Silvio Berlusconi’s long goodbye - Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's sudden U-turn over a vote of confidence shows he no longer has an iron grip on his party, but can the loyalty he inspires keep his influence alive? It has been a helter-skelter week in Italian politics as Silvio Berlusconi tried to re-establish his undisputed leadership over the centre-right and to protect himself from the effects of his August conviction for fraud and tax evasion.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24376534