The war of words between Italy’s most controversial female comedian and a topless model-turned minister for equal opportunities in Silvio Berlusconi’s government looked set to become a courtroom battle on Thursday, with 1 million euros (US$1.4 million) in damages at stake.
Sabina Guzzanti revealed that she is being sued by Mara Carfagna, the former model and TV showgirl, after joking that Carfagna, 32, got her job as minister by indulging in an explicit sexual act with Berlusconi.
Rumor has been rife in the Italian press about Carfagna’s relationship with Berlusconi after the prime minister quipped last year: “If I was not already married I would have married her immediately.”
The quip prompted Berlusconi’s wife, Veronica, to demand an apology in a letter to an Italian newspaper, an apology her husband promptly gave.
Rumors have suggested that wire-taps allegedly conducted in a separate inquiry by an Italian magistrate pointed to a relationship between Berlusconi and Carfagna. The Italian prime minister has denied the claims.
Guzzanti, 45, has long been a thorn in the prime minister’s side, earning an unofficial boycott by Italian state television for her pains.
She took aim at Carfagna during a leftwing rally in July, as well as criticizing pope Benedict, claiming: “In 20 years [the former Cardinal Joseph] Ratzinger will be dead and will end up in hell, tormented by queer demons — not passive ones, but very active ones.”
Plans by magistrates to prosecute her for attacking the pope were dropped, but Carfagna has been less forgiving, the comedian revealed on her blog on Thursday.
However, the comic remained defiant, writing that Carfagna’s scantily clad appearance in photographic calendars was enough to make her unsuitable for her new ministerial role.
“By putting Carfagna at the ministry for equal opportunities, Berlusconi has offended every Italian woman yet again, and in conclusive fashion,” Guzzanti said.
Appearing on Italian television on Wednesday, the minister said the rumor-mongering about her and Berlusconi proved she was the victim of a sexist campaign.
“If a woman builds a career she is suspected of having sought shortcuts and received favors while people believe that men who go far deserve it,” she said.
She then hit back at Guzzanti, accusing her of being “mentally fragile.”
Guzzanti said on Thursday she would now consider counter-suing Carfagna for the statement.
Archeologists in Peru on Thursday said they found the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman at the sacred city of Caral, revealing the important role played by women in the oldest center of civilization in the Americas. “What has been discovered corresponds to a woman who apparently had elevated status, an elite woman,” archeologist David Palomino said. The mummy was found in Aspero, a sacred site within the city of Caral that was a garbage dump for more than 30 years until becoming an archeological site in the 1990s. Palomino said the carefully preserved remains, dating to 3,000BC, contained skin, part of the
‘WATER WARFARE’: A Pakistani official called India’s suspension of a 65-year-old treaty on the sharing of waters from the Indus River ‘a cowardly, illegal move’ Pakistan yesterday canceled visas for Indian nationals, closed its airspace for all Indian-owned or operated airlines, and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country. The retaliatory measures follow India’s decision to suspend visas for Pakistani nationals in the aftermath of a deadly attack by shooters in Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. The rare attack on civilians shocked and outraged India and prompted calls for action against their country’s archenemy, Pakistan. New Delhi did not publicly produce evidence connecting the attack to its neighbor, but said it had “cross-border” links to Pakistan. Pakistan denied any connection to
TRUMP EFFECT: The win capped one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Canadian political history after the Conservatives had led the Liberals by more than 20 points Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday pledged to win US President Donald Trump’s trade war after winning Canada’s election and leading his Liberal Party to another term in power. Following a campaign dominated by Trump’s tariffs and annexation threats, Carney promised to chart “a new path forward” in a world “fundamentally changed” by a US that is newly hostile to free trade. “We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,” said Carney, who led the central banks of Canada and the UK before entering politics earlier this year. “We will win this trade war and
Armed with 4,000 eggs and a truckload of sugar and cream, French pastry chefs on Wednesday completed a 121.8m-long strawberry cake that they have claimed is the world’s longest ever made. Youssef El Gatou brought together 20 chefs to make the 1.2 tonne masterpiece that took a week to complete and was set out on tables in an ice rink in the Paris suburb town of Argenteuil for residents to inspect. The effort overtook a 100.48m-long strawberry cake made in the Italian town of San Mauro Torinese in 2019. El Gatou’s cake also used 350kg of strawberries, 150kg of sugar and 415kg of
RSS