Italy's Berlusconi enters lion's den to close gap ahead of vote

ROME (Reuters) - Seeking a fifth term as Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi took his election campaign into risky and unfamiliar territory on Thursday when he appeared on a television programme run by some of his fiercest critics.

Desperate to close a wide gap with the centre-left less than seven weeks before the vote, Berlusconi surprised many observers when he said he would attend a talk show hosted by a journalist who has made a career out of criticising him.