Prime minister on spree

Canberra, Australia

Opposition leaders had a field day after revealing that Prime Minister John Howard ran up a $30,000 hotel bill during a four-day visit to Rome last year. With Aussie taxpayers picking up the tab, Howard and his wife stayed in the sumptuous, $7,000-per-night Royal Suite at the St. Regis Grand Hotel, their every need met by a private butler. It was an official state visit, and protocol requires that the Italian government, as host to the Howards, pay part of the cost. But so far Australia is stuck with the whole bill, which nearly equals what the average Australian worker earns in a year. The Italians “have not paid up because they were as shocked by the bill as we are,” opposition politician Robert Ray told a Senate committee.

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