Berlusconi: Earthquake is like a camping trip
Italy started burying some of the 260 victims of a huge earthquake which struck the country's Abruzzo region.
But, while rescuers hampered by aftershocks hunted for people buried alive in the rubble, their prime minister caused outrage among those forced to flee the region and live in tents.
With 28,000 people made homeless, premier Silvio Berlusconi told one German television channel that the 17,000 refugees 'should look on it as a camping weekend'.
He later said the comments were meant to infuse the people with optimism. Last night, the death toll climbed to 260 when rescuers pulled out 15 more bodies from the rubble.
In Rome, Pope Benedict again prayed for the victims and said he would visit the area soon...
Berlusconi mad at media over gaffe coverage
Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi threatens to impose a media blackout after reporters highlighted his recent gaffe during a NATO meeting.
Berlusconi's reaction came after he stirred fresh media scorn over missing a symbolic unity walk by leaders to mark NATO's 60th anniversary in Strasbourg.
The prime minister was seen engaged in an intense conversation on his cell phone as all heads of state from NATO member countries gathered for a group photo and a ceremonial walk on a bridge across the Rhine River that connects Germany and France.
The Italian leader missed the first photo and joined the group for a second shot, apologizing to German Chancellor Angela Merkel for failing to salute her earlier.
Berlusconi slammed the media for accusing him of snubbing Merkel by turning his back on her and talking on his mobile saying such measures damaged Italy's reputation.
The Italian premier went on to add that he was considering taking "hard measures" against reporters.
Earlier at the G20 summit on Thursday, Queen Elizabeth II reportedly chastised Berlusconi for shouting "Mr. Obama" after a similar photo shoot in London.
An angry Berlusconi said he was fed up with the way the media treated him and threatened a news blackout.
"I will no longer talk to you. I am working for Italy while you work against it. I will no longer give news conferences."
He later added, "Enough with this. Go to the devil! This is slander towards me and disinformation to newspaper readers."
"The Italian press, with their stories of my gaffes, harm the reputation of Italy. The story of my gaffe with Queen Elizabeth is absurd. And now the same thing with Mrs. Merkel. I said to her 'I'm talking to Erdogan' and she said 'Go ahead, go ahead'.
"The Italian press seems to have no other objective than to say that I made bad impressions or gaffes."
Earlier in the year, the premier's comments about rape prevention in Italy outraged the public and made global headlines.
"We would need as many soldiers as there are beautiful girls in Italy," Berlusconi said.
Berlusconi prefers Simona Ventura over Angela Merkel
"Italian YouTube viewers of this clip brought to our attention that Berlusconi was talking about popular Italian X-Factor presenter Simona Ventura, aka 'La Ventura', as he kept German chancellor Angela Merkel waiting at the start of the NATO summit on the French-German border near Strasbourg. The X-factor in Italy, which airs on Rai2 public tv, is locked in a major ratings battle with the Italian version of Friends, known as Amici, which airs on one of the Mediaset channels. Mediaset is owned by Berlusconi..."
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