Italy

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Berlusconi: I'm Not Going Anywhere

Italian PM defiant as multiple criminal cases reopen

(Newser) - Silvio Berlusconi, fighting for his political life after a court ruled he was not immune from criminal prosecution, called the ruling politically motivated and vowed to stay on as Italy's prime minister. Already weakened by sex scandals, Berlusconi will now face at least two trials, one concerning witness tampering and...

Court Rejects Law Giving Berlusconi Immunity

Italian PM will have to stand trial for corruption

(Newser) - An Italian court struck down the law designed to protect Silvio Berlusconi from corruption charges, ruling that it would take a constitutional amendment, not a mere act of parliament, to save the Italian prime minister. Courts can now resume the two corruption trials against Berlusconi that have been on hold...

Berlusconi Uses Animal Farm Defense

Lawyers argue 'more equal' PM shouldn't be prosecuted

(Newser) - All Italians are equal but some are more equal than others, according to lawyers seeking to prevent Silvio Berlusconi from standing trial on corruption charges. A constitutional court examining the legitimacy of a law shielding prime ministers from prosecution—which was introduced by Berlusconi himself—was told the leader is...

Scientist Reproduces 'Fake' Turin Shroud

Nothing miraculous about his creation, says Italian researcher

(Newser) - The Shroud of Turin is definitely a medieval forgery, according to an Italian scientist who made one himself to prove the point. The chemistry professor made the reproduction of the shroud—believed by many to represent a miraculous image of Christ after crucifixion—using materials and techniques available during the...

Berlusconi Adds Michelle to His 'Tan Obama' Dig

'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...

Knox Lied About Sex Murder Under Stress: Witness

Forty-hour interrogation disoriented suspect, neurologist testifies

(Newser) - Amanda Knox was telling the truth when she said she was lying, a neurologist testified today. Professor Carlo Caltagirone, the final witness in Knox's 8-month trial, backed up the suspect's claim that she had confessed to overhearing Meredith Kercher's murder because of stress, the Daily Mail reports. "Situations of...

Cops Seize Mafia Don's 'Croc Weapon'

Mobster accused of threatening to feed extortion victims to 6-foot beast

(Newser) - Italian police have confiscated a crocodile they suspect was used by a Mafia boss to persuade people to cough up protection money. The gangster invited extortion victims to his home and threatened to set the crocodile on them if they didn't pay up, investigators say. He has has been charged...

Venice Struggles to Stay Afloat
 Venice Struggles to Stay Afloat 

Sep 20, 2009 4:26 PM CDT

Venice Struggles to Stay Afloat

Billion-dollar floodgates may fail to stave off rising tides

(Newser) - Not only is Venice sinking, but the $6-billion floodgates designed to protect it may not do the job, NPR reports. Critics say that the 78 half-built mobile gates, designed to block off seawater when it rises, may fail to fend off sea levels heightened by climate change. And even if...

Suicide Attack Hits Italian Convoy in Kabul, Kills 16

Taliban claims responsibility for bombing

(Newser) - A suicide car bomber attacked an Italian military convoy on a road in Afghanistan's capital today, killing six Italian soldiers and 10 Afghan civilians, the AP reports. The bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into two Italian military vehicles, Italy's defense minister said. A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility, saying in a...

Informant: Italian Mafia Sank Ship Carrying Nuke Waste

Authorities have pinpointed ship, but haven't confirmed contents

(Newser) - Italian authorities are investigating an informant’s claim that the mafia sank a ship containing nuclear waste off the country’s southwest coast, the BBC reports. Underwater cameras show the ship intact, with barrels nearby marked as containing toxic contents; the informant says that organized crime has gotten into the...

Knox Trial Is 'Poison' for All Involved

Fallout has ruined people's lives from Seattle to Perugia

(Newser) - Amanda Knox may be the one on trial for the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher, waiting it out in a sweltering Italian prison. But as Barbie Nadeau notes in Newsweek, Knox isn’t the only one suffering: “The Knox trial is poison,” Nadeau writes. “Nearly everyone it...

Berlusconi: So Sue Me, I Like Gorgeous Babes

'Greatest Italian PM in history' hits back at sex scandal allegations

(Newser) - Silvio Berlusconi says he's the best prime minister Italy's ever had and resigning has never crossed his mind, despite a string of sex scandals, the Wall Street Journal reports. Berlusconi scoffed at claims by businessman Giampaolo Tarantini that he invited women to Berlusconi's parties and paid them to sleep with...

Italian Businessman: I Supplied Girls for Berlusconi

Allegations reignite Italian's leader sleaze scandal

(Newser) - An Italian businessman claims to have supplied 30 women for parties held by Silvio Berlusconi, some of whom slept with the Italian leader, the Guardian reports. Gianpaolo Tarantini, who is under investigation for corruption, says he was trying to gain influence with the prime minister. He told investigators that he...

Clooney Unveils New Gal in Venice

Berlusconi-esque: Elisabetta Canalis is Italian TV presenter

(Newser) - George Clooney has appeared in public for the first time with galpal Elisabetta Canalis at the Venice Film Festival, E! reports. The actor and the Italian TV presenter had been covertly observed frolicking at his Lake Como villa, but the Venice outing makes it official. A costar of Canalis’ says...

Berlusconi: 'Italians Want to Be Like Me'

He 'can't remember' the night escort says they had sex

(Newser) - Stubbornly unrepentant Silvio Berlusconi is insisting Italians support his behavior and "would like to be" him, reports the Telegraph. "Italians aren't stupid, and they prefer my government," added the randy prime minister, 74, on Italian television. The man who last week called himself  "superman" insisted that...

Man Arrested for Kissing His Own Daughter

Italian tourist faces 15 years in prison after Brazil pool incident

(Newser) - A controversy is brewing in Brazil over a 48-year-old Italian tourist who was arrested for touching and kissing his own 8-year-old daughter, the BBC reports. A couple reported seeing the man touching a young girl inappropriately at a hotel pool, apparently unaware that the girl was his daughter. Under a...

Editor Ripped by Belusconi Bro for Gay Affair Loses Job

(Newser) - An editor of a Catholic newspaper criticized for a gay affair in a publication owned by the brother of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is out of a job, reports the New York Times. He resigned just days after he slammed the randy head of state in an editorial for...

Vatican Snubs Berlusconi Over Cheeky News Article

Scandal-ridden Italian premier disinvited from pardoning religious ceremony

(Newser) - He may still be beloved by Italian voters, but there’s clearly no love lost between Silvio Berlusconi and the Vatican, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Holy See has disinvited the scandal-ridden Italian premier from a religious service and dinner after a newspaper owned by his brother ran a...

Berlusconi Slaps European Papers With Libel Suits

Lawyers probe 'cases of real, true defamation'

(Newser) - Silvio Berlusconi is suing Italian and foreign media outlets for libel regarding his personal life, Reuters reports. “We have instructed our colleagues to evaluate, according to the laws in their countries, the most serious cases of real, true defamation,” said the Italian PM's lawyer. Berlusconi’s legal team...

'Mob Sewage' Closes Capri's Blue Grotto

(Newser) - The famous Blue Grotto of the Italian island of Capri has been closed after its striking cerulean waters were fouled by raw sewage believed to be dumped by the Mafia, reports the Independent. La Grotta Azzurra, a favorite haunt of the Roman Emperor Tiberius, is celebrated for its striking waters...

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