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He has been on trial on charges of aiding and abetting the Mafia since 1997.The judges wanted to ask Mr Berlusconi to reveal the source of the money.Yesterday he told them he “was availing himself of the power to say nothing”. When Mr Dell’Ultri was put on trial in 1997, Fininvest said in a statement: “Any attempt to link the group to the Mafia is absurd.”Mr Berlusconi is Italy’s richest citizen, with a media empire worth billions. But he has been dogged by grave criminal allegations for years, including money laundering, tax evasion, associating with the Mafia, complicity in murder and the bribing of politicians, judges and the Ministry of Finance police.He has been found guilty three times on corruption charges, but the convictions have either been extinguished by the passage of time or quashed on appeal. Many charges are still pending.One of his oldest friends, Fedele Confalonieri, chairman of his television network, Mediaset, said in his defence: “Italy is not a normal country. Even an anomaly like Mr Berlusconi must be understood in the context of the country. He has done nothing worse than any businessman in Italy.”The case against Mr Dell’ Ultri goes to the heart of the doubts about Mr Berlusconi.

An investigation into his fortune by The Economist last year concluded that “the ultimate source of the money [used to finance Fininvest] .. cannot be traced .. the possibility of money laundering … cannot be ruled out.”At Mr Dell’Ultri’s trial earlier this year, a prominent anti-Mafia investigator said the source of the funds could not be traced Mr Dell’Ultri started working for Fininvest in 1974. He was chief executive of the advertising wing of the empire, which generated the cash.According to a lawyer representing the province of Palermo, a civil party in the case, “the prosecution has shown strong evidence of Mr Dell’Ultri’s very close links with the Mafia”.Mr Berlusconi continues to outflank the judiciary. Monday saw the first implementation of a law that allows trials to be shifted to another judicial region if the accused prove “legitimate suspicion” that the judges are biased.The bill provoked furious criticism in parliament, where opposition politicians insisted that its purpose was to get the trial of another close colleague of Mr Berlusconi, Cesare Previti shifted from Milan to a friendlier court in another city.The government claimed that the law was “in the general interest of citizens”. But its first effect after it was signed into law was indeed the suspension of the Previti trial.. French air traffic controllers, rail workers and other public employees stopped work or marched yesterday to protest against what they claim is a creeping privatisation of the state sector in France inspired by the European Union. Public transport in French cities was also disrupted but the Paris Metro and main line trains operated almost normally.Meanwhile, a strike and a threatened road blockade by two French hauliers’ unions virtually fizzled out yesterday, with fewer drivers than expected appearing.Railway staff led a march of about 70,000 people through Paris, protesting against plans (which do not yet exist) to move towards a British-style privatisation of the state sector.Behind these protests lies a fear amongpublic employees that the centre-right government, which took office earlier this year, plans a cull of privileges and jobs in nationalised industries.

Unions say they wish to defend the principle of high-quality public services and point over the Channel at what they see as the dire consequences of privatisation.”We want to avoid at all costs a privatisation of the railway system like in Great Britain, where we have seen the catastrophes that can cause,” said Jos?46, a railway ticket inspector and member of the CGT, the Communist-affiliated trades union federation.The government says it has no plans to privatise the French railways, although plans do exist to sell Air France and allow commercial stakes in the state-owned electricity and gas industries.The more immediate concern of employees is that the government might try to dismantle their privileges for pensions and early retirement (as early as 50 for some) and cut jobs. The protests were also, in part, a union beauty contest before elections for industrial tribunals next month, a crucial test of the relative strength of the main union federations.There had been suggestions that the strike and protests might be the beginning of a winter of discontent like that of 1995. But with the collapse of the lorry strike and the relative calm, such a prospect now seems unlikely.The centre-right government took a tougher line with the hauliers than in previous disputes by threatening to suspend the licences of anyone who blocked roads.. Tony Blair will call tomorrow for the European Union to take on more powers to become a bigger force on the world stage, but will insist this does not entail a federal superstate. He will say that the way to ensure democratic legitimacy is not to hand more power to Brussels but to increase the role of the European Council, which is composed of the leaders of the 15 EU members, and the Council of Ministers, which includes ministers from the member states.The EU should not be seen as an alternative to nation states, but a way of enhancing the issues that countries handle themselves which can be done better by working together, he will say.Mr Blair will call for the appointment of a powerful President of the European Council, who would become the EU’s figurehead on the world stage and implement the decisions taken by the 15 leaders. He or she would, in effect, replace the current system of “musical chairs” where one country holds the rotating Presidency for six months.After criticism of the plan by smaller EU countries, Mr Blair will insist that Britain is not trying to downgrade the European Commission or the European Parliament, saying Britain wants them to be strong and effective. For example, the Commission should have more powers to crack down on member states which do not obey the rules of the EU club.A government source said: “We accept the need for greater integration and for Europe to do more through shared sovereignty.

But the power must be rooted in the democratic institutions of the member states, so there is accountability through national governments and parliaments.” Britain wants national MPs to play a bigger role in the EU, for example by ensuring decisions best taken by member states are devolved downwards while those best taken at a European level are passed upwards.The Prime Minister will say that the governing treaty to be agreed in two years should extend majority voting to prevent the EU grinding to a halt.The veto would still apply to a number of crucial areas such as taxation, declaring war and amending treaties.Although Mr Blair is not expected to address in detail the issue of the single currency, his pro-EU stance will cheer supporters of early British entry. The Prime Minister is said by aides to be determined to call a referendum before the next general election.. A man attempted to hijack an Alitalia plane carrying at least 57 passengers today, but gave himself up after the jet landed in the southern French city of Lyon, officials said. Earlier, one official spoke of “a terrorist on board.”The Italian carrier Alitalia said in a statement that an MD–80 jet was en route to Paris from Bologna when it was diverted to Lyon.”The hijacking has ended without any consequence,” Alitalia said, giving no other details.A spokesperson for the National Police in Paris said “the incident was over, without injuries and that a man had given himself up.”Local authorities in Lyon said 67 passengers and seven crew members were on board. But police sources said there was no bomb on board.The suspect was arrested by a French SWAT team at the Lyon airport.An official of the Enac civil aviation agency, Loredana Rosati, said the suspect was Italian.The diversion of the plane comes as France has been on the lookout for terrorist actions.French police have arrested at least 18 people in recent days suspected of being involved in terrorist groups, and Defense Minister Michele Alliot–Marie said in an interview published this week that France was a leading target of terrorist groups.. An Islamist terrorist suspect arrested near Paris this week may have been planning an attack in Britain, according to French investigators.