2017年12月10日星期日

Yahoo! News: Education News

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Yahoo! News: Education News


Trump’s visit to Mississippi Civil Rights Museum underscores national tension

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 08:03 AM PST

Trump's visit to Mississippi Civil Rights Museum underscores national tensionPresident Trump delivered remarks at the opening event for the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum—while Congressman John Lewis—a civil rights icon -- boycotted the President's visit as an "insult" to the people commemorated there.


Photos of the week: 12/1 - 12/8

Posted: 08 Dec 2017 06:24 PM PST

Photos of the week: 12/1 - 12/8The major storyline of the week was the devastating wildfires that ravaged Southern California.


Report: Taxpayers Forked Out $220,000 To Settle Sex Harassment Suit Against Florida Rep

Posted: 08 Dec 2017 07:39 PM PST

Report: Taxpayers Forked Out $220,000 To Settle Sex Harassment Suit Against Florida RepTaxpayer funds to the tune of $220,000 were used to settle a lawsuit charging Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) with sexual harassment, Roll Call has reported.


2 suspects in Hawaii vacation rental home killing in custody

Posted: 08 Dec 2017 06:06 PM PST

2 suspects in Hawaii vacation rental home killing in custodyHONOLULU (AP) — A man and woman remained in custody Friday after they were arrested on suspicion of killing a woman in a Hawaii vacation rental home.


Travel troubles: snow cancels flights along the East Coast

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 08:01 AM PST

Travel troubles: snow cancels flights along the East CoastAtlanta's airport -- the nation's busiest -- experienced the bulk of today's travel troubles after an unexpected blast of winter weather headed southeast.


Winds whip California fires as they spread south

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 01:01 AM PST

Winds whip California fires as they spread southThousands of firefighters battled raging wildfires in California on Saturday that have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee the Los Angeles area, as well as outbreaks closer to San Diego. Nearly 700 structures including multi-million dollar mansions have been destroyed by wildfires raging on six different fronts, but despite the intensity of the blazes, authorities have reported only one fatality. Herman was relieved to find her home in Murrieta, east of Los Angeles, still intact.


Alabama talk radio hosts give local take on Senate election

Posted: 10 Dec 2017 07:31 AM PST

Alabama talk radio hosts give local take on Senate electionMatt Murphy and Andrea Lindenberg, who host the most-listened-to political news program in Alabama, join "This Week."


Major Injuries After Bus Overturns On San Francisco Highway

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 05:35 AM PST

Major Injuries After Bus Overturns On San Francisco HighwayA charter bus carrying 29 people overturned Friday night on a San Francisco highway, causing major injuries and backing up traffic in the city for hours.


U.S. Surgeon General reveals plans to put an end to the opioid epidemic

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 05:29 AM PST

U.S. Surgeon General reveals plans to put an end to the opioid epidemicIn his first televised interview since taking office, Surgeon General Jerome Adams tells NBC News Medical Correspondent Dr. John Torres that he wants to get Naloxone, a medicine that reverses opioid overdoses, "in the hands of more people."


China Is Now Making Some of the Most Powerful Guns on the Planet

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 05:56 PM PST

China Is Now Making Some of the Most Powerful Guns on the PlanetLike the rest of China's military revolution over the past quarter century, its small-arms revolution is a remarkable achievement. China's People's Liberation Army has traditionally relied on foreign and Communist bloc weapons manufactured in China under license—or not. Now, however, as the PLA undergoes an unprecedented modernization, a new generation of locally designed and manufactured light weaponry is arming China's armed forces, from handguns to light machine guns.


North Korea Renews 'Dotard' Insult For Donald Trump Over Jerusalem Move

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 07:38 AM PST

North Korea Renews 'Dotard' Insult For Donald Trump Over Jerusalem MoveNorth Korea reignited its feud with President Donald Trump on Saturday.


46 Racehorses Killed In Southern California Wildfire Tragedy

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 09:08 PM PST

46 Racehorses Killed In Southern California Wildfire TragedyAt least 46 racehorses at a training center in San Diego County were killed by flames or smoke inhalation in a particularly heartbreaking result of the fires raging through southern California.


Serial Killer, Who Murdered 7 People, Confesses to More Slayings

Posted: 10 Dec 2017 07:27 AM PST

Serial Killer, Who Murdered 7 People, Confesses to More SlayingsHe wrote an eight page letter to a local newspaper.


Opera student raises $40,000 in performance for college tuition

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 08:09 AM PST

Opera student raises $40,000 in performance for college tuitionDrew Anthony raised enough money in a single opera performance to pay for a year of college tuition. After hearing his story, several prestigious universities have tapped him for spots at their school.


Thousands march in Tel Aviv to protest against corruption and Netanyahu government

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 03:48 PM PST

Thousands march in Tel Aviv to protest against corruption and Netanyahu governmentThousands of Israelis protested in Tel Aviv on Saturday for the second consecutive week against government corruption and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under criminal investigation over allegations of abuse of office. Police estimated the number of demonstrators at about 10,000 and they followed last Saturday's demonstration, which was by far the largest of the recent weekly anti-corruption protests when an estimated 20,000 people participated. The protests have been sparked by corruption allegations against Netanyahu, who denies any wrongdoing. The four-term leader is suspected of involvement in two cases. The first involves receiving gifts from wealthy businessmen and the second involves negotiating a deal with a newspaper owner for better coverage in return for curbs on a rival daily. Israelis take part in a demonstration under the name "March of Shame" to protest against government corruption and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu  Credit: Jack Guez/AFP If charged, he would come under heavy pressure to resign or could call an election to test whether he still had a mandate to govern. Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party said in a Facebook post that the protest was a left-wing demonstration. It called on all Israelis to back their prime minister as he defends Israel against international criticism following U.S. President Donald Trump's acceptance of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. "Instead of uniting with all the people behind Jerusalem and showing the world a unified front, the left cannot contain itself and it prefers to create division," part of the statement said. Over weeks of demonstrations, protesters have identified themselves as supporting both left- and right-wing parties. On Saturday they held banners reading: "Neither left, nor right (we demand) integrity," "We are fed up with corrupt (politicians)" and "Sweep the corrupt away."  


Lebanon's Hariri denounces Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary's visit to border

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 08:42 AM PST

Lebanon's Hariri denounces Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary's visit to borderThe head of an Iran-backed Iraqi Shi'ite militia has visited Lebanon's border with Israel accompanied by Hezbollah fighters, a video released on Saturday showed, in a show of Iranian influence that Lebanon's prime minister called illegal. Qais al-Khazali, leader of the Iraqi paramilitary group Asaib Ahl al-Haq, declared his readiness "to stand together with the Lebanese people and the Palestinian cause", in the video footage widely circulating on social media.


Fox News Corrects Story Claiming Roy Moore Accuser ‘Forged’ Candidate’s Signature

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 12:49 PM PST

Fox News Corrects Story Claiming Roy Moore Accuser 'Forged' Candidate's SignatureFox News updated a story that erroneously claimed one of Roy Moore's accusers had "forged" evidence she'd presented to bolster her claim against him.


Priest who used to be KKK member apologizes 40 years later

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 02:11 PM PST

Priest who used to be KKK member apologizes 40 years laterARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — A former Ku Klux Klan member who burned a cross on a black couple's lawn 40 years ago, before becoming a Roman Catholic priest, has finally written his victims an apology.


Tim Scott: Republicans Exploring How to Handle 'High-Tax States'

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 11:05 PM PST

Tim Scott: Republicans Exploring How to Handle 'High-Tax States'In an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) tells Chuck Todd that Republicans are trying to "sweeten the SALT" changes in the tax bill.


Here's How Many Billions America's Richest Would Save On Estate Tax Repeal

Posted: 10 Dec 2017 05:38 AM PST

Here's How Many Billions America's Richest Would Save On Estate Tax RepealMother Jones magazine and the progressive organization Americans for Tax Fairness have taken a look at the more lavish of the House and Senate measures to cut taxes for the richest people in America ― a mammoth break on estate taxes.


First Fatality In Southern California Wildfires Confirmed

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 03:12 PM PST

First Fatality In Southern California Wildfires ConfirmedMedical officials confirmed the first fire-related fatality in Southern California's most recent spate of wildfires to HuffPost on Saturday.


Substitute Teacher and Custodian Hailed Heroes After Gunman Opens Fire At School, Killing 2

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 09:28 AM PST

Substitute Teacher and Custodian Hailed Heroes After Gunman Opens Fire At School, Killing 2A 21-year-old opened fire and then killed himself.


Women who accused Donald Trump of sexual assault 'should be heard', says most senior US diplomat

Posted: 10 Dec 2017 11:41 AM PST

Women who accused Donald Trump of sexual assault 'should be heard', says most senior US diplomatWomen who have accused Donald Trump of sexual assault deserve to be heard, a top administration appointee has said. America's ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said she was "incredibly proud" of the women who have come forward so far. Before Mr Trump won the 2016 presidential election, multiple women accused him of unwanted kissing or groping.


UK foreign minister in Iran to push for Briton's release

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 05:01 PM PST

UK foreign minister in Iran to push for Briton's releaseBritain's foreign minister visited Iran on Saturday to press for the release of British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe amid accusations at home that one of his gaffes has seriously harmed her case. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson held two hours of "frank" talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, which also touched on the landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, the future of which has been thrown into doubt by US President Donald Trump.


Erdogan and Macron to urge U.S. to turn back on Jerusalem decision: sources

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 06:09 AM PST

Erdogan and Macron to urge U.S. to turn back on Jerusalem decision: sourcesTurkey's Tayyip Erdogan and France's Emmanuel Macron will work together to try to persuade the United States to reconsider its decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a Turkish presidential source said on Saturday. The two leaders agreed during a phone call that the move is worrisome for the region, the source said, adding that Turkey and France would make a joint effort to try to reverse the U.S. decision.


Florida Doctor Delivers Baby At Gas Station

Posted: 10 Dec 2017 02:18 PM PST

Florida Doctor Delivers Baby At Gas StationA gas station in Florida became a makeshift delivery room this weekend after an obstetrician was flagged down while filling up his car


Racial dispute at beloved bakery roils liberal college town

Posted: 10 Dec 2017 06:54 AM PST

Racial dispute at beloved bakery roils liberal college townOBERLIN, Ohio (AP) — Students at Oberlin College have long enjoyed pastries, bagels and chocolates from Gibson's Bakery, a century-old, family-owned business near campus. That sweet relationship has turned bitter amid hotly disputed accusations of racism, roiling a school and town long known for their liberal politics.


Hannibal Buress Arrested For Disorderly Intoxication In Miami

Posted: 10 Dec 2017 12:53 PM PST

Hannibal Buress Arrested For Disorderly Intoxication In MiamiHannibal Buress was arrested in Miami on Saturday on charges of disorderly intoxication, People reported.


Montreal Is Ending Its Ban On Pit Bulls

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 02:30 PM PST

Montreal Is Ending Its Ban On Pit BullsA ban on pit bull-type dogs in Montreal that's been slammed by animal protection groups will be rolled back later this month.


The polar bear in this video is dying from starvation. Fortunately, most aren't...yet

Posted: 08 Dec 2017 06:13 PM PST

The polar bear in this video is dying from starvation. Fortunately, most aren't...yetAfter landing on Baffin Island, Canada, wildlife photographer and environmental activist Paul Nicklen captured video of a frail polar bear — dying and foaming from the mouth — as the weak animal collapsed to the ground. The bear will soon be dead — if it isn't already.  On Dec. 5, Nicklen posted the grim video to his Instagram account, and since then, it's been stirring  emotions around the web. Polar bears are, for better or worse, a symbolic species when it comes to global warming, and many are seeing this video as a new warning sign.  Fortunately, however, the condition of this bear is not representative of most polar bear populations — at least not yet.  SEE ALSO: Trump shrank 2 national monuments by nearly 2 million acres. He can't do that to Yellowstone. There are 19 different populations of polar bears in the expansive Arctic. The dwindling sea ice here — which these predators need to hunt fat-rich seals — is now affecting different groups of bears in different ways. "It's tough to see a disturbing image like that and not feel sympathy for the animal," U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) polar bear biologist Todd Atwood said in an interview. "It's also tough to see an isolated image extrapolated to some kind of population level effect." The actual cause of the bear's death will remain unknown, but Atwood doubts there's one specific cause. "It's probably a combination of things — it could be an old animal — but it also could be that if it's still on land, that there's not enough sea ice," he said.  My entire @Sea_Legacy team was pushing through their tears and emotions while documenting this dying polar bear. It's a soul-crushing scene that still haunts me, but I know we need to share both the beautiful and the heartbreaking if we are going to break down the walls of apathy. This is what starvation looks like. The muscles atrophy. No energy. It's a slow, painful death. When scientists say polar bears will be extinct in the next 100 years, I think of the global population of 25,000 bears dying in this manner. There is no band aid solution. There was no saving this individual bear. People think that we can put platforms in the ocean or we can feed the odd starving bear. The simple truth is this—if the Earth continues to warm, we will lose bears and entire polar ecosystems. This large male bear was not old, and he certainly died within hours or days of this moment. But there are solutions. We must reduce our carbon footprint, eat the right food, stop cutting down our forests, and begin putting the Earth—our home—first. Please join us at @sea_legacy as we search for and implement solutions for the oceans and the animals that rely on them—including us humans. Thank you your support in keeping my @sea_legacy team in the field. With @CristinaMittermeier #turningthetide with @Sea_Legacy #bethechange #nature #naturelovers This video is exclusively managed by Caters News. To license or use in a commercial player please contact info@catersnews.com or call +44 121 616 1100 / +1 646 380 1615" A post shared by Paul Nicklen (@paulnicklen) on Dec 5, 2017 at 8:52am PST After posting the video, Nicklen told National Geographic that "when scientists say bears are going extinct, I want people to realize what it looks like. Bears are going to starve to death. This is what a starving bear looks like." But while the threat to polar bears is real, all is not yet dire for the Arctic predators.  "It's worth noting that there are some subpopulations that are believed to be stable," said Atwood. Polar bears are listed as a threatened species in the United States, which means that while they're not yet on the brink of extinction, they "are likely to be at the brink in the near future," according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which maintains the list. For polar bear populations that are struggling, it's often due to a lack of sea ice. Polar bears can't hunt seals on the open water. "So as the open water season gets longer, there's association between the length of the open water seas and body conditions — body conditions decline," Atwood said. But this isn't the full story. The physical condition of polar bears is also dependent upon how much fish is available for seals. So in places with more fish and seals — places that are more "biologically productive" — there will be more food for bears, and they're likely to be better fed.  Unless, of course, there's no sea ice there, either.  There is a clear solution to polar bears' vulnerability — and you undoubtedly know it well: Humanity's commitment to limit global warming, which is caused by fossil fuel emissions. These heat-trapping gases warm both the oceans and the air, resulting in vastly diminished sea ice, particularly in the summer and fall.  "This requires changing our behaviors relative to our carbon footprint," Atwood said. WATCH: The world's tallest mammal is now threatened with extinction     


Cory Booker Calls On Donald Trump To Resign Over Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Posted: 10 Dec 2017 08:50 AM PST

Cory Booker Calls On Donald Trump To Resign Over Sexual Misconduct AllegationsSen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) is calling on President Donald Trump to resign over the more than a dozen sexual misconduct allegations against him.


Nobel Peace Prize winners warn nuclear war is 'a tantrum away'

Posted: 10 Dec 2017 09:29 AM PST

Nobel Peace Prize winners warn nuclear war is 'a tantrum away'Mankind's destruction caused by a nuclear war is just one "impulsive tantrum away", the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), warned on Sunday as the United States and North Korea exchange threats over the nation's nuclear tests. "Will it be the end of nuclear weapons, or will it be the end of us?" ICAN head Beatrice Fihn said in a speech after receiving the peace prize on behalf of the anti-nuclear group.


Ukrainian author of Manafort op-ed says sought input to avoid errors

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 01:50 PM PST

Ukrainian author of Manafort op-ed says sought input to avoid errorsBy Pavel Polityuk KIEV (Reuters) - The author of an article that U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller believes Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort ghost-wrote in violation of a gag order said on Saturday he had sought input on the op-ed before publishing to avoid errors. On Friday, Mueller unveiled evidence against Manafort to convince a judge that he wrote the article to improve his public image. Manafort is facing charges as part of an investigation into accusations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election and possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.


We Now Have Evidence Russia Seems Pleased with Its Military in Syria

Posted: 10 Dec 2017 04:43 AM PST

We Now Have Evidence Russia Seems Pleased with Its Military in SyriaIn the final days of November 2017, the Russian High Command reshuffled several positions, most notably both the Eastern and Central Military Districts received new commanders. Immediately striking is the fact that Alexander Lapin, the new Central Military District commander, is a Lieutenant General (in Russia, this is a two-star rank) whereas all the other military districts are commanded by Colonel Generals (three-stars), including General Lapin's predecessor. The new commander in the Eastern Military District, Col. Gen. Alexander Zhuravlyov, was the commander of the Russian Group of Forces in Syria from July to December 2016.


Jessica Alba Celebrates Her Baby Shower in Chic Theme Party

Posted: 10 Dec 2017 12:08 PM PST

Jessica Alba Celebrates Her Baby Shower in Chic Theme PartyJessica Alba hosted a tea-party themed baby shower as she celebrated the upcoming birth of her third child with husband Cash Warren.


Ex-priest gets life in prison for 1960 parishioner slaying

Posted: 08 Dec 2017 06:34 PM PST

Ex-priest gets life in prison for 1960 parishioner slayingEDINBURG, Texas (AP) — A jury on Friday sentenced an 85-year-old former priest to life in prison for the 1960 killing of a schoolteacher and former beauty queen who was a member of the parish he served.


Ryan Zinke Dismisses Reports On His Use Of Helicopters As ‘Fabricated’

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 04:00 PM PST

Ryan Zinke Dismisses Reports On His Use Of Helicopters As 'Fabricated'WASHINGTON — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Saturday swung back at recent media reports about his costly use of government helicopters, calling them "total fabrications and a wild departure from reality."


Uber agrees to settle US lawsuit filed by India rape victim

Posted: 08 Dec 2017 07:57 PM PST

Uber agrees to settle US lawsuit filed by India rape victimUber Technologies Inc and a woman who accused top executives of improperly obtaining her medical records after a company driver raped her in India have agreed to settle a civil lawsuit the woman filed against Uber in June, according to a U.S. federal court filing on Friday. The Uber driver was convicted of the rape, which occurred in Delhi in 2014, in a criminal case in India. He was sentenced in 2015 to life in prison. The Indian woman had previously settled a civil U.S. lawsuit against Uber in 2015, but sued the company again in a San Francisco federal court saying that shortly after the incident, a U.S. Uber executive "met with Delhi police and intentionally obtained plaintiff's confidential medical records." Uber kept a copy of those records, the lawsuit said. The woman was living in the United States when she filed the lawsuit. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed in the court document. A spokesman for San Francisco-based Uber declined to comment. An attorney for the woman could not immediately be reached for comment. The settlement comes as new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who took the top job in August, is seeking to put several scandals behind the company following eight years of CEO Travis Kalanick's pugnacious leadership, which led to rule-breaking around the world. The lawsuit cited several media reports that said Kalanick and others doubted the victim's account of her ordeal. "Uber executives duplicitously and publicly decried the rape, expressing sympathy for plaintiff, and shock and regret at the violent attack, while privately speculating, as outlandish as it is, that she had colluded with a rival company to harm Uber's business," the lawsuit said. A source with knowledge of the matter previously told Reuters that Kalanick had told other Uber executives he believed the incident had been staged by Indian ride-services rival Ola. In a prior statement, while Kalanick was CEO, Uber said: "No one should have to go through a horrific experience like this, and we're truly sorry that she's had to relive it." A spokesman for Kalanick was not immediately available for comment on Friday. Uber's actions have led to a criminal probe by the U.S. Department of Justice of whether managers violated U.S. bribery laws, specifically the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the company said in June. The Justice Department did not say on what country or countries the investigation centered on. Bloomberg said it focused on activity in at least five Asian countries. Uber has also notified U.S. authorities about payments made by Uber staff to police officers in Indonesia, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. Uber previously hired law firm O'Melveny & Myers LLP to investigate how it obtained the medical records of the rape victim, Reuters reported in June.


Al Franken Makes Santa's Naughty List On 'SNL,' But Roy Moore Makes The 'Registry'

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 09:30 PM PST

Al Franken Makes Santa's Naughty List On 'SNL,' But Roy Moore Makes The 'Registry'Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) December 10, 2017 "Saturday Night Live's" take on politics this week featured elf Kate McKinnon and Santa Kenan Thompson in the cold open listening to a line-up of smart kids asking about everything from opioids to Colin Kaepernick and toys — more specifically, Matt Lauer's sex toys.


Funeral held for Thai cadet at centre of army abuse scandal

Posted: 10 Dec 2017 06:40 AM PST

Funeral held for Thai cadet at centre of army abuse scandalA Thai army recruit whose death captured national attention after his organs were removed in mysterious circumstances showed signs of being physically assaulted, his family said Sunday, citing the results of an autopsy ahead of the teenager's funeral. The army said 18-year-old Pakapong Tanyakan died of heart failure at a training school outside Bangkok in October. Supicha Tanyakan, Pakapong's sister, told AFP that a second autopsy by the Central Institute of Forensic Science concluded he was physically assaulted because "internal bruising was found".


3 people arrested in firebomb attack on Swedish synagogue

Posted: 10 Dec 2017 05:50 AM PST

3 people arrested in firebomb attack on Swedish synagogueHELSINKI (AP) — Three people have been arrested for allegedly throwing firebombs at a synagogue in the Swedish city of Goteborg, the second anti-Jewish attack in the Nordic nation in two days. Jewish groups condemned the attacks as "unconscionable" and demanded that authorities take action.


Your Tax Dollars Are Being Used To Attack Patagonia

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 11:07 AM PST

Your Tax Dollars Are Being Used To Attack PatagoniaWASHINGTON — The House Committee on Natural Resources has joined Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's fight against Patagonia, accusing the American outdoor retailer of lying in order to sell merchandise.


Japanese man kills wife and priestess sister with sword in bizarre family feud: media

Posted: 09 Dec 2017 09:01 PM PST

Japanese man kills wife and priestess sister with sword in bizarre family feud: mediaA Japanese man wielding a sword killed his sister, a Shinto priestess, on the grounds of a Tokyo shrine, then stabbed his wife to death before committing suicide, police and media said. Police declined to comment on a motive for Thursday's killings or the family feud. Shigenaga Tomioka, 56, attacked Nagako Tomioka, 58, chief priestess of the Tomioka Hachimangu shrine, as she got out of a car.


The unusual suspects: Rise of the mafia godmothers

Posted: 10 Dec 2017 05:21 AM PST

The unusual suspects: Rise of the mafia godmothersThey say it's a family business, but traditionally women in the Italian mafia were prison messengers or bargaining chips in dynasty marriages to create alliances between clans. Now as male mob bosses languish in jail, mafiosas are increasingly stepping up to head crime families - and getting caught in the process.    After seven years behind bars, one such godmother - Maria Angela Di Trapani - was freed from prison in 2015 and for the last two years has allegedly been quietly moving up through the secretive, male-dominated ranks of Sicily's Cosa Nostra. On Tuesday, the 49-year-old wife of notorious boss Salvino Madonia was among 25 people arrested in a sweeping Palermo raid, accused once again of mafia crimes, including orchestrating bold intimidation tactics to scare business owners into paying a feared mafia tax known as the pizzo.  "She operates like a man," various mob bosses were recorded saying in prison about Di Trapani - the ultimate compliment in the man-of-honour hyper macho world of Cosa Nostra, which always gave an important role to women behind the scenes, but rarely officially. Investigators say one popular cake shop in Palermo paid €5000 in extortion money. Another bar in a well-known central square named after Pope John Paul II paid €750 at Easter, and again at Christmas. A bustling pizzeria shelled out €3000. Italian anti-Mafia and counterterrorism prosecutor Federico Cafiero De Raho delivers his speech during a meeting in Milan, Italy Credit: AP Photo/Antonio Calanni "I'll never forget the look she gave me from her balcony when she called out to me, warning me to be careful what I said," said one businesswoman in Di Trapani's neighbourhood. "Her eyes were like ice." The Resuttana clan paid visits to tyre shops, local gyms, and some shopkeepers who didn't pay went to work the next morning to find their rolldown storefront gates superglued shut or set alight.  This apparent increase in equal opportunities is a sign the mob is weakening, says John Dickie, professor of Italian Studies at University College London and author of several bestselling books about organised crime. About Italian Mafias "It is actually a symptom of crisis that we are seeing more women in Cosa Nostra," he says. "It is an attempt to shore up the organisation in trouble, they are the avatars of the men – the wives and sisters of particularly fearsome or prestigious bosses, but they wouldn't be doing it if loads of men weren't in jail." A crackdown on organised crime over the last three decades has failed to take down the mafia, but has effectively put a generation of bosses behind bars. Some of them are dying there, including two of the top Godfathers from the Corleone faction, Bernardo Provenzano, who died of cancer in 2016 while serving time in a Milan prison, and Salvatore "Toto' Riina" who died of cancer last month while imprisoned in Parma.  The day after he died, Riina's daughter changed her Facebook profile picture to a woman with her finger to her lips and the message "shhh." Investigators said this week that Di Trapani was involved in the reshuffling going on between clans loyal to the Corleonesi in the wake of Riina's death. "Since many of the male bosses are in prison, the women, who know everything that is happening in the mafia families, are not only the connection between the bosses in prison and the outside world, but are increasingly filling the gaps and doing what their husbands, brothers or fathers did," said Italian journalist and mafia expert Attilio Bolzoni on RepubblicaTV. The younger sister of the Graviano brothers, Filippo and Giuseppe, has gained influence for her capacity to quickly and effectively move large amounts of money, even though both boss brothers are in prison. Those who aren't caught, like Italy's most wanted fugitive Matteo Messina Denaro – often turn to the women in their families for help hiding. Messina Denaro's sister, Patrizia, took over several roles in his absence and was among the few who knew how to find him, until she too, landed in jail, where she remains today, still silent about her brother's whereabouts.


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