WHEN the regular barmaid/manageress of a remote Corsican village tavern vanishes without trace in the middle of the night, the bar’s owner, Marie-Angele, urgently needs to fill the vacancy.

Former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi said he would not flee Italy and was ready to go to jail rather than face house arrest or community service if a court upholds his conviction for tax fraud next week.

ITALIAN premier Silvio Berlusconi defended his lifestyle and fondness for young women, telling a trade fair in Milan yesterday it was “better to be passionate about a beautiful girl than a gay”.

Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi today dismissed calls to resign over his involvement with a runaway under-age Moroccan girl and created new uproar by claiming it was better to love beautiful girls than gays.