RAA NOTE:Item #1: It is very encouraging to see that the relatively
new
"Italians in the World" Ministry is giving more than "lipservice" to
it's
mandate to reach out to ALL those of Italian Ancestry, resulting from
the
"Italian Diaspora".
===============================================
(1) MINISTRY SETS UP HELP DESK FOR ITALIAN RESIDENTS IN VENEZUELA
(2) ITALY EXPECTED TO BE PARALYZED BY NATIONAL STRIKE TOMORROW
(3) FERRARI TEAM TRIUMPHS AT IMOLA GRAND PRIX RACE
(4) VACANT IBF WELTERWEIGHT TITLE GOES TO ITALIAN
(5) FORMER OLYMPIC SKIING CHAMPION COMMITS SUICIDE
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(1) MINISTRY SETS UP HELP DESK FOR ITALIAN RESIDENTS IN VENEZUELA
Venezuela counts 130,000 residents of Italian origin among its residents.
As
soon as word of the government crisis and subsequent armed clashes
in the
capital broke, Italians In The World minister Mirko Tremaglia contacted
the
Italian ambassador to Venezuela in Caracas, Adriano Benedetti, to get
a
briefing of how the Venezuelan crisis has affected residents of Italian
origin in the South American country. Mr. Benedetti informed Minister
Tremaglia that, as of now, there were no Italians listed among the
victims
and injured in the clashes. The Italians In The World Ministry has
set up a
Crisis Unit for Venezuela, which will function like the unit for Argentinian
Italians. This unit will help Italians in Venezuela who are affected
by the
governmental crisis, and will also supply information to their families
back
home...
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2) ITALY EXPECTED TO BE PARALYZED BY NATIONAL STRIKE TOMORROW
A general strike will cause most of Italian public life to grind to
a halt
tomorrow, April 16. In accordance with the law, only minimal services
will be
available to the public. Telephone, gas, water and electricity will
be
supplied, but energy and communications offices will be closed. There
will be
no garbage collection. All transportation will be brought to a standstill
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Airplanes will be grounded from 10 a.m. to
6 p.m.
All banks, schools and most post offices will remain closed for the
day.
Newspapers will not publish and television programming will be limited
to
pre-recorded programs and occasional news bulletins. Health services
will
provide limited coverage.
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(3) FERRARI TEAM TRIUMPHS AT IMOLA GRAND PRIX RACE
For the first time in 20 years, the two Ferrari drivers stood side
by side on
the victors' platform of the Imola race track in the Republic of San
Marino
on Sunday. World champion Michael Schumacher and his Ferrari teammate
Rubens
Barrichello garnered a one-two victory in the San Marino Grand Prix
Formula
One race. The Ferrari pilot¹s brother, Williams-BMW driver Ralf
Schumacher,
was the third person on the platform....Michael Schumacher took off
in pole
position and held that position throughout the race, presenting record
lap-times over and again. Halfway into the competition, the Ferrari
pilot was
17 seconds ahead of his brother. Thanks to his ingenious pit-stop strategy,
Mr. Barichello swept second place from Ralf Schumacher.
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(4) VACANT IBF WELTERWEIGHT TITLE GOES TO ITALIAN
European boxing champion Michele Piccirillo defeated American champion
Corey
Spinks yesterday in the northern Italian town of Campione d¹Italia,
to win
the vacant International Boxing Federation title. The three presiding
judges,
two Americans and one Italian, voted in favor of the 32-year-old welterweight
boxer from Bari. Veteran boxer Mr. Piccirillo defeated the son of former
heavyweight Leon Spinks, whose claim to fame was defeating Mohammed
Ali, in a
12-round battle decades ago.
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(5) FORMER OLYMPIC SKIING CHAMPION COMMITS SUICIDE
Fausto Radici, an Italian skiing champion, was found dead early Sunday
morning in a lumberyard in the Peia district of Valle Seriana, in the
province of Bergamo. The carabinieri of Gandino disclosed that the
49-year-old champion-turned-businessman was discovered with gunshot
wounds to
his head. Mr. Radici was a member of the 1970s "Valanga Azzurra" (Blue
Avalanche) national ski team that included Gustav Thoeni, Piero Gros
and
Erwin Stricker. He was an Olympic champion in 1976 and was greatly
admired
for his ability to manage the tight slalom gate maneuvers despite his
having
lost the vision in one eye in a childhood accident. After he retired
from his
skiing career, he joined the management of his family¹s textile
business. Mr.
Radici was reportedly depressed lately over the company¹s economic
losses
sustained in Argentina. He is survived by his wife, former teammate
Elena
Matous, and two children.
