This trial is attempting to get to the bottom of the scheming of the Mafia more than twenty years ago. And it's just heard from someone who may know a great deal.
He's Gioacchino La Barbera, a Mafia man involved in the killing of a prominent magistrate. But he switched sides. And he's a witness now for the prosecution.
He said that after murdering the magistrate, the Mafia looked for more targets. And it plotted to blow up the magnificent, ancient tower in Pisa. The Mafiosi were aiming to strike a major psychological blow at the height of their war with the state.
La Barbera said the plot only failed because the authorities found a cache of explosives that was earmarked for the job. Of course, the credibility of this kind of witness has to be questioned. He's a man whose life has been steeped in organised crime.
On the other hand, at about the same time as the alleged plot in Pisa, the Mafia did bomb the famous Uffizi art gallery in Florence. It was clearly in the mood to strike at the kind of historic monuments that are the pride of Italy.
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get to the bottom of
find out the truth about
scheming
plotting
magistrate
an official who acts as a judge in a court for small crimes
Mafiosi
members of the Mafia
cache
hidden store of things
earmarked
chosen and kept for a particular purpose (usually used about money)
credibility
the quality of being trusted or believed in
steeped in
completely surrounded by or involved in
alleged
said but not yet proven
Chancellor Merkel welcomed the recognition by President Obama that the rights of non-US citizens should be respected. But she repeated her assertion that German law should not be broken, especially, as she put it, "by close partners and allies".
The European Commission's tone was warmer. A statement said that President Obama had taken an important step towards rebuilding trust.
European political leaders don't like what happened but are keen now to move on and minimise damage to the trans-Atlantic relationship. But many within government circles remain unconvinced that snooping on their communications will cease.
President Obama speaking on Germany's ZDF TV:
I don't need and I don't want to harm that relationship by surveillance mechanisms that somehow would impede the kind of communication and trust that we have and so, what I can say is, that as long as I am president of the United States, the Chancellor of Germany will not have to worry about this.
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recognition
respect for or acceptance of that something is true
respected
treated properly
assertion
claim that something is true
tone
sound of voice
rebuilding
(here) trying to get back to a good position
snooping
watching someone secretly without them knowing
surveillance mechanisms
methods of watching someone or something to try to discover an illegal act
impede
make more difficult
It has been described as "an emerging threat" by Britain's National Crime Agency. The children were abused in the Philippines and filmed online - often with the collaboration of their parents - and their traumas were viewed by paedophiles on computers around the world.
The investigation which uncovered the crimes began in 2012 and was prompted by a routine visit by the police to the home of a registered sex offender in the English Midlands. There they found indecent videos stored on computers and a collection of DVDs recorded from webcams.
The trail soon saw British officers working alongside the Australian Federal Police and US Immigration and customs officials to track down other perpetrators and begin to unravel the network.
The National Crime Agency said extreme poverty in the Philippines and the increasing availability of high-speed internet had made the abuse possible. It was all paid for by comparatively wealthy overseas customers and orchestrated by crime groups who exploited children for financial gain.
Seventeen people were arrested in Britain of which five have already been convicted. In the Philippines itself, eleven are suspected of facilitating the abuse though suspects have been identified in several wealthy European countries as well as Australia, the US, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
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prompted
caused
to track down
to find and capture
perpetrators
people who do harmful, dishonest or illegal activities
to unravel
to understand and/or break up something complicated by investigating it in detail
orchestrated
arranged, organised
facilitating
making it possible or easier
In his letter to the Russian Patriarch, Mikhail Kalashnikov wrote that "one question was causing pain to his soul": if the rifle he had created had claimed lives, then did that mean that he, "a Christian and an Orthodox believer, was to blame for their deaths?"
"The longer I live," he continued, "the more this question drills itself into my brain and the more I wonder why the Lord allowed man to have the devilish desires of envy, greed and aggression".
The letter has been published by the newspaper Izvestia. It quotes a spokesman for the Patriarch as saying that when weapons serve to defend the fatherland, the Russian Orthodox Church supports those who created them, as well as the soldiers who use them.
It's thought that more than 100 million Kalashnikov rifles have been sold worldwide. Mikhail Kalashnikov had been awarded the title Hero of Russia - he died last month aged 94 - and was buried with full state honours.
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Vocabulary
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Patriarch
religious leader in one of the orthodox Christian churches
believer
person who believes in a god or particular religion
devilish desires
evil thoughts
envy
wishing you had something that someone else has, or wishing you could do something that someone else does
greed
strong wish to have more of something you have
aggression
a feeling of anger that makes you want to threaten or hurt someone
the fatherland
the country where you were born or that you feel you belong to
full state honours
an important ceremony involving political leaders to mark the death of someone important
The anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd says its boats are following five Japanese ships. The group released video footage apparently showing three dead whales on board, as well as a heavily bloodied deck where another whale appears to have been butchered.
Sea Shepherd says the whales were killed within the internationally designated Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. There is a worldwide ban on the commercial fishing of whales but the Japanese maintain their whaling is for scientific research, which falls outside the ban.
Last year Australia took Japan to the International Court of Justice in an attempt to force it to cease whaling. A decision on the case is expected later this year. But environmentalists here have criticised the Australian government for not doing enough to stop the Japanese.
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footage
piece of film showing a particular event
bloodied
covered in blood
butchered
killed and cut into pieces
designated
officially chosen for a special purpose
sanctuary
protected and safe place
to cease
to stop
environmentalists
people who try to protect natural places from damage caused by human activity
He's Gioacchino La Barbera, a Mafia man involved in the killing of a prominent magistrate. But he switched sides. And he's a witness now for the prosecution.
He said that after murdering the magistrate, the Mafia looked for more targets. And it plotted to blow up the magnificent, ancient tower in Pisa. The Mafiosi were aiming to strike a major psychological blow at the height of their war with the state.
La Barbera said the plot only failed because the authorities found a cache of explosives that was earmarked for the job. Of course, the credibility of this kind of witness has to be questioned. He's a man whose life has been steeped in organised crime.
On the other hand, at about the same time as the alleged plot in Pisa, the Mafia did bomb the famous Uffizi art gallery in Florence. It was clearly in the mood to strike at the kind of historic monuments that are the pride of Italy.
Listen
Click here to hear the vocabulary
listen
Vocabulary
SHOW ALL | HIDE ALL
get to the bottom of
find out the truth about
scheming
plotting
magistrate
an official who acts as a judge in a court for small crimes
Mafiosi
members of the Mafia
cache
hidden store of things
earmarked
chosen and kept for a particular purpose (usually used about money)
credibility
the quality of being trusted or believed in
steeped in
completely surrounded by or involved in
alleged
said but not yet proven
Chancellor Merkel welcomed the recognition by President Obama that the rights of non-US citizens should be respected. But she repeated her assertion that German law should not be broken, especially, as she put it, "by close partners and allies".
The European Commission's tone was warmer. A statement said that President Obama had taken an important step towards rebuilding trust.
European political leaders don't like what happened but are keen now to move on and minimise damage to the trans-Atlantic relationship. But many within government circles remain unconvinced that snooping on their communications will cease.
President Obama speaking on Germany's ZDF TV:
I don't need and I don't want to harm that relationship by surveillance mechanisms that somehow would impede the kind of communication and trust that we have and so, what I can say is, that as long as I am president of the United States, the Chancellor of Germany will not have to worry about this.
Listen
Click here to hear the vocabulary
listen
Vocabulary
SHOW ALL | HIDE ALL
recognition
respect for or acceptance of that something is true
respected
treated properly
assertion
claim that something is true
tone
sound of voice
rebuilding
(here) trying to get back to a good position
snooping
watching someone secretly without them knowing
surveillance mechanisms
methods of watching someone or something to try to discover an illegal act
impede
make more difficult
It has been described as "an emerging threat" by Britain's National Crime Agency. The children were abused in the Philippines and filmed online - often with the collaboration of their parents - and their traumas were viewed by paedophiles on computers around the world.
The investigation which uncovered the crimes began in 2012 and was prompted by a routine visit by the police to the home of a registered sex offender in the English Midlands. There they found indecent videos stored on computers and a collection of DVDs recorded from webcams.
The trail soon saw British officers working alongside the Australian Federal Police and US Immigration and customs officials to track down other perpetrators and begin to unravel the network.
The National Crime Agency said extreme poverty in the Philippines and the increasing availability of high-speed internet had made the abuse possible. It was all paid for by comparatively wealthy overseas customers and orchestrated by crime groups who exploited children for financial gain.
Seventeen people were arrested in Britain of which five have already been convicted. In the Philippines itself, eleven are suspected of facilitating the abuse though suspects have been identified in several wealthy European countries as well as Australia, the US, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Listen
Click here to hear the vocabulary
listen
Vocabulary
SHOW ALL | HIDE ALL
prompted
caused
to track down
to find and capture
perpetrators
people who do harmful, dishonest or illegal activities
to unravel
to understand and/or break up something complicated by investigating it in detail
orchestrated
arranged, organised
facilitating
making it possible or easier
In his letter to the Russian Patriarch, Mikhail Kalashnikov wrote that "one question was causing pain to his soul": if the rifle he had created had claimed lives, then did that mean that he, "a Christian and an Orthodox believer, was to blame for their deaths?"
"The longer I live," he continued, "the more this question drills itself into my brain and the more I wonder why the Lord allowed man to have the devilish desires of envy, greed and aggression".
The letter has been published by the newspaper Izvestia. It quotes a spokesman for the Patriarch as saying that when weapons serve to defend the fatherland, the Russian Orthodox Church supports those who created them, as well as the soldiers who use them.
It's thought that more than 100 million Kalashnikov rifles have been sold worldwide. Mikhail Kalashnikov had been awarded the title Hero of Russia - he died last month aged 94 - and was buried with full state honours.
Listen
Click here to hear the vocabulary
listen
Vocabulary
SHOW ALL | HIDE ALL
Patriarch
religious leader in one of the orthodox Christian churches
believer
person who believes in a god or particular religion
devilish desires
evil thoughts
envy
wishing you had something that someone else has, or wishing you could do something that someone else does
greed
strong wish to have more of something you have
aggression
a feeling of anger that makes you want to threaten or hurt someone
the fatherland
the country where you were born or that you feel you belong to
full state honours
an important ceremony involving political leaders to mark the death of someone important
The anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd says its boats are following five Japanese ships. The group released video footage apparently showing three dead whales on board, as well as a heavily bloodied deck where another whale appears to have been butchered.
Sea Shepherd says the whales were killed within the internationally designated Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. There is a worldwide ban on the commercial fishing of whales but the Japanese maintain their whaling is for scientific research, which falls outside the ban.
Last year Australia took Japan to the International Court of Justice in an attempt to force it to cease whaling. A decision on the case is expected later this year. But environmentalists here have criticised the Australian government for not doing enough to stop the Japanese.
Listen
Click here to hear the vocabulary
listen
Vocabulary
SHOW ALL | HIDE ALL
footage
piece of film showing a particular event
bloodied
covered in blood
butchered
killed and cut into pieces
designated
officially chosen for a special purpose
sanctuary
protected and safe place
to cease
to stop
environmentalists
people who try to protect natural places from damage caused by human activity