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Hundreds of people have protested in Rome against a controversial new media law which is causing uproar. All eyes are now on President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, Italy's supreme political arbiter, who has a month to decide whether he will approve the bill. The law, which eases limits on media ownership, was passed by the Senate on Tuesday. It expands the advertising market and paves the way for part-privatisation of state broadcaster RAI.
The government argues the package will breathe fresh life into Italy's rigid media market. Opponents say it is tailor-made for prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's media empire, the most powerful in Italy. Analysts, however, expect Ciampi to sign the law - a rejection could further poison Italy's already troubled political waters. Through his political office and his business interests, Berlusconi has direct or indirect influence over an estimated 95 percent of Italian television.
[Source: Euronews.net]
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