SHARE
COPY LINK

POLITICS

‘Immortal’ Berlusconi says he will run for European Parliament

This is an Italian language learner article. Test your vocabulary by trying to guess the Italian for the words highlighted in bold, then check the translations provided at the bottom.

'Immortal' Berlusconi says he will run for European Parliament
Berlusconi is making yet another comeback. Photo: ELIANO IMPERATO / AFP

Italy's scandal-plagued former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi announced today that he will run in May's European Parliament election, in yet another comeback bid for the 82-year-old billionaire.

Berlusconi, who lost out in Italy's elections last year to a far-right and populist coalition, said he wanted to inject some “deep thinking” into Europe as he announced his candidacy for the bloc's polls. 

The media magnate will be a high-profile candidate to become a member of the European Parliament in the election, in which traditional parties are expected to face major challenges from far-right and eurosceptic populists.

“At my grand age, I have decided out of a sense of responsibility to head for Europe, where there is a lack of deep thinking about the future of the world,” he said at a meeting of his centre-right Forza Italia (Go Italy) party in Sardinia.

Dubbed “the immortal”, Berlusconi dominated Italian politics for more than two decades and managed to return to prominence after a long series of sex scandals, serial gaffes and legal woes.

Despite being immersed in sleaze and forced out of parliament in 2013 after a tax fraud conviction, Berlusconi made an astonishing return to lead Forza Italia into last year's general election.

But his party was outrun in the March vote by its junior ally, Matteo Salvini's far-right League, which won 17 percent compared to Forza Italia's 14 percent.

Salvini then broke the League's alliance with Berlusconi's party to form a coalition government with the Five Star Movement, becoming interior minister and deputy prime minister in the process.

Polls show the move paid off, as the League's popularity has since shot to 30 percent, while Forza Italia languishes below 10 percent.

But that has not deterred Berlusconi, who had open heart surgery in 2017 and will go on trial this year for allegedly paying a witness to give false testimony about his notorious bunga-bunga parties.

“With my knowledge, my experience and my ability to persuade, I think I can play an important role and make European citizens understand that we risk moving away from Western values,” he said on Thursday.

The onetime cruise ship singer, who has served as prime minister three times and once owned the AC Milan football club, clinched his first election victory in 1994. 

He was last ousted from power in November 2011 following a parliamentary revolt against his increasingly scandal-tainted rule and a wave of panic on the financial markets that pushed Italy to the brink of default.

Vocabulary

billionaire – miliardario

last year – l'anno scorso

expected – previsto

to return  – ritornare

tax fraud – frode fiscale

alliance – alleanza

surgery – chirurgia

knowledge  – la sapienza

cruise ship – nave da crociera

victory – vittoria

TERRORISM

Italy on maximum terror alert over Easter after Moscow attack

Italy was to increase surveillance in busy areas ahead of the Easter holidays and following the bombing of a Moscow concert hall, ministers agreed on Monday.

Italy on maximum terror alert over Easter after Moscow attack

Italy’s national committee for public security, chaired by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, on Monday said anti-terrorism monitoring in Italy must be strengthened ahead of the Easter holidays, with more surveillance to be carried out at popular tourist spots and at “sensitive sites”.

The committee agreed on “the importance of continuing monitoring activity, including online, by police and intelligence forces for the identification of possible risk situations” in Italy, reported news agency Ansa.

The security meeting was convened following the terrorist attack in Moscow on Friday where armed men opened fire and set the building ablaze, killing at least 133 people.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had stressed to the public on Sunday that Italy faced “no concrete risk” and said the country’s security and law enforcement services were “always on the alert to prevent any attack.”

“During the Easter holidays you will need to be very careful. We will always do the utmost to ensure the safety of citizens and tourists,” Tajani said, speaking on national broadcaster Rai’s current affairs show Restart.

READ ALSO: Terror alerts: Should I be worried about travelling to Italy?

The fight against terrorism “has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine,” the minister continued.

“We support Ukraine” as an invaded country in which international law has been violated, he said, “but as the Italian government we have expressed our condemnation of the attack [in Moscow] and closeness to the families of the victims and the survivors”.

Cabinet Secretary Alfredo Mantovano said on the same programme that the main terrorist threat Italy faced at the moment was mainly from “lone wolves” and “not so much from organised groups.”

“I believe that a group like the one that acted in the Moscow attack, which must have been trained and had logistical support, would be intercepted sooner in Italy,” he said.

“The most worrying threat” in Italy was online recruitment, he said, noting that propaganda was closely monitored.

SHOW COMMENTS