Germany Wakes Up to Mafia Problem

Feud between Italian clans boils over with unprecedented cross-border eruption

(NEWSER) - Police are calling the killing of six Italians early today in Duisburg, Germany, a probable Mafia hit job, Der Spiegel reports. Five bodies with gunshot wounds to the head were found outside an Italian restaurant, and a sixth man died en route to the hospital. The incident is one of the largest mass murders in Germany in years. More»

Mafia threats spark plea for museum and staff

(NEWSER) - The director of a Naples museum is urging Germany to grant asylum to the museum and its staff seeking to flee the mob. Antonio Manfredi says the contemporary art museum has been plagued by vandalism and threats from the local Mafia. The museum has put on exhibitions dealing with social issues, including the prevalence of organized crime, Der Spiegel reports. More»

Illegal dumping 'robbing our patrimony,' says environmentalist

(NEWSER) - It's enough to make Caesar roll over in his grave. An ancient Roman mausoleum has been discovered beneath an illegal toxic waste dump outside Naples. The huge, vividly decorated 2nd-century tomb was found beneath some 60 tons of refuse dumped on ruins at Pizzuoli, site of the ancient Roman seaside town of Puteolanum. The entrace to a tomb tunnel was spotted after police cleared a top level of garbage to reclaim the site, reports the Independent . More»

Author describes ritual that 'made' Junior

(NEWSER) - Victoria Gotti insists she doesn’t condone crime. But in her new tell-all book, The Family of Mine, Mafia don John Gotti's daughter compares mobsters to Robin Hood and his merry men, claims they’re better than corrupt politicians, and says she sees no difference between paying into a protection racket and paying taxes to the police. She also insists her father didn’t commit all the murders ascribed to him, and paints him as a tough but adoring parent. More»

(NEWSER) - The famous Blue Grotto of the Italian island of Capri has been closed after its striking cerulean waters were fouled by raw sewage believed to be dumped by the Mafia, reports the Independent. La Grotta Azzurra, a favorite haunt of the Roman Emperor Tiberius, is celebrated for its striking waters and the silvery shimmer of cave rocks. Two men have been busted following following reports that they pumped 5,000 gallons of cesspool sewage into the grotto to avoid paying disposal fees. More»