Former Italian PM Berlusconi dies at 86

The media mogul was a polarizing figure, serving multiple terms in office. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Former Italian PM Berlusconi dies at 86 [President Barack Obama, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, center, and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev smile during a group photo at the G20 Summit in London, April 2, 2009.] Credit: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP/File photo Italy Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has [died at the age of 86](. Foreign leaders have expressed their condolences, even those who didn’t agree with his politics. The media mogul who revolutionized Italian television through privately owned channels was also the country’s [most polarizing and prosecuted]( prime minister. He had multiple stints in office — serving as prime minister four times — and his governments spent a lot of time on laws that seemed to protect him from decades of corruption trials. Colombia Four children who survived a plane crash last month have been [found in the Amazon jungle]( in Colombia after 40 days. The crash had killed all three adults onboard, including the children’s mother — who was still alive for a few days and told them to leave her to save themselves and find help, according to what the eldest child told their father. The children, who are between the ages of one and 13, were airlifted out of the jungle on Friday. They are members of the Huitoto Indigenous group and their [knowledge of edible fruit and seeds]( helped them survive in the jungle. Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy gave his clearest indication yet that the long-awaited Ukrainian counteroffensive is underway. Russian President Vladimir Putin remarked on Friday [“with absolute certainty”]( that the operation had begun. Although Zelenskiy refused to respond to Putin’s comments, Ukrainian officials have confirmed the successful [recapture of three villages]( from Russian forces in the southeast. An unverified video published by Ukraine’s 68th Jaeger Brigade identified locations in the Donetsk region. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Russia and Ukraine engage in prisoner swaps to retrieve their own fighters]( [Kharkiv Pre-trial Detention Center Number 27 in Ukraine.]( Credit: Anastasia Vlasova/The World The World's Daniel Ofman spoke with [Russian prisoners of war]( being held at a detention center in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Moscow and Kyiv are using captured POWs to retrieve their own fighters in prisoner swaps. [Taiwan's political parties beset by sexual harassment allegations]( [Taiwan's Vice President Lai Ching-te, also known as William Lai, attends a press conference in Taipei, Taiwan, April 12, 2023.]( Credit: Chiang Ying-ying/AP Taiwan is having a #MeToo reckoning over sexual harassment in politics, several years after other parts of the world. Despite the [relatively high number of women]( in public office, many instances of sexual harassment on the political scene have been ignored or covered up. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot Monday marks the start of two weeks of festivities celebrating the [10th anniversary]( of popular K-pop band BTS. Founded in 2013, the seven-member group has rapidly gained international recognition. Its 2020 hit song “Dynamite,” sung in English, was the first K-pop song to top the Billboard Hot 100 list. The band has even spoken at various engagements at the United Nations over the years. Landmarks across Seoul, including city hall and the Lotte World Tower, will be lit up in purple, a color often associated with the group. The South Korean postal authority will also issue commemorative postage stamps honoring the band. 🎤 🎶 [A model shows sheets of postage stamps marking the 10th debut anniversary of K-pop band BTS at a post office in Seoul, South Korea, June 12, 2023.] Credit: Ahn Young-joon/AP In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.