Modena, Italy
The consigliere of Italy’s top Mafioso was found dead in his prison cell this week, hanging from the bars by a sheet. Francesco Pastoia, 62, had been arrested just four days earlier, in a massive raid that netted 50 gangsters but failed to find the top target: Bernardo “the Tractor” Provenzano. It’s not unusual for Italian mobsters to be killed in prison so they can’t testify, but officials believe that Pastoia killed himself. Police had shown him the evidence against him, including tapes of phone conversations in which he discussed murders he had committed without Mafia approval. Pastoia, they speculated, did not want to risk Provenzano’s revenge. The 71-year-old Provenzano, reputed to be the leader of all Mafia groups in Italy, has been on the run for more than 40 years.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Buddhist monks’ US walk for peaceUnder the Radar Crowds have turned out on the roads from California to Washington and ‘millions are finding hope in their journey’
-
American universities are losing ground to their foreign counterpartsThe Explainer While Harvard is still near the top, other colleges have slipped
-
How to navigate dating apps to find ‘the one’The Week Recommends Put an end to endless swiping and make real romantic connections
