Italy business plan

Rome - The Italian government published a plan yesterday to distance the Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, from his huge business empire and end a six-month row over an alleged conflict with his political role. The plan, if passed, would apply to all politicians with major business interests and remove one of the biggest embarrassments facing Mr Berlusconi, owner of the pounds 4.5bn-a-year Fininvest media empire. It calls for cabinet members with substantial business or media interests to set out detailed proposals to distance themselves from their assets and submit them to regulatory bodies. Reuter