Silvio Berlusconi faced mounting pressure to come clean about his private life yesterday after revelations that he entertained about 20 women, including two lesbian escort girls, until dawn during a private party at his house in Rome. Patrizia D'Addario, the Bari prostitute who claims to have recorded footage that proves her encounters with the Prime Minister, gave more details of her first meeting with Mr Berlusconi, saying: "It felt like a harem. And there was only one sheikh. Him." She also spoke of the "strange burglary" in which her underwear, computer and the dress she wore to the party were allegedly stolen from her home days after she told a friend of the secret recordings. It is understood that the video recordings, taken on her mobile phone, show Ms D'Addario in the Prime Minister's bedroom. She claims that the four-poster bed with white drapes and duvets were given to him as a present by his friend Vladimir Putin, the Russian Prime Minister. A Kremlin spokesman denied that Mr Putin had ever given the Italian leader a bed.----Under the headline "Rivers of Cocaine" La Repubblica also reported yesterday that prosecutors had found evidence of frequent drug use at parties held by Mr Tarantini, 34.Mr Berlusconi has dismissed the allegations surrounding the sex scandal as rubbish, and insisted during an interview earlier this week that he had nothing to be ashamed of. There is no suggestion that he knew of drug use at the parties in question. At least five parties at Palazzo Grazioli, his residence in Rome, and two at Villa Certosa, his luxury villa on the Sardinia coast, are under investigation.
Silvio Berlusconi faced mounting pressure to come clean about his private life yesterday after revelations that he entertained about 20 women, including two lesbian escort girls, until dawn during a private party at his house in Rome.
Patrizia D'Addario, the Bari prostitute who claims to have recorded footage that proves her encounters with the Prime Minister, gave more details of her first meeting with Mr Berlusconi, saying: "It felt like a harem. And there was only one sheikh. Him."
She also spoke of the "strange burglary" in which her underwear, computer and the dress she wore to the party were allegedly stolen from her home days after she told a friend of the secret recordings.
It is understood that the video recordings, taken on her mobile phone, show Ms D'Addario in the Prime Minister's bedroom. She claims that the four-poster bed with white drapes and duvets were given to him as a present by his friend Vladimir Putin, the Russian Prime Minister. A Kremlin spokesman denied that Mr Putin had ever given the Italian leader a bed.
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Under the headline "Rivers of Cocaine" La Repubblica also reported yesterday that prosecutors had found evidence of frequent drug use at parties held by Mr Tarantini, 34.
Mr Berlusconi has dismissed the allegations surrounding the sex scandal as rubbish, and insisted during an interview earlier this week that he had nothing to be ashamed of. There is no suggestion that he knew of drug use at the parties in question. At least five parties at Palazzo Grazioli, his residence in Rome, and two at Villa Certosa, his luxury villa on the Sardinia coast, are under investigation.
The Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has joked to workmen that if they succeed in rebuilding an earthquake-hit Italian town he will reward them by sending them showgirls. Mr Berlusconi appeared to have recovered some of his characteristic ebullience after being buffeted by weeks of scandal over his personal life. Renowned for his love of sometimes inappropriate quips, he was in jovial mood when he visited L'Aquila, which was badly damaged by an earthquake on April 6. Touring a construction site where new homes are being built for the 50,000 people who were left homeless by the quake, he joked to builders: "Where are the girls? I don't see any. In that case, I'll have to bring them next time I come".Mr Berlusconi has repeatedly promised that the thousands of people now living in tented camps will be re-housed by the autumn, when cold weather returns to the upland region in the province of Abruzzo."Well boys, if all goes well, I'll really bring the showgirls," he said. "Otherwise, we'll all come across as gays."
Mr Berlusconi appeared to have recovered some of his characteristic ebullience after being buffeted by weeks of scandal over his personal life. Renowned for his love of sometimes inappropriate quips, he was in jovial mood when he visited L'Aquila, which was badly damaged by an earthquake on April 6.
Touring a construction site where new homes are being built for the 50,000 people who were left homeless by the quake, he joked to builders: "Where are the girls? I don't see any. In that case, I'll have to bring them next time I come".
Mr Berlusconi has repeatedly promised that the thousands of people now living in tented camps will be re-housed by the autumn, when cold weather returns to the upland region in the province of Abruzzo.
"Well boys, if all goes well, I'll really bring the showgirls," he said. "Otherwise, we'll all come across as gays."
An English version has been put up.
There is also a 14 minute video chronicle of the cases.
For a few news bytes a day in advance of the English press, here goes.
B's daily, Il Giornale, has put together a farrago implicating two opposition politicians in an affair that date backs to 2000. The allegations involve Massimo D'Alema and Lorenzo Cesa who both supposedly had similar parties, butterflies and coke galore. D'Alema was prime minister at the time while Cesa is head of the Christian Democrat opposition party. The case was archived at the time for lack of evidence.
After B's paper published this, B expressed solidarity to both for being victims of the same sort of false charges he is now going through.
Cesa stated he had never been involved in the sort of parties and drugs now associated with B. And categorically refused his solidarity. D'Alema has menaced sueing for slander.
B then felt that Cesa was being ungracious and hoped he would come around. Il Giornale has since confirmed their charges. We can expect more from them in the days to come. B's papers have previously revealed that Veronica Lario has a relation with her bodyguard. Nude frontal shots ofB'S wife have also been published front page in his press.
B reiterated today his call to "close the mouth of catastrophists" and invited industries not to place advertisements in a "certain press." B has been sued by the Espresso-Repubblica group. His call was also a direct attack against Mario Draghi, president of the Federal Bank, who announced a 5% deficit this year.
B considers Draghi as a political menace. A former Bank of Italy president, Azeglio Ciampi, was called to save Italian finances in the 90's.
B continues to declare he was elected by the groveling masses and can in no way be ousted, a position shared by the racist demagogue Umberto Bossi.
To our relief he no longer claims that 73% of the Italians approve of him. He has set the percentage at 61% today.
In the next few days expect false scoops against other major opposition figures.
I have heard rumors that the ineffable cesspool shark Minzolini has actually broadcasted a primetime national news service on the Bari scandals involving B's dinner table buddy and gigolo Tarantini. The news service managed to say that Nikki Vendola, opposition governor of the Puglia, has been invited to testify on hospital contract bans. Funny B was not mentioned.
