always bring something from the south and something from the north, because I want them to try all of the different dishes that we have in the region,' he says. That said, the inventor isn't pleased with all the pasta cooking trends that dominate social media feeds (sorry Meghan Markle). He grimaces at the thought of overcooking pasta as much as he does a one-pot pasta dish. 'Pasta is simple but it's not something basic. Dropping everything into one pot is not pasta. For one thing, there are so many different types – and they should be cooked differently. So, when I see people maybe making fun of the dish or just putting everything -cream, pasta, tomato in a dish and put in the oven... That is something strange,' he says. He would never do it himself, he claims, adding that when he is in a hurry, his go-to is spaghetti with cherry tomato. 'It is a quick pasta, but full of flavour with just some nice, extra virgin olive oil, sweet cherry tomato, a little bit of garlic,' he says. Simple notes that remind him of home; of growing up in a place where the kitchen was full of cheer as knives worked to cleave meat, pasta was kneaded by practiced hands, and tomatoes and spices burbled together to create a rich sauce that would be the day's conversation starter at the dinner table.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Inter and Milan ban from stadium fans involved in mafia investigation
Inter Milan fans watch the UEFA Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan at the Fan Zone in the Olympic Park Matthias Balk/dpa Inter Milan and AC Milan have denied hundreds of supporters from ultra fan groups access to new season tickets for the Giuseppe Meazza stadium, the Corriere della Sera newspaper reported on Saturday, citing club sources. Those affected are primarily members of the organized fan groups of both clubs. According to the report, many of these people are named in the "Doppia Curva" ("Double Curve") anti-mafia investigation. Advertisement The Italian authorities are accusing members of the ultra groups of black market ticketing, extortion and drug dealing as well as links to the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia organization from the southern region of Calabria. According to the Corriere della Sera, the clubs are denying season tickets to "undesirable fans" who were named in the investigations, attracted attention through stadium bans or were involved in violent incidents - regardless of the ongoing proceedings. The fan group names "Curva Nord" (Inter) and "Curva Sud" (Milan) will also no longer be officially used in the future. Furthermore, the transfer of tickets within the groups is to be prevented. In addition, a new security plan is to be introduced at the stadium. Facial recognition cameras are to be used at the turnstiles as early as the 2025-2026 season and the pilot project could also be extended to other stadiums in Italy.
