First came the reminder that Mr Prodi's government is not, after all, absolutely stable.

ECONOMIST: Back and forth in Italy

Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who met Mr Karunanidhi on Monday night to try talk him round, said there was no crisis and the "government is absolutely stable, it will stay in power".

BBC: India key ally DMK pulls out of government

Reuters: John Griffith-Jones, chairman of KPMG in Europe, said the banking industry is built on confidence and that full disclosure is absolutely fine in a stable environment.

FORBES: Why No Warnings? Investors Press Audit Regulator

The Fiscal Snapshot makes it unambiguously clear that the current fiscal mess is solely, exclusively, absolutely positively, without any doubt the result of spending levels remaining above a stable, 50-year revenue trend of 18% of GDP.

FORBES: Do We Face A Government Default, Or De-End?