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Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi said political leaders discussing idea of closing world's financial markets while they 'rewrite the rules of international finance'... MORE Nothing follows. I can't get to the Bloomberg story its getting hammered. This is huge and series. Load your shotguns folks.

Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi implicitely compared Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Adolf Hitler at an award ceremony in Paris. Speaking in the French capital last week a dinner where he received an award from the Keren Hayesod-United Israel Appeal in France, Berlusconi was quoted as saying in a reference to Ahmadinejad :''We must all be extremely wary of the lunacy of those who say, even if only for domestic political reasons, that Israel must be wiped off the world map.” Referring to Hitler, he said, ''We don't believe such things are real, but there has already been a certain...

Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi announced Saturday the introduction of "a national energy plan" paving the way for a controversial return to nuclear energy, ANSA news agency reported. "From now until next spring, the government will present a national energy plan," he said at the opening of an off-shore regasification unit in northeast Rovigo, adding that it will see "the launch of nuclear and renewable energy." A month after Berlusconi returned to power in April, the Italian government said it would begin building nuclear power stations to solve the country's dependence on foreign oil and gas supplies. The decision reversed...

Intelligence obtained by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reveals that Iran has been modifying its Shihab-3 ballistic missiles to carry nuclear warheads. IAEA agents presented the intelligence on Tuesday after Iran rejected their requests to formally examine its ballistic missile program alongside an ongoing investigation into the intents of its nuclear program. Senior IAEA officials called the information “very credible” and demanded that Iran provide “substantive responses.”

Italy agreed to pay Libya $5 billion as compensation for its 30-year occupation of the country during the 20th century. The money will be invested by Italy over a 25-year period. For VOA, Sabina Castelfranco reports from Rome. The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Saturday signed a "friendship pact" with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in Libya. Under the pact, Italy agreed to compensate Libya for abuses it committed during its colonial rule of the North African country. Italy will invest $5 billion in Libya in a deal that effectively turns the page on colonial-era disputes that have long...

We are not without resources. There are a range of measures to be deployed if Russia does not live up to its cease-fire commitments: Suspend the NATO-Russia Council established in 2002 to help bring Russia closer to the West. Make clear that dissolution will follow suspension. The council gives Russia a seat at the NATO table. Message: Invading neighboring democracies forfeits the seat.Bar Russian entry to the World Trade Organization.Dissolve the G-8. Putin's dictatorship long made Russia's presence in this group of industrial democracies a farce, but no one wanted to upset the bear by expelling it. No need to....

The White House was today forced to apologise to Italy after distributing a biography of Silvio Berlusconi to journalists which alleged that he only gained high office because of his "considerable influence” on the media. The press kit, which was handed out to reporters as they boarded Air Force One on the way to the G8 summit in Japan, also described the Italian Prime Minister as “one of the most controversial leaders in the history of a country known for governmental corruption and vice”. The White House was today investigating how the four-page biography was included in the pack after...

The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's hopes of seeing communion extended to divorcees like himself have been quashed by Pope Benedict XVI.Newspapers reported on Sunday that while attending a ceremony in Sardinia Mr Berlusconi had asked a bishop when the Church planned to change the rules. But the Pope told a conference in Canada that communion can only be received by those free of major sin. "We have to do everything... to receive [communion] in a pure heart," he said. No changeMr Berlusconi has recently begun a major effort to try and get communion granted to divorced and remarried people...

ROME — Italy's defense chief says 2,500 soldiers will be deployed to some Italian cities to help fight crime. Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa said Friday the soldiers will back up police. After six months, the deployment will be evaluated. Premier Silvio Berlusconi's government is waging a security crackdown to improve safety. Some soldiers will go to Naples, where they will guard plants processing mountains of garbage. Neapolitans have taken to burning garbage in the streets to protest uncollected trash. It is not clear which other cities will receive soldiers.

Today the President is in Italy continuing what many believe is his farewell European tour. He met with the Italian President and Primeminister plus attending a round table meeting with Italian entrepreneurs who have spent time working with U.S. companies in Silicon Valley. The First Lady and Secretary of State attended a conference at the Kleber international centre in Paris after which the First Lady travelled to Rome to attend a plenary session at the United Nations World Food Programme in Rome. Defense Secretary Robert Gates attended a NATO defence ministers' meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels

Iran, Iraq and other hot spots topped discussions between U.S. President George Bush and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Thursday in Rome. "We did have a wideranging discussion," Bush said during a news conference. "I appreciate very much the fact that Italy is meeting international obligations." Bush noted that U.S. citizens probably didn't realize how many Italian troops were deployed around the world, including 8,700 troops in areas such as Kosovo and Chad. "We talked about Iraq, how Iraq is changing for the better, how people are beginning to realize the blessings of a free and peaceful society," Bush said,...

Italy has hitched its wagon to the forthcoming French presidency of the European Union, declaring a new trade “axis” to push their case within the World Trade Organisation. Diplomats on Wednesday said a stronger protectionist stance against China, India and other developing countries was emerging under Italy’s new centre-right government. Silvio Berlusconi, the prime minister, views Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, as an economic and security ally. In return, Italy is strongly supporting Mr Sarkozy’s controversial proposals for a “Mediterranean Union” that will be formally launched next month when Paris takes over the EU presidency. Italy is also backing a...

Italy has about 2,700 troops in Afghanistan but has so far -- like France, Germany and Spain -- been reluctant to send them to the south and east where the Taliban are most active. This has caused tension with the NATO command and Washington. Since coming to power in May, Berlusconi's government has talked of "limited" deployment to combat zones but Bush said he went further and talked of scrapping the so-called "caveat". "I appreciate very much the fact that the government announced to the parliament with your instructions, Mr Prime Minister, that the caveats that have restricted your forces...

Silvio Berlusconi declares Naples street rubbish dumps 'military no-go zones' By Malcolm Moore in Naples Last Updated: 10:30PM BST 21/05/2008 Silvio Berlusconi promised to wash Italy clean of fear and use "absolute firmness" against any dissent. The 71-year-old prime minister held the first meeting of his new cabinet in rubbish-strewn Naples in order to resolve the city's perennial problems of crime and unemployment. At the end of the five-hour meeting, Mr Berlusconi promised to govern the city and the country with an iron fist. "We have painful tasks ahead, but we will act with unswerving determination," he said. He reclassified...

ROME (Reuters) - Italian police announced on Thursday the arrest of hundreds of suspected illegal immigrants in a sign of the new right-wing government's determination to clamp down. Police arrested 383 people including 268 foreigners, with 53 immediately taken to the border for expulsion, in a week-long operation stretching from northern Italy to the Naples area. Silvio Berlusconi swept back to power for a third term as prime minister last week promising to get tough on illegal immigrants, blamed by many for crime. He is readying new laws to screen immigrants and jail or expel those breaking the law. Those...

ROME: Silvio Berlusconi was sworn in Thursday as prime minister of Italy for the third time in his political career, after forming one of Italy's most rightist cabinets since World War II. "We're in a honeymoon period," Berlusconi said, adding that he intended to pick up where he left off in 2006, when he failed to be re-elected after a five-year term. He also served as prime minister from 1994 to 1995. "We have 100 days to avoid disappointing those who put their faith in us, and five years to change and modernize this country," he was quoted by the...

Silvio Berlusconi's re-election as Italy's Prime Minister is more promising and more important for Italy and the United States, and for trans-Atlantic relations generally, than most commentators have admitted. Although the Bush Administration has just nine months left in office, significant progress is both possible and desirable in enhancing ties between America and Europe. President Bush's critics have been quick to assign him blame for weakened trans-Atlantic relations, particularly because of the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. They argue that public opinion polls show European popular sentiments turning against the United States. They gloat that two of Bush's staunchest personal and...

Berlusconi faces Muslim clash By Malcolm Moore in Rome Last Updated: 11:38PM BST 04/05/2008 Silvio Berlusconi is facing a row with the Muslim world over his plans to appoint a member of the far-Right to his cabinet. Roberto Calderoli, 52, a senior member of the Northern League, enraged Muslims two years ago during the row over a set of Danish cartoons featuring the Prophet Mohammed. He appeared on television wearing a T-shirt printed with one of the cartoons. The Italian consulate in Libya was set on fire and 11 people died in riots. Mr Calderoli has also threatened to...

The Italian Revolution May 1st, 2008 We are in Italy. Sicily, actually. And we are watching something amazing: an Italian revolution. The new Parliament, sworn in yesterday, does not have a single member who calls himself “communist.” That’s the first time since World War II. Gianfranco Fini, the new speaker of the House, announced that the post-war era was over, and he was entirely right. No one knows it better than he, because for most of his adult life he has been called a “fascist,” and scorned by most of the writers, salon hangers-on, and politicians in the country, even...

Italy must be broken up, says Berlusconi's wife By Malcolm Moore in Rome Last Updated: 1:37am BST 26/04/2008 Silvio Berlusconi's wife added her voice yesterday to the growing calls for Italy to be partitioned. In an interview with La Stampa, Veronica Lario, 51, said: "Italy has never been well-suited to being a single country, and has never matured enough to become one. There is no longer any value in a unified Italy." Silvio Berlusconi with his wife. Cabinet posts may go to the Northern League, which wants independence from Italy’s South Ms Lario, a former showgirl, married Italy's prime minister-elect...

Diplomacy: Democrats have hammered the Bush administration for supposedly losing allies and global standing. But a look at U.S. ties shows Bush to be a master diplomat who is strengthening U.S. relations all over."The world owes President Bush a debt of gratitude in leading the world in our determination to root out terrorism," said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a man whose recent elevation to office was supposed to denote a "cooling" of relations with the U.S. and a tilt toward Europe. But Europe isn't really "cooling," either. France is now led by a man elected as "le Americain." Like...

Silvio Berlusconi spent his first day as Italy's new Prime Minister on Tuesday promising to deal swiftly with the country's many pressing problems, from the sale of its troubled national airline Alitalia to the masses of uncollected rubbish swamping Naples. And how does he plan to deal with it all? By appointing a cabinet that will include - if Silvio sticks to his election campaign pledge - a record number of women. Berlusconi promised to give at least four of his 12 cabinet posts to women. One is expected to be Mara Carfagna (above right), a former Miss Italy contestant,...

Silvio Berlusconi's jibe at Spanish women By Fiona Govan in Madrid Last Updated: 1:26am BST 17/04/2008 Spain and Italy were embroiled in a war of words on Wednesday after Silvio Berlusconi criticised his Spanish counterpart for appointing so many women to his cabinet. In one of the first interviews after being elected Italy's prime minister for the third time, Mr Berlusconi attacked Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's government, describing it as "too pink". Speaking about Mr Zapatero's decision to give nine out of 17 cabinet positions to women, he said: "Now he's asked for it. He'll have problems leading them." advertisement...

IN one of his first moves since sweeping back to power in Italy, Silvio Berlusconi is likely to unveil a cabinet featuring four women, including a former model. mara carfagna Mara Carfagna gives the victory sign after the former Miss Italy contestant was elected to parliament. Picture: AP Stefania Prestigiacomo, of his Forza Italia party, is thought to be in line to become Minister for European Affairs while Mara Carfagna, a former model, television presenter and Miss Italy contestant, has been mooted as a possible Minister for the Family. Other candidates are Giulia Bongiorno, a member of former prime minister...

Silvio Berlusconi says illegal migrants are 'army of evil' By Malcolm Moore in Rome Last Updated: 2:47am BST 16/04/2008 Silvio Berlusconi branded illegal immigrants an "army of evil" yesterday in his first day in office after winning Italy's general election. Malcolm Moore: Silvio Berlusconi must rely on Umberto Bossi Mr Berlusconi, 71, who was elected on Monday to serve a third term as prime minister, said that he would "step up neighbourhood police, who can be an army of good, placing themselves between the Italian people and the army of evil". Mr Berlusconi: My throne will be uncomfortable. But as...

Silvio Berlusconi's return to power in Italy is a nightmare come true for the European Central Bank, opening the way for a Rome-Paris axis with the political muscle to force a change in monetary policy. Silvio Berlusconi plans Paris-Rome axis to humble ECB Silvio Berlusconi does not share the EU-loyalities of the outgoing government The billionaire politician has pledged an alliance with France's Nicolas Sarkozy aimed at humbling the bank and asserting the primacy of elected leaders over interest rates and the currency. "A very strong euro is hurting Italy's economy. I will discuss intervening with the ECB with Sarkozy,"...

Huge, perhaps historic, victory for Berlusconi's "Popolo della liberta' " (which translates a bit awkwardly as "the people of liberty;" maybe it's better to call it "the freedom folks"). It's considerably worse than AP lets on. Berlusconi defeated Walter Veltroni's "Democratic Party" by a full 9 points in both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. And since the Italian electoral system gives a bonus to the winning side, the margins are very big and stable: 340 to 241 in the Chamber (with another 36 for a couple of small parties), and 167 to 137 in the Senate (with 5...

Europe: The return of conservative Silvio Berlusconi to power in Italy, along with rightward tilts in Germany and France, signals a continental shift to smaller government and lower taxes. No coincidence, it's also pro-U.S.It wasn't just Berlusconi's win that surprised jaded pundits. The margin of victory was unlike anything Italy has seen since World War II. His People of Liberty party won a massive 37-seat majority in parliament, giving the lively billionaire a government that can get things done. It's been a long time coming. Two previous Berlusconi governments struggled without such an advantage. So this amounts to a green...

April 15, 2008 Berlusconi injects glamour into Cabinet, but fears raised over anti-immigrant party Richard Owen, Rome Silvio Berlusconi began building his new Government today after a sweeping victory in the Italian general election, but there were early concerns that his new administration will be beholden to the populist and stridently anti-immigrant Northern League. The League, which doubled its vote to more than 8 per cent, opposes Muslim immigration to defend the "Christian identity" of Italy and detests the European Union, whose officials were once called "filthy pigs" by the party’s unpredictable leader Umberto Bossi. Mr Berlusconi’s People of Liberty...

Huge, perhaps historic, victory for Berlusconi's "Popolo della liberta' " (which translates a bit awkwardly as "the people of liberty;" maybe it's better to call it "the freedom folks"). It's considerably worse than AP lets on. Berlusconi defeated Walter Veltroni's "Democratic Party" by a full 9 points in both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. And since the Italian electoral system gives a bonus to the winning side, the margins are very big and stable: 340 to 241 in the Chamber (with another 36 for a couple of small parties), and 167 to 137 in the Senate (with 5...

ROME (AFP) — Self-made billionaire Silvio Berlusconi looked set to win a third term as Italian prime minister Monday, with early projections giving him a wide margin of victory in the all-important Senate. Berlusconi's centre-right coalition has a lead of between 4.6 and 9.1 percentage points in the Senate, according to projections based on about one-third of statistical samplings of the vote. A victory for Berlusconi, 71, would return the media tycoon to the prime minister's office for the third time since 1994, the year after he burst onto the political stage by creating the Forza Italia (Go Italy!) party....

Silvio Berlusconi has won a crushing victory in the Italian general election to become prime minister for the third time. The 71-year-old media magnate defeated Walter Veltroni, the 52-year-old leader of the Democratic Party, by a considerable margin and has a large enough majority to rule Italy for a full five-year term. Mr Veltroni, who was a popular mayor of Rome before entering national politics, conceded defeat five hours after the polls closed, saying that the result was clear. "I have telephoned Mr Berlusconi to wish him well in the job," he said, adding that he was comforted that Italy...

ROME (Reuters) - Projections made on the basis of initial results from Italy's election predicted on Monday a more clear-cut victory than initially thought for centre-right opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi ...

ROME: Conservative billionaire Silvio Berlusconi was on course on Monday to win Italy's parliamentary election and secure a third term as prime minister, according to exit polls. Exit polls have not always proved reliable in Italy. One survey for Sky TV after two days of voting ended gave Berlusconi a 2 percentage-point lead over centre-left rival Walter Veltroni in the lower house and a 3-point lead in the upper house. A second poll for state television also put the 71-year-old media magnate ahead in both chambers. The exit polls have a margin of error of two percent. Berlusconi has vowed...

Italians are voting in elections for a new parliament and prime minister. The main contender for the premiership are center-right former PM Silvio Berlusconi and center-left former mayor of Rome Walter Veltroni. With the economy a key election issue, both men have promised modest tax cuts and reductions in bureaucracy. Correspondents say the race for the leadership is likely to be close, and the winner may have to broker a deal with the smaller parties. After a day off from campaigning on Saturday, more than 40 million voters are expected to cast their ballots on Sunday and Monday, choosing from...

According to the opinion polls Italy is again about to embrace Silvio Berlusconi as the country's leader. If the charismatic media tycoon wins this weekend's elections against the centre-left alliance of Romano Prodi, he will, after only a two-year absence, once again become prime minister. Silvio Berlusconi was prime minister twice before. The first time he came to power was in 1994 when his right-wing Forza Italia party formed two separate alliances: one with Umberto Bossi's separatist Northern League, the other with Gianfranco Fini's ‘post-fascist' National Alliance. However, the ‘House of Freedoms' coalition fell apart after only a few months...

Women on the political right are the best looking, conservative opposition leader and election frontrunner Silvio Berlusconi said on an Italian radio show. "The women of the right are certainly the most beautiful," Berlusconi said on Radio Anch'io public radio, quoted Wednesday by Corriere della Sera newspaper. Media tycoon Berlusconi is known for his 'politically incorrect' comments concerning women. He has described TV showgirls as "useful for something else," and has referred to older women politicians as the "menopause section". Referring to Daniela Santanche, leader of Italy's nationalist La Destra party, Berlusconi was quoted as saying: "Whoever votes for Santanche...

With his much-publicized alleged face-lift, hair transplant, and frequently outrageous comments, Italy's former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi... could become his country's prime minister for the third time... April 13-14 following the defeat last month of the center-left government of prime minister Romano Prodi... [CIA manipulation/conspiracy nonsense omitted] ...Signor Berlusconi has been... forming center-right coalitions that brought him first to power in 1999 for a brief seven months and then again in 2001 for a lengthy five years in office before being defeated in April 2006 by the coalition led by Prime Minister Prodi. (From 1981 to 2007, Italy had 16...

Italy’s centre-left coalition government fell on Thursday night after Romano Prodi, prime minister, narrowly lost a tumultuous vote of confidence in the Senate that his allies had advised him not to call. Defeated at the end of a long day of drama and just 20 months in office, Mr Prodi submitted his resignation to Giorgio Napolitano, the president. While keeping his pride intact, the loss could mark the end of Mr Prodi’s career as an elected politician after leading two governments that failed to complete less than half their full term. Mr Prodi has indicated he will not run again,...

ROME - Italian Premier Romano Prodi resigned Thursday night after his government lost a risky Senate confidence vote. The center-left government fell four votes short of the 160 needed for victory. The vote was 161-156. Elected in April 2006, Prodi has had a shaky government from nearly the start. But it lurched toward collapse after a small Christian Democrat party, whose votes were vital to a coalition majority in the Senate, yanked its support earlier this week in the latest squabbling among his allies. Calling early elections or asking a politician to try to form another government are among President...

To the consternation of many of his allies, Silvio Berlusconi is promoting a striking 39-year-old redhead with sparse political experience as the future “saviour” of the Italian Right. Michela Brambilla, rumoured to be the favourite of Silvio Berlusconi to be saviour of the Italian Right Italy was consumed by the news yesterday that after months of rumours Michela Vittoria Brambilla, known as “La Rossa”, had registered the name and logo of the “Party of Freedom” (Partito della Liberta) with a notary, at Mr Berlusconi’s behest. The Party of Freedom is seen as a new umbrella organisation to revital-ise Mr Berlusconi’s...

The former Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, 70, has undergone heart surgery in the United States. His party Forza Italia said the operation, carried out in Cleveland, Ohio, was necessary to correct Mr Berlusconi's irregular heart rhythm. His heart problems emerged last month when he collapsed at a political rally. Italian media suggested he had gone to the US to be fitted with a pacemaker. The surgeon confirmed that the surgery was successful, Forza Italia said. Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi sent a message of goodwill to his rival. "Dear Silvio, I am relieved to know that the operation that...

Romano Prodi, who recently resigned as Italy's prime minister, has been asked by Giorgio Napolitano, the head of state, to remain in office and face a vote of confidence in parliament, a presidential official has said. Prodi resigned on Wednesday after he lost a senate vote on foreign policy, which included keeping troops in Afghanistan. "I will go to parliament as soon as possible, with the support of a cohesive coalition determined to help the country at this difficult stage," said Prodi after Napolitano's request. Prodi's supporters earlier asked that he be given a second chance to show he can...

THEY'VE been branded "traitors" and "bastards" and worse. But the two left- wing senators who brought down Italy's prime minister, Romano Prodi, on Wednesday night say they didn't mean to do it."Maybe if I knew my vote was so fundamental, I would have reflected a bit," said Fernando Rossi, a 60-year-old communist, sounding apologetic. He and the other senator, a Trotskyite with the Communist Refoundation Party, tried their best yesterday to deflect blame. But with left-of-centre newspapers screaming headlines like: "They betrayed 19 million voters", it was a hard sell. "First off, I didn't vote against it. I abstained," said...

MILAN (Reuters) - Prime Minister Romano Prodi and his predecessor Silvio Berlusconi will not be called to testify on behalf of Italy's former spy chief, who is accused of helping the CIA kidnap a terrorism suspect, a judge ruled on Tuesday. Prosecutors want to try 26 Americans, most believed to be CIA agents, for grabbing Muslim cleric Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr off a Milan street in 2003 and flying him to Egypt, where he says he was tortured. Italy's former spy chief Nicolo Pollari, who risks indictment on suspicion of aiding the CIA mission, wanted Prodi and Berlusconi to defend...

Berlusconi Hospitalized After Nearly Falling During Speech 11/26/2006 MILAN, Italy — Former Premier Silvio Berlusconi nearly collapsed during an emotional speech to political supporters Sunday, and aides rushed to the podium to keep him from falling. The 70-year-old Italian media mogul later blamed exhaustion, and told reporters after flying by helicopter to one of his villas near Milan: "I feel well." But he said he would spend 24 hours at a Milan hospital as a precaution. Click here for FOXNews.com's Europe Center. "I collapsed from exhaustion, from the heat, from hard work, from antibiotics I am taking for a knee...

MILAN, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Silvio Berlusconi was spending the night in a hospital intensive care unit after the former Italian prime minister said he had a heart problem, adding to speculation about his political future. Berlusconi, 70, fainted as he addressed young supporters at a rally in Tuscany on Sunday. His eyes closed and his legs gave way before aides propped him up and took him off stage to be assisted by his personal doctor. "They found something on the electrocardiogram, something like an irregular heartbeat, so they want to keep me under observation for 24 hours," Berlusconi told...

Just saw Burlusconi collapse while speaking to a rally in Italy. He's the former prime minister who's being accused of corruption in a trial now underway.

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has fainted during a speech at a political rally in Tuscany.The media mogul was seen to slump at the podium, then sink back into the arms of nearby officials. Supporters said he had fallen ill because of the strong emotion of the speech. After some 40 minutes of railing against Premier Romano Prodi's centre-left government, Mr Berlusconi suddenly looked weak. Aides rushed to his side to prop him up as he gripped the podium. Fellow conservative politician Marcello Dell'Utri told the crowd to stay calm and wait until Berlusconi returns to speak. Another supporter,...

The girlfriend of Silvio Berlusconi's son, herself a television presenter, has lambasted programmes broadcast by the former prime minister's media empire for "showing too much cleavage".Silvia Toffanin, 35, launched a stinging attack against Elisabetta Gregoraci, 24, and Sara Varone, 30, accusing them and the programme on which they appear of exhibitionism. The women jointly present Buona Domenica (Happy Sunday) every week, a six-hour afternoon marathon of light entertainment, gossip — and scantily clad women. The show attracts about eight million viewers a week and is shown on Mr Berlusconi's Canale 5 station, part of his Mediaset empire. Toffanin, who presents...