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Sony NEX-7 Digital Camera – Video Review

April 25, 2012 venomeincer Comments off

The Sony NEX-7 Digital Camera is a great addition the wide array of high quality compacts in the Camera market today. Because of its powerful features all packed in a very svelte design, its suited for enthusiasts looking for a reliable compact that takes photos that will definitely turn heads. Beginners will also find this piece of equipment a very worthy investment and they could start exploring the world of photography with features such as Easy and Intelligent Auto. For the professional shutterbug though, there is enough in here to keep their photography palette satisfied.

Click here to see Complete Sony NEX-7 Digital Camera Video Review

There has been a lot of suspense about this camera and wether it is even possible to live up to the hype that has been spread like wildfire online. Of course on paper it looks amazing. The build, the design, the features, the video capability, the new sensor, the built in OLED EVF (which is super duper uber FANTASTIC), and the tri-navi controls are everything the enthusiast market has ever wanted in a small take anywhere camera. Hell, I suspect the NEX-7 may even create more of us crazy gear heads because even when Uncle Joe sees this camera he is going to want one.

It has a way of making people wonder what the hell you are shooting with, and when they learn about it they seem to want to own one for themselves. This has happened to me three times while out and about shooting with the NEX-7. BUT the real question for me while shooting was to determine if it did indeed live up to the hype and was worth shelling out $1200 for the body alone, which to be fair is $6800 less than a Leica M9-P and you can still mount your favorite Leica, Zeiss ZM and Voigtlander M mount glass on to! Hell, you can mount just about any glass to this NEX-7, which makes it pretty damn special right there.

Refference : Video Review

Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Video Review

Dumpings at Swiss mosque site causes outrage

November 13, 2011 venomeincer Leave a comment

By Brian Walker, CNN

November 12, 2011 — Updated 2346 GMT (0746 HKT)

In a 2009 referendum, voters prohibited the construction of new minarets in Switzerland.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Police in the town of Grenchen uncovered the pigs Friday
“We can’t say yet it is a hate crime in those words,” police chief says
An unsigned flier said the act was a “protest against the growing expansion of Islam in Switzerland”
“It is an escalation” in Switzerland, “where Christians and Muslims have all been living together,” imam says

(CNN) — Muslims in Switzerland are responding with shock and outrage after a pig carcass and severed swine heads were discovered buried at the site of a proposed mosque.

Police in the town of Grenchen uncovered the pigs Friday after they received an anonymous message claiming that someone had buried the body parts and spilled 120 liters of blood from the animals in an effort to desecrate the ground to halt the construction of the mosque.

Pork and pork byproducts are haram, or forbidden, in Islam.

The unsigned flier, written in German, says “This operation was done (conducted) to protest against the growing expansion of Islam in Switzerland,” and says that a similar desecration in Spain earlier halted another mosque construction project.

Thomas Suber, chief of the Solothurn Canton police, told CNN by phone that there were no suspects currently, but that a full investigation is under way.

“We can’t say yet it is a hate crime in those words, but it could have been done to stop the mosque,” said Suber.

Suber said that whoever is responsible may be brought up on environmental pollution charges.

The police chief says that veterinary health officials have been called in to find if pig’s blood has in fact been spilled, and that charges may be filed over illegal dumping of animal parts in addition to other potential criminal charges.

But for Muslims in Switzerland, it’s just the latest sign that they are being victimized by some in the far right.

Abdel Azziz Qaasim Illi, spokesman for Switzerland’s Central Islamic Council said the deed “crossed a line” that had already been pushed against Muslims since a popular referendum in 2009 banned the construction of new minarets.

“Since the ban on minarets there’s been an increase in Islamophobia and Islamophobic events, so it was not really surprising” said Illi. “But it is an escalation in Switzerland because this is a peaceful country where Christians and Muslims have all been living together… and we are a bit afraid this may increase.”

There are an estimated 500,000 Muslims in Switzerland, out of a population of more than 7 million says Illi, who admitted that the population is rising but that most Swiss Muslims were immigrants from Albania and elsewhere in the Balkans, where there is a tradition of moderate Islam.

The property had been purchased by the local Muslim community several years ago from a Swiss far right political activist. The man claimed that he had not been informed that it would be used for a mosque and had fought the sale in court, before ultimately losing his civil case recently allowing construction to go forward.

“We can just wait for the next rain or snowfall to cleanse the ground, so we do not fear from this side anything,” said Illi.

“But on the other hand it’s an emotional thing, it means that there are actually people in this society who deny the right of Muslims when it comes to a mosque in Switzerland and this is something that hurts us.”

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Categories: Uncategorized Tags: causes, Dumpings, mosque, outrage, Swiss

Tennis: Federer vs. Tsonga in Paris final

November 13, 2011 venomeincer Leave a comment

November 12, 2011 — Updated 2207 GMT (0607 HKT)

Roger Federer celebrates his straight sets win over Tomas Berdych in Paris

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Roger Federer to play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Paris Masters final
Federer sweeps past Tomas Berdych in straight sets
Tsonga has to battle past John Isner in three hour marathon match
Federer has now reached the final of all nine Masters 1000 tournaments

(CNN) — Roger Federer will play home hope Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for the Paris Masters title after the pair secured contrasting semifinal victories Saturday.

Federer made it career win number 801 with a routine straight sets defeat of Tomas Berdych, but Tsonga was locked in a mighty battle with John Isner of the United States before coming through.

Tsonga had to fend off three match points in the deciding set before winning the tiebreak 7-3 to wrap up a 3-6 7-6 7-6 victory in just short of three hours.

Isner, best known for his marathon match at Wimbledon against Nicolas Mahut, has served notice of his promise towards the back end of 2011 and shocked fourth seed David Ferrer of Spain to reach his first Masters 1000 semifinal.

He took the first set on a single break and threatened in the middle of the second to take the match away from French No.1 Tsonga.

But urged on by a partisan crowd in the Bercy Arena, Tsonga forced a tiebreaker and then swept through it for the loss of a single point.

The third set was also a tense affair and Isner came back from 0-40 down to protect his service in the ninth game.

After winning my 800th match, reaching the final here for the first time and becoming the first player to reach the finals of the nine Masters is great
Roger Federer

With Tsonga serving at 5-6 it was the giant American’s turn to exert pressure and he forced three match points, all saved as the match went into a deciding tiebreaker.

Tsonga was the first to gain the mini-break and eventually closed it out with a forehand winner to earn a final match-up with Federer.

The Swiss maestro had been at his best to beat Berdych 6-4 6-3 in the opening semifinal to reach the final of the annual indoor tournament in Paris for the first time in his career.

A break of serve in the first game of each set was all the 16-time grand slam winner needed to end the challenge of Berdych, who surprisingly beat second seed Andy Murray in a grueling quarterfinal Friday.

“I really liked the way I played today,” said Federer, whose win over Juan Monaco in the last eight saw him reach the 800 wins milestone.

“After winning my 800th match, reaching the final here for the first time and becoming the first player to reach the finals of the nine Masters is great,” he told AFP.

Federer has slipped to number four in the world, but will be looking for back-to-back titles after winning in Basel last week.

Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Federer, final, Paris, Tennis, Tsonga

Death toll jumps from Turkey quake

November 13, 2011 venomeincer Leave a comment

Two quakes devastate eastern Turkey

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

26 people have been rescued from Wednesday’s quake
A deadlier 7.2 quake last month left 604 people dead
“We haven’t gotten any aid,” a father in the stricken region says
Riot police battled demonstrators in Van

Van, Turkey (CNN) — The death toll from Wednesday’s 5.6-magnitude earthquake in eastern Turkey has risen to 40, the government said Sunday.

A much deadlier 7.2 magnitude quake that tore through Van last month left 604 people dead, officials said.

Twenty-six people have been rescued as a result of Wednesday’s quake.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the Van region Saturday, as a heavy snowstorm hampered rescue efforts.

The sleet, snow and plunging temperatures also worsened conditions for hundreds of thousands of earthquake survivors living outdoors.

Freezing temperatures were expected to continue Sunday, with a bit of warming ahead Monday and Tuesday.

“It’s not possible for us to survive the winter here. The Van winter is very cold and there’s a lot of snow. Living in these shelters is impossible,” Cezmi Fazla said.

He stood outside a small hut his family constructed out of Styrofoam and plywood.

The hut was on the road outside Fazla’s house, which was still standing but badly damaged after the earthquakes. Ten to 15 family members slept in the hut every night, including his wife and youngest child, as well as his father and brother.

Fazla said he sent his three oldest children to relatives in the western Turkish city of Izmir after the first earthquake

“We haven’t gotten any aid,” he said. “We got a lot of support from the people of Turkey, packages with everything from clothes to toothpaste. But the elected officials, the nongovernmental organizations are not making good use of it and were not good at coordinating those efforts. So people feel very panicked. That’s made a lot of people uncomfortable.”

Frustration from earthquake survivors is palpable on the streets of Van, where almost all of the shops are closed after the earthquakes.

“I condemn Tayyip Erdogan,” yelled Muhsin Tarhan, referring to Turkey’s prime minister. He was walking down the street with his wife and six children looking to scavenge plastic and wood to build a shelter.

“We have been buried in the rain, and snow and cold and Recep Tayyip Erdogan does nothing. He only helps those who are supporters of his political party.”

There is a deep distrust of the Turkish state among many of Van’s ethnic Kurdish residents.

In interviews with CNN, many residents even challenged the government’s 5.6 magnitude rating of Wednesday’s earthquake, claiming it was secretly downgraded, even though the U.S. Geological Survey reported an identical 5.6 magnitude.

Southeastern Turkey lies along turbulent geological and ethnic fault lines. For decades, the region has been the main battlefield of a long-running guerrilla war between Kurdish separatist rebels from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Turkish security forces.

On Thursday, tensions boiled over just yards from the rescue operation near the rubble of the Bayram Hotel, when a small crowd of protesters confronted Turkish government officials, demanding the resignation of the Van governor.

Turkish riot police armed with clubs and shields later attacked the demonstrators. In remarks to journalists on Friday, Erdogan denounced the demonstrators, calling them saboteurs who were hampering the recovery effort.

Journalists were assembled awaiting a press conference with the prime minister. But after Erdogan met with disaster relief officials for more than an hour, the press conference was canceled, without explanation.

Two Turkish journalists were among the dead from Wednesday’s quake.

Sebahattin Yilmaz and Cem Emir with the DHA news agency had been covering the aftermath of the 7.2 magnitude quake. They were buried in the rubble of the five-story Bayram Hotel, which collapsed on Wednesday.

A Japanese volunteer who had traveled to Turkey to assist with recovery operations was among other casualties of the demolished hotel.

Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Death, jumps, quake, Turkey

BSkyB board backs Murdoch despite scandal

November 13, 2011 venomeincer Leave a comment

By the CNN Wire Staff

November 12, 2011 — Updated 1534 GMT (2334 HKT)

James Murdoch on the hot seat

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The letter is being sent to investors by the board of British broadcaster BSkyB
James Murdoch has done a “first class job” of leading the board of BSkyB, it says
News Corp. pulled out of a takeover bid for BSkyB amid the phone hacking scandal
Murdoch has faced public questioning over his knowledge of the hacking claims

London (CNN) — The board of directors for broadcaster BSkyB has declared its unanimous support to chairman James Murdoch, in a letter sent to investors ahead of the company’s annual meeting.

Murdoch was grilled Thursday by British lawmakers for a second day over a phone hacking scandal that has embroiled News International, of which he is also chairman.

Parent company News Corp, which owns 39% of BSkyB, pulled out of a takeover bid for the company this summer amid the furor over the hacking claims.

The board of directors, the majority of whom are independent, discussed then whether they were in favor of Murdoch remaining chairman of BSkyB — and opted to maintain their support.

The letter explains why, before Murdoch and all the other directors go up for reelection at the annual meeting on November 29.

News International was forced to shutter News of the World, its best-selling Sunday tabloid, after public outrage at claims the newspaper intercepted cellphone calls and messages of almost 5,800 royals, politicians, celebrities and business leaders — and most controversially of all, a 13-year-old murder victim.

Its senior executives, including James and his media tycoon father Rupert Murdoch, have since faced public questioning about what they knew and when about the extent of illegal behavior at the paper.

The letter, sent to a number of investors in recent weeks from Nick Ferguson, BSkyB’s deputy chairman, explains why the board decided to stand behind James Murdoch despite the scandal.

“We are quite clear that it is an important issue and we have handled it as such. The Independent Directors have always acted in the interest of all the shareholders and we will continue to do so,” the letter says.

It states there has been no “negative reputational effect” as a result of the scandal at News of the World, saying: “We have seen no effect on sales, customers or suppliers over the last five months.”

The letter raises the question of speculation over Murdoch’s integrity, in light of questions over his handling of alleged wrongdoing within News International, but says the board will only deal “with substance.”

Over the past eight years, the letter says, Murdoch “has always acted with integrity in the eyes of both the Board and the senior management. If this was to change, clearly the independent directors would re-evaluate the position.”

It also says Murdoch has done a “first class job” of leading the board and dealing with the company’s senior management team.

At the hearing Thursday, Murdoch rejected allegations his company had behaved like a Mafia organization over the News of the World scandal as offensive and untrue, and stood by his previous testimony to the Culture, Media and Sport committee.

Murdoch’s position at the helm of News International is widely believed to have been jeopardized by the scandal, which has cost its parent company $150 million.

Thursday’s hearing came only days after News International admitted the Sunday tabloid hired a private detective to spy on lawyers defending hacking victims. Murdoch said he had no knowledge of the “appalling” and “unacceptable” action for which he apologized “unreservedly.”

CNN’s Per Nyberg contributed to this report.

Categories: Uncategorized Tags: backs, board, BSkyB, despite, Murdoch, scandal

Italy seeks leader to replace Berlusconi

November 13, 2011 venomeincer Leave a comment

Italy urgently seeks new PM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Italian president: Mario Monti is “gifted, competent, experienced”
Former EU commissioner Monti was touted as a possible successor
Silvio Berlusconi is the second European leader to fall this month over the debt crisis
Italy passes a raft of reforms to try to bring its debt under control

Rome (CNN) — Economist Mario Monti was nominated Sunday to replace Silvio Berlusconi as Italy’s prime minister, presidential spokesman Donato Marra said.

Berlusconi resigned Saturday amid the country’s ongoing financial crisis.

In announcing his nomination, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano said Monti, a former European Union commissioner, is “gifted, competent, experienced” and well respected in Europe and internationally.

“This is the moment of his test,” Napolitano said.

For his part, Monti in brief remarks to reporters, thanked Napolitano “for his trust in me” and pledged to do his best to serve Italy during the economic crisis, speaking of the importance of providing a better future for Italy’s children. He said he will work with urgency, but also with scruples.

Monti ultimately will face approval by the Italian Parliament.

Napolitano met the heads of the Senate and the lower house of parliament Sunday, among other politicians, during the course of a full day of consultations, his office said.

Berlusconi’s resignation was greeted with cheers and dancing in the streets, as people waved the Italian flag and sang the nation’s anthem.

He is the second prime minister to resign this month over the debt crisis sweeping across Europe. Greece’s George Papandreou was replaced Wednesday by Lucas Papademos, a former European Central Bank official.

European Commission President Jose Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy welcomed Monti’s nomination in a joint statement.

“We believe it sends a further encouraging signal — following the swift adoption of the 2012 Stability Law — of the Italian authorities’ determination to overcome the current crisis,” the statement said.

Support appeared to be growing this week for Monti to take the helm of a technocratic administration. Other names floated include former Justice Minister Angelino Alfano and Gianni Letta, Berlusconi’s chief of staff.

The Berlusconi government will back Monti, with conditions, Alfano, a spokesman for Berlusconi’s People of Freedom party, told reporters on Sunday. Those conditions would be that the new government is comprised of technocrats, and that it concentrate on economic reforms, he said. The duration of the new government must be connected to how long those reforms take, according to Alfano.

Left-wing opposition leader Pier Luigi Bersani told reporters after meeting with Napolitano that his party supports the new government. “A new and technocrat government is needed … because the crisis is serious,” he said.

Bersani said his party expressed support for the upcoming government to carry out reforms in the electoral law and in the government, and thanked Napolitano for his handling of a “very grave crisis” in which “there was no time to lose.”

“We need to do all that is possible to conserve our family and our companies from the global crisis that has hit all the advanced countries,” Berlusconi said Sunday in a speech.

Berlusconi has said he does not intend to stand again if new elections are called.

But in a letter to the head of a far-right party, Berlusconi suggested he did want to return to power.

“I hope to be able to undertake with you the path of government,” he said in a letter to Francesco Storace, the head of the right-wing La Desta party.

“I’m proud of what we’ve managed to achieve in these three and half years, which were marked by an unprecedented international crisis,” Berlusconi said in the letter which was posted on his Facebook page. It was dated before his resignation.

The 75-year-old business magnate stepped down just hours after the lower house of parliament approved austerity measures aimed at restoring confidence in Italy’s economy.

Since entering politics nearly two decades ago, Berlusconi has been one of his country’s great survivors, hanging on despite facing numerous trials, on charges ranging from corruption to having sex with an underage prostitute, none of which has resulted in a jail term.

The billionaire was elected for the third time in 2008, under the banner of the newly created People of Freedom party.

In the three and a half years since, his colorful personal life has claimed ever more headlines, as his second wife filed for divorce, he was charged with having sex with an underage nightclub dancer and abusing power, and the so-called “bunga-bunga” parties held at his home gained international notoriety.

On Tuesday, he failed to win a parliamentary majority on a budget vote that should have been routine, and had to face the inevitable: his days at the helm were numbered. In the end, it was his perceived failure to tackle Italy’s debt crisis rather than any private scandal which had brought him down.

On Saturday, the Italian lower house of parliament approved a series of austerity measures demanded by Europe to shore up confidence in the country’s economy. It passed by a vote of 380 for to 26 against.

The package, which includes spending cuts and proposals to boost growth, was approved by the Senate Friday, resulting in a market surge.

The measures include pension reform, with plans to raise the retirement age from 65 to 67, the privatization of state-owned companies and sale of state-owned properties, the liberalization of certain professions, and investment in infrastructure.

Italy is the the third-largest economy using the euro, and a meltdown would have a massive impact on global markets.

Berlusconi had pledged to step down once the austerity measures passed both houses of parliament after losing his majority.

The structural reforms demanded by the European Central Bank and the European Commission must be brought in without delay, said Emma Marcegaglia, head of the Italian employers’ association, Confindustria.

“These reforms are the only thing that can take us out of the current situation,” she said. “We have no choice. We cannot wait for three months for the next elections, this would mean the destruction of Italy. “

She said a rapid solution to the political uncertainty in Italy was essential to put it “firmly back on the road to credibility.”

She added: “We are not Greece, we are a strong economy, we are the world’s eighth largest economy. We have many state assets and have lots of potential. But we have to survive this very difficult situation.”

Italian borrowing costs continued to ease Friday, after spiking above 6.75% Wednesday, giving investors hope that Italy is finally starting to make some progress toward addressing its massive debt problems.

Yields on Italian 10-year bonds were trading at 6.5% Friday after dipping as low as 6.43%. While that’s still stubbornly above 6%, it’s finally moving in the right direction.

It is imperative to keep Italy’s 10-year bond yields well below 7% because that was the level that eventually led to bailouts for Ireland, Portugal and Greece.

Currently, Italy — the biggest bond issuer in Europe — possesses a massive gross debt of roughly €1.9 trillion and a debt-to-GDP ratio of 120%. The country is widely considered to be too big to fail. But it may also be too big to bail.

CNN’s Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report

Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Berlusconi, Italy, leader, replace, seeks

Berlusconi’s legacy of style, debt

November 13, 2011 venomeincer Leave a comment

Pressure grows on Berlusconi to resign

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Silvio Berlusconi officially resigns as Italian prime minister
Until recently he appeared to be leading a charmed life
He has been dogged by many scandals since he entered politics two decades ago
Cleared of tax fraud, he still faces charges of paying for sex with an under-age girl

(CNN) — As Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi steps down, the charming billionaire will leave his country with a legacy of colorful brashness and painful debt.

Berlusconi officially resigned on Saturday after the next budget — which imposes harsh austerity cuts on Italy — was approved by both houses of Parliament. The thrice-elected business magnate has said he does not intend to stand again if new elections are called.

Until recently, Berlusconi was leading a charmed life. His vast business empire spanned media, construction and football, making him the 118th-richest person in the world, according to Forbes, with a net worth of $6.2 billion, while this year he become Italy’s longest-serving post-war prime minister.

Then he became embroiled in charges that he had paid for sex with a 17-year-old girl; his coalition government became ever more fragile; and Europe’s financial crisis threatened to embroil Italy.

Despite the many scandals that have dogged Berlusconi since he entered politics nearly two decades ago, the 75-year-old is undisputedly one of life’s survivors. He has faced numerous trials, but no charge against him has ever been proven in court. In Parliament, opponents have tabled 51 confidence votes in him in the past three years alone, but Italians have thrice elected him as prime minister.

Born in Milan in 1936, Berlusconi gave notice early on of his showman side by working as a lounge room crooner aboard a cruise ship to help fund his university tuition — he studied law.

Various low-level commercial enterprises followed before the fledgling entrepreneur enjoyed his first real success in property development in the late 1960s when he was involved in a project to build Milano Two — nearly 4,000 flats — outside Milan.

After amassing a fortune from his property portfolio in the 1970s, he diversified his interests by setting up a TV cable company, Telemilano, and buying two other cable channels in an effort to break the national TV monopoly in Italy. In 1978, these channels were incorporated into his newly formed Fininvest group, which included department stores, insurance companies and even AC Milan — one of the world’s biggest football clubs.

Berlusconi turned his attention to politics in 1993 when he formed the center-right Forza Italia Party and the following year, in a snap election, he won the post of prime minister. However, a dispute with his right-wing coalition partners from the Northern League Party, as well as an indictment for alleged tax fraud, ended Berlusconi’s tenure in the job after barely seven months. He was acquitted on appeal in 2000 after the statute of limitations had expired.

On plan to send troops to police Sardinia’s streets: “We would have to send as many soldiers as there are beautiful girls.”

To those made homeless in 2009 earthquake: “They should see it like a weekend of camping.”

On Barack Obama: “He’s young, handsome and tanned.”

And on himself: I feel like “the Jesus Christ of Italian politics. I’m a patient victim. I put up with everything. I sacrifice myself for everyone.”

After defeat in the 1996 election to his political nemesis, Romano Prodi, he became embroiled in other financial scandals, including a charge of bribing tax inspectors. He denied any wrongdoing and was cleared again on appeal in 2000.

His fortunes turned again in 2001 when he was sworn in as prime minister for a second time. But Prodi — a former European Commission president — ended Berlusconi’s more successful reign with his center-left Union coalition victory in 2006. At that time, the tycoon had presided over the longest-serving post-war Italian government.

Despite having a pacemaker implanted to regulate his heartbeat after he collapsed during a political rally, he refused to slow down. Sporting a hair transplant, cosmetic surgery and a tan, Berlusconi returned to power for a third time in 2008 under the banner of the newly created People of Freedom party.

The next year proved to be one of extremes for the veteran politician. He was praised for his handling of the devastating earthquake that struck the Italian town of L’Aquila in April 2009, and survived criticism after urging survivors to see their plight like “a weekend of camping.”

But the following month, Berlusconi’s second wife, Veronica Lario, filed for divorce — alleging Berlusconi had an inappropriate relationship with an 18-year-old aspiring model whose birthday party he had attended. Berlusconi said she was the daughter of a friend and that he had done nothing wrong.

In December that year, a man with a history of mental illness hit Berlusconi in the face with a replica of Milan’s cathedral at a campaign rally, breaking several of his teeth and fracturing his nose. Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that the irrepressible Berlusconi continued to shake hands with supporters for “a couple of minutes” after being hit.

Meanwhile Italian prosecutors expanded their tax fraud investigation into the country’s biggest commercial broadcaster, Mediaset, which Berlusconi controls. He was accused of reducing Mediaset’s tax liabilities by purchasing U.S. movie rights at inflated prices and then creating illegal slush funds, but last month he was cleared of all charges.

With the country’s economy reeling amid the financial crisis — Italy’s debts of $2.7 trillion equal about 150% of its economic output — pressure on Berlusconi grew. Gianfranco Fini — a former party ally — lashed out, accusing him of a lack of attention to the economy and structural reforms that Italy needs. The prime minister survived three votes of confidence in Parliament during 2010 and this year, winning one by just three votes, but his authority continued to ebb.

Economists said Berlusconi commanded neither sufficient political authority to push through spending cuts nor the moral high ground to squeeze more taxes out of Italians while he faced trial on various charges. Other European leaders criticized him for failing to implement economic reform with sufficient urgency.

Economists’ faith in Berlusconi wanes

Meanwhile, Berlusconi faced a serious personal challenge, and one that could yet land him in prison, with charges of sex with an underage nightclub dancer and abuse of power.

Berlusconi had sex 13 times with underage dancer Karima el Mahroug, nicknamed “Ruby the heart-stealer,” say prosecutors who allege the prime minister abused his position when he intervened in May 2010 to get her released from the jail where she was being held on charges of theft. El Mahroug has said she never had sex with Berlusconi and that she lied to him about her age, telling him she was 24.

In September 2011, prosecutors submitted transcripts of approximately 100,000 pages of wiretaps — from 2008 and 2009 — to a court in Bari. The prosecutors have accused eight people of paying young women to attend so-called “bunga bunga” parties at Berlusconi’s home.

Berlusconi denied the charges and accused prosecutors of conspiring against him in a left-wing plot. “Communism never changes in Italy. There are still people who use the penal code as a weapon in their ideological battles,” he said earlier this year.

But, according to the transcripts of the calls, Berlusconi made several controversial remarks, vowing at one point to leave Italy, which he described as a “shitty country” that “sickened” him. When confronted with these remarks, Berlusconi laughed off this and other gaffes.

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