Italy’s top court ruled today that a law granting Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi immunity from prosecution violates the constitution, in a verdict that could reopen trials against him and undermine his government, Reuters reports.
The Constitutional Court ruled that the law passed last year by the center-right leader, soon after he returned for a third term in power, violates the principle that all citizens are equal before the law. The immunity law is also invalid because it …

Scientists have made a breakthrough in ending the agony of period pain for millions of women by creating a new pill, the Daily Mail reports.
The drug is designed to tackle the cause of stomach cramps which leave some women bedridden, rather than just the symptoms. It is currently in the second phase of testing and will be trialled on 128 women, aged between 18 and 35, in the UK and America.
Volunteers, who suffer pain severe enough …

Conservative leader David Cameron said that the Tories’ Polish allies in the European Parliament are not homophobic, as some people seem to charge.
Cameron was asked by Sky’s political correspondent Joey Jones how he would respond to a letter from celebrities including Stephen Fry, which called on him to oppose “vile rhetoric” about gay rights from the Law and Justice Party, Sky News reports.
“I’ll respond to the letter very clearly,” Cameron said. “I don’t believe the Law …

The European Union have approved Microsoft’s proposal in the so-called “browser war” to allow computer manufacturers install as many internet browsers as they want, and give the customer a choice between them when they turn on the computer for the first time.
Microsoft proposed to the European Union to offer a browser ballot selection page to buyers of their operating system. This would mean that hardware manufacturers can install several browsers onto machines and let the …

One of the few remaining rear wheel drive vehicle producers and one of my favourite car makers, BMW are to build a front wheel drive model, dubbed the 0-series, which is to be based on Mini Cooper.
Car Magazine say that the new 0-series would go on sale in 2013. The new model, called at the moment UKL1 (Untere Komptaktklasse – lower compact class), is designed to head-to-head with the new Audi A1 and the MB …

General Sir Richard Dannatt, the former head of the British Army, is to become a Tory peer and adviser to the Conservative Party on defence, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Sir Richard, who has been an outspoken critic of Labour, will be given a seat in the House of Lords and a role advising the Conservative defence team.
He stepped down as Chief of the General Staff in August.
In office, Sir Richard publicly said that ministers were not …

Renault have confirmed that BMW Sauber’s Polish driver Robert Kubica will join them for next season, the BBC reports.
24-year-old Kubica will replace two-time Ferrari-bound world champion Fernando Alonso.
“I am highly motivated and optimistic that we can be at the front of the grid next year and hopefully fighting for the world title,” Kubica said.
“He is one of the most naturally talented drivers of his generation and it is great to have him next season,” Renault …

September was another excellent month for The Empire Chronicles, our daily average unique visitor count was 1252, which is over 250 more than in August (1002) and over 300 more than in July (936).
The surge in daily unique users is of course understandable, as many people returned from their summer holidays and started reading their favourite news sites and blogs again. Altogether 37,562 people visited The Empire Chronicles during September (31,071 in August) and they …

Former Formula One driver Nelson Piquet Jr is getting back on the track for the first time since his involvement in the Formula One crash scandal, test driving for NASCAR’s pickup truck series next week, USA Today reports.
The Brazilian driver, who was cleared of any wrongdoing in a Renault plot that saw the Brazilian crash his car to help teammate Fernando Alonso win a race last year, will take part in the one-day test for …

The Tories are outlining plans to ban cheap supermarket drink deals and raise the price of super-strength lager, if they win the next election, the BBC reports.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling told the party’s conference it was too easy for teenagers to get “very drunk quickly and cheaply”. He also said councils would be given new powers to restrict pub and club opening hours. Penalties would also be increased for premises who sell to underage drinkers.
Grayling told …

Ferrari pilot Felipe Massa could make a return from his life-threatening accident in Hungary at the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi next month, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Ferrari are expected to make a decision today over when the Brazilian will drive a Formula One car for the first time since suffering head injuries in a freak accident during qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix in July.
The Italian team said yesterday that only after …

US President Barack Obama told Congressional leaders yesterday that he would not substantially reduce American forces in Afghanistan or shift the mission to just hunting terrorists there, but he indicated that he remained undecided about the major troop buildup proposed by his commanding general, The New York Times reports.
Meeting with leaders from both parties at the White House, Obama seemed to be searching for some sort of middle ground, saying he wanted to “dispense with …

The security forces have been placed on heightened alert after receiving intelligence of a terrorist plot to attack a Northern Ireland Army base, The Independent reports.
Security chiefs are concerned that a mortar attack on one of the bases is imminent and have placed all Army personnel on high alert.
It is understood military personnel were briefed about the developments over the weekend. “We have all been placed on a high state of alert and have been …

Curtis Warren, one of Britain’s most notorious and richest gangsters, has been convicted of trying to smuggle £1 million worth of cannabis into Jersey, the Daily Telegraph reports.
46-year-old Warren, known by his nickname “Cocky”, was once the most wanted man in Europe, but had denied leading a plot to flood the Channel Island’s streets with the illegal drug.
A jury at the Royal Court in St Helier found him guilty of conspiracy to import a controlled …

The Government are expected to announce troop reinforcements for Afghanistan following intense criticism of their failure to agree to extra forces requested by commanders last spring, The Independent reports.
The decision to deploy up to 1,000 more troops is likely to be made after a cabinet meeting on the conflict within the next seven days. Ministers had indicated that no more forces would be deployed while a shortfall remained in providing enough armoured vehicles for protection …

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2009 jointly to
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Thomas A. Steitz, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA; and to Ada E. Yonath, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel, for for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome.
Here’s the press release of the Nobel committee:
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2009 awards studies of one of life’s core …