Silvio Berlusconi and the engagement

Sunday, December 16, 2012. On an interview aired by his own Canale 5 TV broadcaster Silvio Berlusconi reveals he is engaged to 27-year-old Francesca Pascale, half a century younger than him.

An all-smile Silvio Berlusconi announces his engagement, in December 2012

Sitting in a couch at Barbara D'Urso's “Domenica Live” TV Show, Silvio Berlusconi discloses being engaged to 27-year-old Neapolitan girl (just like the anchor woman. I mean she is Neapolitan too, not 27-year-old) Francesca Pascale, a former show girl of a local TV broadcaster, Telecapri.

Silvio Berlusconi alleged engagement led to a bride-hunt back in 2011, Francesca Pascale was one of the rumoured women (those who bet on the apparently strong candidacy of Roberta Bonasia, might have lost their money).

"She is 27 years old, with very solid values, beautiful on the outside and even more beautiful on the inside.”, said the former Italian prime minister, who also confessed the 49-year age difference between the two is a “little bit excessive”.

Silvio drew a beautiful picture of his sweetheart, "She is very close to me, she loves me very much and I feel the same.” he said with a voice almost broke by emotion. “My daughter Marina appreciates her and loves her very much too.".

Video from our YouTube Channel: Berluschannel 

During the interview, Silvio would grab the opportunity to describe the Ruby trial as an "incredible machination," he added: "It was a justification to put in place a giant operation for defamation against me and against the Italian government, including on an international level.”.

Barbara would just listen and nod, as Silvio Berlusconi story unfolded.

In the end, Canale 5 is family, isn't it?

Silvio Berlusconi and Francesca Pascale driving away.

Silvio Berlusconi and the spread-scam used to try to bring down a majority government elected by the Italians

Monday, December 10, 2012. Taking part in Canale 5's “La Telefonata” (“The Phone Call”) TV programme, Silvio Berlusconi explains to the Italians that Italy's bond yield difference with Germany's Bunds is a scam they should not worry about.

Berlusconi with alleged girlfriend Francesca Pascale

Canale 5 ("Channel 5") is a television network controlled by Berlusconi's Mediaset broadcasting company, Maurizio Belpietro is a staunch defender of the Italian Prime Minister candidate arguably the best place to address to the Italians (at least to those who aren't at work, in that time in the morning) in order to lure them to vote, once again, for the billionaire.

Belpietro - former editor of Berlusconi's Il Giornale newspaper - is the host of the La Telefonata ("The Phone Call"), a 10-minute-long TV programme where he gets a phone call, as the show title hints. Today the Italian Silvio telephoned. La Telefonata is on air at 8:40 (GTM 7:40)

“Let's stop talking about this scam!” stated this morning Il Cavaliere's voice, “one year ago nobody heard about the word “spread” he continued “that was used to try to bring down a majority government elected by the Italians”.

“Behind the crisis there has been a German strategy” Berlusconi added, and Prime Minister Mario Monti is beholden to Germany. Monti replaced Berlusconi as Italy's Prime minister in November 2011, when the spread between Italy's bond yield and Germany's Bunds reached a euro-era record of 575.6 basis points.

He knows what is needed

The way for Italy's salvation is through the restoration Forza Italia (Go Italy!), the party that Silvio Berlusconi created in 1994 when he "entered the field" the first time, its alliance with the Lega Nord (Northern League) led by Robert Maroni (in the meanwhile Berlusconi friend Umberto Bossi was swept away by a corruption scandal) and – most probably – the separation from the National Alliance party.

After the PdL withdraw it's support for Monti's government and the former European Commissioner declared his willingness to resign as soon as, general elections are expected to be held either Feb. 17 or Feb. 24 (about a month before originally planned).

Is Italy back to square one, or it just sounds like that?

Silvio Berlusconi gets angry (and decides to get back to politics)

Saturday, October 27, 2012. Silvio Berlusconi does an about-turn: he will not leave politics, because he must reform the judiciary first. And he might end support for Monti's government as well. And he is still very angry at Merkel-Sarkozy, you know why...

An angry Silvio Berlusconi

The recent sentence by a Milan's tribunal in the Mediaset-trial – last Friday Silvio Berlusconi was condemned to four years in jail, diminished to only one year thank to a tax fraud official remission – irritated the former Italian prime minister to such an extent, that he burst out talking nonsense, as usual, using its powerful media machinery.

Silvio Berlusconi and the well prepared and serious politician

Sunday, October 14, 2012. Lombardy Regional Council's member and Berlusconi's favourite politician strips off for fashion and than declares “to be a politician there's no need to be prepared”.

Well done, Ms Councillor

Berlusconi met Nicole Minetti when she treated him – as a dental hygienist – for a broken teeth, after he was hit by a small statuethrown by a protester in December 2009. Silvio made friends with Nicole – some says to such an extent that she dresses as a nun at Silvio's parties –, and in 2010 she turned up as a candidate for the Lombardy Council, lead by Berlusconi's stalwart Roberto Formigoni, and got the post (won the election).

When criticised for supporting a sexy youngster to be a councillor, Silvio Berlusconi answered – by interrupting a live show Italian TV La7 with a telephone call – that Nicole Minetti was a “well prepared and serious” person, that she should not be considered just a bimbo.

Well, the councillor Minetti doesn't seem to be bothered by the fact that anybody might think she's not “prepared” for the politician's job, in fact she declared on a Berlusconi-owned Canale5 TV show that “to be a politician you do not need to be prepared” at all.

Some of the questions put to Nicole Minetti by former CNN journalist (now an anchorman at Mediaset's Canale 5) Alessio Vinci were raised by the fact that the councillor – a couple of weeks before the interview – took part to a fashion show in Milan, were she showed herself scantily clad (of course, it was a beachwear show by Parah!).

When asked whether politics and fashion could be reconciled, she answered that in fact “politics must support fashion”.

Oddly enough, many asked for Nicole Minetti to resign, but she has several times declared that Angelino Alfano, her boss, never phoned her on the subject (even though some of the PdL – People of Freedom Party – women already solicited Alfano to do so, even by tweeting ti him).

One thing is for sure: five (update: 14 out of 85) members of Lombardy Council have already been arrested, on bribing, embezzlement and/or mafia links charges, fashion might be a more secure job sector nowadays in Italy.

What do Italian think of the whole story? Well, some of them just reckon that Nicole should strip off more...

The councillor Nicole Minetti at work

Here's my daughter. She's already come of age.

Saturday, 19 February 2011. Italy's Capital historical centre. The Italian politician-entrepreneur meets up with the journalist, a relaxing moment with Silvio Berlusconi. Or is it?

Enrico Mentana, Director of TG La7

Silvio Berlusconi and Enrico Mentana (former anchorman of Berlusconi's TG5 and Matrix TV programmes and now news director at La7, Italian niche TV channel) bump into each other centre of Rome.

The Italian Prime Minister's armour-plated car is leaving Palazzo Grazioli, his residence in Rome. Mentana is strolling around with his family.

Silvio Berlusconi spots his former employee, stops the procession, gets out of his car to greet him. Big smiles, hand shaking (apparently they both forgot any previous conflict. And they did have conflicts*!), then the Premier starts a small talk with the youngest of Mentana's children, sitting on the journalist shoulders: «You're such a big girl, you shouldn't need to suck a dummy».