ROME, Feb 11 (Reuters) – Pope Benedict, leader of the
world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, said on Monday he will resign on
Feb 28. because he no longer has the strength to fulfil the
duties of his office, becoming the first pontiff since the
Middle Ages to take such a step.

The 85-year-old German-born Pope, hailed as a hero by
conservative Catholics and viewed with suspicion by liberals,
said he had noticed that his strength had deteriorated over
recent months.

ROME (Reuters) – Silvio Berlusconi and his brother Paolo are getting heat over maverick Italy striker Mario Balotelli, with one accused of racism and the other of signing him for their club AC Milan only to win votes in this month’s national election.

Paolo Berlusconi, AC Milan’s vice president, was lambasted in social media after calling former Manchester City forward Balotelli “the little black boy of the family”.

ROME, Feb 6 (Reuters) – Silvio Berlusconi and his brother Paolo are getting heat over maverick Italy striker Mario Balotelli, with one accused of racism and the other of signing him for their club AC Milan only to win votes in this month’s national election.

Paolo Berlusconi, AC Milan’s vice president, was lambasted in social media after calling former Manchester City forward Balotelli “the little black boy of the family”.

ROME, Feb 5 (Reuters) – The Vatican’s new sexual crimes
prosecutor on Tuesday acknowledged that the U.S. media “did a
service” to the Catholic Church through its aggressive reporting
on child abuse that helped the Church “confront the truth”.

The rare acknowledgement came from Father Robert Oliver, a
canon lawyer from the U.S. diocese of Boston, speaking at his
first public appearance since becoming the Vatican’s “Promoter
of Justice” last week.

ROME, Feb 4 (Reuters) – Silvio Berlusconi’s rivals lampooned
him as a snake charmer and a TV huckster selling pots and pans
on Monday after he promised sweeping tax cuts if his centre
right wins Italy’s election this month.

The former prime minister launched his “last great electoral
and political battle” on Sunday with a plan to reduce government
spending, enact fiscal reform and what he called a “shock
proposal” – reimbursing Italians for a much-hated tax on primary
residences imposed last year.

ROME (Reuters) – An investigation into possible fraud by Monte Paschi bank enters a crucial few days as magistrates question key witnesses in a scandal that has touched off a political fire storm just three weeks before Italy’s elections.

Magistrates in the Tuscan city of Siena, where the world’s oldest bank is based in the 14th century palazzo of Rocca Salimbeni, are due to question its former president Giuseppe Mussari and former director general Antonio Vigni this week.

ROME, Feb 3 (Reuters) – Italy’s former prime minister Silvio
Berlusconi announced his “last great electoral and political
battle” on Sunday with a sweeping promise to cut taxes and the
cost of government if his centre-right wins elections this
month.

In a passionate and much anticipated speech to supporters in
Milan, the city where he built his fortune, he said only his
centre-right could lift Italy out of the dark fog of recession
and re-establish trust between government and citizens.

ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi announced his “last great electoral and political battle” on Sunday with a sweeping promise to cut taxes and the cost of government if his center-right wins elections this month.

Speaking at a rally in Milan, he disclosed what he had billed before the speech as a “shock proposal” – a promise to reimburse Italian families for a much-hated tax on their primary residences.

ROME (Reuters) – A consumer group suing the Bank of Italy over its handling of the Monte Paschi crisis on Saturday called for the central bank’s governor to resign and for an administrator to be appointed to run the troubled Tuscan lender.

The demands came as a Rome court adjourned until Feb 20 a hearing regarding the Bank of Italy’s (BoI) approval of 3.9 billion euros (3.4 billion pounds) in state support for Monte Paschi (BMPS.MI: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), the world’s oldest bank.