- Alcaraz breezes into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Gaza cultural heritage brought to light in Geneva
- 'Bullet for democracy': Trump returns to site of rally shooting
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- South Korean cult-horror series 'Hellbound' returns at BIFF
- Nepalis fear more floods as climate change melts glaciers
- Honduras arrests environmentalist's alleged murderer
- Padres pitcher Musgrove needs elbow surgery
- Supreme Court lets stand rules to curb mercury, methane emissions
- Boston beat Denver in NBA exhibition season opener, but Jokic says omens are good
- Chagos diaspora angry at lack of input on islands' fate
- Biden says 'not confident' of peaceful US election
- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- Lukaku stars as Napoli beat Como to hold Serie A top spot
- Ohtani set for MLB playoff debut as Dodgers face Padres
- Pogba's drug ban cut to 18 months from four years
- Devine leads New Zealand to big win over India in Women's T20 World Cup
- Bosnia floods kill 16 people
- EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling
- Prosecutors seek dismissal of rape charges against French rugby players
- Meta AI turns pictures into videos with sound
- Bolivia's Morales says claims he raped a minor are a 'lie'
- MLB Reds hire two-time champion Francona as manager
- Daniel Maldini receives first Italy call-up for Nations League
- US dockworkers return to ports after three-day strike
- Ancelotti points finger at Madrid's 'lack of intensity'
- Haiti reeling after 70 killed in gang attack
- Five Czech kids in hospital over TikTok 'piercing challenge'
- What happens next in Iran-Israel conflict?
- Country star Garth Brooks denies rape accusations
- Stubbs hits maiden century as South Africa make 343-4 against Ireland
- DR Congo to begin mpox vaccination campaign Saturday in east
- Odegaard injury has forced Arsenal to be 'different', says Arteta
- Ratcliffe refuses to guarantee Ten Hag's Man Utd future
- Meta must limit data use for targeted ads: EU court
- Mauritius to hold legislative election on November 10
- Britain qualify for America's Cup final after 60-year wait
- IMF asks Sri Lanka to protect hard-won gains
- Morata returns to Spain Nations League squad after injury
- Irish regulator to probe Ryanair use of facial recognition
- Public allowed to see video evidence in France mass rape trial
- US hiring soars past expectations in sign of resilient market
- Under-fire Ten Hag 'together' with Man Utd hierarchy
- Guardiola talks of Man City love affair as financial hearing rumbles on
- De Bruyne out of Belgium Nations League squad
- Japanese trainer Yahagi hopes Shin Emperor achieves 50-year-old Arc dream
- UK's Starmer hails 'landmark' carbon capture funding
- As EU targets Chinese cars, European rivals sputter
- Bosnia floods kill 14 people
- Tennis world number one Swiatek splits with coach Wiktorowski
Berlusconi: Italy's scandal-plagued 'knight'
Silvio Berlusconi's bid for Italy's presidency was always a long shot, an audacious last throw of the dice by the scandal-plagued former premier who has dominated public life for decades.
The billionaire media mogul, who pulled out of the race Saturday, remains divisive in Italy and derided abroad, and is still embroiled in legal action over his infamous "Bunga Bunga" sex parties.
Berlusconi, 85, has also suffered a string of health issues, not least his hospitalisation with coronavirus in September 2020. His lawyers have cited illness as reasons to delay legal proceedings.
For many, he was an entirely unsuitable candidate for unifying head of state, with one politician calling his bid a "tragic joke", and few analysts believed he had the numbers.
The man dubbed "Il Cavaliere" (The Knight) insisted he had enough support but was pulling out in the interests of "national responsibility", adding: "I will continue to serve my country in other ways."
- Talent for self promotion -
Berlusconi's blending of politics, business and TV, his outspoken and often offensive views and talent for self-promotion have sparked comparisons with former US president Donald Trump.
Born in Milan in 1936, he started in the construction sector in his 20s, building up a huge media and real estate business, which included AC Milan football club.
In the early 1990s, poor investments saw his debts spiral and he entered politics, bursting onto the scene with a new party, Forza Italy ("Go Italy"), named after a football chant.
After his first election victory in 1994 he was premier for only nine months, but won again in 2001 after a US-style campaign in which he promised jobs and economic growth, signing a "Contract with Italians" live on television.
He served until 2006, and returned again as prime minister between 2008 and 2011, making him the longest-serving premier in Italy's post-war history.
Key to his charm was his glamorous lifestyle, bravado and promises of a low-tax, deregulated economy in which Italians might emulate his financial success.
For a decade, he was Italy's richest person.
To his critics, he was a tax-evading playboy who used his vast media empire to further his political career, and then exploited his power to protect his business interests.
On the international stage, he dallied with Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi and was close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
With a typical lack of humility, Berlusconi has compared himself with Napoleon and Jesus Christ.
- Legal woes -
Prosecutors snapped at his heels throughout his time in office, even as his supporters in parliament passed laws to shield him and his allies.
Despite multiple court cases -- he claimed last year to have gone through 86 trials -- he never spent time behind bars and successfully appealed convictions for fraud and corruption early in his political career.
In 2013, Berlusconi faced his first definitive conviction for tax fraud, which saw him carry out community service in a care home for sufferers of Alzheimer's.
But he continues to face the fall-out of his parties at his villa near Milan, which had a private nightclub.
Berlusconi was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2013 for paying for sex with then 17-year-old Karima El-Mahroug, but this was later overturned after the judge said there was reasonable doubt that he knew she was underage.
In October last year, a court in Tuscany acquitted him of bribing a witness to lie about the parties, although related proceedings continue elsewhere.
A.Magalhes--PC