Silvio Berlusconi, Italian prime minister and billionaire media mogul, lashed out yesterday at Rupert Murdoch, accusing his business rival of using the Times of London to launch a series of personal attacks.

In an interview on Canale 5, one of the Mediaset channels he owns, the Italian premier was clearly stung by an editorial and articles in the Times on his relationship with an 18-year-old would-be model.