
-
Carapaz knocked out of Tour de France with stomach bug
-
Springbok coach Erasmus introduces 'hybrid player' Esterhuizen
-
'Eat the rich': Venice protests shadow Bezos wedding
-
Chelsea agree deal for Dortmund's Gittens - reports
-
Palmeiras edge Brazilian rivals Botafogo in extra time at Club World Cup
-
Fritz fuelled with confidence for Wimbledon after Eastbourne win
-
Debutant Tshituka scores twice as Springboks crush BaaBaas
-
Draper ready to fill Murray's shoes as Britain's Wimbledon hope
-
Biggest-ever Budapest Pride defies Orban ban in Hungary
-
Final third ability keeping Europe ahead as gap narrows: Wenger
-
South Africa teen Pretorius hits century on Test debut against Zimbabwe
-
'Cezanne at home': show retraces artist's roots in southern France
-
Leclerc on front row at Austrian GP as Ferrari upgrades bear fruit
-
Huge crowds build as Serbian protesters demand early elections
-
Irish rappers Kneecap perform controversial Glastonbury set
-
Pogba signs for Monaco, hoping to revive career
-
Fearless Alcaraz has third Wimbledon title in his sights
-
Norris savours finding 'the old me' in taking pole at Austrian GP
-
Trout Fresh, Waa Wei win Taiwan's top music awards
-
Raducanu 'just friends' with future doubles partner Alcaraz
-
Coaching upheaval won't dent Sinner's Wimbledon title charge
-
Norris secures pole at Austrian GP with stunning last lap to end Verstappen dominance
-
Joint wins Eastbourne title to end Eala's history bid
-
Gauff 'tired of talking' about Sabalenka French Open spat
-
Relieved Marc Marquez surges to Dutch MotoGP sprint win
-
Major turnout as Budapest Pride defies Orban's ban in Hungary
-
Wimbledon offers Djokovic 'best chance' to make Grand Slam history
-
Fans celebrate 'Squid Game' finale with Seoul parade
-
Sabalenka hoping to learn lessons from French Open outburst
-
Pegula downs Swiatek to win Bad Homburg grass-court title
-
Norris maintains upper hand on Piastri in Austrian GP practice
-
Pollock shines as Lions win big in Australia tour opener
-
Spain star Bonmati in hospital with viral meningitis
-
Europe bakes in summer's first heatwave as continent warms
-
Iran holds state funeral for top brass slain in Israel war
-
Quartararo takes pole for Dutch MotoGP
-
Nigerian Dambe boxing goes global -- amulets and charms included
-
Thousands protest calling for Thai PM's resignation
-
France bans smoking in beaches, in parks and bus shelters
-
Sri Lanka crush Bangladesh in second Test to seal series
-
Drilling for water in Venezuela's parched oil town
-
Budapest Pride to challenge Orban's ban in Hungary
-
Jamaica's Fraser-Pryce qualifies for 9th World Championships
-
'We must help them': Morocco students get peers back in school
-
Iran holds state funeral for top brass slain in war with Israel
-
Chelsea boss Maresca hails Fernandez ahead of Benfica Club World Cup clash
-
PSG Club World Cup reunion with Messi recalls unhappier times
-
How Leclerc & Co. Is Redefining Affordable Luxury in the Watch Industry
-
Good Drivers Finally Get a Break: Good Driver Mutuality Offers a Smart, Fair Alternative to Soaring Auto Insurance Costs
-
Islanders take Canadian teen Schaefer first overall in NHL Draft

Shadow looms over captured mobster's home town
Killer mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro may have been captured this week after 30 years on the run, but his shadow still looms large over his Sicilian hometown.
While some in Castelvetrano are relieved the barbarous 60-year-old is finally behind bars, many in the Cosa Nostra heartland where he grew up refuse to speak about him.
Since the arrest of Messina Denaro on Monday, passers-by in the town of nearly 30,000 people in Sicily's southwest have hidden under umbrellas or walked faster to avoid the swarms of journalists from Italy and beyond.
"We don't like to talk much in this town," muttered one old man, before he slipped away.
Messina Denaro, who was caught in Palermo while seeking cancer treatment, is considered the last of the old guard of Cosa Nostra -- Sicily's infamous mafia -- with his power extending across the island's west.
Michele, a 39-year-old architect out with his wife and baby, agreed to speak to AFP on condition his surname was not used.
"We are very happy. What should have happened a long time ago has finally happened," he said.
But he added: "Now it's us who have to change, the whole city, because we could have already started to change before this arrest".
Mayor Enzo Alfano said his town longed to clean up its reputation and "free itself from this leaden blanket that has stifled so many of the inhabitants".
Castelvetrano dreams of being known "for what it is: a beautiful city with an archaeological park", he said.
Nearby Selinunte, an ancient Greek settlement, boasts sumptuous temples looking out to sea.
But Alfano sounded a note of caution.
"A page has certainly been turned, but we can in no way say that the Mafia has been defeated," Alfano told AFP.
"We must not lower our guard".
- 'Secrets' -
While Castelvetrano features a picturesque historic centre, the outskirts are an eyesore.
Potholed roads are lined with half-built buildings while piles of rubbish litter the countryside.
The city's coffers, once under state control due to mafia infiltration, are bare.
Alfano is pinning his hopes on tourism.
He also wants answers: how did Messina Denaro manage to stay hidden for so long? Who was helping him?
The same questions plague 23-year-old anti-mafia activist Marta Capaccioni, as she stands outside the hideout of the boss, which police discovered earlier this week.
The small, non-descript apartment is in Campobello di Mazzara, some 15 minutes drive from Castelvetrano.
Wrapped up against the cold in a burgundy jacket and scarf, Capaccioni called it "shameful" that the fugitive had been able to live quietly in his home territory.
Messina Denaro, now behind bars on mainland Italy, has so far refused to talk to investigators.
But Capaccioni said the state had to do everything it could to get him to talk, because he is "a top Cosa Nostra boss who knows a lot of secrets".
She said he could tell police about his role in the murder of anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, slain in car bombings in 1992 for which the mobster has been convicted.
Messina Denaro might be able to shed some light on rumoured secret deals between the state and the organised crime organisation, Capaccioni said.
"This would open so many Pandora's boxes about our country and the political parties that collaborated with the mafia," she said.
M.Thompson--AMWN