Berlusconi to remain in hospital after assault

The Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, is to remain in the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, following yesterday's assault which left him with facial damage, two broken teeth, a broken nose and cuts to his lips. The assault on the 73-year-old media mogul came at the end of a political rally where Prime Minister Berlusconi had addressed the assembled crowd.

Berlusconi will now stay in hospital until at least Tuesday, and according to a bulletin released to Italian Media, he is able to eat, but only with difficulty.

He was approached and hit in the face by 42-year-old Massimo Tartaglia, who was carrying a replica of Milan's Duomo Cathedral at the time, made out of some form of heavy material according to eyewitnesses. Tartaglia is now in police custody, and has been charged with aggravated assault.

The leader of the Northern League, an Italian Far-Right organisation, Umberto Bossi, said what had happened was an "act of terrorism" and described the attack as a "worrying sign".

In a statement released to the media, Berlusconi's spokesman, Paolo Bonaiuti, said that "we try to keep him at rest. He would like to re-immerse himself into his frantic activity, but doctors say caution is necessary."