The two complex investigations, whose epicenter was Romagna, start from a common denominator. A trend has uncovered a network of alleged corruption and commercial fraud in public administrations linked to the supply of masks to the Ausl of Romagna in the early stages of the Covid emergency (and remanded as a prominent figure). , in former deputy Gianluca Pini). But the Forlì Police Headquarters, headed by Quaestor Lucio Aprile, has also worked tirelessly on it The second and no less important trend is the international drug trade who regarded the city as one of the trading centers.

For this affair, the transport and logistics entrepreneur ended up in prison in Forlì Gianluca Fiore, 46 years oldin turn, investigations were also carried out in the other direction attributable to Pini, since the public prosecutor believed that there was a genuine relationship of trust between the two, which would have been strengthened by mutual financial interests (however, Pini cannot be linked). way still investigated on drug problems).

Overall, the investigative activity documented 36 incidents of cross-border imports of cocaine and hashish between March 2020 and June 2021 with a total weight of over one tonne of cocaine and one tonne of hashish with a turnover of over one billion euros. All investigative activity took place early Thursday morning in Italy, Germany, Holland and Belgium in the presence of Europol and Eurojust staff, 640 police officers were on duty, 35 were arrested and 51 house searches were carried out.

Almost three years of investigation into this drug trafficking investigation. In particular, in the early hours of yesterday Thursday, as part of the investigation coordinated by the Bologna Public Prosecutor’s Office – District Antimafia Directorate – the State Police issued 27 pre-trial detention orders against people residing in Italy and all abroad. The operation, carried out jointly by police forces and judicial authorities from six European Union member countries, “dismantled several criminal networks, composed mainly of people of Albanian origin, responsible for the importation and distribution of dozens of quintals of cocaine on the continent.” “For years we have used companies in the road transport sector that also operate in Romagna,” says a police statement.

The operations are carried out on national territory by the mobile units of Forli-Cesena (led by Enzo Tarquini in Forlì) and Modena. A total of 130 state police officers were deployed to arrest the 27 suspects. Various mobile task forces are supporting crime prevention departments and anti-drug canine units in the provinces where the suspects live. In addition, in the province of Modena, the investigation identified another group, also of Albanian origin, not directly related to the suspects affected by the precautionary measures and arrested in the act in March 2021: composed of 5 people and owned of a total of 11.5 kilos of cocaine, 37 kilos of hashish and the cash sum of 160,000 euros.

In Ravenna in particular, a turning point occurred that certifies the existence of a link between two criminal groups, notably the seizure of more than 40 kilos of cocaine by the Forlì Mobile Squad in December 2020 in Ravenna and the subsequent arrest of the two at the corresponding importation involved couriers; The latter was planned and carried out by the two associations mentioned above: the one from Modena acted as buyer and recipient of the shipment, while the one from Romagna was called to take care of the physical collection, transport and delivery of the shipment.

“Complex Investigation”

It was, explains Francesco Messina, the Central Crime Control Director of the State Police, “a complex investigation that lasted almost three years and was carried out in different parts of the national territory and also abroad, leading to the seizure of large quantities”. Drug trafficking by transnational organizations, which could be prosecuted thanks to the cooperation of the various police and judicial authorities involved. The evaluation and analysis of the encrypted communication, which the suspects used massively for international drug trafficking, was a decisive factor. According to the Central Crime Control Directorate of the State Police, it is important to remember the quantities of drugs seized (about 120 kilos of cocaine and 20 kilos of cannabis), as well as the confiscations of goods and money, which totaled more than one million euros.” .

The beginning of the investigations in Forlì

The investigations were carried out by the Central Operations Service of the Central Anti-Crime Directorate of the State Police and by the Mobile Task Force of the Forlì and Modena Police Headquarters, who, after being monitored by a businessman from Forlì, Gianluca Fiore, reconstructed an extensive and ramified network of cocaine and hashish dealers who would have been able to import quintals of drugs from Belgium and Spain using specially modified vehicles and then distribute them to intermediate suppliers based in northern and central Italy. The investigations revealed that the Italian citizen had done business with two Albanian partners to transport large quantities of cocaine to Europe via a logistics company from Forlì.

In response to the hypothesis, on August 19, 2020, the Forlì Mobile Squad had seized a shipment of 28 kilos of cocaine in Aosta and then arrested two couriers, two brothers from Cesena. “Subsequent investigations made it possible to document the stable presence of at least two criminal organizations with the aim of international drug trafficking in Emilia-Romagna: one in the province of Modena and the other between the provinces of Forlì-Cesena and Rimini, which are linked and hierarchically structured in that they have a large number of men, weapons, money, means of transport and, above all, logistical bases at their disposal,” the police statement continued. In the province of Forlì-Cesena and Rimini there is a stable presence of companies in the logistics sector that have been transporting medicines from Northern Europe for years.

On the investigative and executive side, Mobile Command Forli-Cesena, with the help of local mobile teams, operated in the provinces of Rimini, Frosinone, Teramo, Ravenna and Bari, capturing 10 people, plus 1 arrest in the Netherlands and 1 in Germany, except for 5 People who are still wanted because they are not in Germany. One of those arrested was stopped by the Bari Flying Squad on a ship returning from Albania. Numerous luxury goods (cars and valuables) as well as 17,000 euros in cash and 150 grams of cocaine were found and confiscated as part of the executive activity.

Office in Modena

In the province of Modena, the presence of 10 of the 27 suspects was detected, making it possible to document the trafficking of about 320 kilos of cocaine and the one-off exchange of 1 million and 300,000 euros for imports from Belgium A quantity of 43 kilos of cocaine was then how confiscated as described below. The arrests also took place in the provinces of Genoa, Bologna, Alessandria, Salerno and Lodi, also thanks to the help of the staff of the crime prevention department and the anti-drug canine units.

Of particular interest is the arrest of a Genoa-based recipient of the precautionary measure, identified on a train near Salerno station returning from Calabria. The contextual searches in the above provinces seized cash worth 30,000 euros, mobile phones and drug packaging material. Of the 10 people, manhunts are still ongoing to arrest 3 Albanian citizens who are not on national territory.

The Global Financial New Deal Summit could be seen as another international gathering alongside the regular Parties’ Climate Change Conferences (COPs) and meetings of the G7 and G20, the world’s twenty-seven most advanced economies.

But French President Emmanuel Macron insisted at the closing press conference that the summit was a defining moment. “These two days have allowed us to create a new consensus for the planet. “We have concluded with a document detailing a shared policy vision that will structure the path towards profound reform of international financial architecture and governance,” he said.

“This summit aims to strengthen unity among members of the international community, taking into account our response to the twin challenges we face: the fight against inequalities and climate change,” added Macron.

According to the final declaration, developed countries have now achieved their goal of transferring US$100 billion of their Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) to developing countries by 2021. SDRs provide access to International Monetary Fund (IMF) international currency reserves, which can be exchanged for currency.

Summit participants indicated that the 2015 target of providing 100 billion SDRs by 2020 to support climate action in developing countries is likely to be met this year. They have also pledged to provide $200 billion in additional lending capacity over the next decade. And they agreed to Zambia’s $6.3 billion debt restructuring. Participants also set up a new biodiversity fund.

The Paris meeting could be a turning point

Olivier Damette, professor of economics at the University of Lorraine and research associate at the Paris Chair in Climate Economics, agrees that the meeting could mark a turning point.

“The world is facing a multitude of crises. Poverty and national debt have skyrocketed in recent years, also due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More and more developing countries are on the brink of insolvency, climate change is increasingly showing its effects, and there is a loss of confidence in national and international institutions,” he told DW.

“For the first time, leaders are coming together to talk about all of these different challenges at the same time. At previous summits, the issues were treated separately,” Damette added. He stressed that today’s financial institutions are no longer prepared for such a situation.

“Established after the 1944 Bretton Woods Agreement, the World Bank and IMF are based in the United States, are led by the US and the G7, and largely follow a top-down approach.” they are not prepared to face the new challenges, he said.

Paris Summit: Finance and Sustainability

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New financing system for developing countries

Claire Eschalier, project manager at the French capital-based think tank Institute for Climate Economics, thinks a more bottom-up approach makes more sense. “Most of the funding has historically been dedicated to specific projects, while there should be a more systemic input to make a bigger impact,” he told DW, adding that this is the so-called Society for a Just Energy Transition ( STEJ) is a first step in the right direction. Through this program, the richest nations are guiding fossil-fuel dependent countries on their clean energy journey while addressing the social consequences of the transition.

Wind Capital’s Isabelle Albert, based in Paris, agrees that the summit produced some tangible results.

“It is positive that the SDR transfer target has now been reached and the participants have agreed to set up a biodiversity fund, as ecosystems such as the Amazon rainforest are vital to maintaining our climate,” he told DW.

“This could help restore some confidence, although developing countries are still waiting for other pledges from richer nations to materialize, such as the amounts pledged at COP15 in 2009,” he added.

However, the expert believes that it is still too early to assess the outcome of the meeting. “This is a first step in the right direction, but summits like this one should show the way: history, the coming months and years will tell if we can achieve a just transition,” Albert said.

“Hopefully today’s agreement will help ensure that COP28 in Dubai later this year is a success after the poor results of COP27 in Egypt last year,” he added. At COP27, nations failed to commit to the actions needed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2030.

(cp/ers)

In euronews with FORBES, 20 minutes • Last update: 06/24/2023 – 05:22

The richest man in Europe lives in France, but there are also many billionaires in Switzerland. According to Forbes, these 5 are the richest Swiss…

The richest person in the world, according to the new FORBES list, is Frenchman Bernard Arnault, with a fortune of US$ 233.7 billion. The 74-year-old businessman owns the luxury group LVMH (Louis Vuitton and Moët Hennessy) and the fashion house Dior.

5th place: Magdalena Martullo Blocher (54)

The head of EMS-Chemie describes her management style in an interview with Swiss television SRF as “open but consistent”. She is trying to influence the Swiss government to make good policies.

The daughter of Swiss right-wing populist Christoph Blocher and her three brothers inherited her father’s EMS chemical company. According to FORBES, you own 6.7 billion US dollars.

His sister Rahel (47) is the 7th richest person in Switzerland by FORBES. Like her father, Magdalena Martullo Blocher does politics for the SVP of the Swiss People’s Party. She has been a member of parliament in Bern for 8 years.

4th place: Guillaume Pousaz (41 years old)

Guillaume Pousaz got rich with the internet payments company Checkout. According to the FORBES list, he is worth $7.2 billion.

Of himself, Pousaz says, “After witnessing the growth of the internet from a very young age, I founded Checkout.com in 2012. Over the past ten years, I’ve worked with some of the world’s most innovative companies to provide solutions to the most complex payment problems to offer.”

And the businessman explains: “Today, Checkout.com is one of the largest fintechs in the world, with more than 20 branches and a team of more than 2,000 employees. I’m originally from Switzerland, an avid surfer and the father of three wonderful children.”

3rd place: Ivan Glasenberg (66 years old)

According to FORBES, the head of commodity trading and mining group Glencore is worth around $9 billion. Ivan Glasenberg was born in South Africa, but he also has an Australian and, of course, Swiss passport. His home is in Rüschlikon, near Zurich.

2nd place: Ernesto Bertarelli (57 years old)

Ernesto Bertarelli is best known to sailing fans as CEO of Alinghi Red Bull Racing and founder of Team Alinghi. And he was under discussion as a possible new owner of Inter Milan.

The heir to the pharmaceutical company Serono SA hails from Rome. He became Swiss at the age of 24. Bertarelli is now worth $9.4 billion, according to FORBES.

Bertarelli made headlines when he split from his wife Kirsty – a singer and former Miss Great Britain – after 21 years of marriage and she received billions in the split. Some said that would make her one of the richest women in Britain…

1st place: Gianluigi Aponte (82 years old) and his wife Rafaela Aponte-Diamant

There are hardly any photos of the richest couple in the Alpine republic: Gianluigi Aponte and Rafaela Aponte-Diamant. According to FORBES, the two together are worth $31.2 billion – making them by far the richest people in Switzerland.

Gianluigi Aponte owns Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), one of the largest container shipping companies in the world. The trained sailor comes from Naples. Apparently, he met his future wife on a cruise ship – and moved to Geneva with her.

Air pollution is having an effect flies surprisingly changed the process of attraction and mating of these insects.

Typically, flies rely heavily on pheromones, which are chemicals that allow males and females to locate and mate.

However, polluted air eventually disrupts the circulation of these pheromones, affecting the flies’ ability to identify their mates.

Specifically, it is about the increase ozone in the air influences the pheromones and impairs their distinguishing function between the sexes.

A recent discovery has revealed more details on how this air pollution can have wideranging impacts on the life and behavior of species, including insects important to pollination and environmental ecology, such as flies.

More research is needed to fully understand the impact of this perturbation on the communication and reproductive systems of flies and other organisms, but the data collected so far is already quite alarming.

Ozone levels can be harmful to flies

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Germany focused on the effects of ozone on fly attraction and mating.

To do this, they developed an experiment in which they simulated ozone values ​​that are similar to those in cities in summer.

The aim of the research was to examine the effects smoke the air, as the substance is also called, in the pheromones released by flies.

Pheromones not only encourage female flies to attract males, but also allow them to repel other males, thereby ensuring an appropriate reproductive process.

The researchers responsible for the study, Nanji Jiang and Markus Knaden, were intrigued by the behavior of male flies exposed to ozone.

Scientists realized that this change in behavior was related to males’ inability to properly distinguish individuals of the opposite sex.

This discovery supported the hypothesis that ozone exposure impaired the ability of male flies to identify female flies and developed inappropriate courtship behavior.

Previously, researchers had not considered this possibility, making the phenomenon even more intriguing.

Other insects may be affected

The implications of this discovery are farreaching and not just limited to flies. It is believed that ozone can affect the behavioral patterns of many insects, affecting their communication and behavior.

When ozone disrupts the communication of these insects, it can lead to uneasiness in social relationships and chaotic behavior within these communities.

Bees may have trouble coordinating their activities in the hive, wasps may have trouble organizing their tasks, and ants may face challenges with division of labor and defending their territory.

This balance in communication can have deleterious consequences for these insect communities and compromise their role in nature.

In addition, it can affect foraging, caring for offspring, repelling predators, and the overall efficiency of activities within groups.

After all, this whole chain of lack of control could somehow reach humans as well, and also impact certain insectrelated aspects of our lives.