Italian cement firm closes Sicily operation in Mafia protest
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Italian construction materials giant Italcementi said on Monday that it would close its subsidiary in Sicily, Calcestruzzi, in protest at Mafia extortion.
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Operations of global software  companies, financial institutions and government offices in  India's main technology hub shut on Wednesday after activists  called a strike over a border dispute with a neighboring state.
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American and Italian authorities arrested dozens of people Thursday in a takedown of what they called a trans-Atlantic drug trafficking operation run by the Mafia.
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Lorry drivers in Italy suspend their long blockade that has led to petrol and food shortages across the nation.
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Italy's truck drivers agreed Wednesday to call off a protest that has blocked highways and borders for three days, causing shortages of gasoline, medicine and perishable foods across Italy, government officials said.
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A Turkish construction company said Tuesday it was halting operations in neighboring Iraq to try to save the lives of 10 employees kidnapped by militants.
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A large anti-Mafia operation  involving arrests in Italy and the United States was under way  on Thursday, judicial sources in Sicily said.
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Hundreds of protesters have besieged two oil platforms run by Royal Dutch/Shell Group Cos. and ChevronTexaco Corp. in Nigeria's southern oil region, shutting down production of 90,000 barrels of oil a day, company officials said Monday.
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"The blockades are still there despite the ministry's decision. We'll have to see what to do today ... It's too soon for the moment to talk about using force."  By Robin PomeroyROME  - Italian truckers defied a government demand that they end their three-day-old strike on Wednesday, keeping in place road blockades that have dried up fuel supplies and stopped fresh food reaching shops and markets.The strike, in protest against high fuel costs and poor working conditions, meant supermarket shelves in places that are usually crammed with fresh fruit and vegetables were bare, and most filling stations were closed.By blockading motorways at strategic points across the country since Monday, the truckers have brought parts of the economy to a standstill. Carmaker Fiat closed down factories for lack of parts and told thousands of workers to stay at home. Read more
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French-Belgian bank Dexia said  that it has decided to terminate its plans to form an alliance with Italian bank Sanpaolo IMI.
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The Italian government and opposition parties closed ranks Wednesday in hopes of securing the release of two humanitarian aid workers and two of their Iraqi colleagues kidnapped in Baghdad on Tuesday.
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Dow Chemical Co. DOW.N on Thursday   said it will shut down some plants in Canada and Italy to   enhance efficiency and cut costs.
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Sicilian businesses joining forces on a website are refusing to submit to demands from the Mafia for protection money. Recent crackdowns by authorities and this rebellion by business owners are beginning to chip away at the Cosa Nostra's psychological hold on Sicilians.
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A community protest in Nigeria's southeastern Abia State has forced the closure of two flowstations and a gas plant, shutting in about 35,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude, Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell announced.
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"Now would really be the time to celebrate with cannoli"  Sicily's governor resigned on Saturday, a week after he was convicted of providing information that helped a Mafia boss. via MyTELUS
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This weekend's Serie A and B matches are called off after a policeman is killed during violence at the Catania-Palermo derby.
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The aluminum maker, said it would close some metal-fabrication plants in Europe and North America.