In the besieged Gaza Strip, 2.3 million people don’t have access to clean, running water because of Israel’s decision to cut off water and electricity to the enclave while pounding it with airstrikes

Silvio Berlusconi, the boastful billionaire media mogul who was Italy’s longest-serving premier, despite scandals over his sex-fueled parties and allegations of corruption, has died. A one-time cruise ship crooner, Berlusconi used his television networks and immense wealth to launch his long political career, inspiring both loyalty and loathing. To admirers, the multiple-time premier was a capable and charismatic statesman who sought to elevate Italy on the world stage. To critics, he was a populist who threatened to undermine democracy by wielding political power as a tool to enrich himself and his businesses. Born in 1936 in Milan to a bank clerk father and housewife mother, he attended a Catholic college, the start of a complicated relationship with the church, which supported him until the mounting allegations of sleaze “superceded the limits of decency”, in the view of at least one weekly Catholic newspaper. His capacity to entertain emerged early when he worked on cruise ships and played bass with a band, performing George Gershwin hits like “I Got Rhythm” in the dancehalls of Milan before being sacked for devoting more time to flirting with punters (“marketing and PR”, he called it) than playing music. After graduating in law, Berlusconi turned down a job as a cashier at the bank where his father had worked in order to strike out as a property developer. His ambition was notable. To pull off an early make-or-break deal, he persuaded a secretary to tell him when her pension fund director boss would be taking a seven-hour train journey so as to ensure he could secure the seat next to him. Later, when the flight path put off buyers over his Milano 2 residential development, he had alternative routes opened. A modest plan to make his homes more attractive by offering a local cable TV service, Telemilano, which showed light entertainment and reruns of American soap operas such as Dallas, grew into a network of local channels until, by the end of the 1980s, his trash TV empire of game shows and barely-clothed hostesses came to dominate Italian airwaves. As well as hauling in advertising revenue, Berlusconi’s channels allowed him to give favourable coverage towards friendly politicians who helped him protect his commercial interests, which now included publishing houses and the football team AC Milan. When he entered politics himself, these contacts would prove indispensable. The Clean Hands corruption probes that took out a generation of Italian politicians eventually provided the motivation for that move. Power, he reasoned, would not only protect himself from prosecutors but allow him to defend his businesses. Headline-grabbing proposals included a million new jobs and lower taxes. A political outsider positioned as an enemy of the establishment, Berlusconi was in many ways a prototype for Donald Trump. Running a successful Serie A side like the “rossoneri” was one of his main qualifications for high office, he felt. When challenged by an economist over his tax plans, he replied: “How many intercontinental [football cups] have you won?” In 1994, he took 21 per cent of the vote in the general election and found himself prime minister, beginning a two decade-long domination of Italian politics through which he shamelessly advanced his own interests. His personal lawyers, now on the state payroll as MPs, spent their time drawing up laws to get him out of trouble, including immunity from prosecution for the prime minister and a tax amnesty that saved his company 120m euros. His communication minister meanwhile amended competition rules allowing him to retain his media empire. His calling to international relations was evident when he made himself foreign minister as well as prime minister, wooing foreign leaders such as Tony Blair and Putin by inviting them to his James Bond-esque Sardinian villa, complete with fake volcano. Cherie Blair described her evening there as the best of her life. But gaffes such as calling America’s first black president Barack Obama “suntanned” and suggesting a German MEP should play a concentration camp guard made him an international laughing stock. His standing took a further hit in 2009 when his second wife, Veronica Lario, publicly accused him of “frequenting minors”. When a 17-year-old Moroccan nightclub dancer, known as Ruby-the-Heartstealer, who was arrested for a petty crime, told police she knew Berlusconi, the claim set in motion a chain of events that would bring about the mogul’s downfall. Ironically, if Berlusconi had not interceded claiming she was the niece of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian despot, the case might have ended there. Investigators, their hackles raised by Berlusconi’s meddling, discovered that a harem of showgirls and models regularly visited his villas for sex parties where they received lavish gifts and envelopes of cash. The drip-feed of salacious details appalled even Italy, where mistresses are less taboo for rich men. Thousands took to the streets in protests that expressed women’s frustration at their humiliating role in Berlusconi’s Italy. But, ultimately, it was not the “bunga bunga” parties that undid him, but his inability to cope as Italy’s debt reached unsustainable levels in 2011 and he was forced to resign in favour of technocrats. Out of office, he remained in the spotlight, thanks to his own media empire and as the defendant in dozens of trials, throughout which he claimed he was the victim of a plot by a left-wing judiciary. After years when, Teflon-like, he had wriggled out of every writ, his eventual conviction for tax fraud in 2014 and subsequent sentencing to community service in a home for Alzheimer’s sufferers represented rock bottom, but, as usual, Berlusconi proved irrepressible, entertaining residents with bingo games and singalongs - a revival of his old cruise ship act. His final years went some way towards rehabilitating his image. He became the oldest member of the European Parliament, his centrist pro-European politics far preferable, in the eyes of German chancelleor Angela Merkel, to the dangerous populist ideals that surged in Europe. When, in February 2021, his party joined a government led by that most establishment of figures, former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi, his triumphant comeback was complete. His return to government represented an unlikely final twist in the story of a figure who had risen from selling electric hairbrushes to being the richest and most powerful man in Italy and the object of global fascination as (depending on your point of view): a media mogul, marketing genius, football club owner, political trailblazer, womaniser and showman. For every Italian that hated him for his monopolistic control of the media and abuse of power, there was another who admired his business acumen and was amused by his lowbrow larks. As the writer Curzio Malaparte wrote, Berlusconi’s qualities and defects “are the qualities and defects of all Italians”. Berlusconi is survived by 12 grandchildren and five children: Pier Silvio, Marina, Barbara, Eleonora and Pierluigi. Read More Perhaps the most surprising part of the Italian crisis is that Berlusconi has emerged as a selfless voice of reason Italy’s comeback kid: How Silvio Berlusconi has managed to re-enter politics, despite all the scandals Silvio Berlusconi tells female reporter her handshake is so strong 'no one will want to marry her' Silvio Berlusconi dead: Billionaire former Italian prime minister dies aged 86

Julio Enciso’s stunning leveller cemented Brighton’s place in next season’s Europa League as Manchester City’s Premier League winning run was halted at 12 games by a thrilling 1-1 draw. The 19-year-old Paraguay forward unleashed a thunderous, swerving effort into the top right corner from 25 yards seven minutes before the break to mathematically guarantee Albion a sixth-placed finish. Phil Foden put the newly-crowned champions ahead at the Amex Stadium with his fifth goal in as many starts against the Seagulls. But, despite bringing back a host of big names, Pep Guardiola saw his formidable side drop points for the first time since February 18 after Erling Haaland’s 79th-minute header was disallowed due to VAR spotting a shirt pull on Levi Colwill. City boss Guardiola was angered by that decision and later shown a yellow card by referee Simon Hooper for his ongoing protestations. Haaland had wasted two fine first-half chances, while Brighton’s Danny Welbeck rattled the crossbar from a free-kick and had a goal disallowed for offside, in addition to a Kaoru Mitoma effort being chalked off for handball. The pulsating encounter was a fitting final home game of an unforgettable campaign for the record-breaking Seagulls and banished the remote chance of them slipping into the Europa Conference League on the final day at seventh-placed Aston Villa. City were given a guard of honour by their hosts, four days on from securing their fifth title success in six seasons thanks to second-placed Arsenal’s defeat at Nottingham Forest. Guardiola brought back Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne as part of six changes from Sunday’s celebratory 1-0 win over Chelsea, while Brighton captain Lewis Dunk began on bench just hours after his England recall due to ongoing calf and back issues. Haaland – seeking to add to his 36 top-flight goals – should have put City ahead inside six minutes but wastefully headed over unmarked following Foden’s inviting delivery from the left. Guardiola hailed rival manager Roberto De Zerbi as one of the most influential managers of the last 20 years in the build-up to the clash. Yet City were guilty of causing their own problems in the opening exchanges with some risky passes out from the back. The visitors were fortunate to escape Brighton’s high press on a handful of occasions before surviving in the 20th minute when Welbeck’s thumping free-kick cannoned back off the bar. Haaland then overran the ball and saw it smothered by Seagulls goalkeeper Jason Steele after being slipped in by Foden before making amends by assisting the 25th-minute opener. Riyad Mahrez’s superb through ball split Albion’s defence and Haaland raced clear to draw Steele and square for Foden, who slotted home to continue his fine scoring record against the Seagulls despite the best efforts of Jan Paul van Hecke on the line. While City lifted the Premier League trophy at the weekend, Brighton jubilantly celebrated securing continental football for the first time by beating relegated Southampton 3-1. And the Seagulls were determined to prolong the euphoria. Mitoma saw his bundled finish ruled out and Facundo Buonanotte stung the palms of Stefan Ortega before the eye-catching equaliser arrived. Enciso collected the ball from Colwill midway inside opposition territory and advanced to spectacularly lash high into the net from distance, prompting applause from City fans behind the goal. Former Manchester United forward Welbeck then had a neat finish disallowed for an offside before Foden headed De Bruyne’s cross narrowly over at the end of a breathless first half. The frantic, end-to-end action extended into the second period, albeit chances were largely at a premium. Ilkay Gundogan flashed wide and Cole Palmer tested Steele, while Pervis Estupinan’s powerful drive flew marginally wide of the left post at the other end. Treble-chasing City thought they had won it 11 minutes from time when Haaland found space to nod in a cross from substitute Palmer. But, to the visible frustration of Guardiola, the close-range finish was overturned on advice from Stockley Park. City complete their top-flight climax at Brentford before moving on to an FA Cup final against rivals Manchester United and a Champions League showdown with Inter Milan in Istanbul. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Craig Overton stars as Somerset begin Blast by thrashing Hampshire Cameron Norrie starts Lyon Open title defence with win over David Goffin Eric Dier to miss Spurs’ final match of season after undergoing groin surgery

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No, Wes Anderson hasn't been scrolling on the For You page, as the filmmaker revealed that he has never seen a TikTok - despite there being an entire trend about his films. The 54-year-old is widely known for his distinctive cinematic style in terms of cinematography, colour design and composition, and some of his films include The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), The French Dispatch (2021), and most recently Asteroid City (2023) and many more. Earlier this year, a TikTok trend emerged where people filmed their mundane activities with symmetrical shots and quirky music and it all began with TikToker @avawillyums who filmed her train journey emulating the movie director. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The hashtag "Wes Anderson Trend," now has over 216m views, however despite the virality of the trend, Anderson himself still hasn't seen a single TikTok. @avawillyums With a good imagination, everything is symmetrical. Let a girl day dream! #wesanderson Speaking to The Daily Beast, he confessed when asked about the emergence of AI-generated trailers that reimagine classic movies such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Dune in his cinematic style. "I’ve only been exposed to it verbally. I haven’t seen any of it," he said. "Obviously, it’s easy for me to go to the right web page and see it. I choose not to really engage. I guess it’s because I don’t want to get distracted by that." He added: "It’s a bit like if you’re told, 'Your friend does a great version of you.' Maybe you say, I’d really like to see it, and maybe you say, I don’t want to see a version of me, even if it’s good. It can be like, “Is that me?” That’s not necessarily the thing you want." It was after this that he mentioned how he hadn't seen a single TikTok video. Anderson said: "At some point, I’m sure I’ll go in there and see. But I’ve never seen a TikTok, for instance, of anything. I’m not going to start with me. [laughs]" Meanwhile, Anderson's latest film Asteroid City (2023) is set to be released on June 19 and stars Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Adrien Brody, Edward Norton, Steve Carell, Hope Davis, Live Schreiber, Rupert Friend, Hong Chau, Maya Hawke, Stephen Park, Willem Dafoe, and Margot Robbie. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

U.S. President Joe Biden's 2024 re-election campaign will not concentrate on the legal cases against Republican front-runner Donald

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 20, 2023--

The Serbian Basketball Federation has announced that forward Borisa Simanic lost one of his kidneys as the result of an injury sustained during a World Cup game against South Sudan

The bodies were found at around 8.40 pm on Sunday, September 17 when Romeoville police officers stopped by their home for a welfare check