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INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE. Italy is open to exploring a joint bid with France for the 2016 European Championship, reviving speculation that the two favorites could pool their resources. "We don't have any problems with forming a joint bid. It would be with a neighboring country, and one that we're friendly with," Italian football federation president Giancarlo Abete said on RAI state radio Monday. "If it's not technically or politically possible, we'll play all our cards." (Read the Article)
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says Italy will boost economic ties with tiny MontenegroHe says there is "wide space" for Italian businessmen to invest in the Adriatic country, particularly in the energy and transportation sectors.
Berlusconi spoke on Monday after meeting with Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic. Djukanovic says Italy has expressed interest in the upcoming privatization of the state power company but also in building power plants in Montenegro and a power cable under the Adriatic Sea between the two countries. (Read the Article)
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR. In an effort to fight the credit crunch, the Italian government recently approved a $15.5 billion plan targeted at helping both small firms and banks. Under terms of the plan approved last month, the government is vowing to buy special security bonds issued by banks in order to provide them with greater liquidity. In return, the banks must subscribe to a "code of ethics" and guarantee that they will grant more loans to companies with fewer than 250 employees – the same firms that have been the bedrock of Italy's economy. (Read the Article)
ANSA. David Beckham hailed AC Milan clubmate Pippo Inzaghi after 'Superpippo' struck twice at Siena to reach the landmark of 300 goals in Italian soccer. (Read the article)
ANSA. Italian pizza makers said Monday they were unfazed by news that a Rovereto businessman has developed the world's first automatic vending machine for freshly made pizza.Something that comes out of an automatic machine has nothing to do with Italian pizza,'' said Pino Morelli, head of the Association of Italian Pizzerias (API), dismissing 56-year-old entrepreneur Claudio Torghele's 'Let's Pizza' invention. (Read the article)
CNN. Sorrentino's film chronicles the career of probably the most important and controversial politico in Italy's recent history. But, more than that, it pins Andreotti to the specimen board and dissects his character without mercy. (Read the article by Mairi Mackay)
THE NEWYORK TIMES. With its pink-hued medieval churches, tree-lined city walls and a famously excellent regional cuisine, Lucca seems the perfect Tuscan city. But that charm is precisely what has made it the latest battleground in a tug of war between the romantic Italy of the popular imagination and the more complex reality. (Read the article by Rachel Donadio)
THE NEWYORK TIMES. Some people collect stamps, ornaments or miniatures, but Toni Hilton collects houses in the Monferrato region of northern Italy. (Read the article by Anne Glusker)
TELEGRAPH.UK. It has taken almost 10 years of work, but North Korea has acquired the technology to launch a project very dear to its leader's heart - the nation's first "authentic" Italian pizzeria. (Read the article by Peter Foster in Beijing)
GOAL. The World Cup qualification match between Italy and Ireland will take place in Bari on April Fools’ Day. For the Irish national team manager Giovanni Trapattoni, who will be 70-years-old tomorrow, it will be a game unlike any other. (Read the article)