There isn’t as much obnoxious rhetoric by foreign governments on asylum seekers as you might assume, writes Andrew Bartlett. And the rhetoric isn’t as horrific as sending people back home to imprisonment, torture or death.
Italy 
How Italy’s Taliban bribery got French soldiers killed
When French soldiers arrived in the Afghan region of Sarobi last year, they believed the area to be peaceful. Ten dead and mutilated soldiers later, it’s clear they were wrong. And it was Italy who misled them.
Mussolini was a British agent
Newly discovered documents have revealed that, at age 34, Benito Mussolini was paid a regular wage by British spy agency MI5 to publish propaganda in his paper and beat up peace protesters.
Berlusconi’s Ministry of Truth
Silvio Berlusconi’s ongoing war against newspapers saying nasty things about him continues, with the Italian PM assembling a crack team of journos and PR hacks to monitor the world’s media for mean comments and “bombard those newsrooms with truthful and positive news.”
Berlusconi may yet get his day in court
Silvio Berlusconi is not Italy’s head of state — just its head of government. If the country’s minister is a crook, the courts need to be given the opportunity to say so.
Berlusconi gets busted: Italy’s love affair ends
PM Silvio Berlusconi will now face prosecution against charges of fraud, corruption, tax evasion and bribery, with an Italian court stripping him of immunity. Italians can forgive the perma-tan and philandering but not this, says Richard Owen.
The Italian Mafia’s new standover men: crocodiles
Because sometimes guys in suits carrying violin cases just aren’t scary enough: an Italian Mafia boss has been using a 1.7m crocodile to shake-down people for protection money.
Berlusconi sues the European media
Irreverent Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi is launching legal action against a series of media outlets across Europe for their coverage of his private life, which his lawyer describes as an “intolerable campaign” of slander.
Women break through Italian Mafia’s glass ceiling
Score one for the sisterhood: Female mobsters — or “Godmothers” — are on the rise amongst high-ranking members of Naples area crime families, as their husbands get knocked off or go to prison.
Italian bank accepts cheesy collateral
Credito Emiliano SpA in northern Italy is accepting parmesan cheese as collateral to keep the region’s cheesemakers in business while the country weathers the recession. The bank’s vaults now hold 17,000 tons of high-quality parmesan, each 80-pound wheel valued at about 300 euros.
Crikey Says: In bed with Vladimir Putin
Prostitutes, showgirls and now Putins’s four poster — Italian politics is another world.
Silvio and scandal: a Crikey timeline
Italian billionaire media tycoon and three-time Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is no stranger to gaffes and sex scandals. We take a look at some of the Latin lothario’s greatest hits.
Silvio Berlusconi, a man’s man
With sex tapes revealed involving Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi, an escort and “Putin’s bed”, ire has risen about his behaviour. But, while I wouldn’t vote for him, says Max Davidson, I wouldn’t mind being him.
The perils of travel writing
After writer David Farley penned a piece for the NYT about an eccentric little Italian town, he returned to find a village full of angry locals, each with their own quibble about the piece.
Silvio says: “a colossal blunder by a small newspaper”
Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has fought back against The Guardian’s report that the country’s G8 preparation is so chaotic the group is considering expelling Italy.
Teflon Silvio rises again
Scandals with myriad women notwithstanding, Italian PM Berlusconi’s centre-right coalition had convincing wins in elections across the country. But he isn’t off the hook just yet.
Italian proescuters crash Berlusconi’s parties
Italian prosecutors are investigating whether prostitutes were hired for parties held by Silvio Berlusconi, and will interview 30 young women who have been partying with the Italian PM.
Wolff: Why I like Silvio Berlusconi
Sure Berlusconi is corrupt and ridiculous — but that’s why he’s great, says Michael Wolff: He’s a head-of-state in the most fantastic sense.
How Silvio Berlusconi denigrates politics
The ageing Lothario may find it amusing, or even perhaps daring, to act the playboy, boasting of his conquests and humiliating his wife. But politicians must have standards, says The Times editorial.
Can a teenage girl topple Berlusconi?
Silvio Berlusconi’s relationship with 18-year-old Noemi Letizia has already seen his wife file for divorce. Could it also cost him his job?
Italian judges: lawyer guilty of lying to protect Berlusconi
Premier Silvio Berlusconi says he will respond to an Italian judicial panel’s determination that a British lawyer lied in court to protect him in exchange for $600,000. The three-judge panel released a 400-page document laying out its reasons for finding British lawyer David Mills guilty of corruption.
The Italian Mafia goes green
In Australia, the Mafia (such as it is) tend to focus on drugs and armed robbery, but in Italy, they’ve turned their attentions elsewhere: windfarms.
scandal 
Berlusconi’s girlfriend calls him “Papi” — because he is!
A rumour circulating in Italy has it that the 18-year-old involved in the break-up of Berlusconi’s marriage calls him “Papi” or “Daddy” — because he really is her father.
A coffee drinker’s guide to the world
The LA Times checks out the best brews from around the globe (no, Melbourne, you aren’t in there; get over yourself).
