List of All Articles with Tag 'europe'

Silvio Berlusconi, the boastful billionaire media mogul who was Italy’s longest-serving premier, despite scandals over his sex-fueled parties and allegations of corruption, has died. A one-time cruise ship crooner, Berlusconi used his television networks and immense wealth to launch his long political career, inspiring both loyalty and loathing. To admirers, the multiple-time premier was a capable and charismatic statesman who sought to elevate Italy on the world stage. To critics, he was a populist who threatened to undermine democracy by wielding political power as a tool to enrich himself and his businesses. Born in 1936 in Milan to a bank clerk father and housewife mother, he attended a Catholic college, the start of a complicated relationship with the church, which supported him until the mounting allegations of sleaze “superceded the limits of decency”, in the view of at least one weekly Catholic newspaper. His capacity to entertain emerged early when he worked on cruise ships and played bass with a band, performing George Gershwin hits like “I Got Rhythm” in the dancehalls of Milan before being sacked for devoting more time to flirting with punters (“marketing and PR”, he called it) than playing music. After graduating in law, Berlusconi turned down a job as a cashier at the bank where his father had worked in order to strike out as a property developer. His ambition was notable. To pull off an early make-or-break deal, he persuaded a secretary to tell him when her pension fund director boss would be taking a seven-hour train journey so as to ensure he could secure the seat next to him. Later, when the flight path put off buyers over his Milano 2 residential development, he had alternative routes opened. A modest plan to make his homes more attractive by offering a local cable TV service, Telemilano, which showed light entertainment and reruns of American soap operas such as Dallas, grew into a network of local channels until, by the end of the 1980s, his trash TV empire of game shows and barely-clothed hostesses came to dominate Italian airwaves. As well as hauling in advertising revenue, Berlusconi’s channels allowed him to give favourable coverage towards friendly politicians who helped him protect his commercial interests, which now included publishing houses and the football team AC Milan. When he entered politics himself, these contacts would prove indispensable. The Clean Hands corruption probes that took out a generation of Italian politicians eventually provided the motivation for that move. Power, he reasoned, would not only protect himself from prosecutors but allow him to defend his businesses. Headline-grabbing proposals included a million new jobs and lower taxes. A political outsider positioned as an enemy of the establishment, Berlusconi was in many ways a prototype for Donald Trump. Running a successful Serie A side like the “rossoneri” was one of his main qualifications for high office, he felt. When challenged by an economist over his tax plans, he replied: “How many intercontinental [football cups] have you won?” In 1994, he took 21 per cent of the vote in the general election and found himself prime minister, beginning a two decade-long domination of Italian politics through which he shamelessly advanced his own interests. His personal lawyers, now on the state payroll as MPs, spent their time drawing up laws to get him out of trouble, including immunity from prosecution for the prime minister and a tax amnesty that saved his company 120m euros. His communication minister meanwhile amended competition rules allowing him to retain his media empire. His calling to international relations was evident when he made himself foreign minister as well as prime minister, wooing foreign leaders such as Tony Blair and Putin by inviting them to his James Bond-esque Sardinian villa, complete with fake volcano. Cherie Blair described her evening there as the best of her life. But gaffes such as calling America’s first black president Barack Obama “suntanned” and suggesting a German MEP should play a concentration camp guard made him an international laughing stock. His standing took a further hit in 2009 when his second wife, Veronica Lario, publicly accused him of “frequenting minors”. When a 17-year-old Moroccan nightclub dancer, known as Ruby-the-Heartstealer, who was arrested for a petty crime, told police she knew Berlusconi, the claim set in motion a chain of events that would bring about the mogul’s downfall. Ironically, if Berlusconi had not interceded claiming she was the niece of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian despot, the case might have ended there. Investigators, their hackles raised by Berlusconi’s meddling, discovered that a harem of showgirls and models regularly visited his villas for sex parties where they received lavish gifts and envelopes of cash. The drip-feed of salacious details appalled even Italy, where mistresses are less taboo for rich men. Thousands took to the streets in protests that expressed women’s frustration at their humiliating role in Berlusconi’s Italy. But, ultimately, it was not the “bunga bunga” parties that undid him, but his inability to cope as Italy’s debt reached unsustainable levels in 2011 and he was forced to resign in favour of technocrats. Out of office, he remained in the spotlight, thanks to his own media empire and as the defendant in dozens of trials, throughout which he claimed he was the victim of a plot by a left-wing judiciary. After years when, Teflon-like, he had wriggled out of every writ, his eventual conviction for tax fraud in 2014 and subsequent sentencing to community service in a home for Alzheimer’s sufferers represented rock bottom, but, as usual, Berlusconi proved irrepressible, entertaining residents with bingo games and singalongs - a revival of his old cruise ship act. His final years went some way towards rehabilitating his image. He became the oldest member of the European Parliament, his centrist pro-European politics far preferable, in the eyes of German chancelleor Angela Merkel, to the dangerous populist ideals that surged in Europe. When, in February 2021, his party joined a government led by that most establishment of figures, former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi, his triumphant comeback was complete. His return to government represented an unlikely final twist in the story of a figure who had risen from selling electric hairbrushes to being the richest and most powerful man in Italy and the object of global fascination as (depending on your point of view): a media mogul, marketing genius, football club owner, political trailblazer, womaniser and showman. For every Italian that hated him for his monopolistic control of the media and abuse of power, there was another who admired his business acumen and was amused by his lowbrow larks. As the writer Curzio Malaparte wrote, Berlusconi’s qualities and defects “are the qualities and defects of all Italians”. Berlusconi is survived by 12 grandchildren and five children: Pier Silvio, Marina, Barbara, Eleonora and Pierluigi. Read More Perhaps the most surprising part of the Italian crisis is that Berlusconi has emerged as a selfless voice of reason Italy’s comeback kid: How Silvio Berlusconi has managed to re-enter politics, despite all the scandals Silvio Berlusconi tells female reporter her handshake is so strong 'no one will want to marry her' Silvio Berlusconi dead: Billionaire former Italian prime minister dies aged 86

The former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has died at the age of 86, Italian media reported on Monday. Berlusconi dominated Italian politics for almost twenty years, leading the centre-right party Forza Italy from 1994 to 2009, before taking the helm of successor party The People of Freedom until 2013. The right-wing populist enjoyed three spells as prime minister of Italy – from 1994 to 1995, from 2001 to 2006 and again from 2008 to 2011. His last few years in the country’s top job were marred by allegations of corruption and tales of “bunga bunga” sex parties at his lavish villa outside Milan. He was accused of unlawful sex with 17-year-old nightclub dancer known only as “Ruby the Heartstealer” – but he was acquitted on appeal in 2014, after several women testified that his bung bunga parties were merely “elegant dinners”. Berlusconi had amassed a huge fortune through his business dealings. He was the controlling shareholder of Italian media giant Mediaset, and owned the football club AC Milan from 1986 to 2017. More follows Read More Reports: Former Italian Premier Berlusconi readmitted to hospital 3 weeks after release Mapped: Ukraine claims four villages captured in first gains of counteroffensive British girl killed during barbecue in France as father fights for life – latest

An 11-year-old girl from a British family was shot dead in France while her father was seriously wounded following the attack. The girl was playing on the swings while her family was enjoying a barbecue in their garden on Saturday night when a neighbour fired several shots at them. The incident happened at around 10pm local time in the village of Saint-Herbot in Brittany, western France. The suspect – a 71-year-old Dutch national – was arrested along with his wife, prosecutors said. Her father, who was reportedly shot in the head, is in a critical condition at a hospital. Her mother received non-life-threatening injuries. The girl’s eight-year-old sister managed to escape unhurt but was left in a state of “shock” after witnessing the shooting. A British foreign office spokesperson said they were providing assistance to the family. “We are providing consular assistance to a British family following a shooting in France and are in contact with the local authorities,” a statement said. Carine Halley, a prosecutor in Brittany’s Quimper, said the child died immediately and the father was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition, according to The Times. She said initial evidence suggests "the suspect suddenly emerged armed with a gun and fired several times towards the victims” and shut himself in his house along with his wife. “The motives for this tragedy are not yet known. It appears there had been a conflict between the two neighbours for several years over a piece of land adjoining the two properties,” Ms Halley said. Marguerite Bleuzen, the mayor of Plonévez-du-Faou, said the attack was believed to be in connection to a land “dispute between neighbours” from past three years. “We knew the family well. There is a village fete every year and they always came,” she said. “It’s completely incomprehensible to have shot a child. This happened without any warning,” she added. “Nobody can understand how this could have happened.” A local resident said that the younger girl raised the alarm after the shooting, shouting: "My sister is dead, my sister is dead". “We heard noises and thought they – either the children or the parents – were playing with fireworks. Then the youngest girl came running to the neighbours shouting,” the neighbour who was not named said. “We went and saw the girl was dead and her father and mother were injured.” The killing of the British girl comes just days after another three-year-old British girl was among four children and two adults who were stabbed in a park by a man in Annecy in eastern France. Read More Man accused of knife attack on four children in Annecy held on attempted murder charges British girl stabbed in knife attack can leave hospital soon, prosecutors say France details huge security for Paris' gargantuan 2024 Olympic opening ceremony British girl killed during barbecue in France as father fights for life – latest Biden to host outgoing NATO secretary-general Stoltenberg as competition to replace him heats up Finucane: Right to commemorate the dead must apply to every section of society

Credit Suisse Group AG’s imminent exit from the Swiss Market Index is symbolic of the decreasing importance of

More than one in 10 German companies were the victim of a cyberattack last year, according to a

Heat will persist across the UK and northern Europe this week, potentially boosting demand for energy to keep

An 11-year-old girl from a British family has been shot dead in France and her father is fighting for his life following an attack on Saturday night. The girl was reportedly playing on the swings while the family was having a barbecue in their garden in the village of Saint-Herbot in Brittany, western France, when a neighbour allegedly fired several shots at them at around 10pm local time. The suspect – a 71-year-old Dutch national – was arrested along with his wife, prosecutors said. The child’s father, who was reportedly shot in the head, is in a critical condition at a hospital, while her mother received non-life-threatening injuries. The girl’s eight-year-old sister managed to escape unhurt but was left in a state of “shock” after witnessing the shooting. According to a local resident, she raised the alarm, shouting: "My sister is dead, my sister is dead". The killing of the British girl comes just days after another three-year-old British girl was among four children and two adults who were stabbed in a park by a man in Annecy in eastern France. Read More British girl, 11, shot dead as she played on swings in family home in France Man accused of knife attack on four children in Annecy held on attempted murder charges British girl stabbed in knife attack can leave hospital soon, prosecutors say

European shares edged higher on Monday at the start of a week packed with major central bank policy

Hungary may need to consider raising its inflation goal as price-growth is unlikely to return near the central

Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan. ———————- ONLY ON AP ———————- PANDEMIC AID-GREAT GRIFT — An Associated Press analysis found that fraudsters potentially stole more than $280 billion in COVID-19 relief funding; another $123 billion was wasted or misspent. Combined, the loss represents 10% of the $4.2 trillion the U.S. government has disbursed in COVID relief aid. All of it led to the greatest grift in U.S. history. By Richard Lardner, Jennifer McDermott and Aaron Kessler. SENT: 2,200 words, photos. With PANDEMIC AID-GREAT GRIFT-TAKEAWAYS. ——————————— TOP STORIES ———————————- TRUMP-CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS — Donald Trump and his allies are escalating efforts to undermine the criminal case against him and drum up protests as the former president braces for a history-making federal court appearance this week on dozens of felony charges accusing him of illegally hoarding classified information. Trump’s Tuesday afternoon appearance in Miami will mark his second time in as many months facing a judge on criminal charges. By Eric Tucker and Jill Colvin. SENT: 960 words, photos, videos. With TRUMP-CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS — Big differences between Trump charges and Clinton email probe. RUSSIA-AMENDING TACTICS — Analysts say Moscow has learned from earlier blunders in its war with Ukraine and improved its weapons and skills. Russia has built heavily fortified defenses along the 600-mile front line, honed its electronic weapons to reduce Ukraine’s edge in combat drones, and turned heavy bombs from its massive Cold-War-era arsenal into precision-guided gliding munitions capable of striking targets without putting its warplanes at risk. SENT: 1,310 words, photos. EUROPE-HIGH FOOD PRICES — High food prices are pinching households across Europe, where food inflation is outpacing other major economies like the U.S., Japan and Canada. Some governments have responded with price controls or loose agreements with supermarkets to keep costs down. In Italy, a consumer group is taking matters into its own hands, calling for a pasta strike to force down prices by bottoming out demand. By Business Writer Colleen Barry. SENT: 960 words, photos. This is the Tuesday Spotlight. TED-KACZYNSKI-SUICIDE — Ted Kaczynski, known as the “Unabomber,” who carried out a 17-year bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others, died by suicide, four people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Kaczynski, who was 81 and suffering from late-stage cancer, was found unresponsive in his North Carolina cell. By Michael R. Sisak, Mike Balsamo and Jake Offenhartz. SENT: 640 words, photos. I-95-COLLAPSE — An elevated section of Interstate 95 collapsed in Philadelphia after a tanker truck carrying flammable cargo caught fire, closing a heavily traveled segment of the East Coast’s main north-south highway indefinitely, authorities said. Transportation officials warned of extensive delays and street closures and urged drivers to avoid the area in the city’s northeast corner. By Ron Todt. SENT: 990 words, photos, video. TONY AWARDS — The intimate, funny-sad musical “Kimberly Akimbo” nudged aside splashier rivals to win the musical crown at the Tony Awards on a night when Broadway flexed its creative muscle amid the Hollywood writers’ strike and made history with laurels for nonbinary actors J. Harrison Ghee and Alex Newell. By Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. SENT: 1,250 words, photos, videos. With TONY AWARDS-LIST. ——————————————— SPOTLIGHTING VOICES ——————————————— ARGENTINA-TRANSGENDER — A bill under discussion in Argentina’s congressional committee would provide a lifetime pension for transgender people over 40 as a form of “historic reparations.” SENT: 930 words, photos. ———————————————————————— MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR ———————————————————————— RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Ukraine’s military on Sunday reported recapturing a southeastern village as Russian forces claimed to repel multiple attacks in the area, while a regional official said three people were killed when Moscow’s troops opened fire at a boat evacuating people from Russian-occupied areas to Ukrainian-held territory along a flooded front line far to the south. SENT: 880 words, photos, video. EUROPE-AIR DEFENSE EXERCISE — An air deployment exercise billed as the biggest in NATO’s history and hosted by Germany is getting underway. SENT: 350 words. NEW ZEALAND-UKRAINE REPORTING — The head of New Zealand’s public radio station apologized for publishing “pro-Kremlin garbage” on its website after more than a dozen wire stories on the Ukraine war were found to have been altered. SENT: 430 words, photo. —————————— MORE NEWS —————————— HEAT MASCOT-MCGREGOR — Conor McGregor knocks out Heat mascot in bizarre promotion at NBA Finals. SENT: 200 words, photos. GEORGE SOROS SUCCESSOR — Report: Billionaire investor, philanthropist George Soros cedes control of empire. SENT: 410 words, photo. HUNGARY-POLICE-DOG — German shepherd wounded in Ukraine gets new start as police dog. SENT: 520 words, photos. MARYLAND-FATAL SHOOTING — Police: Three dead, three wounded in shooting at Maryland home. SENT: 210 words, photos. FIREFIGHTER DROWNS — Firefighter drowns while trying to rescue daughter at Jersey Shore beach. SENT: 150 words. ——————————————————— WASHINGTON/POLITICS —————-—————————————- ELECTION 2024-MOMS FOR LIBERTY — At least four Republican presidential candidates are scheduled to travel to Philadelphia later this month to speak at the annual gathering of Moms for Liberty, a Florida-based nonprofit that didn’t exist in 2020 but that has become a power player in conservative politics ahead of the 2024 elections. SENT: 1,220 words, photos. ELECTION 2024-JILL BIDEN — Though the 2024 election in which President Joe Biden is seeking reelection is more than a year away, helping him win a second term is a top priority for first lady Jill Biden now that school’s out for the summer. SENT: 980 words, photos. BIDEN-NATO — President Joe Biden is welcoming outgoing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to the White House for talks as the competition to find his successor to lead the military alliance heats up. SENT: 470 words, photos. ———————— NATIONAL ———————— WIFE CHARGED-CHILDREN’S GRIEF BOOK — A Utah woman who wrote a children’s book about coping with grief after her husband’s death, and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, is scheduled to appear in court to determine whether she should remain detained or have an opportunity to post bail. SENT: 680 words, photo. CIVIL RIGHTS-MEDGAR EVERS — At 90, Myrlie Evers-Williams still speaks in a clear, strong voice as she says she terribly misses her first love, civil rights icon Medgar Evers, as she reflects on his work to push the U.S. toward a promise of equality and justice for all. SENT: 930 words, photos. OREGON-EDUCATION-GOP WALKOUT — Funding for schools, literacy programs and special education teachers in Oregon — a state where 60% of third graders can’t read at grade level — could be jeopardized by a Republican walkout that has stalled hundreds of bills and derailed the Legislature for nearly six weeks. SENT: 800 words, photos. YOUTH CLIMATE LAWSUIT-MONTANA — A group of Montana youth who say their lives are already being affected by climate change and that state government is failing to protect them are the first of dozens of such efforts to get their lawsuit to trial. SENT: 450 words, photo. —————————————- INTERNATIONAL ————————————— COLOMBIA-PLANE-CRASH-CHILDREN — The four Indigenous children who survived 40 days in the Amazon jungle after their plane crashed have shared limited but harrowing details of their ordeal with their family, including that their mother survived the crash for days before she died. SENT: 980 words, photos. AUSTRALIA-BUS CRASH — A bus carrying wedding guests rolled over on a foggy night in Australia’s wine country, killing 10 people and injuring 25, police said. By Rod McGuirk and Nick Perry. SENT: 550 words, photos. PHILIPPINES-VOLCANO — The Philippines’ most active volcano was gently spewing lava down its slopes, alerting tens of thousands of people they may have to quickly flee a violent and life-threatening explosion. SENT: 620 words, photos. IRAQ-BUDGET — Iraq’s parliament belatedly approved a record $152 billion budget for 2023, after months of wrangling over the sharing of oil revenue between the central government in Baghdad and the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdish region in the north. SENT: 760 words, photo. —————————- HEALTH/SCIENCE —————————- CLIMATE-UGANDA CHARCOAL — The burning of charcoal, an age-old practice in many African societies, is now restricted business across northern Uganda amid a wave of resentment by locals who have warned of the threat of climate change stemming from the uncontrolled felling of trees by outsiders. SENT: 1,190 words, photos. CLIMATE-NET ZERO CLAIMS — A growing number of companies are pledging to cut their greenhouse gas emissions to “net zero” as part of global efforts to tackle climate change, but that goal is rarely supported by a credible plan, according to a report. SENT: 640 words, photos. ——————————————— BUSINESS/ECONOMY ——————————————— CHINA-FEEBLE RECOVERY — China’s manufacturing and consumer spending are weakening after a strong start to 2023 after anti-virus controls ended. SENT: 550 words, photos. FINANCIAL MARKETS — Shares were mixed in Asia after the S&P 500 logged its fourth winning week in a row, while investors await another decision by the Federal Reserve on interest rates. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 500 words, photos. ———————— SPORTS ———————— FRENCH OPEN — Novak Djokovic has won his men’s-record 23rd Grand Slam title with a 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 victory over Casper Ruud in the French Open final, breaking a tie with Rafael Nadal for the most major singles trophies in the history of men’s tennis. By Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich. SENT: 1,510 words, photos. ———————————————— ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT ———————————————— CYNTHIA WEIL-MEMORIAL SONGWRITER — Cynthia Weil was honored during a music-filled memorial service in Beverly Hills. SENT: 780 words, photos. ————————- HOW TO REACH US ———————— At the Nerve Center, Jerome Minerva can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Shuji Kajiyama (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide AP News Digest 3:30 am Three villages ‘liberated’ in Ukraine’s first gains of counteroffensive British girl, 11, shot dead as she played on swings in family home in France

Bank of England policy maker Jonathan Haskel said the central bank must guard against persistent inflation risks, an

By Joice Alves LONDON European grocers could exceed market expectations for earnings growth this year as they keep