L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS N e w s o f h i s p a s s i n g i m m e d i a t e l y m a d e h e a d - l i n e s a r o u n d the world. Silvio Berlus- coni: leader of an economic empire that Forbes valued at 7 billion euros, the result of 40 years of entrepreneurial activity across real estate, banking, and the media. But also four-time Prime Minis- ter, and founder of the cen- ter-right party Forza Italia, with which he entered the world of politics in 1994, proposing his famous "con- t r a c t w i t h t h e I t a l i a n s , " which he signed on live tele- vision. Since then, he has shaped the public life of the Peninsula. He was the long- standing president of AC Milan football club, with which he won 29 trophies in 31 years (making it the most successful in the history of national football), and more recently of AC Monza. He died at the age of 86 due to chronic leukemia, which he h a d b e e n b a t t l i n g s i n c e 2021. In Italy, the mourning for an indisputable protagonist, for better or worse, of the country's history and of the S e c o n d R e p u b l i c - b o t h inside and outside the court- rooms - drew the attention of the worlds of media and politics. The government decided, extraordinarily, to suspend its activities for 7 days. Not only there was a state funeral, but also a day of national mourning and flags at half-mast on public buildings nationwide, as well as in diplomatic and con- s u l a r r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s abroad. T h e c e r e m o n y i n t h e D u o m o o f M i l a n , w i t h access limited to 2,000 peo- p l e , a n d f o l l o w e d i n t h e square via giant screens by 10,000, was broadcast on five national channels, three of which were his own. In attendance at the funeral were also the President of t h e R e p u b l i c S e r g i o M a t t a r e l l a , P r i m e Continued to page 24 BARBARA MINAFRA Minister Giorgia Meloni, the Presidents of the Cham- ber of Deputies, Senate, and Constitutional Court, as well as several foreign heads of state. A few seconds after the announcement of his death, t h e n e w s q u i c k l y s p r e a d across the web. Among the first to report it were Russian a g e n c i e s T a s s a n d R i a N o v o s t i , f o l l o w e d b y the BBC, The Times, Finan- cial Times, Le Monde, and S p a n i s h n e w s p a p e r s E l Mundo and El Pais. Shortly after, all major international m e d i a c o v e r e d h i s d e a t h e x t e n s i v e l y a n d m a d e i t front-page news, choosing each time to highlight the merits or demerits of a figure who deeply marked the last 30 years. T h e W a s h i n g t o n P o s t h e a d l i n e d , " S i l v i o Berlusconi, former Italian leader and billionaire media mogul dies at 86. He domi- nated and divided his coun- try for decades through a combination of showman charm, scofflaw bombast and ruthless application of finan- cial and political power." The Wall Street Jour- nal titled an article that took nine minutes to read and w a s a c c o m p a n i e d b y a slideshow of photographs depicting him with leaders from all over the world, often hosted in his enormous col- lection of villas, parks, and palaces: "Silvio Berlusconi, Italian media magnate and ex-premier, dies. The three- time premier was a divisive figure who shaped Italian politics and embodied its conservative movement." T h e L o s A n g e l e s Times: "Silvio Berlusconi, former Italian leader whose tenure was marred by scan- dal, dies at 86. Berlusconi w a s a b i l l i o n a i r e m e d i a m o g u l w h o w e n t o n t o become Italy's longest-serv- ing prime minister but who was dogged by corruption and sex scandals." CNN: "Silvio Berlusconi, I t a l y ' s f o r m e r s h o w m a n leader, battled a string of Farewell to Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's most controversial "Cavaliere" Berlusconi with supporters of the European People's Party (Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons agreement. European People's Party/CC BY 2.0) Silvio Berlusconi was born in Milan in 1936 (Photo: Markwaters/Dreamstime)

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