Obama Arrives in Italy for G8

(NEWSER) - World leaders have begun arriving in Italy for the G8 summit, which at the last minute Silvio Berlusconi relocated to L'Aquila—the devastated town where 300 died in a massive earthquake. While many praised the Italians for quickly rehousing the victims, rebuilding has been stalled and 15,000 people are still living in tents. "The city's situation is frozen," one man in L'Aquila told the Independent. More»

Berlusconi wants world leaders to meet in L'Aquila in July

(NEWSER) - Silvio Berlusconi pledged today to move this summer's G8 summit to L'Aquila, where an earthquake killed 296 people and destroyed the homes of 65,000, Reuters reports. The meeting is set to take place on a small island off Sardinia, but the Italian PM said he would rather see the money for the summit help rebuild the destroyed region. "What seat would be more appropriate than a land wounded by the earthquake?" Berlusconi said. More»

Mario Monti faces gargantuan task

(NEWSER) - Silvio Berlusconi's conservative party is backing economist Mario Monti to put together a new coalition, leaving the man they call "professor" some outlandish shoes to fill and Italy's towering financial crisis to dig out of. And there's a catch: Monti's got to do it all ASAP, with the call for new elections nipping at his heels. The backing is tenuous, notes the AP , with Berlusconi's Freedom People party also warning Monti against appointing members of the opposition to the Cabinet. Nevertheless, for the time being, "We have given our willingness to Professor Monti," says the party chair. More»

Italian PM goes on the attack after losing immunity from prosecution

(NEWSER) - A defiant Silvio Berlusconi vowed yesterday to rule with "even more grit" despite looming criminal trials on corruption charges. The trials "are false, laughable, absurd,” scoffed the Italian prime minister, who has been stripped of his immunity from prosecution. “I will defend myself in the courtroom and make my accusers look ridiculous.” Berlusconi accused Italy's president, Giorgio Napolitano, of being part of a left-wing plot to unseat him. More»

'Even his wife is suntanned,' Italian leader chuckles

(NEWSER) - Daffy Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi thought his first joke about President Obama being "tan" was so funny he repeated it —and this time included Michelle in the fun. "I bring greetings from a man, what's his name? Some tanned guy—Barack Obama," Berlusconi said at a rally after returning from the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh. "You won't believe it, but the two of them sunbathe together because even his wife is tanned." More»