2 Gunmen Kill Advisor to Labor Minister

Two gunmen on a motorcycle killed a key advisor to Italy’s government outside his home in Bologna in what Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi denounced as an act of political “terrorism..

Marco Biagi, an economist and consultant to Labor Minister Roberto Maroni, was an author and promoter of labor reforms that have angered Italy’s leftist opposition and prompted major unions to threaten a general strike for next month.

Two gunmen approached the 52-year-old Biagi outside his home and fired four shots, two of which hit him, news reports said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Biagi was married and had two children.