Take My Wife, Please . . .

By DAVID ELLIS

Nothing's more nettlesome to a politician than a wife who gets more press attention than he does. Perhaps that is why Brazilian President FERNANDO COLLOR DE MELLO has been appearing in public recently without a wedding band . . . or his 26-year-old second wife Rosane. Last week the Sao Paulo-based newsmagazine Veja featured photos of the scantily clad First Lady, noting presidential pique with her high-profile antics. Fernando, observers speculate, jettisoned the ring in order to distance himself from rumors about his wife's alleged mishandling of funds for a government-sponsored charity. Rosane, however, professes marital loyalty and wants to start a family.

With reporting by Sidney Urquhart