Michelle Obama keeps Silvio Berlusconi at arm's length at G20

Silvio Berlusconi is the 5ft 6ins ladies' man with the flair for the tactless remark, Michelle Obama is the 5ft 11ins tough cookie First Lady with a determination as steely as her arms

The meeting between the pair at the opening reception for the G20 summit in Pittsburgh bore all the hallmarks of a classic US-European impasse, with the American president in the middle, looking daggers at his Italian counterpart. While Mrs Obama exchanged hugs and kisses with Browns, the Sarkozys, the Medvedevs and Germany's Angela Merkel, she didn't appear to want to come too close to Mr Berlusconi. The Italian prime minister came alone to the reception at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden, primarily because his wife is divorcing him. He has been embroiled in a series of scandals involving call girls and a lingerie model, and even his staff have suggested he is a sex addict. Mr Berlusconi's mastership of the public gaffe has also been extended to President Obama, whom he memorably described as "young, handsome and tanned"... Telegraph