Trapani, Italy
Mafia boss captured: After months of undercover work, Italian police have arrested the man they say is second-in-command of the Italian Mafia. Domenico Raccuglia, known to his Mob buddies as “the Veterinarian” for his love of animals, had been on the run for 15 years. During that time he was convicted in absentia of multiple murders, including that of the 13-year-old son of a Mafia informer whose body was dissolved in acid. “We have captured one of the absolute heads of Cosa Nostra,” said Prosecutor Antonio Ingroia. The alleged Godfather, Matteo Messina Denaro, is still at large.
Rome
No end to hunger: World leaders have rejected a U.N. call for rich nations to commit billions of dollars to develop agriculture in countries where hunger is widespread. At a summit on food security in Rome, some 60 heads of state and dozens of other government representatives also shot down the U.N.’s call for a pledge to end hunger by 2025. The three-day summit ended with the adoption of a watered-down declaration of intent to increase aid to poor farmers. “I am not satisfied,” said Jacques Diouf, head of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. “There was no consensus on this and I regret it.” About 1 billion people—one in every six people on the planet—are underfed. A child somewhere dies of hunger every six seconds.
Pristina, Kosovo
Peaceful and fair: Kosovo passed a key test of democracy this week when international monitors declared its local elections “mostly free and fair.” It was the first vote the tiny country had held since it declared independence from Serbia last year, and many had wondered whether the ethnic Albanian majority and Serbian minority would be able to vote together peacefully. In fact, Serbs turned out in greater numbers than expected, ignoring neighboring Serbia’s plea for them to boycott the vote. “These elections represent a significant milestone for Kosovo in building a multi-ethnic, democratic society for all of its citizens,” said U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly. The party of Prime Minister Hashim Thaci did well in the city council and mayoral races, a result he called an endorsement of his “good governance.”
