The smirk shared by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy when quizzed about Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at their Brussels press conference on Sunday made headlines in Italy on Monday and prompted even some of the Italian prime minister’s fiercest enemies to close ranks behind him.
Leading daily Corriere della Sera, which has criticized Berlusconi for delaying the economic stimulus package demanded by Europe, called the behavior of Merkel and Sarkozy “excessive” in a front-page editorial, adding: “For an Italian it was not great, and it matters little if you are pro or anti-Berlusconi.”
The French and German leaders — now dubbed “Merkozy” — exchanged glances and smiled when asked if they were confident Berlusconi would come up with reforms, prompting a gale of laughter from journalists.
“No one is authorized to ridicule Italy, even after Berlusconi’s obvious and embarrassing delays in tackling the crisis,” said Pier Ferdinando Casini, the head of the opposition UDC party, adding: “I didn’t like Sarkozy’s sarcastic smile.”
Berlusconi appeared to blame Sarkozy’s behavior on his unhappiness over Italy’s overrepresentation on the board at the European Central Bank, now that Italian Mario Draghi has been appointed chairman and Italian board member Lorenzo Bini Smaghi is refusing to step down to make way for a French appointee.
“Sarkozy has started to get annoyed,” Berlusconi said. “At a certain point I said to Sarkozy: ‘But what am I supposed to do? Kill him?’”
Italian newspapers have suggested that Merkel’s decision to share the joke with Sarkozy might have been payback after reports that Berlusconi made a vulgar joke about her looks.
With the EU wanting answers by midweek, Berlusconi was reportedly planning a rushed Cabinet meeting on Monday to drum up stimulus measures, including pension reform, to complement the two austerity budgets Italy has passed this year to cut its deficit.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the