Press Interpreter

04/21/06 -- WASHINGTON -- After the announced judgment of the Supreme Court, the American administration formally acknowledges that the new parliamentary majority belongs to the Union* -- For the first time, the American administration has officially recognized the results of the Italian elections of April 9: "We intend to work with the Prodi government," declared the spokesman of the State Department, Sean McCormack. There still hasn't been a congratulatory phone call from President George W. Bush, but, as well-informed diplomatic sources at the White House assure, it's only a matter of time.

04/11/06 -- ROME - The result from the polls is "a victory of Italian democracy," and now the main challenge has arrived for the center-left: to govern. This is the thought of the leader of the center-left, Romano Prodi. "We've won after a close race," said the Professor [Prodi], "but with a majority in both the Camera* and the Senate, allowing us to govern with the coalition we represented during the campaign." At this point, Prodi also responded to a question from reporters who had approached him at Ulivo** headquarters: "I'm waiting for a phone call from Berlusconi because this is the custom of modern democracies." In fact, a call had already come in from the Quirinale***: "[The call] with Ciampi," Prodi emphasized, "was purely institutional."

10/11/05 -- The investigation centers on the three transsexuals who were in the apartment that night. Discharge from the resuscitation unit possible Wednesday

TORINO - Lapo Elkann's* condition is rapidly improving. He was admitted to Torino's Mauriziano hospital yesterday after a drug overdose. The latest medical bulletin says as much, explaining that he's still in a pharmacological coma and that "further verifications to clear up the prognosis as soon as possible" are expected today. The rest of the medical news should arrive around 5:30 in the afternoon. "Everything is going very well, we're very calm, and you'll see good news in tomorrow's bulletin. I'd imagine you can gather that from the context," Carlo Marino, the director general of the Mauriziano hospital, affirmed after briefly entertaining questions with the director of the Resuscitation center, Giuseppe Spina. Medical sources have also mentioned a minor crisis that came about this afternoon and was overcome, defined as one typical of a situation like young Elkann's.

10/10/05 -- The alarm was given by a girl who was with him. His father is reassuring: "He's much better now."

Turin -- The news spread around one in the afternoon: Lapo Elkann, 28 years old for only a week, grandson of Avvocato Agnelli*, has been admitted to the intensive therapy unit in the resuscitation department of Torino's Mauriziano hospital. It wasn't because of "respiratory deficiency on a pharmacological basis," as Fiat hastened to explain, but because of a drug cocktail including cocaine. His father, Alain, the writer, says that now his son "is doing better." In fact, "he's doing much better," but the doctors are forced to keep him in a pharmacological coma and have him on tubes. "The prognosis is private," said Giuseppe Spina, the chief of the department, "even though the patient's life isn't in danger."

09/29/05 -- GOVERNOR FAZIO UNDER INVESTIGATION SINCE AUGUST -- Call to appear in the Antonveneta case prepared. Meanwhile, the Superior Council renews its trust in him. -- ROME -- Following swirling rumors, it's now official: now a call to appear has also been prepared for Fazio. The governor has been investigated since the beginning of August for official abuse. This is the criminal hypothesis made by the Procura of Rome in the realm of the investigation on the Roman implications of the BPI's hike on Antonveneta. The overseer of Palazzo Koch's management, Francesco Frasca, is also on the list of those being investigated for the same crime. The news, which the pm said was kept secret for nearly two months because maximum reserve was desired, arrives on the day a majority of the Superior Council of the institution, on Via Nazionale, reaffirms its faith in the governor.

The Left will guide the Province of Olbia-Tempio and the towns of Iglesias, Porto Torres and Sestu.

05/23/05 -- Cagliari -- The results of the second round of administrative elections in Sardina present another confirmation of the “project� of Renatu Soru and another fall of historic strongholds of the ruling center-right coalition. The results of the ballots for the administrative elections in Sardinia confirmed the defeat on all fronts of the center-right coalition, especially because the newly-formed province of Olbia-Tempio did not follow the orientation of its main city, Olbia, which is known as “little Arcore� (Arcore is the hometown of prime minister Berlusconi, outside Milan) for the faithful following that Berlusconi has there, in the central town of the Costa Smeralda resort area.

In piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina fifty couples said ‘yes’ – a gesture to raise awareness about partnership laws.

05/21/05 -- Rome -- A colorful, festive crowd united this morning in piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina, in the heart of Rome, a stone’s throw away from the House of Parliament. The celebrants were there for “Pacs Day� (Pacs is the abbreviation of Patto civile di solidarietà, civil pact of solidarity), a day of civil unions between gay, lesbian and heterosexual couples. The event was organized by Arcigay Italy, the national gay advocacy group, to attract public attention to the law currently in parliament which seeks to recognize civil partnerships for heterosexual and homosexual couples.