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Silvio Berlusconi

Silvio Berlusconi is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, real estate tycoon, insurance tycoon, bank and media proprietor, football team owner and songwriter. As of July 2009, Berlusconi is the second longest serving Prime Minister of the Italian Republic, having held the office three separate times. Berlusconi has a large business empire, having founded and owning shares in some of the largest and most successful companies in Italy, including Finnvest (media and finance), Mediolanum SpA (banking and insurance) and he owns football club AC Milan. As of 2009, Berlusconi is the third richest man in Italy, with an estimated fortune of $6.5 billion. Berlusconi has been the subject of numerous controversies, including allegations of mafia links and sex scandals

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Berlusconi: I'm backing Tony Blair as EU president 'I am Italy's best-ever premier', says Silvio Berlusconi Chaotic start to Berlusconi's G8 summit Silvio Berlusconi’s blast could edge Carlo Ancelotti towards Stamford Bridge

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Latest articles

Mr and Mrs Nobody reflect the EU's new order

20.11.09
Angela Merkel smiled and nodded. Nicolas Sarkozy, his interpreter's headphones still on, gave an imperial thumbs-up. Silvio Berlusconi simply said: "Je suis d'accord". ... more

Ex-Asda boss faces daunting trial in ITV jungle

18.11.09
So Archie Norman is going to sumbit himself to the Bushtucker Trial that is chairing ITV. Formerly an MP, Tory chief executive and Asda chairman, he says the challenge of overseeing the I’m A Celebrity and X-Factor broadcaster is “irresistible” ... more

Rich Italians turn SW3 into Chelsienna

17.11.09
Chelsea is seeing an unprecedented influx of Italians buying property as tax amnesty from Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi led to a stampede for addresses in west London... more

Berlusconi: I'm backing Tony Blair as EU president

15.10.09
Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi backs his friend and ally Tony Blair for the European Union presidency... more

Judges will rule on immunity law to protect Berlusconi

06.10.09
Italy's Constitutional Court begins proceedings to decide whether an immunity law brought in by Silvio Berlusconi is illegal... more

Costly booze: no-brainer or no deterrent?

28.09.09
Up to 70 lives will be saved in the first year, according to a study by Sheffield ­University, if the Scottish government pushes through plans to introduce a compulsory minimum cost per unit of alcohol... more

'I am Italy's best-ever premier', says Silvio Berlusconi

11.09.09
Silvio Berlusconi has refused to resign over his latest sex scandal, saying he is Italy’s best premier ever... more

Businessman: I paid women to have sex with Berlusconi

10.09.09
Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has been accused of sleeping with two women who were provided for him by a businessman trying to curry favour... more

I'm not ill, I'm Superman, Berlusconi tells sex-scandal accusers

02.09.09
Silvio Berlusconi has hit back over accusations that he paid escort girls for sex saying he is "not ill but Superman"... more

De-stress with an Austrian workout

05.08.09
After his recent exhausting scandals, Silvio Berlusconi has been prescribed a Tyrolean spa regime to recharge his batteries — and you can get the same treatment in London... more

Berlusconi escort girl 'tried to run him and wife off the road'

30.07.09
An escort linked to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi once tried to kill him, her former lover said today... more

There are lots of girls and I'm no saint, says Silvio

22.07.09
Silvio Berlusconi today spoke for the first time about the sex scandal surrounding him - although his choice of words was questionable... more

Sarah Brown meets quake-hit families

09.07.09
... more

Chaotic start to Berlusconi's G8 summit

08.07.09
G8 summit got off to a chaotic start with its host Silvio Berlusconi being accused of failing to fulfil his pledges on overseas aid... more

Silvio Berlusconi's dinner date with judges who will decide his fate

03.07.09
Silvio Berlusconi faces further controversy for dining with two judges who are to rule whether he should be free from prosecution while in office... more

How I heard that the King of pop was dead

26.06.09
The woman pushed through the crowd towards Alan Yentob. “Michael Jackson has died,” she said, her irises huge ... more

WORLD: I never paid for sex and I’m not sorry, says Berlusconi

24.06.09
Silvio Berlusconi has broken his silence over claims that women escorts attended his parties and publicly denied that he has ever paid for sex... more

30 girls face quiz over Silvio parties

23.06.09
Thirty more women – many of them escorts – are to be questioned by prosecutors over parties thrown by Silvio Berlusconi, it emerged today... more

Attack Silvio Berlusconi for his policies, not his private life

23.06.09
The scandal now engulfing Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi may be generating plenty of coverage both here and in Italy. But it's a pretty sad comment on the state of Italian politics... more

WORLD: Prostitute’s ‘bedroom video footage’ adds to pressure on Silvio Berlusconi

22.06.09
Silvio Berlusconi is facing new sex allegations after a prostitute claimed she had video footage of herself in the Italian prime minister’s bedroom... more

Berlusconi investigated for 'power abuse'

04.06.09
Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has been placed under formal investigation for abuse of power as part of a probe into misuse of state flights... more

Movie-maker has a GM revival script

03.06.09
Not many Americans loudly said they were “filled with joy” over General Motors being on its deathbed, with the tens of thousands of job losses that has wrought, but then Michael Moore is not most Americans...... more

Silvio Berlusconi’s blast could edge Carlo Ancelotti towards Stamford Bridge

12.05.09
Football: Owner’s rant against the AC Milan boss could persuade the Chelsea target that now is the time to move to London... more

Berlusconi scorns wife's divorce call

05.05.09
Silvio Berlusconi has hit back at his wife's divorce demand, saying: "She should apologise to me"... more

Berlusconi wife shames him for ‘trashy’ models idea — by email

29.04.09
Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s plan to put forward female models and TV stars as prospective MEPs today incurred the wrath of his wife... more

Queen's G20 jibe becomes a YouTube sensation

03.04.09
The Queen is a worldwide hit on YouTube after she was caught on film reprimanding Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for being too noisy... more

City shelve Kaka deal

20.01.09
Manchester City have terminated discussions with AC Milan over the proposed transfer of former world footballer of the year Kaka... more

Potential for greatness at Water House

08.09.08
With a beautiful room, eager staff and the rudiments of a good kitchen Water House could work well. It just needs a rethink.... more

Queen insists on clearing away dishes herself after guests, Cherie Blair reveals

04.06.08
The Queen insists on clearing away the dishes herself after entertaining guests, Cherie Blair has revealed.... more

A bit late to savage Berlusconi

05.04.07
Nanni Moretti's disappointing film on Silvio Berlusconi never manages anything very coherent, at least to foreigners who might not be so familiar with the strange intricacies of Italian politics. ... more

More related topics: Silvio Berlusconi and

  • Facts
  • In July 2008, Berlusconi said “I’m the universal record holder for the number of trials in the entire history of man – and also of other creatures that live on other planets.”
  • Berlusconi has been married twice, first to Carla Dall’Oglio which resulted in two children, and then to actress Veronica Lario, resulting in three children.
  • Mr Berlusconi has an ongoing war of words with The Economist magazine, the latter calling Berlusconi ‘unfit to lead Italy’ and Berlusconi referring to the magazine as the ‘Ecommunist’
  • Berlusconi is known for his various gaffes and jokes which are often described as inappropriate by observers, including complimenting U.S. President Obama on his ‘suntan’, and in a speech to Wall Street Traders convincing them to invest in Italy, Berlusconi said “we have the most beautiful secretaries in the world”, drawing fire from numerous women’s groups and female Members of Parliament in Italy.
  • In May 2009, Berlusconi’s wife Veronica Lario announced she was going to file for divorce after Berlusconi attended a girl’s 18th Birthday party in Naples, having not attended the 18th birthday parties of his own sons. The girl in question, who calls Berlusconi ‘papi’ (daddy), is said to have spent lots of time with Berlusconi (after his denying of this fact), which has led to suspicions of an inappropriate relationship with the 72 year old Berlusconi
  • Under Berlusconi, Italy has fostered close relations with the United States, Israel and Turkey, as well as Russia and the countries of the European Union.

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