Silvio Berlusconi declares war on European media over sex scandal

Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, today launched an all-out attack on Italian and international media which have reported his involvement in sex scandals and questioned its implications.

His lawyer said he had served writs on newspapers and magazines in at least two other European countries and was taking advice on the scope for libel actions in Britain. In Italy Berlusconi is seeking damages of €1m from the Espresso group, whose flagship daily, La Repubblica, has spearheaded the campaign to get answers about his friendship with an aspiring teenage actress and his alleged involvement with self-acknowledged prostitutes.