The doomed Costa Concordia was carrying a huge shipment of Mafia-owned cocaine, investigators claim.
A notorious Calabrian crime syndicate called the ’Ndrangheta had its drugs hidden on the cruise ship which sunk in January 2012, with loss of 32 lives.
The ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, was jailed for 16 years in February.
He was convicted of manslaughter over the deaths of 32 people, as well as causing the shipwreck and abandoning ship while many of the 4,200 passengers and crew were still on board the stricken vessel.
Investigators claim phone and tape recordings of gang members revealed that there was a drugs shipment on the vessel when it went down, the Independent reports.
One recording allegedly features ’Ndrangheta boss Michele Rossi saying to associate Massimo Tiralongo: “The same ship that made us a laughing stock around the world, took the p**s out of us, too."
A criminal investigation into alleged Mafia drugs trafficking also claims the ’Ndrangheta placed drugs on ships owned by MSC and Norwegian Cruise Lines.
Officers said the drugs on the Concordia were stowed on board the vessel without the knowledge of senior officers or senior company officials.
The Concordia was towed to Genoa last year to be scrapped in an operation which is due to last nearly two years
Media personality, Denrele Edun while chatting with 3m360 reveals he will be getting married soon to a Female musician who just released a hot single #A..M ! Further, he said his wedding suit is ready…
“My brother, it’s true I’m going to wed soon, and I promise you that no ONE will know my prospective bride before the wedding day. As I’m talking to you now, my wedding suit is ready. I’m going to surprise a lot of people; because most people thought I can’t love; and I will prove to them that I do love and being loved, just that I can’t give up my style for love. I will still remain who I am till the old age,
At least 5 persons including 2 policemen and the Group Managing Director of NESTOIL PLC, Dr. (Sir) Ernest Azudialu Obiejesi sustained serious injuries on Sunday in a fight between him and the Director of Transformation Ambassador of Nigeria (TAN), Dr. Ifeanyi Uba. The Free-For-All Fight began around 3.30pm at the headquarters of Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra which is the collation center for Ihiala Federal House of Representative, and lasted for more than 45 minutes over an alleged result mutilation. Daily Times learnt that trouble started when Dr. Ifeanyi Uba allegedly found Sir Obiejesi while falsifying the original result sheet been submitted to the collation center in favour of his party, APGA. Ifeanyi Uba was supporting PDP. “When Uba found Sir Obiejesi popularly known as Obijackson falsifying the original sheets to favour APGA and his candidate, Uba encountered him, snatched the paper away from him and they began to fight to the charging of their respective supporters,” our source said. Sir Obiejesi clothing was torn even as two vehicles were badly damaged at the process but the key players refused to grant the press interview on what truly transpired. Confirming the report on phone, the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer (PPPRO) Uche Eze said “there was crisis at ihiala local government area which is the collation centre but I do not know the names of those involved in the fight. But two Police men were injured and already taken to hospital for treatment.” Our reporter reliably gathered that it was effort of policemen sent from the state police command that brought the matter to a halt. Meanwhile, collation of results for the Senatorial and Federal House of Representative elections in Anambra Central, Anambra South and Anambra North Senatorial zones have kick-started at the various INEC collation centers. In Awka collation center comprising Awka North, Awka South, Anaocha, Dunukofia, Njikoka, Idemili North and Idemili South Local Government Areas, our reporter discovered that all the council Areas have submitted their respective result sheets, excerption of Idemili North and South, the stronghold of the incumbent Senator representing the zone Sen. Chris Ngige. However, when our reporter arrived Awka collation center, the Returning Officer encountered problem with political party supporters when transferring the result sheets meticulously to ascertain their veracity with master sheet. “When I was crosschecking them to ensure clarity, some overzealous party agents accused me of falsifying the result, and in the confusion that ensured, the collation room became rowdy. To avoid been lynched or stampeded, I called on security officers for protection”, the INEC officers told Daily Times. As at the time of filing this report, the intervention of security officers which included soldiers, police and Sars have brought the situation to normalcy. Also, tension is high all over the state as unconfirmed report indicates that PDP was leading in all the three senatorial zones. The contestants for Anambra Central are Dr. Chris Ngige of APC, Uche Ekwunife of PDP and Chief Victor Umeh of APGA; while the North has Princess Stella Odua of PDP and Dubem Obaze; and the South has Senator Andy Ubah of PDP, Ernest Ndukwe of APGA and Mrs. Ethel Obiakor of APC.
A man has drowned in a swimming pool at a James Bond-themed swingers party in a mansion, it has emerged.
The reveller, aged 35, got into difficulties while in the pool with six others and was pulled out of the water and given first aid by the mansion’s owner but died at the scene.
Police and ambulance crews attended the scene at a luxury house in upmarket Radlett, Herts, but the man was declared dead at the in the early hours of March 28.
The victim was attending an event organised by Radlett Adult Parties which hosts swingers parties on the fourth weekends of every month at the mansion.
Friday nights are singles nights and couples’ nights are held on Saturdays.
Richard Stanley, 66, who runs the business which hosts the parties, along with his partner Janet Harrison, 58, said: “Everyone is very shocked including me.
“I heard somebody yell that there was someone lying at the bottom of our pool. There were about a dozen people there at the time and about six in the water. I dived in and pulled the man out.
“There was a nurse present too and we gave him first aid.
"I didn’t stop CPR until the ambulance crew turned up but sadly he was declared dead at the scene. We don’t know whether it was a heart attack - I gather a postmortem is being held this week to find out what happened.
“We’ve never had a tragedy like this before. It was horrible to witness and I feel very sorry for the man’s family. The police said the death was not suspicious.”
Radlett Adult Parties featured in a Channel 4 series last year called Jon Richardson Grows Up, in which the comedian travelled the UK examining the modern aspects of becoming an adult.
The party website states: “Radlett is one of the UK’s most well established and popular swinging parties. Perfect for newbies and experienced swingers alike.”
It claims its paying guests are “hot blooded sexual Olympians” who enjoy facilities that “include a 16 metre long covered pool, 10 metre dance room with dance pole, sauna, hot tub, 3 secluded acres for summer evening revelry”.
Hertfordshire Police confirmed an investigation into the man’s death is underway and a postmortem will be held this week.
A spokesman for Herts Police said: “Police were called to a social gathering at Radlett at 12.45am on Saturday 28th March.
“When we attended we found a man had died at the scene.
“An investigation is under way into the death and a postmortem will be held next week.”
As well as the swimming pool, the mansion venue has a sex chamber, a dance room with a pole and a sauna
An 80-year-old woman known as the ‘Gang Bang Queen’ has revealed she has slept with more than 1,000 men and starred in a number of porn films.
Shirley Andrews is one of a number of ‘super cougars’ who proudly boast about their active sex lives with hundreds of young men – some of who are less than a quarter their age.
Despite living in an old people’s complex, Shirley boasts that she regularly has sex with men as young as 18 – in between knitting and crochet.
The outgoing octogenarian, who lives in Oroville California, even has a tattoo around her nipple that reads ‘Gang Bang Queen’ and launched a career in blue movies seven years ago.
She said: “I made all of the videos at home. And I started posting them online and I just got rave reviews.
"I just felt like a princess."
Her biggest role was taking part in a filmed orgy involved fifteen much-younger men.
Among Shirley's numerous fans is Kyle Jones, a 31-year-old lothario with a penchant for pensioners.
Together they make amateur films and canoodle in public in broad daylight like loved-up teenagers.
But Shirley, who has been married several times before, is not ready to settle down and currently has five guys under 30 on the go.
She said: "I have had numerous proposals in the last five years. But none of them were with anyone I would want to spend the rest of my life with.
"I would say I've slept with around a thousand men but I think it would probably be a little bit more than that. I've been around the block.
"I don't consider myself a nymphomaniac by any means but I'm probably close to it."
Granny-lover Kyle, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, also has six different elderly ladies, aged between 68 and 92, on the go. He regularly travels from the east coast across to California and down to Florida to visit his many women.
His choice of lovers include 92-year-old great-granny Marge from Pennsylvania who dons sequin mini-dresses to entertain crowds as an erotic dancer.
And 68-year-old widow Anna from Ohio has reignited her sexual passion since meeting adventurous Kyle.
They met on an online dating site a few years after her husband died - much to her daughters' displeasure.
Kyle's little black book of women appears on a one-off Channel 5 special called Nanna Love: 50 Shades of Grey about young men who prefer mature women to girls their own age.
Out of all of Kyle's mature lovers, wild Shirley is his favourite.
The pair met on the Internet and live 2,000 miles apart - which means they rarely get to spend time together.
But when they do, their dates do not consist of an elegant dinner and a movie.
The pair cannot keep their hands off each other, and even get intimate during an afternoon stroll in a local park.
However, while Shirley is content with playing the field, Kyle may be considering his future with his favourite senior citizen.
He said: "Shirley knows that I would have problem being with just one woman and I know that Shirley will have a problem with just one guy.
"And even though I'm with other women, I don't know if I'll be okay with it with her.
"Let's say at some point where I decide I'm just really super in love and I only want her, then it might mess with my head at some point that she was with someone else."
Despite Shirley's unusual bedroom activities, the randy retiree enjoys much of the same hobbies as her friends.
She said: "I currently live in a senior complex. I love to knit - I'm always knitting, crochet as well. I make a lot of gifts that way.
"Plus it keeps me busy and out of trouble. It seems to be my middle name - trouble."
The ranks give cities a combined score based on five main factors:
Business environment
Financial sector development
Infrastructure
Human capital
Reputational and general factors.
There was a huge reaction when New York dethroned London as the world's top financial hub last year — but has London managed to take the crown back? And how are Asia's growing megacities doing as China's rapid growth cools?
20.) DOHA just makes it into the top 20, climbing from 22nd place last year, the capital of Qatar is the middle east's second most important financial hub.
FRONTIERS/GULF REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen
19.) FRANKFURT is down three places on the list, despite the opening of the European Central Bank's massive new headquarters there.
Photo by Hannelore Foerster/Getty Images
18.) MONTREAL sneaks into the top 20, making it Canada's third highest-ranking financial centre.
Manny Pacquiao had to get creative to buy his new mansion in Beverly Hills.
In addition to paying $12.5 million for the 10,000 square-foot sprawl, Pacquiao also gave the seller four tickets to his fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr., according to Martin Rogers of USA Today.