Berlusconi: “French company’s plan is mere colonialism. Prodi sold Alitalia short”. People of Freedom’s leader says consortium of Italian entrepreneurs, including his children, could be formed.

ROME – After the public announcement of “my opposition”, Air France will pull out of the battle for Alitalia, leaving the field open for Air One, “whose leadership I consider indispensable to the deal. The operation will be supported by a consortium of banks, which could include Banca Intesa, whose board could take a decision tomorrow, and other entrepreneurs, perhaps with the participation of my children”. The statement came from People of Freedom’s (PDL) leader, Silvio Berlusconi, in a conversation with journalists during the night at a birthday party for former Northern League minister Roberto Maroni. Mr Berlusconi reiterated his rejection of the plan presented by the Franco-Dutch group.

Glass ceiling shattered, say equal opportunities spokeswomen

Rome, March 13 - Italy is celebrating a major victory for women in the workplace with the first ever appointment of a female director at the helm of powerful industrial employers' federation Confindustria.

Emma Marcegaglia, 46, will step into the shoes of current president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo after winning a landslide vote on Thursday.

Industrialists voted 125 out of 132 in her favour - a higher percentage than that received by any of the 26 male presidents in Confindustria's 98-year history.

''I'm thrilled, happy and proud, and I'll put all my effort and knowledge into the job,'' said Marcegaglia, who received a standing ovation after her appointment was announced.

A visibly moved Cordero di Montezemolo said it was ''a great day''.

Rosi Elli, president of Gruppo Feg: furniture with a common character

She is at the helm of the group borne out of the company founded in 1948 by Egidio and Ambrogio Elli. Rosi Elli is the President of Gruppo Feg, one of the leading Italian manufacturers of mid-range and high-end furnishing products, with an annual turnover of around 40 million euros, 200 employees and a 20% export quota.

Founded as a craft-base enterprise, Gruppo Feg has assumed an industrial dimension in the Sixties when it started producing furniture in a series. In the last 20 years it expanded its product range by taking control of Salvarani, one of the historic brands of Italian kitchen makers.

The ultimate bathrooms are Made in Italy thanks to RAPSEL, where style meets innovation

Aldo Provini is the general manager of Rapsel , an Italian company created in the Seventies with the aim of translating the added values of Italian design and style to bathroom furnishings, offering a detail-oriented clientele solutions that are highly-innovative, original and of aesthetic quality. With courage, in the following decades the company was recognized as a trend-setting operator: as a result, its products increasingly became true cult items. However, efficiently competing in a highly competitive market has become, today, increasingly difficult. And it is also a matter of size.

Exports of Tuscan superstar Brunello di Montalcino were stable in 2007 and the United States continued to buy up 25% of production despite a weak dollar, sector sources said on Monday.

Florence, February 18 - Last year saw the 2002 vintage put up for sale, along with 2001 Reserva 2001, a year which was far from exceptional for both quality and quantity.

''Although the vintage was not one of the best, the fact that what was produced did sell out was a clear sign that the world trusts the Brunello di Montalcino brand,'' observed Francesco Marone Cinzano, chairman of the Brunello consortium which groups together the 250 producers of the wine.

''The fact that both Brunello 2002 and Riserva 2001 sold out confirmed our expectations and those of the market,'' he added.

Grapes produced in 2002 received a rating of only two stars out of five and many producers preferred to bottle less Brunello, only 3.5 million bottles compared to the usual seven million.

Nevertheless, this reduced turnover by only 16%.

Maranello, February 13 - Sports car maker Ferrari churned out record profits in 2007 as sales in Asia and the Middle East soared, official accounts figures confirmed on Tuesday.

In the same year that Ferrari's Formula 1 team swept the drivers' and constructors' championships, global sales rose 15.3% to 1.67 billion.

The Fiat-owned group sold a total of 6,465 cars around the world compared to 5,671 in 2006. As a result operating profits shot up 45% to 266 million euros.

''These are the best results in the company's history,'' a Ferrari statement said after the board approved the glowing 2007 accounts sheet.

Maltese Falcon clipper turns in 90 secs despite length

Italy has built the longest sailing ship of the modern era, a sleek black steel-and- carbon-fibre clipper measuring almost 100 metres .

The boat was commissioned from luxury-yacht builder Perini Navi by US computer magnate Tom Perkins, a Tall Ships buff who has restored classic beauties from the great days of sail like the 1915 American schooner Mariette .

Hewlett Packard CEO Perkins said he was "delighted" with the 88m three-mast clipper, which he has christened the Maltese Falcon .

"I'm proud of what we have achieved together. We can turn round in a minute and a half despite the size of the boat," he said .

Mobile phone No.1 seeking 500 million in compensation

While the European Commission launched a plan on Wednesday to slash the cost of using mobile phones abroad, targeting what it sees as excessive prices, Mobile phone giant Vodafone is seeking more than 500 million euros in damages from Italy's biggest phone group for alleged abuse of its dominant market position .

Vodafone Group, the world's largest mobile phone company, has filed a suit with a Milan court claiming 525 million euros in compensation from Telecom Italia .

The UK company accuses the former state monopoly of "illicitly exploiting its position on the fixed line market to strengthen its position on the connected mobile market to the damage of competitors".

Rome - Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Lamborghini are some of the most famous Italian car manufacturers in the world.

But Italy occupies a leading international position above all in the induced activity revolving around the industry, with a dense network of companies specialised in the production of spare parts and accessories, equipment for workshops and garages, traction and braking systems, and automated systems. Some of these products will be on show in Mexico City between 12 and 14 July, on the occasion of Paace Automechanika Mexico (www.paaceautomechanika.com), the most important fair in the sector in the whole of the NAFTA area.
Twelve Italian companies will be taking part, and the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade (ICE) has organised an exhibition space of 216 square metres for them.

Fiat Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo on Monday dismissed talk of Agnelli heir John Elkann taking over at the helm of the Italian auto group in the near future .

Elkann, 30, is the grandson of legendary Fiat chairman Gianni Agnelli. He is currently vice chairman of the group but recently the international media has portrayed him as a chairman-in-waiting. Time magazine spoke about his "ascendancy to the Fiat throne" in a long profile of the young manager, and the Wall Street Journal said he was "poised to move into the driving seat".

Montezemolo, who also heads Ferrari and the Confindustria Italian industrialists' lobby, clearly felt such talk was premature when quizzed by reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Rome .

"John Elkann is young, he's good and I'm happy that he's getting international recognition. But apart from that, it's too early to say anything," he said .

Elkann has been in the public spotlight since he took up an executive position at Fiat in 2002 and especially since he became vice chairman two years later.