Italian government's fate hangs on Berlusconi court ruling

ROME (Reuters) - The fate of Italy's fragile government hangs on a ruling by the supreme court, which meets on Tuesday to decide whether to uphold a tax fraud conviction against former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Italy's Cassation Court will rule on the media magnate's final appeal against a jail sentence and 5-year ban from public office handed down by lower courts for the fraudulent purchase of broadcasting rights by his television network Mediaset.