Italy final appeals court takes brief break Italy's top court began crucial hearings for former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi on Tuesday that could effectively end the billionaire tycoon's parliamentary career and upset the country's fragile coalition. The final appeal hearing began on Tuesday but one of Berlusconi's lawyers told reporters that the verdict may come only on Wednesday or Thursday. Outside the courtroom in central Rome, journalists crowded round anti-Berlusconi campaigner Gianfranco Mascia who said: "The law is equal for everyone". Images and soundbites