Italy government tensions rise over austerity plans

From Reuters:

Tensions increased in Italy's government on Sunday over an austerity plan to be approved next week, with one senior coalition member accusing Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti of trying to cause the government's collapse.

Defense Undersecretary Guido Crosetto told news agency ANSA he was "fed up" with Tremonti's autocratic style, saying he was imposing indiscriminate cuts on every ministry but his own.

"It's clear that the economy minister just wants to find a way to upset everything and bring down the government," said Crosetto, a former economic spokesman for Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom (PDL) party.

The austerity budget aimed at eliminating the budget deficit in 2014 is due to be approved by the cabinet on Thursday, following a meeting of ruling coalition leaders on Tuesday to find political agreement over the measures....read on

David Stockman: 'Ben Bernanke is finished'

Jun 23 2011 MSNBC The Dylan Ratigan Show

Libyan update: NATO 'trying to kill Gaddafi'

From The UK Telegraph:

In the first such admission, Adm Samuel Locklear, commander of the NATO Joint Operations Command in Naples, said that efforts had been stepped up to target the Libyan leader, despite declarations by the Obama administration that "regime change" was not the goal.

The admiral's comments were revealed by Representative Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican and member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Mr Turner has opposed the military intervention from the outset was among those who voted in the House of Representatives last week to deny President Barack Obama the authority to wage war against Libya.

Another motion to stop funding for the war failed.

He told Foreign Policy magazine that he came away from his conversation with Adm Locklear convinced that Nato was acting beyond remit of the United Nations 1973 resolution on Libya, which allowed for enforcement of a no-fly zone and the defence of civilians and against Col Gaddafi's forces......read on