Consob, Italy's stockmarket regulator, ruled that Banca Popolare di Lodi acted improperly by failing to state it was working with other parties in building a controlling stake in Banca Antonveneta , a larger Italian rival that it wants to buy.

ECONOMIST: General Motors and Ford

The first was the government's handling of the bizarre affair of Italy's central-bank governor, Antonio Fazio, who is accused of favouring a takeover bid by Banca Popolare Italiana (BPI) for Antonveneta, a larger Italian bank, over a rival bid from a Dutch bank, ABN Amro.

ECONOMIST: Exit Siniscalco, scandalised | The