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| Bunga bunga |
It is the legal event of the year, but the Milan prostitution trial against Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi adjourned shortly after it began on Wednesday.Public interest is unlikely to subside, but the delay could be just the respite that the premier's fragile right-wing coalition needs for survival.  |
| It promises to be the trial of the year. Italian Prime Minister stands accused of having paid for sexual encounters with Karima el-Mahrough, known as "Ruby," before she reached the age of majority. |
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| Karima el-Mahroug appearing on an Italian talkshow in January. She is originally from Morocco -- and described the Berlusconi parties she attended as "bunga bunga" parties. |
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| Ruby pictured here with her boyfriend Luca Risso in Genoa. Berlusconi's defense team insists that the parties merely involved dinner, movies, karaoke and Scrabble. |
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| Marough together with Vienna Opera Ball host Richard Lugner. Ruby has gained a significant degree of fame as a result of the trial against Berlusconi. She was allegedly 17 years old at the time of the parties in question. |
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| The trial has generated massive public interest both in Italy and abroad. And the public mood has shifted against Berlusconi. Protests against the premier have been ongoing this year -- including this one in Rome on Tuesday. |
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| The charges against Berlusconi has placed Mahroug in the spotlight. In early March, she was invited to attend the Vienna Opera Ball. |
