European edition, Thursday, August 30, 2007

There will be no change in the September prices for gas-coupon booklets in Italy, a Navy official said.

The price for a 100-liter booklet of unleaded gasoline remains at $92, while a 100-liter booklet of diesel stays at $87, said Bart Di Muccio, manager of the Tax-Free Office in Naples, which administers the program in Italy. The booklet prices translate to $3.496 a gallon for unleaded and $3.306 a gallon for diesel.

Americans and NATO personnel stationed at military bases in Italy don’t have access to on-base fuel stations. They instead redeem the coupons for fuel at participating Esso or Agip stations on the economy.

Ramstein’s ‘Band-Aid road’ fixed, reopenedRAMSTEIN, Germany — Officially, the road is known as L 369.

But the strip of pavement, which serves as a main commuter route to and from Ramstein Air Base’s east gate, is also informally called “Band-Aid road” for the numerous, quick-fix asphalt patches covering its roughly 2-kilometer distance.

The road, which had been closed for four months so it could be widened and resurfaced, reopened to traffic on Wednesday afternoon — a couple of days ahead of schedule. A German news release issued this week had announced the road would open on Friday.