Berlusconi and the mystery of the European election's logo

Wednesday, 2 April 2014. The Forza Italia logo for the European elections shows the name “Berlusconi”, but if Silvio can't run as a candidate, who is going to be that?

Silvio Berlusconi can't run as a candidate for public office due to his interdiction to public posts, Italian highest court had made it clear last month, when the former prime minister's lawyer appealed against the ruling, which followed the definitive conviction of the media tycoon for tax fraud. 

Forza Italia's logo and slogan: “"More Italy in Europe, less Europe in Italy”

But, then, who is going to put a face to the Berlusconi name written in big blue letters over the Forza Italia (Go Italy) party's logo for the election, just below the tricolour banner and between a menace printed on the left (“Piu' Italia in Europa”, “More Italy in Europe”), and a wrote bad omen on the right (“Meno Europa in Italia”, “Less Europe in Italy”)?

Berlusconi: is Ruby the Heart Stealer using your money in Mexico and Dubai?

Friday, 28 March 2014. According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica Berlusconi's favourite night dancer Karima El Mahroug (aka Ruby the Heart Stealer) has started a new life, taking expensive holidays, developing a luxury resort in Mexico and investing in property in the Middle East. Where did she get the money from?

Karima El Mahroug – aka Ruby the Heart Stealer – is a young former erotic dancer (she is now 21) who took part in the bunga-bunga parties in Berlusconi's villa in Arcore and who is believed to have had sex with the owner of the manor in 2010 when she was still under-age (and Mr Berlusconi was sentenced to a 7-year term in jail for having slept with her and for having used his power as Italy's prime minister to try and hide the story).

Ruby the Heart Stealer (real name Karima El-Mahroug) having pretty good time in Mexico (Playa del Carmen's beach)

Now, in 2010 the prosecutors in charge with the sex scandal trial (the result of the so-called Rubygate investigation) intercepted a phone conversation when Ruby – talking to a friend – said that she had received €5 million from the billionaire (which is roughly £4.1m or $6.9).

Later on the Moroccan erotic dancer (and call-girl, if you listen to Milan's judges), said that all that stuff (and other stuff she had been telling the judges) was just a made-up show off and she had been “talking crap”, and so on.

Berlusconi: riding cats and dogs to gain support

Sunday, 30 March 2014. In a desperate attempt to gain support in the run-up to May European Elections, Silvio Berlusconi has become a strenuous campaigner for animal adoption.

The Mr Berlusconi is looking for a tiger to ride, in order to gain some support at least within his ageing target group, the young pensioners, and show that ditching the People of Liberty movement (Popolo della Libertà) and re-founding his old party “Forza Italia” (Go Italy o Forward Italy, according to the interpretations) was, all in all, a pretty good idea.

“This dog is my happiness” says a visibly satisfied Berlusconi on the Facebook page of Dudù,
Francesca Pascale's pet (photograph: Forza Dudù)

So far the disgraced politician (who was sentenced for tax fraud, booted from parliament, banned from travelling abroad, and his woes related to the bunga-bunga parties sex scandal are far from over) has been clutching at straws, lacking a proper wild beast, he is now experimenting with cats and dogs, playing the role of the wise and nice elderly man (his look had already been changed accordingly). Beggers can't be choosers