Italian minister resigns in blow to Berlusconi

A former executive in Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's media empire who was unexpectedly appointed as a government minister last month resigned in the midst of an embezzlement trial on Monday.

The sudden departure of Aldo Brancher, named as "minister for federalism" in June, deals a fresh blow to Berlusconi whose centre-right government is facing crippling internal divisions that could put its future at risk. "I am announcing my irrevocable decision to resign as government minister," Brancher told a Milan court. (Reuters)