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Ex-Italian PM Collapses During Speech

Silvio Berlusconi, former Italian Prime Minister, collapsed on the stage while giving a speech at the Montecatini Terme spa resort in the Northern Italy region. Berlusconi, 70-years of age, was taken to hospital where medical experts diagnosed a heart complaint and kept him overnight for observation. His aides announced that he was doing fine and that he would be released when he was given the all clear by his doctors.

Berlusconi ? the richest man in Italy ? has been under intense stress lately. Twice Italy?s Prime Minister, he finally lost the elections in April and thus became leader of the opposition. Last week, he began his trial for charges against him that include fraud and money laundering. The fact that, if found guilty, he could face jail terms of up to 12 years, surely doesn?t help his stress levels.

After he collapsed on the podium, Berlusconi was treated by a cardiologist who detected an irregular heartbeat. The politician was then sent home to his villa, before being directed to a Milan hospital where he began a series of tests to determine the extent of the heart problem. Berlusconi was not quick to put the blame of his collapse on a weak heart, however. In a statement to the press before leaving for hospital he said, ?I collapsed from exhaustion, from the heat, from hard work, from antibiotics I am taking for a knee operation."