Uruguayan president Jose Mujica, 78, cancelled the last leg of his European visit, Italy, saying he was exhausted and suffering from jet-lag. He has been in the road since May 22, with a first official three-day visit to China, later to Spain, the Vatican and to Galicia and the Basque country, from where his family came.
One out of four Italians up to 40 years of age survive with the help of their parents, according to a report on “Youth and the crisis” released this week in Milan. Another report from the Italian national statistics institute (ISTAT) says millions of Italians have or are close to falling below the poverty line.
Uruguay has formally requested Pope Francis to receive President Jose Mujica when he travels at the end of the month to China, Spain and Italy. Mujica is an agnostic and Uruguay is one of the few Latinamerican countries in which the Catholic Church has been separated from the State for almost a century.
Italy’s ‘Pepe’ Grillo protest syndrome emerged in British local elections. The anti-European Union UK Independence Party made sweeping gains in these elections, siphoning support from British Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives in a vote that exposed a threat to his re-election chances in 2015.
Italy's new government line-up brings together personalities from across the political spectrum, from Silvio Berlusconi's apparent successor to a crime fighter and a militant feminist from the radical party. Some of the key names of the ‘grand coalition’ members tasked with tackling the social and economic crisis in recession-hit Italy-.
Europe is expected to accelerate a shift away from its austerity-first agenda this week as the new Italian government changes course and a German-Spanish investment pact underscores a renewed focus on combating record unemployment. This comes on the background of much criticized statements from European Commission president Jose Barroso who said ‘austerity was over’.
Silvio Berlusconi, the three-time prime minister and two-time convicted lawbreaker seems to be the great victor in Italy by out-manoeuvring rivals during an eight-week political stalemate and becoming the key figure in talks for a new coalition government.
The leader of Italy's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, Beppe Grillo, criticised the re-election of President Giorgio Napolitano as a desperate attempt to retain power by a discredited establishment.
Italy's parliament failed to elect a new state president in the first two votes on Thursday with a centre-left rebellion against leader Pier Luigi Bersani torpedoing his official candidate and prolonging a political stalemate.
Italian centre-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani confirmed he would meet his centre-right rival Silvio Berlusconi soon, but held out little hope of a breakthrough in the political stalemate since February's inconclusive election.