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☆ Vladimir Putin once made Italy's prime minister throw up by shooting a deer, carving out its heart, and offering it to the man raw: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Berlusconi, Cicchitto said, was accompanying Putin on a hunting trip in the Russian countryside when Putin spotted a pair of deer. After shooting the deers, Putin told Berlusconi he would prepare an extraordinary meal with it, per Cicchitto's recount. According to Cicchitto, Putin proceeded to cut open one of the deer's body with a hunting knife. Berlusconi might have balked at Putin's culinary offering, but the former Italian prime minister shared a close relationship with Putin. In fact, eating a deer's heart is probably not that strange once you consider what else Putin has done with animals, per prior accounts.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Silvio Berlusconi, Fabrizio Cicchitto, della Sera, Berlusconi, Cicchitto, Putin, Silvio, Putin's machismo, he's, didn't Organizations: Service, Forza Italia, della, Business, BI Locations: Italian, Russia, Russian, Cicchitto, Ukraine

Forza Italia leader and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi arrives for a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale Palace in Rome, Italy October 21, 2022. Vittorio Sgarbi, an art critic and former lawmaker with Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, told state TV RAI this week that the former prime minister spent around 20 million euros to create the collection. Sgarbi told the paper the collection was "monstrously entertaining", but of little value, with only "six of seven" deemed interesting. The family spokesperson said the collection had sentimental value and denied reports it was being dismantled. Forbes estimated that Berlusconi and his family had assets worth around $6.8 billion, of which around two thirds were held by holding company Fininvest.

Persons: Silvio Berlusconi, Sergio Mattarella, Guglielmo Mangiapane, Vittorio Sgarbi, Berlusconi, Sgarbi, RAI's, Elvira Pollina, Angelo Amante, Alvise Armellini, Deborah Kyvrikosaios Organizations: Forza Italia, REUTERS, La Repubblica, Berlusconi's Forza Italia, RAI, Forbes, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, Arcore, La Repubblica

☆ Italy prepares to bid farewell to Berlusconi with grand funeral
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A person leaves a letter among flowers and football memorabilia near Villa San Martino, the residence of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, to which his body was transported following his death, in Arcore near Milan, Italy, June 13, 2023. REUTERS/Yara NardiMILAN, June 13 (Reuters) - Italy was preparing on Tuesday to bid farewell to former premier Silvio Berlusconi, a scandal-prone billionaire who dominated the country's politics, business and soccer world for at least three decades. "Italy without Berlusconi," the country's largest circulation newspaper, Corriere della Sera, wrote on its front page, dedicating more than 30 pages of coverage to the event. Corriere said Berlusconi had been well enough to watch on television Saturday's Champions League soccer final between Inter Milan and Manchester City. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a TV interview on Monday that she had spoken "at length" with him that day.

Persons: Silvio Berlusconi, Nardi, Berlusconi, Sera, Corriere, Giorgia Meloni, Antonio Tajani, Tajani, Berlusconi's, Giuliano Urbani, Meloni's, Sergio Mattarella, Alvise, Ed Osmond Organizations: Italian, REUTERS, AC Milan, Monza, Saturday's Champions League, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Berlusconi's Forza Italia, Forza, La Repubblica, Meloni's Brothers, Thomson Locations: Villa San, Arcore, Milan, Italy, Nardi MILAN, Raffaele, Milan's, Washington

MILAN, June 12 (Reuters) - Silvio Berlusconi, the billionaire media mogul and former Italian prime minister who transformed the nation's politics with polarising policies and often alarmed his allies with his brazen remarks, died on Monday aged 86. Berlusconi, Italy's longest-serving premier who counted Russian President Vladimir Putin as a friend and gained notoriety for his "bunga bunga" sex parties, had suffered from leukaemia and recently developed a lung infection. Berlusconi's Forza Italia party is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing coalition, and although he himself did not have a role in government, his death is likely to destabilise Italian politics in the coming months. Farewell Silvio," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said. After building a television empire in the 1980s, Berlusconi threw himself into politics in 1994 and almost immediately became prime minister.

Persons: Silvio Berlusconi, Berlusconi, Italy's, Vladimir Putin, Paolo, ANSA, Giorgia Meloni's, Marina, Silvio, Giorgia Meloni, Enrico Letta, Putin, Emilio Parodi, Elvira Pollina, Alvise Armellini, Edmund Blair Organizations: MILAN, Berlusconi's Forza Italia, Twitter, Milan bourse, Forza Italia, Monza, Serie, Thomson Locations: San Raffaele, Milan, Italy, Italian, Ukraine, Moscow, Kyiv

☆ Berlusconi says his 'nightmare is over' after 6-week hospital stay
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We'll wait for you on the field to fight many battles together," Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni - whose coalition includes Berlusconi's Forza Italia party - wrote on Twitter, welcoming her ally's discharge. Berlusconi served as prime minister in 1994-1995, 2001-2006 and 2008-2011. In more recent years, Berlusconi's health markedly deteriorated, with open-heart surgery in 2016 and numerous hospital admissions since contracting COVID-19 three years ago. During his latest hospitalisation, Berlusconi remained politically active, appearing in two video messages this month in which he looked frail but insisted he was ready to return to work. There is no designated heir to replace Berlusconi at the helm of Forza Italia, and it is far from clear if the party can stick together without his leadership.

The most surprising appointment was that of the new Enel chief Flavio Cattaneo, a seasoned corporate manager who leaves his role as vice president of high-speed train operator Italo to lead the country's biggest utility. He leap-frogged Stefano Donnarumma, the current chief executive of power grid Terna (TRN.MI), widely seen as Meloni's first choice. Enel shares were down 4% on Thursday, with investors fretting over Cattaneo's lack of expertise in the renewable energy sector. Leading politicians in Meloni's right-wing coalition said this issue was a major stumbling block for Donnarumma, along with pressure from League chief Salvini, a strong supporter of Cattaneo. Besides concessions on Enel, Meloni kept a tight grip on the rest of the main appointments.

[1/5] A supporter of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi stands near the 'San Raffaele' hospital, where former Italian Prime Minister is hospitalised, in Milan, Italy, April 7, 2023. REUTERS/Claudia GrecoMILAN, April 7 (Reuters) - Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is "better than he was", his friend Fedele Confalonieri said on Friday after visiting him in hospital, where he is being treated for a lung infection caused by chronic leukaemia. "I'm sure he'll make it because he's a strong man, and because he's the best prime minister we've had in Italy. A friend of Berlusconi, Vittorio Sgarbi, said before he went into hospital the two had discussed his future. Berlusconi's Forza Italia party is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing coalition, although he does not have a direct role in her government.

☆ Italy's Berlusconi spends second night in hospital, friends hopeful
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, April 7 (Reuters) - Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi spent a second night calmly in the intensive care unit of Milan's San Raffaele hospital and is reacting positively to treatment, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Friday. He has suffered from chronic blood cancer for some time and is in intensive care for a lung infection, his doctors said on Thursday. "(Zangrillo) told me he had a good sleep, that he is under intensive care and is reacting positively to the treatment," Tajani said. Berlusconi's Forza Italia party is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing coalition, though he does not have a direct role in her government. Meloni and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said on Thursday they had spoken to Berlusconi by telephone.

☆ Former Italian PM Berlusconi in intensive care in hospital
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Federico Maccioni Angelo Amante | Angelo Amante | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Forza Italia leader and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi looks on following a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale Palace in Rome, Italy October 21, 2022. REUTERS/Yara NardiMILAN, April 5 (Reuters) - Silvio Berlusconi, who was Italian prime minister four times, is in intensive care in a cardiac unit at Milan's San Raffaele Hospital, political sources said on Wednesday. Berlusconi's Forza Italia party is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing coalition although he does not have a role in government. Three sources from Berlusconi's Forza Italia party said he was in intensive care, and one of them confirmed Italian media reports that he was being treated in a cardiac unit. An Italian court acquitted Berlusconi in February over allegations of paying witnesses to lie in an underage prostitution case that has dogged the former prime minister for more than a decade.

"This result consolidates the centre-right and strengthens the work of the government," Meloni wrote on Twitter. However, fears inside the coalition that support might crumble for Meloni's two main partners proved unfounded. The result offered no comfort to the centre-left camp, comprising the Democratic Party (PD), the 5-Star Movement and so-called Third Pole, which is riven by mutual loathing. Italy's electoral laws at both a national and regional level favour parties that combine forces meaning Meloni's opponents face years in the wilderness unless they learn to work together. Reporting by Crispian Balmer and Angelo Amante; Editing by Gavin Jones and Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy lawmakers call off vote on extending Ukraine arms supplies
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Angelo Amante | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, former Prime Minister Mario Draghi's administration introduced measures that made it possible to send weapons to Kyiv without seeking parliamentary authorisation for each shipment. Support for Ukraine has been a contentious topic within the ruling coalition, which includes Meloni's Brothers of Italy, Matteo Salvini's League and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia parties. Earlier this month, a governing coalition official told Reuters that Italy was readying a sixth arms package for Ukraine, including air defence systems Kyiv had requested. The PD is also a supporter of Ukraine, while other leftist opposition forces want the government to shift focus from sending arms to stepping up diplomatic negotiations. Reporting by Angelo Amante, editing by Alvise Armellini, Alexandra Hudson and Conor HumphriesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy's Giorgia Meloni to head new right-wing government
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Giorgia Meloni has agreed to form Italy's next government, a presidential official said on Friday, clearing the way for her to become the country's first female prime minister. Meloni, head of the nationalist Brothers of Italy, led an alliance of conservative parties to victory at a Sept. 25 election and will take charge of the country's most right-wing government since World War II. "Giorgia Meloni has accepted the mandate and has presented her list of ministers," the presidential official Ugo Zampetti told reporters after Meloni had consulted with President Sergio Mattarella in his Quirinale palace. Meloni heads a coalition including Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia and Matteo Salvini's League. Italy's 68th government since 1946 faces daunting challenges, including a looming recession, rising energy bills and how to present a united front over the Ukraine war.

Leader of Brothers of Italy party Giorgia Meloni attends the fourth voting session to elect the new speaker, at the lower house of parliament, in Rome, Italy, October 14, 2022. Giorgetti, the industry minister in Mario Draghi's outgoing government, is considered to be one of the League's most moderate and pro-European figures. Coalition sources said energy-related matters are likely to remain in the hands of the ecological transition ministry. The frontrunner to succeed technocrat Roberto Cingolani in the job is Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, a coalition source said. Brothers of Italy's Adolfo Urso, previously head of the parliamentary committee on security, is the frontrunner for the position, one source said.

Newly elected Senate Speaker Ignazio La Russa gives his first speech in the upper house of parliament in Rome, Italy, October 13, 2022. REUTERS/Yara NardiROME, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Italy's new rightist coalition got off to an inauspicious start on Thursday when it split over the election of the Senate speaker, who clinched the post despite a revolt by Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party. The right-wing bloc, which includes Brothers of Italy, Forza Italia and Matteo Salvini's League, have promised to bring political stability to the country after years of short-lived governments. "I will try with all my efforts to be the speaker for everybody," La Russa told the senators, as opposition chiefs denied they were responsible for his election. Former businessman Carlo Calenda, leader of the centrist Action party, denied his senators provided La Russa with the votes he needed.

☆ Holocaust survivor to oversee start of rightist Italian parliament
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Senator Liliana Segre attends a debate ahead of a confidence vote at the upper house of parliament after former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi pulled his party out of government, in Rome, Italy, January 19, 2021. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/Pool/File PhotoROME, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Italy's new parliament opens on Thursday, with a Holocaust survivor due to preside over the first session of the upper house Senate as the most right-wing coalition since World War Two takes control of both chambers. Liliana Segre was the only member of her family to emerge alive from the Nazi Auschwitz concentration camp at the end of the war. Honoured as a senator for life, the 92 year-old is the oldest active member of the house, meaning she will start proceedings. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterAdditional reporting by Angelo Amante; editing by Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The Intel Corporation logo is seen at a temporary office during the World Economic Forum 2022 (WEF) in the Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland May 25, 2022. A spokesperson for Intel did not comment as negotiations are ongoing and confidential. Among other reasons, the site is well connected with Germany and in particular with the city of Magdeburg, where Intel will build two factories, one of the sources added. Intel and the government had also initially considered sites in the Lombardy, Apulia and Sicily regions. The sources declined to provide further details, but Reuters has previously reported that Rome is ready to fund as much as 40% of Intel's total investment in Italy.

Leader of Brothers of Italy Giorgia Meloni speaks at the party's election night headquarters, in Rome, Italy September 26, 2022. It is from tomorrow that we must prove our worth," the 45-year-old Meloni told cheering supporters of her nationalist Brothers of Italy party early Monday morning. The other major conservative party, Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, also scored around 8%, leaving Brothers of Italy the dominant partner. Despite its clearcut victory, the vote was not a ringing endorsement for the conservative alliance. The right took full advantage of Italy's electoral law, which benefits parties that forge pre-ballot pacts.

☆ Factbox: Potential flashpoints in Italy's new rightist coalition
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Here are some of the main potential sources of tension between Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy (FdI), Matteo Salvini's League and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia. The League leader has urged caution over sanctions while Berlusconi sparked outrage on Friday when he said Putin had invaded Ukraine to install a government of "decent people." Forza Italia, by contrast, has called for it to be increased, with a close Berlusconi aide saying it should be "doubled" for the poorest recipients. PERSONAL RIVALRIESRelations between Meloni and Salvini have often been strained as the fortunes of their parties have swung. If Salvini survives as party leader, he will have to find a way to counter Meloni's growing popularity, which is likely to cause friction.

Leader of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) Enrico Letta reacts as he speaks to media a day after Italy's election where the rightwing alliance led by Giorgia Meloni triumphed, in Rome, Italy, September 26, 2022. REUTERS/Stoyan NenovROME, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The leaders of Italy's opposition parties on Monday blamed their defeat on a lack of unity and on voters choosing a path of populism, after Giorgia Meloni's rightist bloc overwhelmingly won the national election. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterEnrico Letta, the head of the opposition Democratic Party (PD), announced he would stand down. M5S leader Giuseppe Conte said overnight it was the PD's fault if it proved impossible for the centre left to win. "They have undermined a political offer that could have been competitive against this centre right," Conte said.

ROME, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Polls opened in Italy on Sunday in an election that is forecast to return the country's most right-wing government since World War Two and also herald its first woman prime minister. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterA right-wing alliance led by Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party appeared on course for a clear victory when the last opinion polls were published two weeks ago. read moreBut with a polls blackout in force in the two weeks before the election, there is still scope for a surprise. Meloni would be the obvious candidate for prime minister as leader of an alliance also featuring Matteo Salvini's League party and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia. Italy's first autumn national election in over a century was triggered by party infighting that brought down Prime Minister Mario Draghi's broad national unity government in July.

☆ Italy's right-wing parties seen winning power -exit polls
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Leader of Brothers of Italy Giorgia Meloni votes at a polling station during the snap election in Rome, Italy September 25, 2022. REUTERS/Yara NardiROME, Sept 25 (Reuters) - A right-wing alliance led by Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party looks set to win a majority in the next parliament, exit polls said on Sunday after voting ended in an Italian national election. An exit poll for state broadcaster RAI said the bloc of conservative parties, that also includes Matteo Salvini's League and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, won between 41 and 45%, enough to guarantee control of both houses of parliament. Italy's electoral law favours groups that manage to create pre-ballot pacts, giving them an outsized number of seats by comparison with their vote tally. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Crispian Balmer Editing by Keith WeirOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Giorgia Meloni, leader of the right-wing party Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) holds a giant Italian national flag during a political rally on February 24, 2018 in Milan, Italy. Giorgia Meloni's Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) party was created in 2012, but has its roots in Italy's 20th century neo-fascist movement that emerged after the death of fascist leader Benito Mussolini in 1945. After winning 4% of the vote in 2018's election, it has used its position in opposition to springboard into the mainstream. The Brothers of Italy party is expected to gain the largest share of the vote for a single party on Sunday. Fratelli d'Italia has been pro-NATO and pro-Ukraine and supports sanctions against Russia, unlike Lega which is ambivalent about those measures.

The Intel Corporation logo is seen at a temporary office during the World Economic Forum 2022 (WEF) in the Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland May 25, 2022. Intel's investment in Italy is part of a wider plan announced by the U.S. chipmaker last March to invest as much as 80 billion euros ($77.5 billion) over the next decade in building capacity across Europe. A spokesperson for Intel did not comment as negotiations are ongoing and confidential. Intel and the government had also initially considered sites in the Lombardy, Apulia and Sicily regions. The sources declined to provide further details, but Reuters has previously reported that Rome is ready to fund as much as 40% of Intel's total investment in Italy.

☆ Giorgia Meloni and her far-right Brothers of Italy party top vote in Italian elections, exit poll shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Matt Clinch | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Giorgia Meloni's Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) party are set to gain 22.5% to 26.5% of the vote, according to an exit poll late Sunday night. But the vote could mark a big political shift for a pivotal European country dealing with ongoing economic and political instability. Meloni's Brothers of Italy party was created in 2012, but has its roots in Italy's 20th century neo-fascist movement that emerged after the death of fascist leader Benito Mussolini in 1945. After winning 4% of the vote in 2018′s election, Brothers of Italy and 45-year-old Meloni used their position in opposition to springboard into the mainstream. The snap election on Sunday in the EU's third-largest economy comes six months before they were due to be held.

ROME, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Millions of Italians will vote on Sunday in an election that is forecast to return the country's most right-wing government since World War Two and usher in its first woman prime minister. Italy's first autumn national election in more than a century was triggered by party infighting that brought down Prime Minister Mario Draghi's broad national unity government in July. A right-wing alliance led by Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party appeared on course for a clear victory when the last opinion polls were published two weeks ago. That would cap a remarkable rise for Meloni, a 45-year-old from Rome whose party won only 4% of the vote in the last national election in 2018. CHALLENGESItaly has a history of political instability and the next prime minister will lead the country's 68th government since 1946 and face a host of challenges, notably rising energy costs.

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