In the Mediterranean the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has just appeared in court for the first of several legal cases that threaten to undermine his leadership.

ECONOMIST: Charlemagne

This intimate Italian bistro specializes in contemporary Mediterranean cuisine.

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This problem is neither Italian nor Greek, but spans the whole of Mediterranean Europe.

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The real objection is that the new approach prevents migrants from applying for asylum even if they are entitled to humanitarian protection (typically around a third of Mediterranean boat people qualify, according to the Italian government).

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The Mediterranean diet is also likely to be a factor in Italian longevity.

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Shortly after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in the Spring of 2010, Italian coastal communities and local politicians mounted an offensive on offshore drilling, fearing a similar event in the Mediterranean.

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