Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy

Berlusconi is the founder and major shareholder of Fininvest, one of the country's ten largest privately owned companies, which currently operates in media and finance.
Berlusconi was leader of the centre-right coalition in the April 2006 parliamentary elections, which he lost by a very narrow margin, his counterpart being again Romano Prodi.
Berlusconi was born in Milan and raised there in an upper middle-class family.
During his years of political career Berlusconi has repeatedly stated that the Mani Pulite investigations were led by communist prosecutors who wanted to establish a soviet-style government in Italy.
Luca Ricolfi, an independent analyst, held that Berlusconi had managed to maintain only one promise out of five, the one concerning minimum pension levels.
Ironically, the same electoral law that centre-right coalition had approved through shortly before the election, and for which Berlusconi had been accused of changing the law so that he would win anyway, caused his defeat and gave Prodi the chance to form a new cabinet.
51 It is known that Silvio Berlusconi has a very high opinion of himself, at times comparing himself to Napoleon , Churchill and Jesus Christ.
Gianfranco, pretty all the sources I can find indicate Berlusconi is the wealthiest man in Italy, Consider this from the Forbes site.
I think that Berlusconi is far enough the richest man in Italy, at present.
Berlusconi has a fighting and rash character, with the indisputable merit of beeing able to let himself understood by his audience: this is not little in a country where politicians usually speek using an alien language.
Berlusconi has long been accused (fairly, if you ask me) of pursuing delaying tactics and passing laws in order to get his trials ended this way, instead of proving his innocence.
And it is sure Berlusconi was affiliated with P2 (you can also find a pictures of his card on www.
It is illegal as far as Berlusconi knew Mangano was affiliated with Mafia.
Churchill liberated US from the Nazis, Silvio Berlusconi is liberating US from communists.
Silvio Berlusconi says that, in case of a possible victory, the as neutral regarded president Napolitano will have to make place for somebody of his coalition.
Silvio Berlusconi is among Italy's richest men, estimated to be worth $9.
Mr Berlusconi has been put on trial on at least six occasions for a variety of corruption charges.
Now, aged 71, Mr Berlusconi has made yet another comeback as prime minister, with his centre-right alliance seizing 47% of the vote, to 38% for the centre-left bloc, giving him solid majorities in both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.
In 1961, he graduated in law and started his business career in earnest, borrowing from the bank where his father worked to set up his first company, Edilnord.
Mr Berlusconi said allegations were dredged up to undermine him at the 2006 general election, which he narrowly lost to his old rival Romano Prodi.
interest the central campaign issues.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has dismissed criticism of his description of US.
Billionaire conservative former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is on track to become Italy's next leader after his center-left rival Walter Veltroni Monday conceded general election defeat.
Italian opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi has told Italy's president that only early elections can end the political crisis sparked by the resignation of Premier Romano Prodi last week.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has handed in his resignation, but with his elected successor facing an extended wait before forming a new government, the country's policital uncertainty was far from over.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has refused to concede in the country's elections, despite official results showing opposition leader Romano Prodi's center-left coalition taking control of both houses of Parliament.
Italian opposition leader Romano Prodi claimed victory Tuesday for his center-left coalition in parliamentary elections, but Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was contesting the claim.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has told the United States to respect Italian sovereignty following the alleged CIA kidnapping of a Muslim terrorism suspect in Milan in 2003.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has told Parliament that he disagreed with some of the US.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has won parliamentary approval for a new government, ending a week-long political crisis that followed an embarrassing defeat in regional elections.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has won a confidence vote in the lower house of Italian parliament.
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said the country's president has asked him to form a new government.
Italy's acting Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said he expects to have a new cabinet list ready by Friday although some problems remain.
Caught in a political crisis and facing a vote of no confidence in the Senate, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has handed in his resignation to Italian President Carlo Ciampi after telling senators he planned to form a new government with different coalition partners.
Italy will begin a partial withdrawal of its roughly 3,000 troops from Iraq in September, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Tuesday, making it the latest member of the US.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says the intelligence agent shot dead by the US.
Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says he has asked the United States for answers about the shooting death of an Italian intelligence officer in Iraq, who was killed while escorting a freed Italian hostage to the airport.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has called a crisis meeting and urged a united front in the face of the kidnapping of two Italian women working for an aid organization in Iraq.
Police say they have defused an explosive device near a Sardinian villa where Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had been entertaining his British counterpart Tony Blair, news reports said.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has survived yet another a vote of confidence in his government, successfully gambling on a bid to bring his bickering coalition into line.
Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has made a surprise Easter visit to Italian troops in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriya.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has had a facelift to prepare for this summer's European elections, Italian media reports.
Silvio Berlusconi was noted for his entrepreneurial spirit and flamboyance in his rise to the heights of Italian business and politics.
With Italy's prosperity in the 1960s had come a huge demand for housing, and Berlusconi was there to take advantage of it.
Berlusconi had climbed to the top in national politics by "using the same methods and many of the same people as he had used to become a billionaire" (Independent, June 21, 2003.
Berlusconi was forced to resign as prime minister in December 1994, after only seven months in office.
Despite some of the charges and criticisms he faced, Berlusconi was to many Italians "the ordinary Joe next door who by dint of incredible hard work and determination has landed on top of the heap … Italy's master of the universe, their proudest son" (Independent, June 21, 2003.
2001   The son of a bank manager, Berlusconi was educated at a private church-run school in Milan and qualified in law at the State University in the same city, financing his studies with the help of part-time employment as a singer and entertainer.
Berlusconi had previously shown little interest in party politics or government for its own sake, but the collapse of the Socialists (led by his political ally Bettino Craxi) and of the the ruling Christian Democrats in 1992 4 threatened his television empire at a time when Fininvest was seriously indebted.
Berlusconi was not only a brilliant entrepreneur but also an excellent television communicator, with a gift for popular campaigning.
Entrepreneurial Streak Apparent Early OnBerlusconi was born on September 29, 1936, in Milan, Italy, the first of two sons of a middle - class bank clerk and a housewife.
Launched Political CareerAt this point, Berlusconi found himself increasingly hounded by demands from all quarters that he break up his media empire for violating virtually every anti - trust law in the books.
Silvio Berlusconi is a two-time Prime Minister of Italy.
Power and money have historically been aphrodisiacs for women, and Berlusconi has both.
And now more than ever, as one of the richest men in the world and one of the most charismatic politicians around, Silvio Berlusconi is (almost) a household name.
Silvio Berlusconi was born September 29, 1936, in Milan, Italy, to a middle-class family consisting of a bank clerk father and housewife mother.
everyone's equal Berlusconi is presently married to actress Veronica Bartolini (also known as Veronica Lario.
Media baron turned political leader Silvio Berlusconi is Italys wealthiest man, in addition to being one of its most controversial public figures.
Berlusconi has become notorious for making outrageous comments, which he considers to be innocent jokes.
In addition to his media assets, Berlusconi is also the owner and president of the AC Milan football club, one of the top soccer teams in the soccer-mad nation.
Silvio Berlusconi could lose immunity from prosecutionMr Berlusconi has been dogged by court cases for most of his political career but on coming t.
Silvio Berlusconi, Next G8 President, Wants to 'Regulate the Internet'Italian president and media baron Silvio Berlusconi said today that he would use his country's imminent presidency of the G8 group to push for an international agreement to "regulate the internet.
Italian PM Berlusconi in Albania for energy dealsItalian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is visiting Albania to sign energy deals worth more than euro2 billion ($2.
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Berlusconi takes a peep at Murdoch's TV talent showThe shares of Premiere shot up more than 30 per cent at one stage on Monday after Silvio Berlusconi revealed he had taken a 3 per cent stake in the German group.
Italy, Germany to seek joint approach to climate changeGermany and Italy will seek a joint approach to climate change and the environment, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Tuesday after meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Berlusconi plays hide and seekItalian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has shown his playful side to German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a summit in Trieste.
Berlusconi defends 'tan' commentItalian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has defended his description of Barack Obama as 'sun-tanned' after facing criticism over his remark.
Ahmadinejad has adviceItaly's famously impolitic Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi described elect Barack Obama on Thursday as.
Berlusconi's Obama remark stormPrime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has described elect Barack Obama as.
Berlusconi Praises Obama as `Handsome' and `Tanned'Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi today praised Barack Obama , saying the elect is ``young, handsome and also tanned.
Tanned Obama' questions anger BerlusconiItalian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has dismissed criticism of his description of elect Barack Obama as "tanned" and walked out of a news conference after blasting a journalist who pressed him on the issue.
Italy: Premier Seeks to Outlaw GraffitiPrime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says he wants to outlaw graffiti, making it a crime to write or draw on city walls and public buildings in Italy without permission.
Bush, Berlusconi Pledge Financial ActionBush and Italy's Berlusconi said close cooperation between the US.
Bush and Berlusconi Praise Global Economic EffortsPresident Bush and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi expressed confidence today that aggressive moves by Europe and the United States will restore confidence in international financial markets.
Bush said on Monday the United States was working to stabilize the financial system and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Bush planned to have the Group of Eight leaders meet in the coming weeks.
Reuters, February 9, 2006)Churchill liberated US from the Nazis, Silvio Berlusconi is liberating US from communists.
STRASBOURG, France (CNN) -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is under mounting pressure to apologize after comparing a German lawmaker to a Nazi concentration camp commander during a speech to the European Parliament.
Berlusconi was laying out his agenda in Strasbourg Wednesday at the start of Italy's six months in charge of the rotating European Union presidency.
Berlusconi was angered when he was interrupted by protests from about 15 Green members who held placards in various languages saying, "All equal under the law.
Berlusconi has been condemned by opponents at home for changing the judicial system and making himself immune from prosecution while on trial for allegedly bribing judges.
Berlusconi has faced various charges, including alleged bribery of judges, money laundering, tax evasion and false accounting.
Convicted four times on charges of perjury, falsifying financial records, tax offenses, and bribery, Berlusconi has a shady track record with several criminal indictments still pending.
A walking, talking conflict of interest, Berlusconi has his fingers in practically every big business pie in Italy.
Sua Emittenza (His Transmittance), as Berlusconi is widely known, marshaled his opinion-molding TV and print venues to demonize his adversaries and further his own political ambitions.
During the campaign, Berlusconi was the most visible presence on Italian TV, while his opponents received perfunctory coverage, at best, on Berlusconi's channels.
Portraying himself as an outsider who took on and defeated the business establishment, Berlusconi says he'll run the country as Italy, Inc, applying the same energy and skills that made him a successful entrepreneur.
A former nightclub crooner on Mediterranean cruise ships, Berlusconi built his business empire not by bucking the establishment but by paying it off.
Silvio Berlusconi is a media baron who is again serving as the Italian Prime Minister.
Berlusconi has had fewer plastic surgeries than Michael Jackson.
During the six week 2006 general election campaign media magnate Berlusconi was repeatedly reduced to emotional outbursts by the news media.
Berlusconi is something of a "strict constructionist, Italian style.
Elections 2008: Silvio Berlusconi says that, in case of a possible victory, the as neutral regarded president Napolitano will have to make place for somebody of his coalition.
Silvio Berlusconi says that the fascist simpaties of Ciarrapico are details and that this man is usefull to his party because he owns journals and magazines.
Hated by many but respected by all at least for his bella figura (personal style) and the sheer force of his will, Berlusconi has parlayed his business acumen and influence into a personal empire that has resulted in Italy's longestrunning government ever and in his becoming the country's wealthiest man.
Despite convictions on a number of corruption charges that were later overturned, the suave Berlusconi was again elected prime minister in 2001, and remained in that post as of late 2004.
Berlusconi was born on September 29, 1936, in Milan, Italy, the first of two sons of a middleclass bank clerk and a housewife.
Thus benefiting from a general move toward deregulation, Berlusconi was permitted to maintain a virtual duopoly with RAI over the nation's television market.
His relentless acquisitions also exponentially increased Fininvest's debt load to dangerous levels, but Berlusconi had already become a billionaire.
At this point, Berlusconi found himself increasingly hounded by demands from all quarters that he break up his media empire for violating virtually every antitrust law in the books.
In the meantime, his carefully cultivated image as a politician who was above the nation's traditional corruption began to crumble when it was revealed that Berlusconi had in 1978 joined the sinister Propaganda Two group.
the law went into effect (Sassoon, p.
No stranger to scandal, Berlusconi was acquitted of charges that he bribed a judge in 1985; now encountering new legal problems, this time a tax fraud charge in association with the 2005 sale of stock in Mediaset, an Italian television network.
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Berlusconi is also famous as a businessman owning a large proportion of Italian Media, some banks and other companies.
As an entrepreneur, Silvio Berlusconi has interests in a variety of businesses.
Immediately, the Italian public opinion split in two: from the left, the new enter of Berlusconi was devised as an attempt, by a star of the old policy corruption system to bring it on despite of all the accusations and evidences.
From the right, Berlusconi was hailed as the "new man" that would have saved the country from the communist horde, bringing the public bureaucracy to new efficiency and reforming the state top to bottom.
Italy, with Berlusconi in office, became a substantial ally to the United States of America in 2003 as Berlusconi supported the American/British-led Iraq War to oust the regime of Saddam Hussein, in spite of the opposition of a large part of the public opinion.
Berlusconi is trying a hard mediation and many believe that his being or not successfull in this task will determine his political fate at last.
The noted journalists Enzo Biagi and Michele Santoro and the satirist Daniele Luttazzi, who were critical of Berlusconi in some programs aired by RAI, have disappeared from RAI itself, but, despite accusations there has been no substantive evidence suggesting that Berlusconi was involved in these dismissals.
Berlusconi has always been a controversial figure and it is through these controversies that he has become one of the best known leaders in Europe.
The most famous incident which has been widely reported about Berlusconi is that, upon being rudely criticised by a German member of the European parliament Martin Schulz (SPD) during Italy's presidency, he reacted with the words "Mr.
More, in his very home of Arcore, Berlusconi had employed for two years, as stableman, the mafia boss Vittorio Mangano.
Subsequently Berlusconi has declared his intention to seek to re-introduce the law using the correct procedure for constitutional modification.
Berlusconi has also been indicted in Spain for a $25 million dollar tax fraud, but has used his status as a member of the European Parliament to gain immunity from prosecution.
Later in the year Berlusconi was tried on tax and accounting charges relating to his media companies, but some of charges were later dropped.
Silvio Berlusconi is the current Prime Minister of Italy, and it is his third non-consecutive term.
In addition to his political career, Berlusconi is the former owner of a major media company which controls approximately half of the Italian broadcast TV network.
Berlusconi 'tried to dissuade Bush on Iraq'Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says he tried to steer US.
Fininvest, to manage his expanding interests.
advertising market remained untouched.
sucessful Italian club of all time.
Italian leader: Obama 'handsome and even tanned'Nov 6 - By Mike Eckel, Associated Press WriterItaly's famously impolitic Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi described US.
Berlusconi, in gesture, sweeps streets in NaplesAug 7 - By Associated PressSilvio Berlusconi is sparing no effort to solve the garbage crisis in Naples even picking up a broom himself.
Berlusconi tries to wiggle out of latest gaffeApr 16 - By Alessandra Rizzo, Associated Press WriterEven before he starts his third stint as premier, Silvio Berlusconi was trying Wednesday to defuse his latest gaffe a suggestion that Spain has too many women in government.
Berlusconi takes aim at boosting Italy's economy and imageApr 13 - By Alessandra Rizzo, Associated Press WriterSilvio Berlusconi is promising to clean up the trash in Naples, save Alitalia airlines and revive the economy.
Italy's Berlusconi Poised for ComebackApr 10 - By Alessandra Rizzo, Associated Press WriterAt 71, Silvio Berlusconi has a pacemaker and his perma-tanned face is pinched by plastic surgery.
Italy's Berlusconi Ordered to Stand TrialJul 7 - By Associated PressFormer Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was ordered Friday to stand trial following an investigation into the sale of television rights at Mediaset SpA, Italian news agencies reported.
Berlusconi Warns Against MulticulturalismMar 28 - By Alessandra Rizzo, Associated Press WriterPrime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said he does not want Italy to become a multiethnic, multicultural country, drawing plaudits from a right-wing ally and criticism from center-left opponents.
world-news, silvio-berlusconi, italy, USA, barack-obama, democrat614 Berlusconi describes Obama as "young, handsome, and tanned"Nov 7 - Seeded by Dennis M WrightSource: BBC NewsItalian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has provoked criticism for describing Barack Obama as "young, handsome, and tanned.
politics, mike-bloomberg, murdoch, zuckerman, sulzberger, public-referendum, gotham-city, silvio-berlusconi, ted-stevens, pork-merchants31 Berlusconi says suspending markets possibleOct 10 - Seeded by greenpaganSource: International Herald TribuneItalian Premier Silvio Berlusconi said Friday that world leaders might consider suspending stock markets in response to the financial meltdown.
Berlusconi retracts suggestion to suspend world's marketsPosted on 10-10-2008Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said political leaders are discussing the idea of closing the world's financial markets while they "rewrite the rules of international finance.
Kaka mega-money link played downSetanta Sports Channel, UK 1/14/2009 4:00:27 AMMilan owner Silvio Berlusconi has played down fresh reports of a £100 million bid from Manchester City for Kaka.
Since September, Berlusconi has been gathering power unto himself.
Having such inordinate wealth can be a drain on ones time, so Berlusconi has passed an amnesty rendering the prime minister immune from prosecution.
Faced with the likelihood of defeat in next Aprils general election, Berlusconi has pulled off a move beyond even the most conniving of his tacticians at AC Milan.
With fewer than six months to go until the nation goes to the polls, Berlusconi has moved the goalposts, introducing a system of proportional representation (PR) calculated to boost Forza Italias hopes and redrawing constituency boundaries with barely concealed potential for gerrymandering.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is not only Italy's richest man, but also the unrivaled owner of a vast media empire.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was one of the lucky few who managed to see the game from the stadium, and every so often his smiling face flashed up on TV screens around the country.
It is difficult to overstate the influence Berlusconi has on everyday Italian life.
11, Berlusconi thrilled William Bennett when he uttered words that even the most hawkish "vulcans" in the Bush administration would never dare say out loud (and for which Berlusconi had to apologize later):PRINTDISCUSSE-MAILRSSRECOMMEND.
fingers in practically every big-business pie in Italy.
empire not by bucking the establishment, but by paying it off.
the American President's abiding unpopularity in Italy.
A billionaire like Silvio Berlusconi is used to wanting, and getting, it all.
Having made up much ground in the polls in the final weeks, Berlusconi has reaffirmed his own party, Forza Italia, as the single largest political force in a Parliament likely to be led by a weak, vulnerable prime minister.
Berlusconi is about to lose the governmental powers," said the center-left official.
For a man who turns 70 in September and has already served two separate terms as prime minister, Berlusconi is well-suited to returning to the role of billionaire opposition leader, with his boundless energy and appetites.
maria veneri, mantova, italyI think that if Berlusconi has had the time to read all the articles written on him , or rather against him, by The Times in these last weeks he would laugh to tears.
Prodi failed, Berlusconi has better chances to succeed.
Therefore, if anybody is to blame for messing up the ALitalia affair it is Prodi! Unlike the UK that would sell its own mother, Italy wants to keep its national flag carrying airline in Italian hands! I commend Berlusconi for that!Harry, Oxford, EnglandBerlusconi is something that professional politicians are not, and that is honest! Newspapers like this one try to belittle him simply because he does not fit into the European socialist mould that has in the last decade contributed to the future downfall of the old continent.
Berlusconi is a man who invests his money in his own country, and at the same time creates thousands of jobs.
Berlusconi has denounced what he calls porn politics.
All Italians should be concerned that Mr Berlusconi has offered this position to a beautiful woman with no academic background or merit.
Filippo Carcaci, London, UKBerlusconi has been chosen by the Italians after installing a long-lasting propaganda, controlling information and diseducating public thinking, through his own media.
RONNIE, PARIS, FRANCEWhat matters is that Berlusconi has been chosen by tItalians in great majority in spite of his phone conversations.
and also said that his rule had not killed a single person.
Berlusconi is the founder and main shareholder of Fininvest, among the ten largest Italian privately-owned companies, operating in media and finance including three national TV channels.
According to Forbes magazine, Berlusconi is Italy's third richest person, with personal assets worth $9.
Berlusconi was leader of the centre-right coalition in the May 2006 election, which he lost by a very narrow margin, his counterpart being again Romano Prodi.
Berlusconi was raised in an upper middle-class family in Milan.
As the first-born child in his family, Berlusconi was not required to serve the standard one-year stint in the Italian army which was compulsory at the time.
By 1980, Berlusconi had established a relationship with the actress Veronica Lario (born Miriam Bartolini), with whom he subsequently had three children: Barbara (b.
At this time, Berlusconi was a well-known entrepreneur, and his wedding was a notable social event.
Berlusconi was assisted in his successful effort to create the first and only Italian commercial TV empire by his connections to Bettino Craxi, secretary-general of the Italian Socialist Party and also prime minister of Italy at that time, who passed an emergency decree legalizing the nation-wide broadcasting transmissions made by Berlusconi's television stations.
Berlusconi remained as caretaker prime minister for a little over a month until his replacement by a technocratic government headed by Lamberto Dini.
Dini had been a key minister in the Berlusconi cabinet, and Berlusconi said the only way he would support a technocratic government would be if Dini headed it.
Opposition parties claim Berlusconi was not able to achieve the goals he promised in his Contratto con gli Italiani.
An independent analyst, towards the end of the 2001-2006 legislature, held that Berlusconi had managed to maintain only one promise out of five, the one concerning minimum pension levels.
Ironically, the same electoral law that Berlusconi had forced through shortly before the election, and for which he had been accused of changing the law so that he would win anyway, caused his defeat.
In the 315-member Senate of the Republic, Berlusconi was projected to control 174 seats to Veltroni's 134.
Telefonata di Berlusconi a Dell'Utri intercetta.
Italys impolitic Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi described US.
Berlusconi has a history of controversial remarks.
Rome - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Thursday his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin assured him that a proposed European Union mission to Ukraine will take place imminently, paving the way for the resumption of Russian gas supplies.
ROME, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Time has run out for Lufthansa to make a bid for a stake in Alitalia, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Sunday, confirming Air France-KLM had sealed an alliance with the relaunched Italian carrier.
ROME : Premier Silvio Berlusconi felt slightly unwell after giving a speech in northern Italy, news reports and his office said Saturday The premier, 71, reappeared on stage minutes after the news was reported, smiling and greeting a cheering crowd.