World
€440k frozen in Italy over suspect scam by fake farmers
Italian authorities issued a freezing order against group of farmers alleging EU farming subsidies were claimed for gardeners.
Three people connected to Italian businesses allegedly made bogus claims more than €375,000 in EU agricultural funds between 2020 and 2023, of which €65,000 has already been drawn from Italy’s payment agency.
The 368 hectares of farmland they claimed to own in order to receive the subsidies were not actually theirs, however, according to the authorities, belonging instead to the naval air station of Sigonella, for which the three suspects used to simply cut the grass.
“That is why they were not allowed to use it for agricultural activities, but only to carry out the grass mowing service,” said a press officer at the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) which requested the seizure issued by the judge for preliminary investigations of the Court of Catania today (22 May).
The suspects are two brothers and another partner who took an active part in the alleged scam at a later stage. The brothers are familiar with farming, however, as one of the two actually owns an agriculture business while the other was employed by Italy’s Agricultural Assistance Centre.
This is the third large case involving freezing orders requested by EPPO – which investigates, prosecutes, and brings to judgment perpetrators of criminal offences harming the EU budget – involving Italy this year, leading to more than €3.7m assets being frozen in the past three months.
In 2023, a third of the open investigations related to fraud in the EU farming budget involved Italy, according to EPPO figures.
For Andrea Venegoni, European prosecutor for Italy, there are many reasons for the large number of agricultural fraud investigations in the country.
“First of all, there are many rural areas in Italy where EU funds are distributed to promote agriculture and rural development,” he told Euronews.
“It is also natural that where there is money, there is a potential for fraud. Hence, criminal organisations target EU funding programmes,” he added.
The prosecutor also highlighted the “extraordinary investigative skills” of the Italian financial and judicial police leading to fraud detection, combined with the activity of the European delegated prosecutors who worked effectively with the law enforcement agencies.
Fraud is not within the remit of the Commission’s action as the EU executive can only address administrative errors that may occur and correct the spending with audits – while the EU anti-fraud office (OLAF) is the body responsible for dealing with fraud cases, which may then be prosecuted by EPPO.
“The Commission has zero tolerance for fraud. We trust EPPO, and OLAF, to always investigate, follow up and prosecute fraud cases,” Commission spokesperson Olof Gill told Euronews.
“Since the assets of the alleged perpetrators have been seized with a judicial order, the EU financial interest is fully protected,” he added.
The Commission will be following developments of the case closely to see if the alleged crimes highlight weaknesses in the administrative control systems, the spokesperson continued.
World
‘X-Men’ Star Famke Janssen Says Marvel ‘Made a Mistake’ By Not Asking Her to Return as Jean Grey in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
Famke Janssen said during a recent conversation with Nerdtropolis at Spacecon 2026 that Marvel “made a mistake” by not bringing her back as Jean Grey for December’s “Avengers: Doomsday.”
“I am so bad at keeping secrets that I always say to everyone I’m the worst actor in the world. It’s all on my face. You right away will read it,” Janssen said. “I think they made a mistake, but hey, who am I? I’m just a little me who thinks that.”
Janssen first appeared as the telepath Jean Grey, aka Phoenix, in 2000’s “X-Men,” and then reprised the role for 2003’s “X2: X-Men United” and 2006’s “X-Men: The Last Stand.” She also briefly appeared as Grey in 2013’s “The Wolverine” and 2014’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past.”
Janssen’s absence from “Doomsday” is notable, considering Marvel is bringing back many of her “X-Men” co-stars for the film. Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier), Ian McKellen (Magneto), James Marsden (Cyclops), Kelsey Grammer (Beast), Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler) and Rebecca Romijn (Mystique) are all set to return.
In an October 2025 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Janssen said in every interview she does, she’s asked about the future of Jean Grey in the MCU.
“It’s interesting,” Janssen said. “I didn’t realize that was such a big part. Every interview I do, that will come up, and of everything I say, that is going to be the only thing that’s gonna be printed.”
“I should be flattered, I suppose, that this character has resonated with people,” she added. “It’s been so long, but it’s nice that people are still talking about her. I’m sure every single time there’s a new movie that they’re doing, like [is it] ‘Doomsday?’ … it’ll come up again.”
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Authorities are responding after two passenger trains crashed into each other Friday near Bedford, England, killing at least one person and injuring nearly 90 others.
The East of England Ambulance Service said it was called to a collision involving two trains at Elstow, near Bedford, at about 5:15 p.m. local time and quickly declared a “major incident.”
One person died at the scene, 11 people suffered very serious injuries, 22 were seriously injured and 56 people had minor injuries, officials said.
Bedford is roughly 60 miles north of London.
2 TRAINS COLLIDE IN DENMARK, LEAVING 5 PEOPLE CRITICALLY INJURED
Two passenger trains collided Friday in the United Kingdom. (Fox News)
All the patients with the most serious injuries have been taken from the scene to hospital.
The ambulance service said it sent numerous resources to the scene, including more than 20 ambulances, specialist hazardous area response teams and six air ambulances.
MULTIPLE STABBED IN UK TRAIN ATTACK NEAR CAMBRIDGE AS POLICE ARREST 2 SUSPECTS
Emergency crews were pictured working near the scene. (Fox News)
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected, and we thank all emergency service colleagues for their swift response,” the ambulance service wrote in a statement.
The Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed its crews were also responding.
“Please avoid the area,” fire officials wrote in a statement on X.
Sources told The Telegraph the train driver was on the phone with maintenance staff discussing a safety issue at the time of the crash.
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This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
As Israel’s war on Lebanon rages, hundreds gather in Rmeileh by Sidon Gate to watch the 2026 World Cup. Organised by influencer Bilal Haddad, the fan zone offers food trucks, shisha and family activities, giving people a rare chance to relax. Al Jazeera’s Justin Salhani went to check it out.
Published On 20 Jun 2026
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