Berlusconi earns gaffe award

SILVIO BERLUSCONI, Italian Prime Minister and temporary head of the EU, has won the Miscommunicator of the Year award from the Foreign Press Association.

The 67-year-old media tycoon has long been known for his spectacular gaffes and is considered by many to by the reigning European champion of the “foot-in-mouth” syndrome.

However, in an unusual move, the blooper-prone head of state has issued through his spokesman Marco Ventura a discreet “no comment” on the international accolade awarded to him by the press.

Since the Italian took over the helm of the EU in July, Berlusconi has dropped even more diplomatic clangers than usual.

This year’s prize-winning remarks include likening a German MEP to a Nazi concentration camp guard, and praising Russian President Vladimir Putin’s action in the breakaway republic of Chechnya.