ANAS has agreed to pay a “little” extra” to accelerate works on 2 crucial spots in the italian road network:
10 Ml. euros (roghly 13 Ml. USD) to Impregilo for a 1,4 miles tunnel on Statale 36, near Como.
26 Ml. euro (roughly 33.87 Ml USD) to Consorzio Uniter and Tecnis for a 11.1 km part of the Salerno-Reggio Calabria motorway.
Mind these are not payments on contracts.. these are “bonus” to speed the delivery of the finished work, that was laready greatly late.
The press report the “go ahead” for the SDO project in the Pietralata Area of Rome. There will be new schools, services, social housing, private and public buildings… Central Government has just approved a € 113 Mln spending plan for the SDO.
The first idea of development in those areas started in 1957. (link) But the city has since then grown in other directions and with different goals.
Michael Kimmelman, architecture critic for The New York Times, writes about Italy and the aftermath of the 2009 earthquake in L’Aquila. He has a view of things quite different from the locals one, I am not so sure he is wrong. (link)
(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) from the Big Picture
Family of Tiziano De Paola is still waiting for the corpse of the 29 years old man who died for an overdose, while being held in custody at the Regina Coeli prison in Rome.
The most unbelievable thing in this story is not that someone can actually die from an overdose while in porison… but that the man died on february 11th 2012. More than 9 months ago. (link)
You might remember that in one of the prevoiuos entry called “Strictly Business”, I was telling the story of 3 witnesses for the defence of Mr. Berlusconi that, for a mere coincidence have all, more or less at the same time, sold a house to a real estate company owned by Mr. Berlusconi, allegedely paying much more than the real value.
In one of the hearing of the trial in which Mr. Berlusconi is charged with underage prostitution, some of the girls that were living in flats in Milan payed by Berlusconi (The so called “Olgettine”, the girls that live in via Olgetta) have testified to still receive today € 2.500,00 (something in excess of $ 3.000,00) from Mr. Berlusconi.
Italian Parliament is about to vote a bill that states that someone convicted to more than 2 years for crimes against the public interest cannot run for public offices.
Yes, our ruling class and political system is so corrupted and miserable that they cannot even control the list they go to elections with.. they need a law to refuse what they don’t have the strenght to refuse otherway….
This is the answer to the questions regarding two recent acquisitions made by a Real Estate Company that bought 2 houses from Mariano Apicella (a 105 sq/mt flat in Cecchina in the suburbs of Rome) and Danilo Mariani (a 100 sq/mt house near Siena).
Rumor has it that both the deal were overpaid by the Real Estate Company, but there are no evidence of this. The only evedence in the matter is that the RE Company is strictly connected to Silvio Berlusconi and that both Apicella and Mariani recently testified for the defence in a trial that had Mr Berlusconi accused with various charges connected with the “Ruby” liason. (Corriere.it)
Mariano Apicella with Silvio Berlusconi:
Danilo Mariani with Silvio Berlusconi and the late Muʿammar Abū Minyar ʿAbd al-Salām al-Qadhdhāfī:
update: Mr. Berlusconi had closed another real estate deal before the ones above: he bought a villa on lake Como paying € 21.000.000,00 (twentyonemillions euros) to Marcello Dell’Utri, one of the oldest and closest of his friends.
La Salerno-Reggio finisce in prima sul Nyt: «Simbolo del fallimento dell’Italia»
«Simbolo» delle preoccupazioni di molti Paesi del Nord Europa per la corruzione che dilaga in gran parte del Sud (Corriere.it)
It is true, NYT goes to Calabria and find out what the story is. Thing is that you write Calabria, but you must read Italy. Or at least most of it.
Antonio Paladino decided to run for the Sicilian local election. But he hasn’t yet decided where to stand. He should win, no matter which side will win.
