From the Annals of Retired Fascist Baby Names

Staff / Truthdig Nov 25, 2008 The Movimento Sociale-Fiamma Tricolore party in Italy has offered to pay $1,940 to parents who name their children after Benito Mussolini or his wife Rachele. The "purely casual" name game is meant to address low birthrates and not fascist nostalgia, according to the far-right party. Sure. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

European Leaders Prepare for Economic Meetings

Staff / Truthdig Oct 3, 2008 Leaders from France, Italy, Great Britain and Germany are planning to meet on Saturday in preparation for a European finance summit to be held in Washington next week. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who shot down reports on Thursday that France was proposing a hefty European bailout package, invited the other three heads of state to the pre-summit huddle in Paris. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Italians Outraged, Yet Curious

Staff / Truthdig May 1, 2008 Imagine going to the Internet and being able to see how much everyone in the United States, including you, earned and paid in taxes. The outgoing Italian government just made everyone's private business public. Needless to say, Italians were outraged as they rushed to the Web to see the income of their neighbors and the rich and famous. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Grand Theft Slogan

Staff / Truthdig Apr 17, 2008 Consider Barack Obama a trendsetter: In Italy, the recently defeated center-left leader in the parliamentary elections took a cue from the American candidate and adopted the slogan "Si può fare" or, as The Economist translates, "It can be done." Right-winger Silvio Berlusconi, who won a convincing victory in that election, begged to differ. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Another Round for Silvio

Staff / Truthdig Apr 15, 2008 With the concession of his main rival, conservative media mogul Silvio Berlusconi is set to take up a third term as Italy's prime minister. Although a divisive and controversial figure, Berlusconi offered "An affectionate kiss to all Italians" over the news. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Berlusconi Wants More

Staff / Truthdig Apr 11, 2008 Silvio Berlusconi, billionaire, media mogul and former prime minister of Italy, is calling for voters to give him a substantial majority of parliament seats as he vies a third time for the country's most powerful office. The elections, to be held Sunday and Monday, will decide whether the country is led by a center-left coalition or Berlusconi's right-wing "Freedom Folks." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Ron Paul on Dems, Immigration, 9/11 Conspiracies

Staff / Truthdig Oct 5, 2007 And now, some news from the right side of the aisle: Presidential hopeful Ron Paul chatted with conservative talk show host Steve Gill about his recent fundraising success, domestic and foreign policy issues, and 9/11 and its aftermath, blasting the neocons for using the Sept. 11 attacks to advance their agenda: "If the mafia attacks someone in this country, we don't bomb Italy," Paul said. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Pope Disses Rice

Staff / Truthdig Sep 19, 2007 Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice may be persona non grata at the Vatican. When Rice swung through Italy in August, she gave notice ahead of time about her hopes to meet with Pope Benedict XVI, but the pontiff's camp politely rebuffed her request, explaining that he was on holiday. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Italian Prisoners Ask for Death

Staff / Truthdig Jun 1, 2007 More than 300 of Italy's life-sentence prisoners have signed a letter asking the Italian president to reinstate the death penalty and change their sentences. Italy is one of the world's leading opponents of execution and even allows prisoners serving life sentences conditional release after years of good behavior. But the inmates who signed the letter seem to feel that life behind bars is not worth living. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.S. Will Protect Alleged Kidnappers

Staff / Truthdig Feb 28, 2007 A State Department official said the U.S. will not extradite 26 suspected CIA agents to Italy, where they are accused of carrying out "extraordinary rendition." Legal adviser John Bellinger added a veiled threat, saying further legal action in Europe would hamper "intelligence cooperation." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Extraordinary Rendition’ on Trial

Staff / Truthdig Feb 16, 2007 An Italian judge has decided to go forward with the first criminal trial of extraordinary rendition. Twenty-six Americans and five Italians -- including the former head of military intelligence -- have been indicted and ordered to stand trial for the abduction of an Egyptian cleric who was detained and allegedly tortured in Cairo. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Hell Hath No Fury Like an Italian Woman Scorned

Staff / Truthdig Feb 2, 2007 Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi lost his job thanks to his support of the Iraq war and alleged abuses of power, but he had another headache altogether this week. In a letter that appeared on the front page of a major newspaper, Berlusconi's wife browbeat him for his public flirtations and demanded an apology -- which she got. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )