Bizwatch

CARLO FERRARO/AFP

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi speaks to supporters in Milan

Berlusconi Adjusts His Set
Last week the government of Italy's Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, was in crisis. His center-right coalition, shaken by overwhelming losses in regional elections earlier this month and bitter debate over the leader's tax and economic policies, began to disintegrate: one Deputy Prime Minister, Marco Follini, resigned and withdrew his ministers from the Cabinet, raising the possibility of early elections. But financially, Berlusconi the media tycoon had a great week: his family's holding company announced the sale of 197 million shares in the Mediaset group — which owns all three of Italy's major private television...

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