Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti handed in his resignation late Friday to President Giorgio Napolitano, paving the way for likely elections in February, dpa reported.

Monti plans to illustrate the measures his unelected technocrat government has taken over the last year and what reforms remain to be implemented at a hotly-awaited press conference scheduled for Sunday.

Italy‘s 2013 budget law won definitive approval in a vote in the House on Friday,

Italy‘s Senate approved legislation on Thursday needed to amend the constitution to make future governments run balanced budgets, giving final clearance to a key part of the EU‘s fiscal compact aimed at shoring up financial stability.

Die Politiker werden immer müder, die Bürger immer frustrierter, die Tempo- und Handlungsvorgaben der Finanzmärkte immer dominanter – Höchste Zeit für eine Strategie der Entschleunigung

Die Mitgliedsstaaten im Staatenbund “Europäische Union” werden geplündert, durch in des Kapitalismus neue Kleider gehüllte Regierungen, Banker und etablierte Parteien.

„He has previously worked for Rabobank International, based in London, as Managing Director, Chief Economist and Global Head of Research; for Deutsche Bank in various capacities, including Managing Director, Deutsche Bank Research, in Frankfurt between 1990 and 1995, as well as for Merrill Lynch and Salomon Brothers.“

Writedowns on Cypriot government debt like those forced on Greek bondholders would leave banks in Cyprus “decimated” and make it harder for other euro-area nations to borrow, said Hung Tran, first deputy managing director of the Institute of International Finance.

Germany‘s Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper said on Thursday that the IMF was concerned about the sustainability of Cyprus‘s debt and wanted to see private sector involvement in dealing with it.

Thousands of Italians have held a demonstration in Rome to protest against the government’s planned cuts in healthcare budget.

Das aus Deutschland erpresste Deflations-Verfassungsgesetz zur “Schuldenbremse” wird heute in der italienischen Abgeordnetenkammer durchgewunken. Deren Wahl versucht Staatspräsident Napolitano aus niederen Beweggründen um zwei Monate vor zu ziehen, um Beppe Grillos Fünf Sterne Bewegung auszubremsen, die in Umfragen bei knapp zwanzig Prozent liegt.

Berlusconi told a radio phone-in program it would be „morally questionable“ for Monti to run, emphasizing the risks of him being caught in right-left crossfire if he throws his hat in the ring and loses his status of being above the fray.

The lower house was set to vote around 1800 GMT, following which Monti has said he will resign, kicking off a campaign which will likely see Italy go to the polls on February 24.

The MoU provides for collaboration and sharing practices on how to prepare the population for disasters and crises, stressing civilians‘ capacity to help themselves in such cases.

Dabei brauchen die EU und auch die USA Russland. Polens Außenminister Radoslaw Sikorski hatte jetzt etwa angeregt, dass russische Soldaten die C-Waffen des syrischen Regimes sichern könnten, falls die Lage in dem Land eskaliert.

The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, says his country will not be an intermediary between Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and those who want him to leave and seek safe haven abroad.

Der UNsicherheitsrat machte heute den Krieg in Mali offiziell, indem er sich einstimmig für einen Einmarsch in die nördlichen zwei Drittel des westafrikanischen Landes aussprach.

The media magnate repeated that he would have been willing to let outgoing Premier Mario Monti play that role „but I didn‘t even get one phone call from Monti“.