The FINANCIAL -- MILAN. The trial of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and 11 others for alleged tax fraud on film sales for his Mediaset media group was adjourned until April 12, an Italian news agency reported on March 8.

The FINANCIAL -- BEIJING. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has called for joint efforts to promote a return to better relations with the United States, Xinhua reported on March 8.

The FINANCIAL -- A 19-year-old girl and nine-year-old boy have been shot dead by their father who then turned the gun on himself, a Dutch news portal reported on March 8.

The FINANCIAL -- BAGHDAD. According to unofficial results in the Iraqi parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, who heads the State of Law Coalition, is leading in the ballot count, the head of an independent Iraqi organization said on March 8.

The FINANCIAL -- ANKARA. The number of deaths from a 6.0-magnitude earthquake in eastern Turkey has climbed to at least 57, the mayor of the village of Kovancilar said on local television on March 8.