For La Repubblica, the 17-November arrest of the "godfather" Antonio Iovine will "strike a blow to the heart of the Casalesi clan," which is one of the most powerful families in the Neapolitan mafia or Camorra. On the run for 15 years, Iovine, aged 46, is nicknamed "O Ninno" (the kid), a reference to his rapid rise through the ranks of the criminal organisation, where he eventually became boss after other chiefs had been arrested. In the columns of the Roman daily, the author of the best-selling investigative book Gomorrah, Roberto Saviano points out that Iovine’s interests extend well beyond Casal di Principe, his hometown near Naples where he was arrested. The Casalesi control a range of businesses that extend from illegal drugs to the construction industry, and they also have links in northern Italy – "a centre for mafia investment," where "the different families attempt to come into contact with political leaders."
The leader of Greece’s leftist alliance SYRIZA is the new bright hope of Greek politics. Steering a course between pragmatism and the rhetoric of class warfare, he has unsettled Berlin, and not just those who back Angela Merkel's austerity policies.
Europe’s economic woes have forced us to try to understand the secret Olympian world of global finance. But now that we pay more attention to bond yields and stability mechanisms, isn’t it clear that the experts up on their lofty peaks don’t know what’s going on either?
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest is hosted by Azerbaijan, a country that is far from being a model democracy. An Estonian journalist takes a critical look at the deferential treatment enjoyed by the regime in Baku.