Berlusconi’s son on growing up in Italy’s first family

Pier Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s eldest son and a top official in his media empire, says his father was “always there for me.” Berlusconi, 40, is vice chairman of Mediaset SpA, the Italian commercial television network founded by his father and now owned by the Berlusconi family through the holding company, Fininvest.

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Why Do Italy’s Disasters Have Such High Death Tolls?

Disasters in Italy have a predictable chronology: after the calamity strikes, rescues are attempted, destiny is lamented and pledges are made to rebuild destroyed towns. And without fail, as the first victims are still being buried, a criminal investigation is opened.

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Massa takes the wheel after horror crash

Felipe Massa is back in the fast lane after his life-threatening crash at the Hungarian Grand Prix just nine weeks ago which placed his Formula One future in doubt. The Brazilian has taken to the wheel of a kart in his home city of Sao Paulo, managing 60 laps of the Granja Viana circuit and is to continue the activity over the next few days.

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The Mysteries of Chappaquiddick

In his sorrow last summer, he seemed larger than anyone had remembered. Forgotten were the early misadventures of the youngest son of a rich and famous family. Like Shakespeare’s Prince Hal, he was not what he had seemed to be, and friends and critics alike saw not an immature Senator from Massachusetts but the legend’s last guardian

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‘Relieved’ Schumacher visits Massa in hospital

Formula One legend Michael Schumacher has admitted his relief after visiting stricken Ferrari driver Felipe Massa in hospital. The seven-time world champion has agreed to come out of retirement to replace Massa in the short term following the Brazilian’s freak accident in Hungary which left him fighting for his life. The 40-year-old had not previously had the time to visit Massa, last year’s world championship runner-up, as he has been undergoing medical tests and getting up to speed for his eagerly-anticipated racing return by practicing in a 2007 Ferrari

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