Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's prime minister, has said that Standard & Poor's decision to downgrade its unsolicited ratings on Italy did not reflect reality and said his government was already preparing measures to spur growth.<br /><br />The rating agency said it had downgraded Italian debt to "A/A-1" from a "A+/A-1+" grade because of "Italy's weakening economic growth prospects".<br /><br />It added that Italy's weak governing coalition would "limit the government's ability to respond decisively" to events.<br /><br />Al Jazeera's Claudio Lavanga reports from Rome.
