Focus::Daily News
NEWSLINE
EXAMINER. The celebration for the Italian Republic Day [June 2, 2009] began a few days early in Baltimore, on May 31, 2009. Baltimore's Italian Consul Francesco Luigi Legaluppi and the Italian Ambassador to the United States joined the public for a private party at Maserati. The facility showcases premium exotic and car inventory including but not limited to Maserati, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, and Lamborghini; other brands that have excited local residents include primarily European Import cars like Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, and Bentley. Sports cars (BMW, Audi), luxury cars (Mercedes), exotic cars (Ford GT, Lotus), and race cars are all serviced in the race shop. (Read the Article)
AP. Italy's Consul General Francesco M. Talo braved traffic and drove the new model of the Italian "Cinquecento" about 6.5 miles (about 10 kilometers) from the consulate on the city's Upper East Side to Wall Street on Monday. It was a little publicity stunt that had a handful of passers-by stopping and taking pictures of the 3.5-meter-long (11.5-foot-long) car parked in front of the exclusive Cipriani restaurant. "I guess this could be a good option to save money, save gasoline, save the earth and pollute less," said Talo, who made the drive in the tiny four-seater with his wife and two of his three children. (Read the article)
ANSA. A wall of Rome's controversial Ara Pacis museum was spattered in bursts of red and green paint on Monday in an attack by unidentified vandals. (Read the article)
ANSA. n Italian soccer player on Monday kicked off Verona's drive to woo the world's couples into tying the knot on the scene of Romeo and Juliet's most romantic encounter. (Read the article)
ANSA. Today, for the first time in history, one of Fiat's first models, the "Cinquecento", will travel around Manhattan. The Consul General of Italy Francesco Maria Talò will drive it to get to Cipriani Wall Street where he will celebrate, together with the Italian community in New York, the Italian National Day. The car will be parked in front of the Consulate all morning long. (Read the Article)
ANSA. Three Italian paratroopers were injured in western Afghanistan on Friday in a violent firefight which left 25 insurgents dead, defense ministry sources said. The battle started when a joint Italian-Afghan army patrol came under attack in the area of Bala Morgab. (Read the Article)
PRESSTV. Thousands of Italians have taken to the streets in a show of solidarity with migrants and in a move to defy government policies in the midst of the G-8 meeting. People in the capital Rome walked out on Saturday toward the secured assembly venue of the group of eight richest countries in order to show their objection to the government's latest anti-immigrants initiatives.
The demonstrators chanted anti-government slogans and toted banners denouncing both the G-8 ministerial summit on security, immigration and terrorism and recent Italian government's bid to incarcerate and heavily fine illegal immigrants and their aides. (Read the Article)
SHELBY COUNTY REPORTER. Cindy Cecchini believes the Italian culture holds many more gifts than heaping bowls of pasta and she wants to share those gifts with others.Cecchini and friends recently created the Italian–American Culture Society of Alabama. "We don't want the Italian culture to die," said organizer Cindy Cecchini. "I think this is a wonderful way to reach out to people. Italians are really good at that. Italians are very loving people. (... )I know that the community of Birmingham is growing more and more through people moving here from other countries," Cecchini said. "Italy is very much represented here. I just wanted to see what kind of response I would get". (Read the Article by Samantha Hurst)
GUARDIAN. Italian banks will offer up to 1.4 billion euros ($1.96 billion) in low-interest loans to the tourism sector as a result of an agreement with the government, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Sunday.
Berlusconi urged Italian lenders to provide credit to return the Italian economy to growth but to do so prudently. "Banks will place 1.4 billion euros at the use of tourism entrepreneurs who wish to use it, at attractive interest rates, to improve tourist infrastructure," Berlusconi told a news conference, adding full details would be announced on Wednesday. (Read the Article)
AFP. Russian rider Denis Menchov won the Tour of Italy here on Sunday despite suffering a dramatic fall in the last kilometre of the final stage, a 14.4km time-trial round. The Rabobank cyclist, who is the third Russian to win the race, added the title to his two Tour of Spain victories in 2005 and 2007. "I didn't have time to think, it all happened so quickly," Menchov said of his tumble. "In my earpiece I heard 'no risks, no risks'. (Read the Article)