Italian PM's empire told to pay up

Silvio Berlusconi's media empire has been ordered to pay $1500 million compensation to a business rival after being convicted of bribing a judge during a takeover in 1991.

The ruling comes after Fininvest was found to have paid the backhanders during a hostile bid to buy a publishing company from the Italian Prime Minister's long-standing rival, Carlo De Benedetti.

The ruling is particularly galling for Berlusconi as De Benedetti also owns La Repubblica, which has led coverage of the Prime Minister's sex scandal.