Italy’s election result was not a great surprise insofar as Grillo’s M5S movement was concerned. By the time the election came round it was clear that the Grillini (though not all would be happy to be called so) had managed to garner a significant portion of the vote and that they...

The short man from Milan is back. His political campaign has begun (as always) on the football field with the return of the prodigal son Mario Balotelli to the Milanese fold (sponda rossonera). Berlusconi hit the headlines in Italy today with his promises of major tax cuts and institutional...

Italy’s sovereign debt rating has been revised downwards (A from A+) by Standard and Poor’s. The marginal comment to this revision was that the country’s outlook was “negative”. Notwithstanding Berlusconi’s “manovra” that seemed to have appeased...