Berlusconi

Mr. Berlusconi has also repeatedly said he never paid for sex.

This week, in a nod to the French, Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's prime minister, said the firm's takeover offer complied with market rules.

Mr Berlusconi himself set off speculation over his future a week ago by speaking vaguely of a "coup" plot against him.

Berlusconi's counsel has said the prime minister would be available to testify if the court gave the go-ahead.

Mr Berlusconi seems to understand, belatedly, the seriousness of Italy's economic situation.

In Italy, scandal hit Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is the only leader of a large EU member state to stand as head of an electoral list.

Berlusconi has sought to make light of the release this week of a series of tapes, saying Italians knew he was "no saint" .

He said Berlusconi would be kept in at least overnight for observation and would need up to 15 days to recover.

Mr Cacciari, a left-winger, refused to ask Silvio Berlusconi's right-wing government to declare a state of emergency.

You might have thought that people would have tired of it after George Bush's two administrations or Silvio Berlusconi's three.

He said he invited the women to the parties because he wanted to present a good impression to Berlusconi.

She says she was also driven to tell her tale because Mr Berlusconi had broken a promise to her.

On Tuesday night Mr Berlusconi was as close to resigning as he's ever been.

Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's Prime Minister, as he used the remnants of a broken podium to toast President Bush at a White House dinner.

AT THE start of the year, Silvio Berlusconi must have felt everything was going his way.

Berlusconi said he had expected the ruling as the court was dominated by left-wing judges, and he would not resign.

The BBC's Duncan Kennedy in Rome says it has been a dramatic week for Mr Berlusconi, and he ended it with a typically defiant flourish.

Italian prosecutors said the Berlusconi media company bought the name two American film rights, through cross-border corporate tax evasion.

Silvio Berlusconi is to stake the fate of his government and his own political future on a confidence vote in parliament on Friday.

Last night, after finally resigning, Mr Berlusconi slipped out of a side door of the president's palace to dodge a raucous mob.

It was not a great day for Italy, which elected Mr Berlusconi in 2008 and now doesn't know how to get rid of him.

Berlusconi said the prosecutor brought the desire to dismiss his case is just an excuse.

For a month Silvio Berlusconi has been enmeshed in a sex scandal that might have forced any other leader from office.

Visibly shaken, Mr. Berlusconi left the lower house without speaking publicly, while members of the opposition called on him to resign.

Instead, it plans to call for a vote of no confidence in an effort to force Mr Berlusconi to accept an interim emergency government.

State television showed Berlusconi with blood on his lips as he was lifted to his feet by aides.

As Barack Obama gestured to his wife in introduction , Mr Berlusconi threw up his arms in apparent delight .

Mr Fini responded by taking 33 deputies with him to form a new parliamentary group, thus depriving Mr Berlusconi of a majority.

Rioting broke out in Rome a day later (see article), just as it did when Mr Berlusconi was confirmed in office in December 2010.

'The only objective of these farcical and groundless trials is to defame me in the media, ' Mr. Berlusconi told reporters.

And he's not a rebel at all. As you see in the film, he is a big Berlusconi fan, he's a reactionary, there's nothing new in his ideology.

All this explains why Berlusconi's libertine reputation isn't a political impediment, as it would be in the United States.

NO MATTER how much he provokes them, Italians seem unable to dislodge Silvio Berlusconi.

Berlusconi said the affair was the result of "media criminality" .

The Luigi Berlusconi trophy is a very stimulating game and I respect this annual appointment, but I only see it as a preparation game.

MILAN - President Berlusconi has always had the respect for the opponent as one of the main pillars in his presence inside the sport.

Mr. Berlusconi is hoping for a strong victory in the elections that will show that the scandal is not affecting him politically.

In an audiotape released in July, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi allegedly told a prostitute to wait for him in whose bed?

Once it ended, Mr. Berlusconi made his way through the crowd, greeting supporters along the way.

"It's absolutely beyond discussion that Premier Berlusconi could have been aware of my reimbursements" to the women, he said.

In January, after four years of work by the general and his staff, Silvio Berlusconi's cabinet approved a change in the frontier.

When asked in the interview if he had ever paid a woman to spend the night with him, Berlusconi replied: 'No, naturally.

Mr. Berlusconi has dismissed the potential trials as farcical and groundless and says prosecutors are trying to defame him in the media.

He said Mr. Berlusconi agreed with him on the way forward both in respect of Africa and climate change.

"It seems odd since I've only met Berlusconi once and that was in an attempt to get aid into Darfur, " Clooney said in a statement.

Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, used to say that his government would never put its hands into taxpayers' pockets.

But when critics compare him to Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, they do not mean it as a compliment.

I spoke to President Silvio Berlusconi and he agrees with me that we must not fuel the rumours suggesting we are being targeted.

Mr Berlusconi is urging his own supporters to push for an election and rule out a government of national unity.

She even produced recordings of conversations with a man she said was Berlusconi.

AMONG the consequences of Silvio Berlusconi's long ascendancy over Italy is the numbing of his compatriots' democratic sensibilities.

If the centre-left is likely to be little better than Mr Berlusconi at reforming Italy, then technocracy has an irresistible appeal.

And he this was not the first time Mr Berlusconi has stated his intention to stand down at the next election.

Italians are bemused at the speed and nature of the "takeover" , however much they delight in the fall of Silvio Berlusconi.

And his sister-in-law said the family had known for months that Mr Berlusconi would be there.

In fact, it was just this Tuesday when Berlusconi spoke of his regret about Gila's suspension and absence for the return leg in Monaco.

Mr Berlusconi's company is appealing against the award, but if it fails, it may have to sell assets.

Apart from the general manager, I must also thank president Berlusconi and all the fans who have welcomed me in a wonderful way.

The Italian papers were full of news that Prime Minister Berlusconi was about to be charged with sleeping with a teen-ager.

Berlusconi, who had told his wife he going to a conference, has denied any "steamy affair. "

Mr Berlusconi does not appear to have let his second marriage get in the way of his engagement announcement.

But once the most acute market pressure was relieved, Mr Berlusconi began to backtrack on his austerity measures, to the fury of Germany.

Mr Berlusconi, who was not in court, is accused of two offences: paying an underage prostitute and exploiting his position to cover it up.

On Saturday, Berlusconi said he was "tempted" to brief parliament about Letizia, but needed to reflect on it first.

Berlusconi on Friday morning held a meeting with the lawyer, who did not respond to the prosecution's allegations.

But a definitive conviction of his former co-defendant would, by implication, mean Berlusconi was equally guilty of having bribed him.

Unfortunately, Uzan also appeared to share some of Berlusconi's predilection for shady business practices.

Some women carried banners reading "Italy is not a brothel" , and said Mr Berlusconi had demeaned women with his recent sex scandals.

Mr. Berlusconi's personal life has undergone heavy scrutiny since last spring, when his wife announced she wanted a divorce.

Analysts framed the results as a referendum on the embattled premier, and even Berlusconi's coalition allies lashed out at him.

Silvio Berlusconi has never been shy of showing off the many records he holds.

Mr Berlusconi said he would boycott the referendums.

In an interview with Corriere della Sera newspaper on Sunday, Berlusconi said Milan was a model for the rest of Italy.

Mr Berlusconi has acknowledged knowing Ruby and phoning the police on her behalf, but says he's done nothing wrong.

Asked whether he thought Milan's problem was a lack of attention, Silvio Berlusconi said: "No, we are not distracted. "

Berlusconi seized the moment by understanding public sentiment and its revulsion with the status quo.

Berlusconi is due to "Ruby" case ready to accept a judicial investigation.

It may be that the septuagenarian Mr Berlusconi is determined to hand over to a much younger man or woman.

Paradoxically, the weakness of both Berlusconi and Tremonti means that neither can trump the other, at least in the short term.

Mr Berlusconi decided that, instead of fighting for his legislation on its merits, he would try to deter voters from participating.

The scandals made front page news around the globe, but had only a moderate impact on Berlusconi's robust popularity ratings in Italy.

Reportedly, Mr Berlusconi's main reason for respecting his new opponent was that he comes across well on television.

U. S. President George Bush is in Italy for talks with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Thursday and a meeting with Pope Benedict Friday.

In fact, she denied she was a prostitute or that she had had sex with the 74-year-old Mr Berlusconi.

As well as nudging Berlusconi off the stage, Merkel had to smooth out her volatile relationship with France's president, Nicolas Sarkozy.

Mr. Berlusconi is also accused of using his influence to get the woman out of police custody after she was arrested on a theft charge.

A FRENCH website says of our European cover this week: "The Economist does not do half-measures in its judgment of [Silvio] Berlusconi. "

A woman claiming to be recruited, Berlusconi's private plane had sex villa party for delivery of marijuana.

At the summit, Mr Berlusconi was told bluntly to go away and come back in three days' time with a credible plan to reform his country.

In one fragment of conversation, Berlusconi appears to direct D'Addario to wait for him in bed while he showers.

In a statement, prosecutors in Milan said they'd issued a summons to Mr Berlusconi and his lawyers, inviting him to come and talk to them.

For No Berlusconi Day comes after a week in which the billionaire politician has been under relentless attack.

Mr Berlusconi's resistance to structural reform appeared to harden as the country's problems deepened.

To placate Italy's irate local mayors and governors, Mr Berlusconi lightened the burden of savings they were supposed to have made.

Silvio Berlusconi was often described as a consummate survivor, managing to slip out of political and legal trouble again and again.

Partly thanks to his own machinations, there is no obvious successor if Mr Berlusconi quits.

On Wednesday, the constitutional court threw out a law introduced by Berlusconi's government giving him immunity from prosecution.

No matter how damaging for Berlusconi's personal image, the scandals, when properly managed, can be good for him as a politician.

It was an undignified journey. As Mr Berlusconi arrived at the palace, a large crowd booed and jeered.

Berlusconi also refused to resign because of sex scandals, saying that it was to oust him a deliberate conspiracy.

Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi will step down within a few days, the country's president has said.

The loss of Arcore was one of several that made these elections a personal calamity for Mr Berlusconi.

One of the girls is said to be Noemi Letizia, an 18-year-old woman at the center of speculation about Mr. Berlusconi, who's 72.

Journalists close to Mr Berlusconi have been appointed to edit RAI's radio news and the bulletins of its first channel.

Some of Mr Berlusconi's opponents hailed the results as a sign that his long ascendancy in Italian politics was drawing to a close.

Earlier this year Veronica Berlusconi, Silvio Berlusconi's wife of almost three decades, tired of her husband's reported boorish behaviour.

Above, Berlusconi appears on the television program Porta a Porta in May 2009 to discuss his wife's decision to file for divorce.

Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, is the only EU leader to have unambiguously backed the former Labour leader.

But for Preti , the student in London, Veronica Berlusconi 's indignant letter signified a stirring of change .

Displaying what some describe as his customary wit, Mr Berlusconi said it was better to have a fondness for pretty girls than to be gay.

Last week prosecutors in Milan applied to have Mr Berlusconi put on trial for allegedly paying for sex with an underage girl.

Berlusconi has likened himself to Napoleon, saying "only Napoleon did more than me - but at least I am taller than him. "

President Silvio Berlusconi asked me to let my hair grown and shave my beard instead.

Berlusconi decided to seek a vote of confidence after losing a crucial division on the public accounts earlier this week.

Berlusconi's quest for votes, however, was conducted with all the trappings of a high-powered American-style advertising campaign.

Say what you will about Silvio Berlusconi but, when it comes to the Italian prime minister's hair, you can't call him a hypocrite.

And Mr Berlusconi acknowledged that France, in fact, absorbs five times as many migrants a year as Italy.

Mr Berlusconi has built conflict of interest into the heart of Italian life.

Mr Fini had attacked Mr Berlusconi's leadership in a speech to supporters of his new Future and Freedom for Italy faction.

In his third government Mr Berlusconi has also pursued an eccentric foreign policy out of kilter with Italy's Western allies.

In his third government Mr Berlusconi has also pursued an eccentric foreign policy out of kilter with Italy's Western allies.

But then Mr Berlusconi's government has no discernible economic creed.

Worse, the Italian Constitutional Court has ruled that Berlusconi is no longer enjoy full judicial immunity.

Berlusconi must come up with a comeback ploy pretty soon if he wants to avoid going under.

It is a disgrace that Mr Berlusconi's efforts in this direction have been almost entirely designed to protect his own complicated interests.

When Berlusconi took off the helm over the club in 1986, he restructured the training center with the help of a company named Edilnord.

Mr Berlusconi has just gone on trial in the last of the cases in which he is a defendant.

Of late, Italian politics has featured almost as much sex and crime as the evening schedule on a Berlusconi television channel.

Thanks to the tight fiscal policy of Mr Berlusconi's finance minister, Giulio Tremonti, Italy has so far escaped the markets' wrath.

Berlusconi to his own no-confidence motion will be reversed for the left to send the dispute.

Berlusconi to his own no-confidence motion will be reversed for the left to send the dispute.

Italy 's constitutional court threw out a law giving Silvio Berlusconi immunity from prosecution.

Berlusconi narrowly lost another election to Romano Prodi and a subsequent legal challenge of the results.

This month, borrowing costs on Italian bonds have almost returned to the unsustainable levels they were at when Mr. Berlusconi resigned.

Mr Berlusconi vowed that, before his eventual departure, he would pass the package of reforms recommended by the European Union.

But he is no longer the only person holding a gun to Mr Berlusconi's head.

Since the Letizia scandal, Berlusconi has also been fending off accusations of cavorting with escorts who were paid to attend his parties.

We must surely be in the final act of the dark comedy called Silvio Berlusconi.

Just as striking was Mr Berlusconi's assumption that the decision as to who would take over from him was entirely his.

Mr Berlusconi's staff have tried to get one foreign ambassador to bring journalists from his country into line.

To Mr Berlusconi's critics, the explanation of his popularity is quite different.

Berlusconi is no longer willing to shell out mass money for Milan, the club must move forward on their own accord.

The revelations followed weeks of salacious reporting about Mr Berlusconi's separate friendship with an 18-year-old would-be model.

The Italian president, Giorgio Napolitano, sought to reassure the markets by promising that Berlusconi would be leaving office soon.

The country has lived with chronic debt for years and, like Mr Berlusconi, it has always managed to avoid a day of reckoning.

In the nuclear ballot, the turnout was 55%. The majority against Mr Berlusconi's proposed "nuclear renaissance" was an overwhelming 94%.

I'm already ready to play Sunday night against Juventus in the Berlusconi Trophy.

President Berlusconi and I were in agreement when we spoke just after the match in Glasgow and decided not to make any appeal.

Berlusconi was "a modern man with a broad vision" , he was quoted as telling an interviewer.

Mr. Berlusconi criticized the prosecutors' efforts to speed up the trial, saying they have a "subversive" aim to remove him from power.

That's not to say the parliamentary system explanation for Berlusconi's longevity is by any means the most fun.

A poll released in late December indicated that Berlusconi was still Italians' top choice to lead the next government.

I called [President] Silvio Berlusconi to inform him of the negotiation and he was pleased with the news.

Political sources said leaders of Berlusconi's PDL party had urged him to resign late on Sunday but he was resisting.

Mr Berlusconi has sought to justify this by arguing that the myriad checks and balances in the system make Italy ungovernable.

"I'M NOT only not sick, " said Silvio Berlusconi on September 1st, referring to a hint by his estranged wife. "I'm a Superman! "

You could even argue that Berlusconi's already been removed once over the economy.

Berlusconi declared a state of emergency and cancelled a trip to Russia yesterday.

Milan will go into the Luigi Berlusconi Trophy against Juventus full of confidence, with the new arrivals all making a positive impression.

On Monday, however, Italians awoke to the image of Mr. Berlusconi's disfigured face on front pages of newspapers across the nation.

Mr Berlusconi added that he had no intention of changing his lifestyle or explaining what went on at his home.

Only one of three women in the Berlusconi government had a heavyweight job.

Puppet theater is what passed for mass media in Italy in the days before Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi owned most of it.

Meanwhile, Mr Berlusconi has, so far, survived allegations of everything from bribery to sex crimes.

With Italy out, Mr. Berlusconi told Mr. Cameron he would switch his allegiance to England, whose manager is Italian Fabio Capello.

She was particularly critical of the Italian government of Silvio Berlusconi.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi declared a state of emergency in the region.

They suspect the group of conspiring to further Mr Berlusconi's interests with a mix of dubious blandishments and dirty tricks.

Mr Berlusconi plans to amend the Italian constitution, making it obligatory for future governments to run balanced budgets.

Although the scandal has been heavily played in the media for weeks, Berlusconi has so far kept his popularity in Italy largely intact.

Berlusconi contended the reported plans were a fabrication of the opposition and left-leaning media.

Separately, Mr Berlusconi said he planned to step down as prime minister in 2013.

These were approved by the lower house yesterday in an emergency session that cleared the way for Mr Berlusconi's departure.

Barbara Berlusconi says there should be no distinction between the private and public lives of political leaders. David Willey reports.

And fresh allegations emerged that Mr Berlusconi had abused his power by using state resources to help his friends and allies.

Berlusconi had campaigned on a law-and-order agenda with a hard line on illegal immigration from North Africa.

Insiders say the departure of Mr Berlusconi has transformed the atmosphere in which negotiations are conducted.

As the opposition called for his resignation, Mr. Berlusconi quipped: 'They keep telling me, 'Go home! Go home! '

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said that the world has never seen a financial crisis like this one.

Like Craxi in his day, Mr Berlusconi claims he is the victim of a witch hunt by politically motivated magistrates.

The Italian government submitted a budget vote which passed but failed to generate a majority which caused PM Berlusconi to step down.

Berlusconi's Spanish TV station, TeleCinco, was previously defeated in court on the grounds that YouTube is not a content provider.

Mr Berlusconi and his ministers expect to be in office until 2013. This time they may well be held to account.

Mr Berlusconi, who will no doubt be smiling still.

On Tuesday evening, after losing his majority in the chamber of deputies, Berlusconi told Napolitano he would resign.

Shevchenko met with Berlusconi on Sunday night in which it was alleged that the pair discussed his future.

Berlusconi, 72, has denied having any improper relationship with Letizia or any other women.

Berlusconi has too much control of Italy's print and electronic media and is using it to suppress free speech.

Silvio Berlusconi attended a closed-door pre-trial hearing in Milan relating to a tax-fraud case, his first court appearance in eight years.

Berlusconi added that everything possible would be done to get people out of tents in the shortest possible time.

The disclosure of his true feelings about Mr Berlusconi may leave him isolated, even vulnerable.

He spoke after talks at the White House with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, made the offer to Barack Obama at a meeting in the White House.

Unusually for a conservative government, Berlusconi's isunder open attack from the leading bosses' federation, Confindustria.

Indeed, Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, is causing almost as much concern as his Greek counterpart.

The League's leader, Umberto Bossi, was already seething at Mr Berlusconi's failure to consult him over joining the air offensive in Libya.

Even the optimistic Mr Berlusconi has admitted that the recovery "will not be fast and the numbers will not be big" .

It remains to be seen how they will react to the squalid reality of the trial, especially if Mr Berlusconi appears in person.

Mr Berlusconi believes that the best form of defence is attack.

Many prominent billionaires have holiday homes on the road, including Lakshmi Mittal and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

After all, the new government needs the support of parliament and hence Silvio Berlusconi's political party to stay in power.

Partly drafted by Mr Berlusconi's lawyer, the bill has been approved by the Senate, but is yet to be passed by the Chamber.

It was another indication of a rising tide of personal aversion to Mr Berlusconi.

Mr Berlusconi recently chose the PdL's candidate for a key governorship without consulting its officials.

In Italy, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's approval ratings have fallen amid scandals over his personal and legal affairs.

Mr Napolitano may call on Mr Berlusconi to step down, but he cannot force him to do so.

Yet although Mr Berlusconi's position has become untenable, the manner and timing of his departure remain unclear.

Mr Berlusconi has done more than any man alive to blur the distinction between the public and the private sector.

"Eight traitors, " Mr Berlusconi reportedly wrote in a note which a photographer managed to snap in the chamber.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has confirmed he intends to resign after key economic reforms have been approved.

But Italian newspapers were full of speculation about how berlusconi may have been stung into action on the issue .

Berlusconi's loss of a majority in Tuesday's budget vote has prompted him to announce his resignation.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair described his talks with the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, as "friendly and constructive" .

The move came after Mr. Berlusconi's government failed to muster a majority during a key vote held in Parliament on Tuesday.

Mr. Blair and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi held a joint press conference Friday at the end of their talks in Rome.

It also hastened the resignation of prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who had pledged to step down once the package had been passed.

Two weeks before voting, Mr Berlusconi took to the hustings, and his personal charisma may have tilted the balance.

Mrs Obama may have decided that if any woman was going to be snapped with Mr Berlusconi on Thursday night, it wasn't going to be her.

Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's prime minister, used a speech to blame the recent rise in its borrowing costs on factors beyond Rome's control.

If Mr Berlusconi's heterogeneous package has a distinguishing characteristic, it is an aversion to confronting vested interests.

Mr Berlusconi has made political survival an art, but even he now looks to be in trouble .

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was rushed to hospital covered in blood with a broken nose and teeth.

The Prime Minister's office declined to comment and his lawyer said that Mr. Berlusconi had no statement to make.

A spokesman for Berlusconi's governing Freedom People movement described the dissemination of the tapes as "pathetic" .

However, Berlusconi has tried to calm speculation over major January transfer activity to reinforce the squad.

Berlusconi has dismissed all the allegations as lies fabricated by the opposition and left-leaning media.

Instead the transparent disagreements in Mr Berlusconi's coalition over what to do contributed to a surge in Italian government bond yields.

Berlusconi is the most competent President in football, on his suggestion I would spend 30 million Euros for a player.

One Italian example would be the Berlusconi group while abroad Maxwell and Murdoch come to mind.

Mr Berlusconi adopted a new austerity budget (with some dubious numbers) but did virtually nothing to accelerate Italy's sclerotic growth.

This is when Berlusconi's mystique as a phoenix-like politician began to take shape.

An appealing idea, but Silvio Berlusconi and Vladimir Putin are unlikely to give up their seats at the top table.

She added that she visited Berlusconi's house a few times more and received a necklace from him.

After Italy's constitutional court had thwarted his efforts to make himself immune from prosecution, Silvio Berlusconi certainly got mad.

"The rescue efforts will continue for another 48 hours from today until it is certain that there is no one else alive, " Berlusconi said.

Gordon Brown will meet to discuss economic plans Thursday with his Italian counterpart, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Berlusconi planned to address parliament on Thursday, with a confidence vote likely the following day.

Small gap between the two camps now, Berlusconi spoke in Parliament today, the key to win undecided votes.

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi's wife Veronica Lario has retained a divorce attorney to begin divorce proceedings, local media reported.

The indolent political generation brought forth by Mr Berlusconi may finally be booted out, but there is no obvious replacement.

Barbara is one of three children Berlusconi has with Veronica.

The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has described himself as the most persecuted person in the entire history of the world. Mr.

That was not the only good news for Mr Berlusconi.

Critics say that Mr Berlusconi and Giulio Tremonti, the finance minister, have missed an opportunity.

The center-left opposition may abstain in the Tuesday vote to expose Berlusconi's lack of support without torpedoing an essential measure.

Even if Mr Berlusconi leaves office in a matter of days, an election could not be held until January.

On Monday, prosecutors accused Mr. Berlusconi of running a "prostitution ring" in his home outside Milan.

But in his efforts to refute it, Mr Berlusconi has raised bigger questions about his conduct.

Berlusconi is no stranger to gaffes and controversial comments.

Only two years into his five-year term, Mr Berlusconi now governs at Mr Fini's pleasure.