Berlusconi bill

Italy's Senate has passed legislation which opponents of PM Silvio Berlusconi say is designed to help him in his legal battles with the nation's courts. The bill would freeze some long-running trials for a year, including one involving Mr. Berlusconi in Milan.

And the government is set to introduce another bill that will give top public figures immunity from prosecution. Mr. Berlusconi has faced corruption charges in the courts for many years but has always protested his innocence. The prime minister argues he has long been a victim of politically-biased judges and prosecutors. Although Mr. Berlusconi was found guilty in one corruption case, the verdict was overturned on appeal and other cases were dismissed under statutes of limitation.

Now we know why he became PM, to legalize his corruption!

Ovi today

The challenge by Thanos Kalamidas
At this very moment more than forty million people all around the world have become refugees escaping from their homes, which is why we need days such as World Refugee Day.

In Darfur, Minnesota, Another Kind of Siege by Doug McGill
Every once in a while, someone in this tiny speck of a prairie town catches sight of a "Save Darfur!" poster in a magazine or a newspaper, or on the flickering TV at the Darfur Lounge on main street.

How Bizarre! by Asa Butcher
Browsing the news daily we often miss these little bits of news at the bottom of the page. They are often funny, sometimes weird, and they give us a new perspective on life, so here's the first of a new column series: How Bizarre!

Italian report by Euro Reporter
Euro-reporter travels to Italy, surviving tuna fish nets and getting ready for a bite into a pizza with the name ...Berlusconi special!!!

Trash …news from Italy

Tensions remained high Saturday after a night of clashes between police and protesters furious at Italian government plans to dump mountains of uncollected trash from Naples in their towns.

Police in riot gear watched but did not intervene Saturday when a protester threw what appeared to be a firebomb near the town of Chiaiano, a suburb of Naples. Demonstrators also hurled cans and other garbage at police.

The site near Chiaiano is one of 10 selected by Premier Silvio Berlusconi's new government to receive some of the tons of stinking garbage piled up in Naples and surrounding areas. Police and protesters clashed overnight after authorities tried to move an empty bus that demonstrators used to block a road leading to the planned dump site.

From the minute Berlusconi won the elections I was sure that the Italians will constantly have to deal with …rubbish!!!

Italy posts salary details on …web

There has been outrage in Italy after the outgoing government published every Italian's declared earnings and tax contributions on the internet.

The tax authority's website was inundated by people curious to know how much their neighbors, celebrities or sports stars were making. The Italian treasury suspended the website after a formal complaint from the country's privacy watchdog. The information was put on the site with no warning for nearly 24 hours.

Berlusconi crazy era is getting closer in Italy. Let’s see what else we are going to see!

Berlusconi is back to …rubbish

Silvio Berlusconi says tackling Naples' rubbish crisis and rescuing troubled airline Alitalia will be among his top priorities.

Mr. Berlusconi's bloc won solid majorities in both the Senate and lower house in the early general election. "I will be in Naples three days a week" to solve the rubbish crisis, he said on Tuesday. Piles of stinking rubbish have been littering the city for months.

Mr. Berlusconi, 71, is embarking on his third term as prime minister. The billionaire media mogul has warned of "difficult months ahead" and has vowed to work with the centre-left opposition to pass much-needed economic reforms. He was congratulated by defeated rival Walter Veltroni. The polls were held three years ahead of schedule following the collapse of Romano Prodi's centre-left coalition. Mr. Berlusconi will head Italy's 62nd government since World War II.

The clown is all the way back and deep in rubbish as usual!

Berlusconi strikes back

Campaigning in Italy is in its final day ahead of this weekend's elections. The vote comes three years early, after Romano Prodi stepped down as prime minister when his coalition government collapsed in January.

Billionaire businessman and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, 71, wants a third term as prime minister. His main rival is 52-year-old Walter Veltroni, the former mayor of Rome. Mr. Berlusconi is ahead in opinion polls but 15% of voters are undecided.

At his final election rally in Rome on Thursday, Mr. Berlusconi appealed to his supporters to bring in more voters. "Get out there and do missionary work," he told a crowd of 3,000 supporters.

Mr. Berlusconi is the head of a business empire that spans media, advertising, insurance, food and construction and includes the successful football club AC Milan. He is heading a new party - the People of Liberty. Mr. Veltroni is also leading a new party - the Democratic Party. He compares himself to US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and has promised to boost pay and pensions to stimulate the Italian economy.

The return of Berlusconi, the empire returns, the jester of the court strikes back! Ok I’m having fun with Silvio but I’m not sure if the Italians feel the same!

Berlusconi is back …on the air

Berlusconi said that air France will pull out and air One will step in. Berlusconi said: “French company’s plan is mere colonialism. Prodi sold Alitalia short.” And the man came with a solution, guess what?

People of Freedom’s leader say that a consortium of Italian entrepreneurs, including his children, could be formed and buy Alitalia just to keep it …Italian!

After Berlusconi been for so long a media mogul owning televisions and radios he’s literally planning to be on the air!