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LA NEWSLETTER DI INFORMAZIONE CONTROCORRENTE
LETTA IN PIU' DI 50 PAESI IN TUTTO IL MONDO |
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18 10 97 L'essenziale delle news ogni mattina sul vostro pc ENGLISH VERSION > COVER STORY _______________________________ THE WRONG HORSE This week, this English edition introduces international coverage, limited to European events. To make a point, then, we begin our maiden voyage from Cyprus. This Mediterranean island, a few miles from the coast of Asia, is European in language, history, and tradition. Thoroughly Greek for millennia, Cyprus was the theater of numerous foreign occupations: Byzantines, Crusaders, Ottomans, Venetians came and went; it was a British protectorate until 1961. Its 600,000 people had their problems even during independence and tried to solve them on their own. But no: in 1974 the world watched Turkey invade Cyprus's northern half to 'protect' its Turkish ethnic minority. After 23 years, the (mostly Greek) Republic of Cyprus and the newly constituted Cypriot Turkish Republic are separated by a thin blue line of UN troops. Turkey, the only Asian nation to be part of NATO, uses Cyprus to bully the European Union and tweak Greek noses. Just days ago, four Turkish F-16s harassed a military transport plane ferrying Greek Defense Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos from Cyprus to Crete. Provocations are the norm in the Aegean. Last weekend, a dogfight was narrowly avoided between warplanes belonging to the two opposite sides of Cyprus. After the incident, each government accused the other of violating its airspace; given the shape and size of the island (3,500 square miles), this must be easy to do. Diplomatic notes of protest are unlikely to solve anything: the Turkish-occupied half of the island is recognized as a nation only by Turkey. Some time ago, another former British protectorate, whose less-than-one-million people also gained independence in 1961, was invaded by a neighboring bully who relied on international apathy to violate international law. But Kuwait was worth defending. It's the principle that counts. Maurizio Saitta > p l a n e t i t a l y PANI E PESCI 450 dosi di hashish sono state distribuite ieri a Roma dal parlamentare Marco Pannella nell'ambito di una manifestazione antiproibizionista. Con lui, fermato e rilasciato dopo un'ora dalla polizia, altri otto fermi sono scattati ai danni di altrettanti esponenti della Lista. POL POT After last week's cash give-away, the Lista Pannella organized Sunday another controversial distribution. Headed by founder Marco Pannella, the party leadership doled out 450 doses of hashish to supporters assembled in Rome to champion the legalization of 'soft' drugs. The parliamentarians remained in police custody for an hour. > AH, SIETE VOI Sospiro di sollievo per un giovane pregiudicato pugliese affiliato al clan Capriati che, vistosi accerchiato da alcuni uomini, ha temuto per un attimo per la sua vita. Quando ha scoperto che si trattavano di poliziotti che venivano ad arrestarlo ha emesso un sospiro di sollievo. COP OUT Last week, a young gangster affiliated with the Capriati clan in Apulia found himself surrounded by armed men. Fearing for his life at first, he gave a big sigh of relief when his opponents turned out to be policemen coming to arrest him. > CIPRO Sfiorato un duello aereo tra velivoli greco e turco-ciprioti. I rispettivi governi si rimpallano le accuse di aver violato i confini. A FLIGHT OF TURKEY'S Cyprus. A dogfight nearly took place between military aircraft of the Republic of Cyprus and those of the Turkish forces occupying the north of the island. Each side said the other had violated its airspace. > MANCA L'ARIA 27 cani da caccia sono morti asfissiati nella stiva dell'aereo che portava loro e i rispettivi padroni da Roma in Crimea. SAD LANDING Twenty-seven hunting dogs died of asphyxia in the cargo bay of an airplane flying from Rome to the Crimean peninsula (Ukraine). The dog's owners were also on board. > BEI MAGHI Il fatturato annuo dei circa 40.000 'maghi' in attivita' in Italia e' di circa 5000 Mld di lire. THE JOY OF HEX The aggregate annual income of professional magicians in Italy is conjured to be approximately 5 trillion lire ($3 billion). On average, each of the 40,000 members of this enchanting trade earns about 125 million lire ($72,500) per annum from his or her craft. > SIMBOLISMO ASTRATTO Alleggerite le multe per chi getta cartacce o piccoli rifiuti per strada. Dal milione e 200mila si e' passati a una sanzione compresa tra le 50 e le 300mila lire. DIRT CHEAP The fine for littering the streets of Italy was reduced this week from 1.2 million lire ($700) to a maximum of 300,000 lire ($180). The minimum penalty will be 50,000 lire - just under $30. > VADO ALLA FONTANA Un litigio con la moglie e poi via davanti al municipio di Palermo con una mazza da baseball a mutilare la fontana cinquecentesca simbolo della citta'. Un bidello palermitano, denunciato e a piede libero, ha voluto dare un tono alla sua giornata accanendosi sul monumento prima di essere bloccato dai vigili. THE FOUNTAIN HEAD Palermo (Sicily). After quarreling with his wife, a school janitor took it out on a XVI century fountain. Armed with a baseball bat, the man soothed his frayed nerves by mutilating his city's Renaissance symbol. He was arrested by police and later released on bail. > RUSSIA Rinvio della possibile crisi di governo. Le opposizioni concedono una settimana di tempo per modificare la Finanziaria. TRUCE KEY Moscow (Russia). Government crisis delayed: the opposition parties have given the ruling coalition one week to modify the 1998 budget. > GERMANIA Un'azienda di pompe funebri, la Ahorn, si e' messa a produrre casse da morto dipinte coi colori delle squadre calcistiche per i tifosi piu' incalliti. BALL BEARERS Germany. Ahorn GmbH, a funeral home, offers to bury soccer fans of undying loyalty in coffins painted with the colors of their favorite teams. > SI PESCA Acqua alta in laguna ieri con Piazza San Marco completamente ricoperta di un metro d'acqua. WATER GATE Venice. High tide in St Mark's Square: the lagoon's water, over three feet high, threatens to reach the portal of the Basilica. ** E' tutto. Buon week end
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