Italy's favourite son, finally moving out - The Florentine

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6 Thursday 7 September 2006 News www.theflorentine.net National NEWS News in BRIEF Left extends a humane hand to Immigration The broad outline of new immigration legislation has emerged, designed to reform laws introduced by the previous centre-right government. The measures approved by Silvio Berlusconi’s administration in 2002 in a bid to crack down on illegal immigration have proved highly controversial, drawing criticism from unions, immigrant rights groups and the Catholic Church. Even the centre left says the tough legal limits put on numbers have simply not worked. The United Nations Refugee Agency and Amnesty International has also expressed reservations over provisions for refugees and asylum-seekers. According to Minister of the Interior Giuliano Amato, Prodi’s administration is currently considering new immigration legislation that would provide two main channels through which workers from outside the EU could enter Italy. The fi rst would be reserved for qualifi ed personnel from abroad, such as doctors or engineers, who could be requested specifi cally by Italian fi rms or institutions. The second channel would involve people who want to come to Italy to work as domestic or manual labourers. These people would apply to Italian diplomatic missions abroad and receive minimum training before being able to enter Italy and look for work. This idea contrasts with the key provision of existing laws that insist on an applicant having a job contract before a residency permit is issued. Can nuke power tread softly? Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D’Alema stated recently that Iran’s desire to develop nuclear energy is ‘legitimate,’ provided the goal of the program is for ‘peaceful purposes.’ ‘We must work so that Iran does not build a nuclear weapon,’ he said. The comments by Italy’s top diplomat came one day before a deadline set by the UN Security Council for Iran to halt its uranium enrichment work. If it does not meet this deadline, Iran will face possible sanctions. The group of six major powers negotiating the Iranian nuclear standoff – the United States, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany – have made the suspension of uranium enrichment work a pre-condition for opening talks on expanding cooperation with Iran. When in Rome The once majestic mausoleum of Roman Emperor Augustus is to be spruced up and opened to the public in a bid to add a new ‘must-see’ to the Eternal City’s tourist itinerary. The burial site, one of the most sacred monuments in ancient Rome, is the biggest circular mausoleum known to exist. Rome council offi cials say that the area surrounding the mausoleum must be revamped as well, with an underpass removing car traffi c so that visitors can walk through gardens to a balcony overlooking the Tiber river. An international competition for plans to renovate the monument and its surroundings is already under way. The winner, who will oversee the 20-million-euro project, is due to be announced in November. Venice goes Hollywood Film festival now has to outshine Roman stars The world’s oldest cinema festival is well underway in Venice. This year it has dropped its traditional ‘artsy’ cloak and brought Hollywood hot-shots into the main competition, rather than relegating them to other sections or midnight showings. Films include Brian De Palma’s Black Dahlia, from the acclaimed James Ellroy novel. It kicked off the festival with a gala opening Wednesday night graced by jury chief, Catherine Deneuve and Dahlia star Scarlet Johanssen, among others. Murder, mystery, Hollywoodland, about the suicide of 1950s Superman star George Reeves (played by Ben Affleck), will vie with Dahlia for the Golden Lion award. For the first time, all 21 of the Lion-bidders are world premieres. Gianni Amelio’s La Stella Che Non C’è and Emanuele Crialese’s Nuovomondo (‘The Golden Door’) are two Italian films up against heavy hitters like Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center, Alain Resnais’s long-awaited return, Private Fears in Public Places, Alfonso Cuaron’s Children of Men and Stephen Frears’s The Queen. Venice has long seen itself as a laidback alternative to highstrung Cannes, pundits say, but it has upped its game recently with Rome’s fall festival breathing down its neck. ‘We had 23 Oscar nominees last year and we expect to have many more this time around,’ said Venice festival director Marco Mueller as the curtain quivered over 60 treats like David Lynch’s Inland Empire, Manoel de Oliveira’s Belle Toujours - an updating of the Bunuel classic Belle de Jour - and Spike Lee’s When The Levees Broke: A Requiem In Four Acts. Buffs are also slavering over Kenneth Branagh’s The Magic Flute, Ethan Hawke’s The Hottest Stage and Douglas McGrath’s star-studded Truman Capote biopic Infamous (starring Sigourney Weaver, Gwyneth Paltrow, Isabella Rossellini, Daniel Craig, Sandra Bullock and Peter Bogdanovich . Mueller viewed more than 1,400 films in all - 300 more than last year - before settling on 60 picks from 27 countries, including Thailand and Chad, in competition for the first time. Film industry experts think the Venice festival, which runs from August 30 to September 10, has turned up the wattage in a bid to outshine the first edition of the Rome event, which will feature 80 films - its focus on the paying public - and three premieres. (ANSA) For name’s sake New battles for feminist law-makers Women parliamentarians have recently presented 13 different bills—ten to the House and three to the Senate—to change a law that blocks children from taking their mother’s name unless the father is unknown. Parliament is slated to discuss the issue when it opens after the summer recess. The bills feature a wide range of possible ways of breaking with hundreds of years of tradition. Some propose that parents choose which family name to give their child at birth, as in Britain. Others suggest a dual-surname system be adopted, with children taking one surname from both parents, as in Spain. Female lawmakers are confident that enough bipartisan support can be garnered to overcome conservative opposition, which has blocked change in the past, especially since the April elections won by the centre left saw the number of women in parliament increase sharply. Italy’s parliament now contains a record 148 female senators and deputies, up from 95 in the last legislature. Italy’s Supreme Court and Constitutional Court have both criticized the current system and called on parliament for reform. In February, the Constitutional Court described it as a ‘dated legacy of a patriarchal concept of the family that is no longer consistent with the constitutional principle of equality between men and women.’ It also pointed out that the current legislation goes against several international conventions and recommendations by the European Council. The Constitutional Court made its call for reform after deciding that the law left a no scope to overrule Milan city council’s refusal to allow a couple to give their daughter her mother’s surname. TROOPS BACKED BY BOTH SIDES Italians lead UN mission in Lebanon Romano Prodi An advance contingent of some 1,000 Italian soldiers has left for Lebanon to take part in a United Nations peacekeeping mission which the government said will be among the most diffi cult since the end of the Second World War. The fl agship of the Italian fl eet and four other Navy ships arrived in Lebanon last week after a farewell ceremony off the southern port of Brindisi also attended by Premier Romano Prodi. ‘This mission has helped create a moment of profound unity in the country,’ said the premier, stressing that ‘all political parties, without distinction, the majority as well as the opposition’ supported Italian participation in the multinational force. The Italian contingent has been deployed to cover an area measuring 15 by 20 kilometres between the Litani river on the north and the western coasts. The peacekeeping force will enter southern Lebanon under UN Resolution 1701, which requires the militant group Hezbollah and Israel to end their military operations and obliges Israel to withdraw its troops as soon as the UN troops arrive. UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan recently told a meeting of European Union foreign ministers, called to decide on European participation, that France will lead the multinational force until February 2007, after which command will pass to Italy. Italy has offered to deploy up to 3,000 soldiers, while France has promised to bring the number of its troops up to 2,000. The Italian government has earmarked 186.8 million euros for the mission until the end of the year, with 30 million euros allotted to humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts.
www.theflorentine.net Sports 7 Thursday 7 September 2006 Sports NEWS Calcio EURO 2008 A slow start for Italy: waiting for “not just a simple match”with France Italy’s coach Roberto Dona doni said there was still plenty of room for improvement after his team was held to a surprise 1-1 draw by lowly Lithuania in their opening Euro 2008 qualifier on Saturday. The Group B game, attended by 60,000 fans who had come to welcome the Azzurri on their first competitive outing since they lifted the World Cup in July, ended in stalemate. First-half goals by Filippo Inzaghi and Lithuania striker Tomas Danilevicius cancelled each other. ‘There was good spirit on the team. With this spirit we can move forward.’ The match was Donadoni’s second since taking over from Marcello Lippi a few days after the World Cup final. The new coach lost his Basketball World Championship Spain grabs the gold Spain claimed their first-ever international basketball title with a dominant 70-47 victory over Greece to win the gold medal at the 2006 World Championships. Playing without their injured superstar centre, Pau Gasol, Spain put together an inspired performance to defeat Greece, reigning European champions. Juan Carlos Navarro and Jorge Garbajosa each scored 20 points -- including 10 threepointers -- to lead Spain to the crown. Felipe Reyes chipped in with 10 points as the replacement for Gasol in the starting line-up. The star’s younger brother, Marc Gasol, added two points and seven rebounds off the bench. Half of the team’s roster—Pau Gasol, Reyes, Navarro, Jose Manuel Calderon, Benna Rodriguez, Carlos Cabezas—were on the Spanish team which captured the junior world championship title in 1999 in Portugal. The Greeks were held to the second fewest points in the tournament’s 56-year history. Only Brazil scored first match in mid-August when his second-string team were beaten 2-0 by Croatia in a friendly. The start to Italy’s domestic season, has been delayed until Sept. 9 due to legal wrangling surrounding the Serie A match-fixing scandal. Accordingly, Donadoni decided to use several players who he felt needed more conditioning. Donadoni insisted the draw would not prey on the Azzurri’s minds as they prepare for their next qualifier—a re-run of the World Cup final against France in Paris on Wednesday, the 6th. ‘France is definitely a team that is in better physical condition, but I’m optimistic our condition will improve between now and Wednesday.’ fewer in a 62-41 loss to the US in 1954. Mihalis Kakiouzis led the Greeks with 17 points while Theodoros Papaloukas added 10 points. Before the game started, the Spaniards made a very public display of unity, entering the arena wearing “Pau tambien juega” (“Pau plays with us”) T-shirts -- a show of support for their injured center who suffered a foot injury in the semi-final victory against Argentina. The Greeks started the game by passing to Lazaros Papadopolous, trying to take advantage of Reyes. But the Spaniard held his own, with defensive help from Garbajosa. Reyes scored three of Spain’s first four baskets. Calderon and Navarro followed with back-to-back three-pointers to give Spain a 16-10 lead. Then Span led 18-12 after the first period. Garbajosa knocked down three consecutive baskets and Navarro hit two jumpers ALONSO OUT TO UPSTAGE FERRARI Fernando Alonso would love nothing more than to upstage Ferrari by winning this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix. The Renault driver has failed to win any of the last fi ve races and is keen to get back to his winning ways and reaffi rm himself as the favourite to win this year’s drivers’ championship. However, in order to do that, Alonso needs to beat Michael Schumacher and Ferrari this weekend, something he believes he can do and would really enjoy doing. ‘I want to win Monza. It is one of the legendary circuits, so it would be incredible to win there, and even more so to beat Ferrari on their home track. We know how important the championship is, but this is a big race as well. There is only one target for the Renault team at the moment: to fi nish in front Schumi’s lips are sealed Michael Schumacher is now on the same page as the Ferrari chiefs who insist that the red team will reveal its 2007 driver lineup at Monza this Sunday. Although, at a team event at Nurburgring on Sunday, the 37-year-old German remained tight-lipped about his future, he no longer pleaded for more time to make up his mind. ‘You will find out at Monza,’ La Gazzetta dello Sport quoted Schumacher as answering in Germany when asked about his looming decision. His spokeswoman, Sabine Kehm, denied that the Monza deadline had been imposed on Schumacher, insisting that the timing of the announcement had been mutually decided. Newspaper Bild, meanwhile, revealed that it was denied an interview with Schumacher at the Nurburgring. The German publication said that only TV broadcaster RTL’s Kai Ebel was able to talk with the seven-time champion. as Spain opened the second quarter with a 10-0 run for a 16-point advantage. A Papaloukas three-pointer was Greece’s first basket in more than four minutes and trimmed the deficit to 28-16. Jimenez answered with three baskets to push the lead to 19 points. Spain’s coach Pepu Hernandez rested his starters but Greece was unable to cut the lead. Instead, Reyes got an offensive rebound and was fouled. He missed the foul shot, but grabbed the rebound and scored a lay-up. Spain increased their lead to 20 points at half-time—43-23. Greece tried to get back into the game, but could pull no closer than 17 points in the second half. of Ferrari,’ he added. ‘They have been quite dominant in the last races, so beating them means winning races. That is our focus.’ His team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella is just as determined to beat Ferrari’s number two driver, Felipe Massa, who is currently third in the standings, ten points ahead of ‘Fisi’. ‘I know I can do it,’ the Roman said. ‘I lost ground to Massa at the last race, so now I have to do the maximum and catch up the 10 points I am missing at the moment.’ Fisichella also has a role to play in the constructors’ championship battle. ‘I need to score the maximum points, try to get four podiums - and win at least one of the races,’ he said. ‘If I can do that, then it can help Renault take the championship at the end of the year.’ AGASSI SAYS ADIEU Tennis has lost its most cherished showman after Andre Agassi, tears in his eyes and his voice trembling with emotion, took his fi nal bow at the U.S. Open on Sunday. A capacity crowd stood and cheered during match point of his 7-5 6-7 6-4 7-5 defeat to German qualifi er Benjamin Becker in the third round. While Agassi is undoubtedly the most popular player of his generation with the fans, he is also highly regarded by his fellow players who gave him a retirement send-off straight from the heart. ‘When I went into the locker room afterwards, they all were standing and applauding me,’ said the 36-year-old. ‘The greatest applause that any person will ever receive in his life is that which comes from his peers. It’s not like we’re a team working together, so to have them applaud me is the ultimate compliment.’ Fans have loved Agassi’s laserlike groundstrokes over the last two decades but it was his personality—his panache—that had legions of admirers rooting for the racket-wielding magician from Las Vegas. ‘We all owe a little debt of gratitude for what he’s done for the sport. He became an international superstar, more so than any other tennis player over the last 20 years,’ said America’s top player James Blake. ‘That’s helped the exposure, and we all appreciate that.’ Agassi emerged on the tour 21 years ago with long hair, a big forehand and a chip on his shoulder. He did things his own way, whether that meant skipping Wimbledon for several years because of its strict dress code or not playing a match in Davis Cup play because the tie had already been decided. But Agassi mellowed over the last decade, appreciating his coveted spot in tennis history and his obligation to civic causes. The long mane of hair was replaced by a shaved head. The hot pink shirts and denim shorts he wore during his teenage years were followed by all-white tennis wear. Despite the change in attitude and attire, his popularity never waned. ‘He’s had just such a positive infl uence I think on players’ attitudes,’ said double U.S. Open champion Serena Williams. ‘He’s also had a great style. I think the game is going to miss him more than anyone.’
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Italy's favourite son, finally moving out - The Florentine

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