A roundup of the latest news on Thursday

Italian police issue 97 arrest warrants in raids against ‘Ndrangheta mafia

Italian police on Wednesday issued 97 arrest warrants and placed over 100 people under investigation as part of a large-scale operation against Italy’s ‘Ndrangheta mafia, according to AFP.

The suspects are accused of “importing large quantities of cocaine from abroad, especially from Colombia, Brazil, and Panama,” by hiding it in “containers loaded onto ships,” police said.

“Port operators” bribed by the ‘Ndrangheta mafia moved the drugs through the Calabrian port of Gioia Tauro, from which they were “distributed throughout the country” by several families belonging to the organised crime group, police said.

The families also extorted money from local businesses and infiltrated public administrations to obtain privileged information, including on public tenders, according to police.

Of the 97 warrants issued, 16 were for house arrest and 81 for detention, though it was unclear how many of those targeted were already serving sentences in prison in connection with previous charges.

The operation was carried out in multiple locations around the country, including parts of Calabria and the cities of Rome, Milan, Bologna, Rimini, Verona, and Turin.

The ‘Ndrangheta is Italy’s wealthiest and most powerful mafia, and is believed to have a near monopoly on cocaine trafficking in Europe.

The group, which has a presence in some 40 countries around the world, is known for infiltrating political systems and local authorities both in Italy and abroad.

Italy and US bolster cooperation for recovery of missing World War II soldiers

Italy and the US have signed a deal to bolster efforts to recover the remains of American soldiers who went missing in action during World War II, a statement from the Italian culture ministry said on Tuesday.

Italy was the site of prolonged fighting between 1943 and 1945, following the Allied invasion of Sicily and the campaign to liberate Italy from Fascist and Nazi forces. 

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The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) – the US agency responsible for identifying fallen military personnel – and Italy’s culture ministry signed a memorandum to improve operations to locate and recover the remains of service members who were never accounted for in Italy. 

Under the memorandum, the two countries will also implement measures to protect the archaeological sites involved in search efforts.

Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said the deal “reflects the spirit of friendship that characterises the relations between Italy and the United States”. 

It is part of a “decade-long cooperation with the US agency for prisoners of war and missing in action, as a tribute to those who sacrificed their lives to contribute to our freedom,” he added.

Nearly 72,000 Americans remain unaccounted for from World War II globally around the world, according to the DPAA.

Pope Leo XIV calls for ‘humanitarian aid’ to be allowed into Gaza

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday called for humanitarian aid to be allowed into war-ravaged Gaza, where a total blockade has led to critical food and medicine shortages, according to United Nations agencies.

“The situation in the Gaza Strip is worrying and painful,” the pope said during his first general audience in St Peter’s Square.

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“I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid and to put an end to the hostilities, the heartbreaking price of which is paid by children, the elderly, the sick,” he said.

Leo, who became the first US pope on May 8th, has made peace a theme of his papacy so far, repeatedly calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

In recent weeks, Israel has come under intense international pressure to abandon its military campaign in Gaza and allow urgent humanitarian aid into the besieged territory.

The UN announced on Monday that it had been cleared to send in aid for the first time since Israel imposed a total blockade on March 2nd, sparking severe shortages of food and medicine.

However, aid groups have said that the amount allowed in isn’t enough to meet current needs.

Israel, which resumed its offensive in Gaza on March 18th following a two-month truce, announced that it would expand its military campaign earlier this month.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said on Saturday he was “alarmed” by the latest escalation and called for “a permanent ceasefire”.

With reporting from AFP.