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Milan mayor placed under investigation in property planning probe
Milan mayor placed under investigation in property planning probe

Straits Times

time3 days ago

  • Business
  • Straits Times

Milan mayor placed under investigation in property planning probe

Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: Milan's Mayor Beppe Sala and his partner Chiara Bazoli arrive for the opening night of the La Scala opera house in Milan, Italy, December 7, 2021. REUTERS/Flavio Lo Scalzo/File Photo MILAN - The mayor of Milan has been placed under investigation, three sources said on Thursday, caught up in a probe into the dealings that have helped to underpin a real estate boom in Italy's financial capital over the last 10 years. The investigation into Mayor Beppe Sala comes after prosecutors on Wednesday sought the arrest of Milan's councillor for urban planning, the head of real estate firm Coima and four others. According to three sources with knowledge of the matter, Mayor Sala, who heads a centre-left coalition in the city, is among dozens of people under investigation. He is accused of concealing a conflict of interest relating to the appointment of a chairman of a municipal commission that grants building permits. He is also allegedly among those who put pressure on that same chairman to unblock the authorisation of a building project in the city. His spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. The probe on the mayor was first reported by three Italian newspapers. In a comment published by Corriere della Sera newspaper on Thursday, Sala denied any wrongdoing and said he found it "shocking that the mayor should learn from a newspaper that he is under investigation and not from prosecutors. It is unacceptable". The scandal risks embarrassing Milan as the city prepares to co-host the 2026 Winter Olympics next February. The ruling centre-right parties, who govern at national level under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, have called for Sala's resignation. Two of the sources specified that the investigations into the mayor's position are still in their early stages and are not close to any conclusion, expressing regret that the news had become public. The Milan property market began flourishing in 2015, when the Expo international exhibition helped to transform the city into a hot spot for developers from Italy and abroad, reshaping its skyline. But complaints from local residents objecting to a sharp increase in the number of multi-storey buildings triggered investigations into alleged abuses in the fast-tracking of building permits, stalling construction activity. According to court documents, prosecutors said investigations related to the largest urban planning projects in Milan, "have brought to light a 'system'...whose purpose is to facilitate the issuance of illegal building permits and to carry out highly speculative real estate transactions". REUTERS

Italy minister warns concert with pro-Putin conductor risks turning into propaganda coup
Italy minister warns concert with pro-Putin conductor risks turning into propaganda coup

Indian Express

time5 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • Indian Express

Italy minister warns concert with pro-Putin conductor risks turning into propaganda coup

A concert in Italy by a top Russian conductor shunned in the West since the invasion of Ukraine could send the wrong message, the Italian culture minister said on Tuesday, stopping short of asking organisers to cancel it. Valery Gergiev – regarded as close to Russian President Vladimir Putin – is expected to lead a local orchestra and soloists from St Petersburg's Mariinsky Orchestra on July 27 at the Reggia di Caserta palace near Naples. The event has drawn protests from Italian politicians and international activists, including the wife of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who have all urged Italy to cancel it. 'There is a big problem' with the festival, Yulia Navalnaya wrote in an op-ed on Tuesday's la Repubblica newspaper, calling Gergiev a 'conscious and active accomplice of Putin's regime'. Gergiev, 72, did not immediately comment. Italy's Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said in a statement: 'Art is free and cannot be censored. Propaganda, however, even if done with talent, is something else.' The minister said that the concert could 'turn a high-level but objectively controversial and divisive musical event into a sounding board for Russian propaganda'. Giuli added that the centre-left regional authority of Campania, which organised and paid for the 'Un'Estate da RE' festival, was free to choose which events to host. The president of Campania, Vincenzo De Luca, rejected criticism, telling reporters that blocking cultural exchanges 'does not help peace, but only serves to fuel the rivers of hatred'. De Luca, a critic of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, said last week Gergiev had been invited, along with Israeli conductor Daniel Oren, to keep 'channels of communication open even with those who do not think like us'. Italy's right-wing government has supported Ukraine and international sanctions against Moscow. In 2022, several Western cultural institutions, including Milan's La Scala, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and New York's Carnegie Hall, severed ties with Gergiev over his failure to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A year after, he was made director of Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre, despite being banished from many international concert halls. Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation wrote last week to the Italian interior minister, urging him to deny entry to Gergiev, and to the culture minister and the director of the Reggia di Caserta asking them to cancel the concert.

Milan's historic La Scala cracks down on tourist dress code
Milan's historic La Scala cracks down on tourist dress code

The Independent

time7 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • The Independent

Milan's historic La Scala cracks down on tourist dress code

A historic opera house in Milan has cracked down on patrons and tourists entering the prestigious venue wearing summer attire such as shorts, tank tops and flip flops, warning they will be turned away if not dressed appropriately. The opera was seen as a symbol of wealth and exclusivity in 19th-century high society, and the bourgeois elite of this time period would have been expected to turn up in tailcoats, cravats and long evening dresses. While this opulent attire is not expected of patrons nowadays, Milan 's Teatro alla Scala opera house, commonly known as La Scala, has recently reinforced its smart dress code in the wake of opera-goers turning up in casual summer fashion. 'The public is kindly requested to dress in keeping with the decorum of the theatre, out of respect for the theatre and for other viewers,' La Scala 's policy warns. 'People wearing shorts or sleeveless T-shirts will not be allowed inside the auditorium; in this case, tickets will not be reimbursed.' The venue also has signs around the foyer and on tickets stating the same message, warning patrons that they will not get a refund if they turn up wearing clothes not in keeping with the 'decorum'. The rules over informal clothing were first introduced in 2015 when the summer season coincided with the World Expo in Milan, as a way to deter the influx of tourists turning up in summer wear. 'There are no special dress code requirements at La Scala,' a spokesperson at the theatre told The Independent. 'We are delighted that some of our audience members consider an evening at La Scala to be a special occasion and dress accordingly, but our priority is to welcome everyone and make sure they feel comfortable. 'This is precisely why, in 2015, we introduced restrictions on clothing that could cause discomfort to other audience members who have to share the often limited space of an 18th-century theatre. 'With the return of summer (an especially hot one), we reminded the audience of these rules, which have remained unchanged for ten years. 'It would not be right to tell spectators how to dress, but it is necessary that they do dress, as not to cause discomfort to other people,' the spokesperson added. Until now, dress codes at La Scala have not been strictly enforced, partly due to its former French director Dominique Meyer, who said he would rather have less smartly dressed operagoers than a theatre full of empty seats. Opera houses across the world have been creating initiatives to try to get younger people invested in this historic performance art, as well as making operas feel more welcoming and accessible to all, not just the upper classes. However, the venue has not pointed towards younger people for being the cause of the dress downgrade; instead, it is the increase of tourists in Milan. La Scala's spokesman added that there had been a 'change in behaviour led by visitors who do not follow opera but see La Scala as a landmark'. A recent article in La Scala's in-house magazine says that 'adapting one's attire to the occasion should be a conditioned reflex' and that 'common sense' should prevail in how to dress and behave in the theatre. 'And so it seems obvious to dress a little more elegantly for premieres than for repeat performances, and for evening performances than for afternoon ones', the La Scala 'Survival Manual' article added. 'Putting on a jacket and tying a tie, after all, aren't particularly demanding, or even painful, tasks.'

La Scala Warns Opera Patrons: No Flip-Flops or Tank Tops Allowed
La Scala Warns Opera Patrons: No Flip-Flops or Tank Tops Allowed

New York Times

time10-07-2025

  • Entertainment
  • New York Times

La Scala Warns Opera Patrons: No Flip-Flops or Tank Tops Allowed

Few operagoers still button up tuxedos or roll on elbow-length gloves for a performance, as many venues have relaxed their dress codes. But tank tops, flip-flops and shorts? That's where Teatro alla Scala, the storied Milan opera house commonly known as La Scala, draws the line. The venue is stepping up the enforcement of its dress code this summer, reminding patrons via signs in the foyer to dress 'in keeping with the decorum of the theater.' The underdressed will not be allowed inside, according to its policy, which is also printed on tickets, nor will they be reimbursed. 'In order not to exclude anyone, it is necessary to establish some minimum rules,' Paolo Besana, a La Scala spokesman, wrote in an email. La Scala is the latest European opera to find itself in a sartorial bind as it tries to both court younger patrons and maintain the frisson of a fancy experience. 'For people who go to the opera occasionally, it is — by definition — something of an occasion,' said John Allison, the editor of Opera With Opera News, who said he had no personal issue going in jeans. 'That can be interpreted however people like.' Some think the concern is overplayed. 'The only clothes that matter in any opera house or theater are the ones on the stage,' Andrew Mellor, a roving critic, wrote in an Instagram message. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Mind the three Bs of dressing appropriately
Mind the three Bs of dressing appropriately

The Guardian

time08-07-2025

  • The Guardian

Mind the three Bs of dressing appropriately

Milan's La Scala is not the only place to request less flesh on display (No shorts, no flip-flops: La Scala bars beachwear from the opera, 7 July). In the Australian city where I was on holiday, many restaurants and bars had become impatient with people who didn't cover up on leaving the beach. Being Australian, their instructions were clear and to the point. They put up signs outside stating 'Remember the three Bs: No boobs, bellies or bums'.Angela BartonBishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire In the good old days you could buy a carry-on bag that all airlines would accept. Nowadays, each operator sets its own size limit (UK airport staff get bonuses for spotting easyJet oversize bags, email shows, 7 July). When buying a bag, you need to decide who you will fly with. Carry-on bags have become unofficial loyalty cards of DurhamBrighton, East Sussex Connor Myers' article (As if graduating weren't daunting enough, now students like me face a jobs market devastated by AI, 6 July) made me recall an old story. During negotiations at a US car factory, management said: 'When we've got automation, we won't need you.' The union rep replied: 'When you've got rid of us, who'll buy your autos?'Joe OldakerNuneaton, Warwickshire In terms of going forward, tomorrow is always another day (Letters, 7 July).Steve RichardsBath Much has been written in your letters pages about sayings, but there comes a time, to quote the great Roger McGough, that 'When all's said and done, there'll be nothing left to say or do'.Tom ChallenorEaling, London Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.

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