True to his word, Mr Bassolino recently sold Naples airport to British Airports Authority.

ECONOMIST: Italy��s economy

Mr Bassolino had earlier proposed to create some new jobs by a scheme for early retirement, but nobody else in government sounded keen.

ECONOMIST: Italy

Antonio Bassolino, the mayor of Naples, is one of those who a decade ago would have been petitioning Rome for another blast furnace or two.

ECONOMIST: Italy��s economy

In contrast to the consumer-driven auto business, industries that involve only business-to-business transactions in the supply chain will be relatively unaffected by the Sino-Japan political strains, Francis Bassolino, managing director for Alaris, told the Shanghai FCC lunch.

FORBES: Fallout From Sino-Japan Political Tension Could Hurt Japanese Auto Sales In China For Years

The first night at the San Carlo was a political event, not just for the noisy neo-Bourbons outside and an engaging Vanessa Redgrave on stage, but also for the presence in the Royal Box (sic) of two distinguished ex-communists, the Italian premier Massimo D'Alema and the popular mayor of Naples, Antonio Bassolino (who is also a minister in Signor D'Alema's cabinet).

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