First Thing: Former Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi dies aged 86

Good morning. The former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has died at the age of 86, according to the news agency Ansa. The media tycoon, who had been diagnosed with leukaemia, died at San Raffaele hospital in Milan, where he had spent six weeks this spring being treated for a lung infection. Berlusconi, one of Italy's most flamboyant politicians, led three Italian governments between 1994 and 2011. His Forza Italia party is a junior partner in the current ruling coalition. He made a political comeback in 2017 despite a career tainted by sex scandals, numerous allegations of corruption and a…