Palermo - January 16, 2007 - Mob-related murders in Italy fell by a third in 2005 as the Sicilian Mafia moved to lower its profile in an attempt to ease business and political relations, the country's anti-Mafia prosecutor said today.

Mafia homicides fell to 143 in 2005 from 212 a year earlier, representing a quarter of all murders in Italy, according to a study by Ansa news agency and Eures research institute published today.

"The decline of homicides by Cosa Nostra was part of a precise strategy," anti-Mafia prosecutor Pietro Grasso said in Rome, commenting on the data. "Fewer homicides don't mean that the mob is weaker. It means that there are fewer internal disputes."

Crime syndicates drained $45 billion from Italy's economy in 2005, and that excludes income from drug and arms trafficking, according to SOS Impresa, a Rome-based group that fights corruption. Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi promised before last year's election to make the fight against the Mafia an "absolute priority" in order to cultivate growth in southern Italy, known as the Mezzogiorno.

Mob-related murders continued to decline in 2006, Grasso said, without giving the exact number. The data exclude what are called "bloodless" murders, where mobsters disappear and are never heard from again. The number of those each year is unknown, Grasso said.

Camorra, Cosa Nostra

Half of all mob murders in 2005 were committed by the Camorra, or the Mafia located in and around Naples, which is driven by rivalries between more than 40 different clans. Cosa Nostra, which has a unified, vertical command structure, was responsible for only 12 percent of the murders in 2005.

Sicilian mob boss Bernardo Provenzano was still a fugitive in 2005 and was the undisputed leader of Cosa Nostra, Europe's most powerful crime syndicate. He was captured in April of 2006.

Almost 92 percent of mob-related homicides go unsolved during the year that they are committed, according to the report. Ninety five percent of Mafia murders are executed with a firearm. The homicides are committed mostly in the evening between 6 p.m. and midnight, with the victims gunned down either as they walk in a populated city center, or as they drive their cars.

The report also indicated that the murder rate in the U.S. is five times higher than Italy's. Murders as a result of domestic disputes, totaling 174, outpaced mob-related homicides in 2005, the report said.

Torino - January 16, 2007 - In Ivrea, a northwestern Italian town near Torino, one of the strangest and most ancient Italian carnival celebrations takes place every year. Although the tomato throwing battle "La Tomatina" which takes place the last week of August in Bunol, Spain claims to be the world's largest food fight, they are incorrect in their claim. This is the world's largest food fight without a doubt!

Let's go to the history of the Carnival. The first revolt was that of Violetta in 1194, a second revolt appears in the annals for 1266, when the men of Ivrea "expelled" the Marquis of Monferrato. This event is enshrined in the "Preda in Dora" ceremony described in the account of the Carnival of Ivrea that follows. But the most important and remembered event took place in 1194. At that time a Count that ruled the town, (Conte Rainieri di Biandrate) had made a new law to sleep with every new bride, he called it the "right of the first night".

Well, he got away with it until a miller's daughter named Violetta rebelled against him.

Violetta's father ran one of the floating mills that once exploited the waters of the Dora. She killed him with a sword she had hidden under her dress, and then she proceeded in showing his cut off head to the people, she then started a fire in the castle (Castellazzo), which started a revolt against the tyrant's troops. They fought by mainly throwing stones to them, and they won. That fight for liberty is recreated with the Battles of the Oranges, which substitute stones.

Every year there is a new Mugnaia (miller's daughter) chosen who is the heroine of the festivities and is accompanied by a corollary of characters that represent the historical heritage of the town including: the General and his staff, soldiers, musicians and more than 1,500 masked characters that perform in historical parades and pageants throughout the period. Then, 400 tons of oranges are used as ammunition as rival factions battle in a satirical but well-fought re-enactment of the peoples revolt against their lords many centuries ago.

There are more than 40 carri (decorated horse drawn carts) that carry 12 paying throwers (who represent the castle) through the 5 piazzas of the city where over 3,500 rebellious warriors representing 9 teams attempt to overwhelm them with their vicious orange throwing techniques. The winning team is determined by a jury who takes into account the decorations of the piazza (each team gets a half of a piazza to decorate) and the fury and accuracy of their orange throwing talents. The streets, walls and participants take on the color of the squashed and splattered fruit.

Events draw to an end with the final burning of the scarli (which are large wooden poles) and a codfish and polenta feast in the Borghetto area of the city plus, during breaks in the ceremonies, there are dishes of fat beans being handed out (a tradition which dates back to 1325).