Putin holds talks with Berlusconi

Porto Rotondo, Sardinia: Italian Premier-elect Silvio Berlusconi is holding private talks with his old friend and political ally Russian President Vladimir Putin at his villa on Sardinia’s Emerald Coast. The talks are Berlusconi’s first meeting with a foreign leader since he won the Italian election days ago. On the agenda are the state of bilateral relations and the EU and the possibility of energy deals.

A joint news conference was scheduled Friday, shortly before Putin’s departure. (AP)

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Man in jail for staring at woman

Lecco, Italy: An Italian man was given a suspended jail sentence for staring too intensely at a woman sitting in front of him on a train. A judge sentenced the man in his 30s, whose name was not revealed, to 10 days in prison and a 40 euro fine after a 55-year-old woman filed a complaint for sexual harassment. His lawyer said he would file an appeal.

The two met on two separate occasions in 2005 on a commuter train from Lecco to Milan. (Reuters)

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Pak pilot survives jet crash

Islamabad: A fighter jet of the Pakistan Air Force crashed while on a routine mission in the Punjab province though the Pakistan Air Force pilot ejected safely.

The F-7 jet crashed 25 miles west of Faisalabad city on Thursday night, a Pakistan Air Force spokesman said.

The pilot however ejected safely and no damage on the ground was reported.

A board of inquiry has been ordered to probe the fighter jet crash, which was apparently caused by a technical fault, he said. (PTI)