Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s three-time prime minister, has died in Milan, aged 86. A conservative media impresario, AC Milan owner and sometime cruise ship crooner, Berlusconi dominated Italian politics and public life for almost 20 years as the leader of the centre-right Forza Italia party and its People of Freedom successor organisation, leading four governments over the course of three spells as PM stretching from 1994 to 2011. An obvious forerunner to Donald Trump, Berlusconi was a populist as well known for his outrageous remarks (often about other world leaders like Angela Merkel and Barack Obama) and his womanising as he was for his political leadership, with scandal never far behind him wherever he went. His final years in office in particular were marred by allegations of corruption and sordid tales of so-called “bunga bunga” sex parties being staged at his lavish Villa San Martino in Arcore on the outskirts of Milan. The parties first came to light in October 2010 when Berlusconi personally telephoned a police station to request that one Karima El Mahroug, a 17-year-old nightclub dancer from Morocco also known as “Ruby the Heart Stealer”, be released from custody after she was accused of stealing a 3,000 euro bracelet. Berlusconi incorrectly informed the officers he spoke to that the girl was the niece of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak in the hope of winning her freedom and preventing any further inquiry into her recent attendance at one of the decadent gatherings then occurring regularly at his home. Ms El Mahroug was duly released into the care of Berlusconi associate Nicole Minetti but, when prosecutors subsequently learned of his intervention on her behalf, an investigation was launched into their relationship given that she was underage. In an interview with prosecutor Antonio Sangermano soon after the police station episode, Ms El Mahroug claimed Berlusconi had sent a limousine to her home to bring her out to the villa for the first time on 14 February that year. “That evening Berlusconi explained to me that bunga bunga consisted of a harem that he copied from his friend [Libyan dictator Muammar] Gaddafi, in which the girls take their clothes off and have to provide physical pleasures,” she said, introducing the wider world to the phrase for the first time. Despite Berlusconi’s insistence that the events were not Roman orgies but simply “elegant dinners”, prosecutors eventually produced a list of 33 young women, primarily aspiring starlets hoping to exploit his influence and break into television via one of his channels, who said they had attended the gatherings and been paid for sex. Detailed accounts were also collected of the parties themselves, which typically consisted of green, white and red foods being served in honour of Italy’s tricolour flag, followed by a floorshow of costumed stripteases – with participants dressing up as nuns, nurses and policewomen or even public figures like Mr Obama or the Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho – after which Berlusconi would pick one of his guests to spend the night with, for which the woman in question would be amply rewarded with expensive gifts, from cash and jewellery to rent-free apartments. Berlusconi would finally be accused of abuse of office and paying for sex in with a minor over his relationship with Ms El Mahroug. The dancer insisted she had never slept with Berlusconi, telling a court: “It’s the first time in my life that a man has not tried to take me to bed. He behaved like a father, I swear.” He was initially found guilty in June 2013 and sentenced to seven years in jail but the verdict was overturned a year later by an appeals court, which ruled there was no proof he had known she was underage at the time of their encounter. Italy’s highest court confirmed his acquittal in 2015. But the disgraced PM was later returned to the dock in Rome, Siena and Milan after being accused of bribing witnesses to lie about the “bunga bunga” scandal, although he was subsequently cleared in each city, most recently in Milan in February 2023. Berlusconi celebrated that verdict earlier this year on Instagram, writing that it had ended years of “suffering, of mud and of incalculable political damage”. The parties would later be recreated in Italian director Paolo Sorrentino’s highly entertaining satire Loro (2018) in which Toni Servillo played the ageing Silvio Berlusconi. Read More Silvio Berlusconi: Former Italian PM plagued by tax fraud and ‘bunga bunga’ sex scandals dies aged 86 Silvio Berlusconi obituary: The bunga bunga party loving billionaire who was the king of comebacks Putin pays tribute to ‘dear friend’ Berlusconi Italian news presenter holds back tears as she announces Berlusconi’s death Farewell, Berlusconi – you showed Boris and Trump how it’s done Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has acknowledged how much of a huge loss to the club the departures of James Milner and Roberto Firmino will be. The pair, whose signings in the summer of 2015 pre-date the arrival of current manager Jurgen Klopp by a few months, have played an integral role in their recent success. Both will depart when their contracts expire at the end of the season as Champions League and Premier League winners but Henderson believes their importance extends beyond just on the pitch. On Milner’s contribution, the England midfielder told the PA news agency: “A tremendous amount of value to the team. “I think the manager said it perfectly in that we wouldn’t have achieved anything without Millie. He is such a big character and such a big leader within the team. “It will definitely be strange not seeing him at Liverpool next season, he’s been incredible ever since he came to the club. “He helped me a lot and other players around him and is probably taken for granted a little bit as a player from the outside but from the inside he has got so much respect from all of the players and all of the staff and we wish him all the very best in whatever his next chapter looks like.” Firmino, who has returned to training this week after missing six matches with a muscle problem, is due a particularly emotional farewell in Liverpool’s final home match of the season against Aston Villa on Saturday. The much-loved Brazil international travelled with the squad for Monday’s win over Leicester and the away fans dedicated more than 10 minutes of the second half to singing about him. “He will be a huge miss also,” added Henderson, who was speaking at an NHS Big Tea event in Crewe in his role as an ambassador for NHS Charities Together. “The good energy he gives the team is always so positive, he’s always in a good mood and smiling but his quality on the pitch is unbelievable. “Thankfully he is back in training and hopefully he can be ready if not at the weekend then maybe the last game of the season. “But you have seen the reception he got on Monday from the fans and rightly so. I am sure that will be the case again on Saturday.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Luke Wood says playing for Lancashire ‘my pride and joy’ ahead of Blast opener Manager of the season contender Unai Emery ‘trying to improve every day’ Barry Bannan dedicates Sheffield Wednesday’s stunning comeback to Darren Moore

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