Berlusconi vows to rule with “more grit” after losing immunity from prosecution

October 8th, 2009 LONDON - Despite losing immunity from prosecution, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's confidence refuses to die out. In a major blow for 73-year-old Berlusconi, Italy's top court ruled that a law granting him immunity from prosecution while he is in office violates the constitution.

September 10th, 2009 LONDON - After Silvio Berlusconi's recent comments that "all Italians want to be like me," a columnist has said that the premiere casts an impression of being an "angry, defeated and depressed man who is at odds with everyone". The columnist claimed Berlusconi has based his 15-year political career on image-making through his television and advertising empire, but the image is wearing thin - thanks to the controversies, reports The Times.

July 29th, 2009 LONDON - A TV actress, who is known as the 'Queen Bee' and has a tattoo dedicated to "SB" on her ankle, has become the latest star of the 'Silvio Berlusconi saga'. Sabina Began, 35, is said to have introduced Berlusconi, 72, to Giampaolo Tarantini - the man who hired girls, including escorts, for parties at the Premier's official residences, reports The Telegraph.

July 24th, 2009 LONDON - The editor of a leading Italian newspaper dubbed subversive by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has defended its series of exposures about alleged sex scandals involving the Italian leader, saying it had become a political issue. You can imagine in your country, what would happened if [British Prime Minister] Gordon Brown met some escorts in his house and one of those escorts used a tape recorder and took pictures, Ezio Mauro, Editor of La Repubblica, told The Times in an interview published Friday.

July 23rd, 2009 LONDON - Silvio Berlusconi has been issued with a writ following his attacks on the newspaper group, which published a series of audiotapes made by a prostitute of her alleged meetings with the Italian Prime Minister at his residence. The business tycoon's personal life came under the limelight when the publishers of La Repubblica announced that it was suing him for attacking it as "subversive", reports The Times.

July 22nd, 2009 LONDON - Besides Silvio Berlusconi and his alleged sexcapades, another mysterious element which emerged from the sex tapes was his reference to Putin's bed. The audiotapes of the Italian Prime Minister's alleged encounter with an escort girl at his Rome residence were posted on the Internet.

July 22nd, 2009 LONDON - Silvio Berlusconi spurns a condom - at least that's what new tapes of a hooker's alleged dealings with the Italian PM which hit the internet suggest. The Sun reports, in one of the tapes, Patrizia D'Addario, 42, recoils as a business tycoon linked to Berlusconi's parties tells her: "He will give you a present.

June 24th, 2009 LONDON - Despite allegations of sleaze swirling around Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian premiere tasted success in provincial elections. In the elections, the 72-year-old tycoon's Right People of Freedom party was handed nine more provinces.

June 15th, 2009 ROME - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said that subversives are planning a palace coup of sorts to impose an un-elected leader on the country. Addressing a business lobby group, Berlusconi said: "There is a campaign of scandals against me.

June 6th, 2009 LONDON - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has vowed he will quit if it is shown he lied over his relationship with Noemi Letizia, an 18-year-old aspiring model. Last night, the multi-millionaire premier pledged that he will step down from his post after Spanish newspaper El Pais published photos of topless women and a nude man at his Sardinian home.

June 1st, 2009 LONDON - Ex-boyfriend of Noemi Letizia, the 18-year-old aspiring model at the heart of Silvio Berlusconi's divorce row, says that Italian Prime Minister did not have sex with the teenager. In a letter to Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper, Luigi Flaminio apologised for talking about Berlusconi's relationship with Letizia publicly, and ruled out any sexual relationship.

May 6th, 2009 LONDON - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said that he is upset because his 'finished or about to finish' marriage is being made public. Berlusconi's estranged wife Veronica Lario, 52, has confirmed that she is ending her 19-year marriage because she's tired of his womanising ways.

May 6th, 2009 NEW YORK - Rumours are abuzz that the 18-year-old girl at the center of the storm surrounding Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is his daughter. As per sources, Noemi Letizia calls the Italian leader 'Papi' or 'Daddy', reports the New York Post.

May 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - After calling himself the Jesus Christ of Italian politics, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi boasted yesterday that he's the world's most popular leader. The 72-year-old said opinion poll findings in his possession showed his popularity at just over 75 per cent, making him far more popular than the American president, Barack Obama, or any other head of government.

April 21st, 2009 LONDON - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and one of his female ministers, whom he once said he would like to marry, have been painted nude by an artist. Two years ago, in an interview to a TV channel, Berlusconi had told Equality Minister Mara Carfagna that he would marry her like a shot if he wasn't married already.