Wives of the world leaders due to attend next month's G8 summit in Italy should boycott the meeting because of Silvio Berlusconi's "sexist" and "offensive" attitude to women, a group of Italian female academics has said. A number of wives, including Sarah Brown and Michelle Obama, are to join their husbands at the summit, although the wife of the Italian Prime Minister will not be hosting as she is seeking a divorce. Veronica Lario announced the end of her marriage at the end of April after Mr Berlusconi attended the 18th birthday party of an aspiring model.Since then, a series of allegations about his personal life has emerged. Prosecutors in Bari, southern Italy, are investigating "inducement to prostitution" by a local businessman after an escort girl claimed women were paid to attend Mr Berlusconi's parties in Sardinia and Rome.
Wives of the world leaders due to attend next month's G8 summit in Italy should boycott the meeting because of Silvio Berlusconi's "sexist" and "offensive" attitude to women, a group of Italian female academics has said.
A number of wives, including Sarah Brown and Michelle Obama, are to join their husbands at the summit, although the wife of the Italian Prime Minister will not be hosting as she is seeking a divorce.
Veronica Lario announced the end of her marriage at the end of April after Mr Berlusconi attended the 18th birthday party of an aspiring model.Since then, a series of allegations about his personal life has emerged.
Prosecutors in Bari, southern Italy, are investigating "inducement to prostitution" by a local businessman after an escort girl claimed women were paid to attend Mr Berlusconi's parties in Sardinia and Rome.
Prime minister attempts to carry on as normal despite further revelationsIf Silvio Berlusconi fears four years of being a lame duck prime minister as a result of the sex scandal engulfing him, he was not showing it at the weekend as he went on a walkabout in Milan, kissing babies, discussing which AC Milan players he might sell and sketching out his political agenda to a crowd of admirers."He was talking about what plans he has for 2010; he clearly intends to ignore everything, waiting for it to blow over," said Raffaele De Mucci, a professor of political science at Luiss University in Rome.It is unlikely that it will blow over by the time the world's leaders arrive in Italy next month for the G8 conference. Magistrates in the southern city of Bari are pushing on with an investigation into a possible prostitution racket and are getting ready to question 30 women, some of whom are suspected to have been paid by a local businessman to attend five parties held by Berlusconi, La Repubblica reported yesterday.One of the guests already questioned - model Barbara Montereale - has alleged that a paid escort, Patrizia D'Addario, slept with the prime minister on 4 November. Yesterday, Montereale released photographs she alleges she took as souvenirs in Berlusconi's bathroom and described the large number of eastern European women she says she met during a visit to his villa in Sardinia.
If Silvio Berlusconi fears four years of being a lame duck prime minister as a result of the sex scandal engulfing him, he was not showing it at the weekend as he went on a walkabout in Milan, kissing babies, discussing which AC Milan players he might sell and sketching out his political agenda to a crowd of admirers.
"He was talking about what plans he has for 2010; he clearly intends to ignore everything, waiting for it to blow over," said Raffaele De Mucci, a professor of political science at Luiss University in Rome.
It is unlikely that it will blow over by the time the world's leaders arrive in Italy next month for the G8 conference. Magistrates in the southern city of Bari are pushing on with an investigation into a possible prostitution racket and are getting ready to question 30 women, some of whom are suspected to have been paid by a local businessman to attend five parties held by Berlusconi, La Repubblica reported yesterday.
One of the guests already questioned - model Barbara Montereale - has alleged that a paid escort, Patrizia D'Addario, slept with the prime minister on 4 November. Yesterday, Montereale released photographs she alleges she took as souvenirs in Berlusconi's bathroom and described the large number of eastern European women she says she met during a visit to his villa in Sardinia.
