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'Model' minister guides G8 spouses
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-10 10:39

A former model-turned-government minister was guiding Mrs Obama and other G8 spouses through their Italian sightseeing.

'Model' minister guides G8 spouses

Equal Opportunities Minister Mara Carfagna showed the spouses through the dusty L'Aquila streets yesterday and pointed out historic structures that survived the earthquake. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, under fire from a sex scandal, asked Carfagna to guide them around the summit. That role typically is assigned the host leader's spouse, but Berlusconi's wife was not attending the summit.

On Wednesday, Carfagna - wearing a black dress with a plunging neckline and pearls - escorted the spouses through museums and to the Vatican. Mrs Obama skipped the Vatican audience with Pope Benedict XVI; she'll join her husband and daughters for a private audience with the pontiff today.

AP