Has Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had other things on his mind, perhaps? American officials have seized the lead in organizing Wednesday's G-8 summit, which is taking place in the Italian town of L'Aquila. The Italians are so ill-prepared for the event that some countries in the Group of Eight would like to Italy's membership revoked, senior western officials are telling The Guardian. "The G-8 is a club, and clubs have membership dues. Italy has not been paying them," one official said. Media attention in the run-up to the conference has been focused on Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's partying. Some would like to see Spain replace Italy in the club, but any removal is unlikely.
Read it at The Guardian
