Berlusconi pulls out of family values forum

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has scrapped a planned appearance at a conference on family values in Milan next week, amid reports of encounters with a prostitute and his ties to an under-age Moroccan girl.

Some attendees recently expressed unease over Mr Berlusconi’s presence at the conference, which begins on Monday and will include family associations, Cabinet ministers and members of the Roman Catholic Church, including the Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi.