has captivated audiences for nearly two decades with its reimagining of the Wizard of Oz saga the play quickly became a global sensation Wicked continues to solidify its place as one of the most iconic stories in modern musical theatre and cinema alike The region of Como’s illustrious landscape inspires art and creativity there is no surprise that many artists have roots here there are few artists who possess the skill and talent needed to play the role of Elphaba in Wicked there is one artist from the small town of Villa Guardia in the region of Como that has emerged and has made a name for herself across Europe: Laura Panzeri Laura Panzeri grew up in a family of “artists” While none of her family members were professional musicians they all bonded over their passion for music Concerts in the middle of the living room would be organized with her father playing the accordion and Laura and her sister singing popular songs at the top of her lungs.  While Laura’s immediate family pursued music for fun Laura always demonstrated immense interest and talent in playing the piano there is no surprise she is achieving the success level she has today Her professional career started in 2010 with Compagnia della Rancia across Italy Laura has been a part of many musicals including: West Side Story and Mamma Mia and even performing with Cirque du Soleil While Laura has made her way across Europe performing she remains extremely close with her roots in the Como region.  BLU Magazine recently had the opportunity to sit down with Laura Panzeri to ask her a few questions and learn more about her career I fell in love with musicals at a young age This form of art is wonderful and complex as it encompasses all disciplines and allows you to convey emotions and important messages through your body and voice This inspired me so much and lit a fire inside my heart Disney also definitely played a key role in the maturation of my passion What do you think is the key to your success Talent alone is never enough to achieve one’s goals My passion and my instinct guide me down this torturous and often upwards path The work of an artist is a really arduous calling to respond to But if you do it with humility and always look to improve and grow there is nothing as great and as satisfying.  Tell us a little bit about the trajectory of your career I studied  at the Musical School in Milan from 2008 but it wasn’t until I  graduated in 2010 I started to audition for roles. I got my first role as an ensemble in the musical “Happy Days” by Compagnia della Rancia for an Italian tour I was Sandy in Grease and eventually Annette in Saturday Night Fever at the National Theater of Milan with a role in Sister Act where I played Maria Roberta and I came face to face with German for the first time I thought I would leave Germany after this role and eventually I joined the cast of the first European production of Aladdin I was selected to play Princess Jasmine after meeting Alan Menken and this was an incredible experience as I got to work with out of this world artists Although the period of Covid was extremely hard I was able to land a super important job for the Friedrichstadt Palast in Berlin the biggest stage in the world with its Grandshows and extremely high budgets I am the protagonist for their new show Falling In Love by Jean Paul Gaultier who has made a costume for this show that makes me feel like Wonderwoman every night 2024 has been an important year for me as I got to go back to my country of Italy to give voice to my biggest dream I had the honor of being the singing voice of Elphaba the greatest adaptation of a musical ever made A huge achievement on a professional and personal level Hearing my voice in the theaters was an emotion I will always carry with me How was singing all the Wicked songs in Italian Returning to singing in my first language after so much time was a battle I had to explore and find “my way” of singing again since Italian focuses a lot on its vowels and comes from the chest in comparison to English or German.  It was amazing though to finally have the mastery of every word again I felt free to create and interpret everything with my heart and acting into the dynamics of my voice so I can definitely say I achieved something great.  I always had a dream to play the role of a Disney princess BLU Magazine highly suggests going to see Laura Panzeri live or listen to her sing in Wicked at a theater near you as one of her favorite activities is to take a long walk down the lakeside promenade under the sun with headphones in her ears © Copyright 2025 Como 1907 Official Site Apparitions have been reported at Medjugorje since 1981 so why is the Vatican holding a press conference now And do we know what Cardinal Fernández is likely to say On June 24, 1981, six youngsters reported seeing an apparition of a woman bathed in brilliant light in the village of Medjugorje, then located in communist Yugoslavia. They referred to the figure as the Gospa (“Lady” in Croatian) The six — Ivan Dragičević, Ivanka Ivanković, Jakov Čolo, Marija Pavlović, Mirjana Dragičević, and Vicka Ivanković — confided in the Franciscan friar Fr. Jozo Zovko, the pastor of St. James Church in Medjugorje, who became their champion. The alleged seers say they continue to receive messages up to the present day. The Diocese of Mostar-Duvno oversaw two investigations concluding it was not possible to determine the apparitions were of supernatural origin the Vatican’s doctrine office asked the Yugoslav bishops’ conference to take up the matter In 1991, the bishops declared that “so far it cannot be affirmed that one is dealing with supernatural apparitions and revelations.”  They added that the many Catholics traveling to the site from abroad should be provided with pastoral care “so that in Medjugorje and in everything connected with it a healthy devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary may be promoted in accordance with the teaching of the Church.” In 2010, the Vatican asked a commission led by Italy’s Cardinal Camillo Ruini to investigate the phenomena In 2017, Andrea Tornielli, then a journalist for Italy’s La Stampa newspaper, wrote that the commission’s members took a largely positive view of the first seven reported apparitions in 1987 They also recommended the transformation of the parish of St The report appeared days after Pope Francis spoke about Medjugorje on his return from Fatima expressing his personal opinion that the present-day purported apparitions “do not have much value.” and this spiritual and pastoral fact cannot be denied,” he said In 2018, the pope appointed a “special apostolic visitor” to the parish of Medjugorje, and a year later, he authorized pilgrimages to the shrine Medjugorje continues to draw vast numbers of pilgrims. Last month, tens of thousands of people from 80 countries attended the shrine’s annual youth festival In May, the Vatican’s doctrine office unveiled a new streamlined process for evaluating alleged apparitions According to the new norms the discernment process following an alleged supernatural event does not end with a declaration of either constat de supernaturalitate (“confirmed to be of supernatural origin”) or non constat de supernaturalitate (“not confirmed to be of supernatural origin”) the “doctrinal-pastoral evaluation” may conclude with a “nihil obstat” — a declaration that “nothing hinders” the local bishop from seeking to “draw pastoral benefit from the spiritual phenomenon.” The declaration of “nihil obstat” can be reached “after assessing the various spiritual and pastoral fruits of the event and finding no substantial negative elements in it.” What does a “nihil obstat” declaration mean exactly The norms say: “Without expressing any certainty about the supernatural authenticity of the phenomenon itself many signs of the action of the Holy Spirit are acknowledged ‘in the midst’ of a given spiritual experience and no aspects that are particularly critical or risky have been detected the diocesan bishop is encouraged to appreciate the pastoral value of this spiritual proposal including possibly through pilgrimages to a sacred site.” Cardinal Fernández said the new rules were necessary because previously decisions had taken “an excessively long time sometimes spanning several decades,” with local bishops and the dicastery struggling to apply the old norms This was even more problematic in the 21st century “since phenomena rarely remain within the boundaries of one city or diocese,” thanks to the internet The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) has since issued nine statements on alleged supernatural events in Europe At a May press conference presenting the new norms Cardinal Fernández was asked about Medjugorje “Regarding Medjugorje, no conclusion has been reached yet, but with these guidelines, we believe it will be easier to proceed and reach a conclusion,” he said The Argentine doctrine czar noted that shrines had flourished in the past independent of any declaration that the associated apparitions were of supernatural origin. He gave the examples of Lourdes, Fatima, and Guadalupe Asked for a second time about the shrine in Bosnia and Herzegovina I haven’t read the material available at the dicastery but we need to study to reach a conclusion with these new norms.”  “Keep in mind that a phenomenon can be considered good but it may have some issues in its later development sometimes a declaration needs to clarify these different stages: that’s a distinction we need to consider.”  a ‘nihil obstat,’ we might also need to clarify that some details should not be taken seriously we do not know what Cardinal Fernández will say about Medjugorje on Thursday Recent rulings could provide a possible template. In July, for example, the DDF issued a letter “on the spiritual experience connected with the Sanctuary of Maccio” in Villa Guardia noted positive elements in the alleged supernatural messages associated with the sanctuary highlighted “matters to be clarified,” noted the “rich spiritual and pastoral fruits coming from this spiritual experience,” and approved the bishop’s proposal of a “nihil obstat” declaration Cardinal Fernández could take a similar approach when he addresses “the spiritual experience of Medjugorje.” But that’s just one possibility Medjugorje is arguably far more complicated than the events at Villa Guardia, or any other place addressed by the DDF since May. An estimated 50 million people have visited the shrine in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1981, making Medjugorje one of the biggest phenomena in the Catholic Church in recent decades.  The shrine has polarized Catholic opinion since the first apparitions were reported 43 years ago. Many credit their conversions to Our Lady of Medjugorje, while others dismiss the alleged visions as a hoax.  It seems, therefore, that the new norms are about to face their biggest test. Whatever Cardinal Fernández says, it is likely to be scrutinized intensely — and perhaps for years to come. But as for the "good fruit" argument, demonstrably false relics supposedly worked miracles in the Middle Ages and the same was claimed for modern apparitions that the Church later found "not supernatural" or even fraudulent. I developed an intense distaste for apparitionism in the '90s. It looked like an attempt to find alternate ways to contact God, sought because of failures and corruption in the institutional Church. ReplyShare20 more comments...LatestNo posts The Vatican sent a frisson through the Catholic world Monday, when it announced a press conference \u201Con the spiritual experience of Medjugorje,\u201D a thriving shrine in Bosnia and Herzegovina associated with alleged Marian apparitions.  And do we know what Cardinal Fern\u00E1ndez is likely to say On June 24, 1981, six youngsters reported seeing an apparition of a woman bathed in brilliant light in the village of Medjugorje, then located in communist Yugoslavia. They referred to the figure as the Gospa (\u201CLady\u201D in Croatian).  The six \u2014 Ivan Dragi\u010Devi\u0107, Ivanka Ivankovi\u0107, Jakov \u010Colo, Marija Pavlovi\u0107, Mirjana Dragi\u010Devi\u0107, and Vicka Ivankovi\u0107 \u2014 confided in the Franciscan friar Fr. Jozo Zovko, the pastor of St. James Church in Medjugorje, who became their champion. The alleged seers say they continue to receive messages up to the present day. The Diocese of Mostar-Duvno oversaw two investigations concluding it was not possible to determine the apparitions were of supernatural origin the Vatican\u2019s doctrine office asked the Yugoslav bishops\u2019 conference to take up the matter.  In 1991, the bishops declared that \u201Cso far it cannot be affirmed that one is dealing with supernatural apparitions and revelations.\u201D  \u201Cso that in Medjugorje and in everything connected with it a healthy devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary may be promoted in accordance with the teaching of the Church.\u201D In 2010, the Vatican asked a commission led by Italy\u2019s Cardinal Camillo Ruini to investigate the phenomena In 2017, Andrea Tornielli, then a journalist for Italy\u2019s La Stampa newspaper, wrote that the commission\u2019s members took a largely positive view of the first seven reported apparitions in 1987 The report appeared days after Pope Francis spoke about Medjugorje on his return from Fatima expressing his personal opinion that the present-day purported apparitions \u201Cdo not have much value.\u201D The \u201Ctrue core\u201D of the Ruini report and this spiritual and pastoral fact cannot be denied,\u201D he said In 2018, the pope appointed a \u201Cspecial apostolic visitor\u201D to the parish of Medjugorje, and a year later, he authorized pilgrimages to the shrine.  Medjugorje continues to draw vast numbers of pilgrims. Last month, tens of thousands of people from 80 countries attended the shrine\u2019s annual youth festival Subscribe now In May, the Vatican\u2019s doctrine office unveiled a new streamlined process for evaluating alleged apparitions According to the new norms the discernment process following an alleged supernatural event does not end with a declaration of either constat de supernaturalitate (\u201Cconfirmed to be of supernatural origin\u201D) or non constat de supernaturalitate (\u201Cnot confirmed to be of supernatural origin\u201D) the \u201Cdoctrinal-pastoral evaluation\u201D may conclude with a \u201Cnihil obstat\u201D \u2014 a declaration that \u201Cnothing hinders\u201D the local bishop from seeking to \u201Cdraw pastoral benefit from the spiritual phenomenon.\u201D The declaration of \u201Cnihil obstat\u201D can be reached \u201Cafter assessing the various spiritual and pastoral fruits of the event and finding no substantial negative elements in it.\u201D What does a \u201Cnihil obstat\u201D declaration mean exactly The norms say: \u201CWithout expressing any certainty about the supernatural authenticity of the phenomenon itself many signs of the action of the Holy Spirit are acknowledged \u2018in the midst\u2019 of a given spiritual experience including possibly through pilgrimages to a sacred site.\u201D Cardinal Fern\u00E1ndez said the new rules were necessary because previously decisions had taken \u201Can excessively long time sometimes spanning several decades,\u201D with local bishops and the dicastery struggling to apply the old norms \u201Csince phenomena rarely remain within the boundaries of one city or diocese,\u201D thanks to the internet.  The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) has since issued nine statements on alleged supernatural events in Europe Cardinal Fern\u00E1ndez was asked about Medjugorje \u201CRegarding Medjugorje, no conclusion has been reached yet, but with these guidelines, we believe it will be easier to proceed and reach a conclusion,\u201D he said The Argentine doctrine czar noted that shrines had flourished in the past independent of any declaration that the associated apparitions were of supernatural origin. He gave the examples of Lourdes, Fatima, and Guadalupe I haven\u2019t read the material available at the dicastery but we need to study to reach a conclusion with these new norms.\u201D  \u201CKeep in mind that a phenomenon can be considered good sometimes a declaration needs to clarify these different stages: that\u2019s a distinction we need to consider.\u201D  a \u2018nihil obstat,\u2019 we might also need to clarify that some details should not be taken seriously we do not know what Cardinal Fern\u00E1ndez will say about Medjugorje on Thursday Recent rulings could provide a possible template. In July, for example, the DDF issued a letter \u201Con the spiritual experience connected with the Sanctuary of Maccio\u201D in Villa Guardia highlighted \u201Cmatters to be clarified,\u201D noted the \u201Crich spiritual and pastoral fruits coming from this spiritual experience,\u201D and approved the bishop\u2019s proposal of a \u201Cnihil obstat\u201D declaration Cardinal Fern\u00E1ndez could take a similar approach when he addresses \u201Cthe spiritual experience of Medjugorje.\u201D But that\u2019s just one possibility Medjugorje is arguably far more complicated than the events at Villa Guardia, or any other place addressed by the DDF since May. An estimated 50 million people have visited the shrine in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1981 making Medjugorje one of the biggest phenomena in the Catholic Church in recent decades.  The shrine has polarized Catholic opinion since the first apparitions were reported 43 years ago Many credit their conversions to Our Lady of Medjugorje while others dismiss the alleged visions as a hoax.  that the new norms are about to face their biggest test it is likely to be scrutinized intensely \u2014 and perhaps for years to come Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. The Spanish police said that many of the victims had reported a drowsiness when they woke up I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A group of alleged thieves suspected of targeting luxury Ibiza villas, including one rented by TV and radio star Nick Grimshaw, have been arrested by Spanish authorities. Two men and one woman have been arrested by the Guardia Civil over at least 22 robberies at homes on the Spanish island with the total value of stolen items believed to be more than half a million euros. Guardia Civil said thieves would enter the homes while the occupants were asleep, always wearing black and covering their faces. The Spanish police added that many of the victims had reported a drowsiness when they woke up, which the authorities believe may have been from a type of gas being used to cause sleepiness. DJ Grimshaw was celebrating his 40th birthday this summer with family and friends when his villa was targeted while they slept. Last month, a source told The Sun that his villa was on the target list “simply due to it being known for being used by high net worth clients”. They added: “The gang would have had no idea who he was. Sadly, it’s a case of the wrong place at the wrong time but it’s scary to say the least. “Nick was obviously upset but thought best to keep things off social media.” Nobody was hurt during the incident, the PA news agency understands. The authorities said a property had been searched this week as part of the investigation into the string of robberies, and expensive items including watches, branded bags, jewellery and sunglasses were found at the house. Grimshaw left BBC Radio 1 in August 2021 after 14 years of hosting a variety of shows across the network and now co-hosts the Sidetracked podcast alongside DJ Annie MacManus. Burglars suspected of raiding Nick Grimshaw’s Ibiza villa arrested by Spanish police\n Streams and small rivers overflowed in Como Province Italian Fire Service Vigili del Fuoco said they carried out 115 interventions in Appiano Gentile Bulgarograsso and Villa Guardia for landslides flooded underpasses and damaged homes between 04 to 05 August Landslides in the area closed several roads around 120 people were evacuated from a campsite in Dervio Commune after flooding from the Varrone River A landslide blocked a roads in Taceno Commune Lecco Commune recorded 94.2 mm of rain on 04 August The heavy rain has caused water of Lake Como to rise close to danger levels. Areas around the lake were badly hit by landslides and flash floods after streams broke their banks following heavy rain last week Communities near the lake could now be facing flooding of a different kind Heavy rain has also affected parts of South Tyrol Residents were warned to take precautions in Chiusa where the Isarco river reached 4.20 metres early on 04 August Heavy rain caused a landslide blocking a road north of Bolzano The Brenner Railway – a major line connecting the Austrian and Italian railways – was suspended — Vigili del Fuoco (@emergenzavvf) August 5, 2021 #LagodiComo, distesa di detriti: rami e tronchi nel porticciolo. Esondato!#maltempo #5agosto pic.twitter.com/245mU3bpWF — 3B Meteo (@3BMeteo) August 5, 2021 La mia Como continua a soffrire 😢 #lakecomo #maltempo pic.twitter.com/80UlcVY96g — Lady G finoallafine (@LadyGFinoallafi) August 5, 2021 #MaltempoIn #AltoAdige forte rischio esondazione.In alcuni punti a #Bolzano i fiumi hanno superato il livello massimo di allerta. pic.twitter.com/nkxXLyLkwa — Andrea Bonazza (@andreabonazzabz) August 5, 2021 Richard Davies is the founder of floodlist.com and reports on flooding news Cookies | Privacy | Contacts © Copyright 2025 FloodList We use cookies to personalize content and ads and to analyze our traffic and improve our service Here’s what they say: “We want to thrill you like crazy and get under your clothes Everything is changeable except our tempests.” So they put us in a state of mystery and spectacular theatrical effects include us and our bodies in a spectacle of struggle in the face of hopelessness An eloquent argument for Dionysian ecstasy De La Guarda’s Villa Villa is a ritual celebration of our human-ness With sophisticated technology and astounding physical courage De La Guarda returns us to the cave fire where all performance began With tortured glamour and an erotic rage in movement we are swept up in a ballet of cooperative violence that asserts our individual and racial survival in the face of the storm of existence In a kind of living action painting the group rains stars on us finally bursting through the membrane of heaven and in moment after moment of awesome theatrical poetry penetrating our emotions through sensation feel the throbbing noise and beat of flight Villa Villaon one level gradually explores complex social dynamics De La Guarda is kindred with Martha Clarke the legendary James Joyce Memorial Liquid Theatre be-ins and raves and many more shamanistic pioneers De La Guarda’s Villa Villa is playing at the Daryl Roth Theatre Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon We help you navigate a myriad of possibilities Sign up for our newsletter for the best of the city By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news Sign up for our email to enjoy London without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush) Our newsletter hand-delivers the best bits to your inbox Sign up to unlock our digital magazines and also receive the latest news By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. London It is early June and I am in Mexico City attempting to operate a gigantic semi-inflatable whale that is suspended from the ceiling of the city’s Fronton Mexico theatre the spectacular second show proper from renowned Argentine company Fuerza Bruta and obviously I have not been trusted to control the whale in front of the hundreds of punters who’ve paid to see the show that evening But earlier in the day an altogether more clued-up performer shows me how to ‘operate’ the life-sized cetacean: we scramble about on a rig inside pitching it from side to side as we swoop over the company ‘Who or what is Fuerza Bruta?’ would be a reasonable question for a young Londoner to ask as it’s been 11 years since their self-titled previous show was last seen here as in their own Argentinian way they are absolutely a London institution.  Founded by Buenos Aires theatre maker Diqui James Fuerza Bruta is the successor company to his previous outfit De La Guarda Each of them has played more shows at Camden’s iconic Roundhouse than any other artist in history (in fact it’s not even close) De La Guarda’s sole show ‘Villa Villa’ did a year here at the turn of the millennium the last show to play the Roundhouse before it shut for a major refurb Fuerza Bruta’s self-titled first show (now renamed ‘Wayra’) reopened in 2006 and came back in 2013 London is where James realised he hadn’t made a terrible mistake in creating a pulse-pounding stunt and setpiece-packed show with no discernible plot that demanded the audience actually dance.  and De La Guarda were touring a sceptical America when word reached him the show was on the cover of Time Out magazine in London for an issue previewing that year’s London International Festival of Theatre (aka LIFT) ‘It said “Catch the LIFT: Probably the Best Theatre in the World”,’ recalls a proud James ‘In Buenos Aires we were struggling,’ he says ‘People enjoyed the show but the media were talking shit about us – saying it wasn’t really theatre – and it was a hard time for us economically to keep the show running Then we went to London and we were shocked by the reaction: it was amazing Suddenly we started to feel proud of what we were doing By the second show they were asking if we could stay for longer’ They couldn’t – they were on tour – but producer Adam Kenwright caught the show and was instantly smitten with it He took James to see the Roundhouse – and a match in heaven was made a beautiful relationship between company and city and venue was formed But relationships need to be maintained and it’s been over a decade since Fuerza Bruta was last in town.  James and his core collaborators have been busy with everything from a free outdoor show staged in a Buenos Aires park to one specially made for Japan But now it’s finally time for something for the rest of the world.  Fuerza Bruta’s second touring show ‘Aven’ is quite a departure from the ruggedly macho stylings of its predecessor the most iconic sequence of which features a man in a suit running through walls and failing to be stopped by bullets In fact ‘Aven’ has a very specific remit ‘I wanted to make the happiest show on Earth!’ smiles James Now I just want to show people how beautiful the world can be I think for a lot of young people it is quite a difficult time now But if they come to our show they will feel better for sure’ worry not – ‘Aven’ is less happy-clappy than euphoric a series of setpieces that push the same endorphin buttons as a big night on the floor.  If ‘Villa Villa’ and ‘Wayra’ were about a sort of macho urban grit ‘Aven’ is influenced by nature and for this show I wanted to create a sort of artificial nature’ As I’ve already spoilered the fact there’s a massive whale in it When James said he wanted to create a life-size mechanical whale his collaborators were understandably sceptical ‘They said you know a whale doesn’t fit in any room,’ recalls James They tried to convince me to do it smaller crushing the walls.’ The compromise is that the whale inflates: it could never enter the room but so long as the show is performed in a room an actual whale could just about fit into And the Roundhouse is a particularly big space – no spoilers but James outlines an addition to the stunt just for us that should make it even more exhilaratingly OTT Will lightning strike a third time when ‘Aven’ follows ‘Villa Villa’ and ‘Fuerza Bruta’ into the Roundhouse On paper it’s a slightly tall order: James is a Gen X theatremaker whose shows are now predicated on getting people decades younger than him dancing And yet in  Mexico City that’s exactly what he does – if Fuerza Bruta’s return home to the Roundhouse is half as joyful as this it’ll be the happiest night in London The best new London theatre shows to book for in 2024 The Donmar Warehouse has announced a spectacular new season. Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! tiktokfacebooktwitteryoutubeAbout us Contact us Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Metrics details USA) has named Andrew Baum as president and CEO helping launch genetically engineered cotton and vegetable oil products He also served as CEO of Sembiosys Genetics CEO of biopharmaceutical company UCB and member of the board of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) has been appointed chairman of the governing board of the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI; Brussels) a public-private partnership between the European Union and the EFPIA UCB has been a member of IMI since its initiation and Doliveux has been a member of the IMI governing board since May 2010 Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Reprints and permissions Download citation Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. 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The Berlin-based architect Arno Brandlhuber bought this property in 2015 and transformed it by mostly stripping elements away rather than further adding to it The wooden chevron partitions separate the bathrooms from the rest of the house while baby blue cotton curtains serve as shower curtains and also provide further privacy between living areas After removing all floor coverings and non-structural walls Brandlhuber poured new concrete floors and a new staircase revealing blocks of creamy volcanic tuff stone typical in Sicilian construction which is accessed through an industrial steel hatch offers views over the Mediterranean sea and nearby mountains The industrial-size sliding windows completely open up the seaward façade and the outdoor patio Right next to it a set of concrete stairs leads through a bamboo forest to a small private bay with direct access to the Mediterranean a small fishing village not far from Sicily’s capital Palermo the building was originally completed in 1976 and was used by the Italian police force as the local headquarters for customs patrols along the coast a three-mile gap prevents the network of roads that outline Sicily’s coastal perimeter from completing itself The interruption is the legacy of a political struggle which culminated in 1981 with the creation of Sicily’s first nature reserve the Riserva Naturale Orientata dello Zingaro The fight was led by a group of three engineers and a lawyer who in order to prevent the development of this last stretch of virgin coast  had the foresight to buy the land and then refused to budge They became known locally as the quattro cavalieri dello Zingaro and it’s thanks to them that the roadway and the likely construction of a nearby oil refinery were scrapped Half a mile or so back down the road, towards the village of Scopello, there is a formerly derelict guesthouse which Berlin-based architect Arno Brandlhuber purchased from the son of one of the cavalieri in 2015 the building is unremarkable apart from distinctive curving concrete balconies which also feature on the other known buildings by its designer The house first operated as an albergo before being taken over by the Guardia di Finanza the Italian police force responsible for investigating financial crime and smuggling After several decades of using the building as their headquarters for customs patrols along the coast Large cracks that had formed sometime in the 1980s due to structural settlement warded off potential buyers Dubbed simply Finanza, it is the second in a series of collaborative projects that Brandlhuber has undertaken in Sicily in the wake of a two-week travel he made in 2014 to retrace Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s 1804 Italian tour The trip resulted in the purchase of a house in Castellemmare del Golfo and in the full-time relocation of two members from Brandlhuber’s Berlin office Brandlhuber and his team took an archaeological approach to the project peeling back layers of rendering and plaster both inside and out and removing all the interior walls to reveal the building’s structural essence: a concrete frame typical of 20th-century construction in the area a soft volcanic rock used for building in Sicily since Roman times The two most notable additions to the house are the large sliding windows which completely open up the seaward façade converting it into a large terrace with panoramic views of the nearby mountains and the Gulf of Castellammare Regulations in Sicily preclude major alterations within 300 meters of the coastline the team discovered that the local authorities had lost one of the original drawings and found an engineer willing to sign off on the changes Like his Antivilla in Potsdam (2010–15) — a GDR underwear factory turned weekend home with windows that were crudely enlarged with a sledgehammer — and the concrete retreat he built in Rocha, Uruguay (2011–15) Brandlhuber’s Finanza appears brutally straightforward but is nuanced in its orchestration Its appeal lies in the opportunities it uncovers “Normally architecture is about the object You never discuss it as something time-based “I like old buildings because they already exist and become more like a novel — you’re writing a new chapter.” Text by Stephen Froese Photography by Erica Overmeer Originally published in PIN–UP 25 Slide "+(i+1)+" of "+$(set).length+": "+$(this).find("figcaption")[0].innerHTML+" Metrics details comments: “Their extensive track record in the development and commercialization of biologics will serve KaloBios well as we enter the next phase of our company's evolution as a developer of patient-targeted Chang Ahn has announced that he will transition from his role as CEO of Rexahn Pharmaceuticals (Rockville He will continue to serve as chairman of Rexahn's board of directors and will serve as both CEO and CSO until the new CEO is named Rexahn has initiated a search for a CEO to succeed Ahn Reprints and permissions Download citation Oliver Browning | Sunday 01 September 2024 13:32 BST An Ibiza gang linked to 22 raids at luxury villas - including Nick Grimshaw’s holiday rental - has been arrested by Spanish police. Grimshaw, a TV and radio star, was on the island celebrating his 40th birthday when he was targeted by thieves. Footage released by the Guardia Civil on Sunday 1 September shows the suspects raiding a luxury villa, as well as some of the stolen items. “They used some kind of gas that produced drowsiness so as not to wake up the residents who were sleeping at the time of the robberies,” police wrote, sharing the video. Kim Kardashian wears Marilyn Monroe’s dress As Baltimore begins the process of planning to replace the Francis Scott Key Bridge, labor experts have pointed to how Latino workers will be the one who rebuild it. Anderson Clayton attends the North Carolina Young Democrats Convention in Durham. 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Lady Gaga plays show to estimated 2.1m fans at free beach concert Sian Welby on why she kept pregnancy hidden from This Morning bosses. Prince George and the Princess of Wales join Second World War veterans at a tea party in Buckingham Palace. Prince Louis caught brushing down Price Williams jacket during VE Day celebrations The 1998 diesel has been converted into a stylish two-bed Beckham luciendo su peinado mohicano antes de un amistoso internacional contra México en 2001 A British drug lord responsible for flooding the UK's streets with £31m worth of cocaine from his luxury villa in Spain has been jailed for 18 years was head of an international drug gang and oversaw the smuggling of about a tonne of the class A drug into the UK A court heard how the drugs would arrive into the UK on the back of lorries from Spain before being diluted and sold on the streets He was jailed at the Old Bailey on Wednesday (22 March) after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs between January 2014 and April 2015 He also admitted a separate charge of supplying a kilogram of cocaine became one of the country's most-wanted criminals after fleeing overseas in 2013 in breach of travel restrictions following a nine-year sentence for a separate £3m cannabis smuggling plot he was finally caught by Spanish and British police at his luxury villa in Javier as he instructed workmen laying marble tiles around his swimming pool Detectives found accounting records showing the supply of 997kg of cocaine with a wholesale value of £31m a fake Slovenian passport and €125,000 (£108,000 Spanish police said the drug kingpin "led the life of an authentic fugitive" by relying on friends bringing him food and never leaving the villa through fear of being shot dead by rivals Monk was also quizzed over the gangland murder of 25-year-old British drug dealer Francis Brennan whose body was found in a heavily-taped plastic bag washed up on a Costa Blanca beach said: "Monk is a career criminal who showed a disregard for the laws of UK after he fled to Spain in 2013 to escape justice He obtained false identity documents in order to evade authorities while he continued to run an international drug supply network from his home in Spain expert analysis by Met detectives revealed the large scale of Monk's drug trafficking network and of the huge sums of money he was receiving for the illegal importation of cocaine to the UK This evidence has proved crucial in establishing the pivotal role Monk played in the drugs network "Monk has been sentenced to a lengthy period in custody and I would like to thank the Guardia Civil for their co-operation in the investigation that secured this conviction We will continue to work together to ensure all the proceeds of Monks' drug trafficking empire are confiscated." Saddam Hussein had plenty of time to ponder what might have been had he chosen to go the way of other despots Deposed dictators have long beaten a path to the French Riviera to live out their dotage on the Corniche du Paradis Terrestre - Paradise on Earth Saddam had places to stay - two luxurious villas - and money in a Swiss bank to keep him in the style to which he was accustomed Saddam has been executed and his holiday home stands as a symbol of the fate of his regime five-bathroomed home called the Mas de St Croix is deserted windows have been wrenched off their hinges and the terraced gardens complete with 8-metre (25ft) swimming pool are crumbling under years of weeds and neglect Signs of wealth have been replaced by the detritus of squatters: filthy mattresses Only a long since quaffed bottle of Château Lafite champagne a carton of Johnnie Walker limited edition whisky and a dusty pile of Arabic magazines A second villa owned by Saddam's half brother Barzan al-Tikriti sits on billionaire's row in Cannes It is also abandoned and looted but - apart from the missing gold bathroom fittings - has escaped the ravages inflicted on the Grasse property It is now the subject of talks between Baghdad and Paris over the return of assets frozen by UN sanctions in 2003 Barzan has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity He was convicted of the killings of 148 Shia men from Dujail in the 1980s Visiting Saddam's villa it is easy to see why the Riviera is a popular destination for overthrown leaders but the sea is blue and the sun strong enough that by mid-morning locals are dispensing with their jackets In 1986 Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier fled Haiti and settled here The French never granted him official residency but neither did they throw him out Saddam's "mas" was acquired by the Iraqi regime in the 1980s He had visited Provençe in 1975 as a guest of Jacques Chirac who called him "my friend" and showed him round a nuclear power station an Iraqi official said it was bought as a holiday home for his family The unlocked steel gates open to reveal a main house and two multi-storey gatehouses all covered with elaborate graffiti drawings the property has a marble staircase and carved stone fireplaces A hole has been blowtorched through the thick door of a massive steel safe set in concrete into one wall a dressing room has padded shelves marked "walking shoes" and "town shoes" - while the en-suite pink bathroom next door comes complete with matching satin-covered shelves Everywhere shards of glass and crockery crunch underfoot and floors are littered with broken household appliances the grounds are covered with rotting leaves while the pool is clogged with slime and bottles A bunker with a thick steel door is built into the hill and on the edge of the grounds a decrepit two-storey cottage is almost hidden by overgrowth residents of the Côte d'Azur can breathe a sigh of relief at not having Saddam as a neighbour Gone are the members of the Iraqi intelligence service whose members guarded the Hussein family's properties in the area Gone too is the prospect of a further visit from Saddam's gun-toting son who died with his brother Qusay in a shoot-out with US troops birds and any sign of human or animal life Now this crumbling totem of a once powerful family seems set to stay in ruins for the foreseeable future Neighbours and local officials are concerned about the neglect and fire risk but do not see why local taxpayers should pay to clean it up said: "It's a great pity to see such a lovely place just left to go to ruin We never saw much of anyone there before because the place is quite secluded but you can't miss what the squatters and vandals have done to the place But I'm not sure whether I'd prefer having Saddam and family living there or squatters." The French foreign ministry is considering unfreezing certain Iraqi assets but admits the legal process is slow The Iraqi embassy in Paris hopes to keep the place in Cannes and sell the property in Grasse, but says neither is high on the priority list. A spokesman said: "To be honest we've far more serious problems to worry about in Iraq right now than a couple of villas in the south of France." The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden Please log in here to leave a comment A family home in Rincón de la Victoria on the eastern stretch of the Costa del Sol was broken into by armed thieves wearing balaclavas at around midnight on Wednesday 4 June The 112 emergency service has confirmed that they received a call at 12.15am from a villa in the Cotomar residential area and that the Guardia Civil and 061 medical staff were quickly sent o the scene Emergency services attended to a 60-year-old man The three victims had injuries of varying degrees The incident happened in Calle Gladiolo and was carried out by an organised gang of at least four people The case is now being investigated by the Guardia Civil who are considering the hypothesis that the criminals may have received a tip-off that led them to plan the break in The burglars were reportedly carrying at least one pistol as well as an iron bar and they were wearing balaclavas and gloves the gang restrained the couple and their son using cable ties They then demanded that they open the safe sources close to the investigation explain that he was assaulted repeatedly until he agreed to the demand and suffered a series of head injuries as a result The assailants made off with 100,000 euros in cash and five high-end watches This was not the only incident in Rincón de la Victoria that night as a bar was also robbed in the early hours of the morning this is the second time that the establishment has been burgled in the last month Between the end of 2023 and the beginning of this year there was a succession of burglaries in the Parque Victoria residential area and there have been further reports of similar incidents in Añoreta and Cotomar who are increasingly concerned about safety in the municipality Comentar es una ventaja exclusiva para registrados Investigations are ongoing into two attacks using explosive devices which took place in the early hours of Wednesday morning the latest in a string of incidents on the Costa del Sol thought to be part of revenge attacks between rival criminal gangs Though no one was injured in either incident The two places targeted were a villa on a luxury development in Benahavís and a car wash in a unit on an industrial estate in San Pedro Alcántara and adjoining properties were also affected The National Police said in a statement on Wednesday that an investigation was under way and that a case of settling of scores had not been ruled out The first incident took place in Mirador de la Alquería in Benahavís a quiet area close to a golf course where most residents are foreigners A car and the front of a villa caught fire in an explosion which produced no human casualties but led to the death of one dog and injured another with the railing on the perimeter wall also blasted off The wall of the adjoining building was also damaged A vehicle parked outside was completely engulfed in flames and is now unrecognisable The second attack took place just minutes after the first when a similar explosive device detonated outside the entrance to the car wash on an industrial estate in San Pedro The owner of both this warehouse and the Benahavís villa is a Moroccan businessman The consequences of the second explosion were a lot more serious The industrial unit suffered serious structural damage as well as a dozen vehicles were damaged by flames This attack was just 20 metres from a gym that was set on fire several months ago say that there is no link between the two cases were most likely a warning over an unpaid debt was found burnt-out in the Nagüeles area of Marbella Both the Guardia Civil and the National Police have taken charge of the investigation as the first crime fell under the jurisdiction of the former and the second the latter Guardia Civil officers have arrested of a woman with Romanian nationality as the alleged perpetrator of a human and drug trafficking outfit in Torrox on the eastern stretch of the Costa del Sol began when officers received a tip-off that a villa located in the Axarquía town was allegedly being used as a brothel where women were being forced to work as prostitutes and drugs were being sold to clients During a police raid of the premises officers found that the garage had been converted into a room where clients were paying for prostitutes’ services From statements given by a number of the women working at the premises officers were led to believe they were being coerced into prostitution and possibly drugged Several quantities of different types of drugs were found along with scales tools used to cut the substances and small amounts of money The Guardia Civil have arrested a man suspected of several burglaries in villas and tourists apartments since May 2022 who has a number of  previous convictions was caught red-handed when an alarm in a property alerted the police The Guardia Civil then established that the suspect’s modus operandi coincided with that used in several other burglaries A search near the scene of the crime revealed a vehicle that contained documents belonging to the suspect and the investigation led Guardia Civil officers to a flat where they found €85,000 worth of stolen property Several of the items have been returned to their owners and the suspect is in prison awaiting trial For regular updates, pictures and videos of Lanzarote be sure to like and follow our Facebook page “Gazette Life Lanzarote” Canary Islands tourism continues to grow in 2025 as they close the busiest month and quarter in its history Lanzarote’s Chamber of Commerce of Lanzarote has presented a survey on the island’s taxi services warning that the service is “lacking and can be improved.” The Canarian Government’s law on holiday rental properties has been delayed again as the notice period for objections was granted yet another extension Need a break from the scorching hot Lanzarote sun Looking for a fun activity that is sheltered from the heat and wind Look no further than the Crazy Minigolf Lanzarote course in Puerto del Carmen First Class Villa Services is your all-in-one villa management service whose core values are excellence We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings Sign-up to the Gazette Newsletter to receive a weekly email including the most important news stories and upcoming events This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful Strictly necessary cookies should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings we will not be able to save your preferences This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again Not guilty verdicts have been given to a husband and wife who faced money laundering charges linked to millions of pounds A spokesperson for the prosecution told GBC this was due to 'evidential deficiencies' Dale and Angelina Villa were charged in 2022 following what was described as "a protracted and complex investigation" by the Economic Crime Unit at the Royal Gibraltar Police the RGP said the unit had worked closely with the Guardia Civil in their efforts to tackle cross-border organised crime has been recovered by the Crown under the Proceeds of Crime Act.  When the couple were arrested back in 2022 was accused of being involved in the exportation of large quantities of tobacco and breaching the conditions of a retail license Another charge related to his alleged access to £15 million worth of property derived from criminal activity He was also accused of being in possession of criminal property - a luxury yacht, the 'Nike Net', valued at close to £300,000 The vessel was seized at the time of his arrest were also jointly charged with a separate count of possession of criminal property after €207,000 in cash was reportedly found during a search of their residence They pleaded not guilty to all counts with the couple given bail in the sum of £10,000 They later sought a judicial review against the Commissioner of Police claiming the search warrants were unlawful The Crown then brought a civil suit against Dale Villa aiming to recover assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act Court documents obtained by GBC show this was not contested and a recovery order was granted in October This means the Crown can keep €207,000 in cash found in a police search of their property An RGP spokesperson told GBC this money was "deemed to be criminal property derived from the excess sales of tobacco in breach of a tobacco licence." the Crown offered no evidence in the criminal case against the pair and it was formally discontinued GBC understands the couple are now free to pick up their yacht Mr Villa made international headlines in 2013 after he told GBC he feared for his safety when he and his friend said they had spotted a large black weapon on board the Guardia Civil vessel that was chasing his jet ski Mr Villa said he performed evasive manoeuvres to avoid being hit or caught as shots were fired at them The Guardia Civil denied it had fired rubber bullets Sitemap Website design by Piranha Designs © 2025 EmCan Media - Hosted By canaryfone have been arrested accused of cheating 29,000 euros out of people by charging for the holiday rental of villas in Fuerteventura with which they had no relationship according to the Guardia Civil in an official press release More than thirty affected people came to pay in advance either by bank transfer or through mobile phones for villa accommodation that they never used because they were owned by third-party companies that the scammers advertised as theirs using photos that they stole from the internet without permission The police statement says that: “Once the payments were made the sad reality for the victims began because when they arrived on the island and their time to enter the villas approached they were informed by the defendants that the conditions of their reservation they had been ‘modified’ leaving them without anywhere to stay and unable to contact the company they had paid their money to Complaints from different victims led the Guardia Civil to investigate the facts who discovered that the deception went even further in the case of some of those affected who were assured by the scammers that they would refund their money It also states that once agents started looking for the guilty parties they realised that it was a structured group whose leader of the scam had been arrested six times before for acts of the same nature as well as to investigate a 38-year-old man as an alleged accomplice in the scams The Guardia Civil has informed that they are continuing with this open investigation and does not rule out new arrests requesting any further victims to please contact them accordingly Footage shows inside smashed-up Spanish villa raided amid John Gilligan drug probe This is a video showing inside the smashed up Spanish villa raided by police in Alicante amid John Gilligan’s latest arrest was left in chaos by authorities who searched the property in recent weeks A two-minute video shows the extent of the search A post shared by Crime World (@crimeworldwithnicolatallant) and pillows were upturned throughout the home Shelves in the bathroom were pulled down and in the kitchen every press was opened and searched with their contents left spilling across the countertops Blinds were also pulled down and left on the floor Footage of the hallway shows photograph frames knocked over as well as clutter of clothes and household items police from the Guardia Civil are believed to have found pink cocaine and a quantity of another synthetic drug Veteran criminal Gilligan was living rent-free at the Torrevieja home of Sharon Oliver before he was arrested in December She’d let him live there while they tried to sort out their differences from afar he had moved on with a younger English woman whom he regularly welcomed into his ex’s abode Police believe that Gilligan had been operating a street dealing service where he was personally delivering drugs to his buyers it’s believed Oliver is sticking by Gilligan’s side and flew to Alicante following his arrest to help raise funds to pay for his bail he was given a 22-month suspended sentence by a Spanish court after he admitted to using a courier service to smuggle cannabis and prescription-only drugs without licence to Ireland Please check your inbox to verify your details Now download the free app for all the latest Sunday World News, Crime, Irish Showbiz and Sport. Available on Apple and Android devices The Royal Gibraltar Police have announced that after a protracted and complex money laundering investigation officers from their Economic Crime Unit have charged a local man and his wife for a number of offences the ECU seized a luxury motor yacht called Nike Net which is registered to Dale Villa and valued at approximately £295,000 the police also confiscated 207,000 euros in cash Dale Villa has been singly charged with knowing about and concerned in the exportation of a commercial quantity of tobacco from Gibraltar without the authority of an export licence; a breach of a tobacco retail licence; the use of approximately £15 million worth of criminal property; possession of criminal property namely the motor vessel Nike Net; and being concerned in an arrangement which facilitated the acquisition use or control of criminal property (motor vessel Nike Net) by another He was also charged jointly with Angelina Villa with one count of possession of 207,000 euros of criminal property the RGP worked closely with the Guardia Civil in their efforts to tackle cross-border organised crime The defendents have been released on bail and are due to appear in the Gibraltar Magistrates Court on Friday 17 June