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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> an unprecedented event in tunisia. a new man in charge leads the country. a state of emergency has been declared. thousands have marched through the capital demanding his resignation. rick profile zine al-abidine ben ali, the man who ruled to asia as a police state. a very warm -- who rolled to an asia -- ruled tunisia. the death toll rises to 500 and many more are still stranded. prosecutors are investigating silvio berlusconi over a nightclub dancer.

>> to asia is probably best known as a tourist's playground. -- tunisia. the north african country is just experiencing a dramatic few hours of political unrest. zine al-abidine ben ali was president for a quarter of a century. his extended family is spread in positions of power. he has fled the country and the people -- in a tv address the prime minister said he had taken over as interim president. he vowed to respect the constitution. >> icall on the all the sons and daughters from all walks of life and from all factions to try to be responsible and show unity.

to enable our country which we love dearly to overcome this difficult situation and restore its stability. i promise to carry out this responsibility by respecting the constitution. and to carry out the political and social reforms already announced with consultation from all factions in the country including national organizations. >> hello and welcome. so help me god. >> you have been witnessing us for 12 hours. >> the president was hanging on to power. he made some kind of concessions 24 hours ago saying he would not stay on beyond 2014, but this man is used to cling onto power. throughout the day there were

thousands of people demonstrating on the streets. risking their lives. more than 60 people have been killed. at midday there was no sign of his resignation. he said there would be elections within six months. suddenly a disastrous state of emergency was declared. a new curfew was declared. the president was told by the military that the strength of opposition in the country is so great he had no choice but to resign. less than 12 hours from being a political strongman -- revolution is too strong of a word. but certainly quite a significant change here. >> people's grievances run deep, but how significant was it on

december 17 wendy university graduate burned himself to death? >> that was the catalyst that sparked a series of protests. it is geographical as well. the liberals have been protesting and lawyers across the country have been protesting because education levels are comparatively high. they have all the necessary qualifications but the way they have run this country, opportunities have not been available to people. that anger was demonstrated on the streets. people were going out and protesting. even this morning we heard that five people were killed. it was quite clear that this is

unexpected. nobody expected the protests to achieve what they did today. there are still military people on the streets. there is a tank rolling up the streets in front of the foreign ministry. the military will have had a lot to play in the president's resignation. they will also have a lot to play in the future of this country. what democracy will emerge will depend on the democracy. >> thank you for that. populations in neighboring states are also watching this. we have been speaking to our correspondent. he says what is happening is unprecedented. >> there has not been 14 decades, if ever. this is so much uncharted

territory. it has happened in one of the most prosperous countries. and also the best educated. that may not be a signal it will spread through the region. i think governments in egypt and libya will be looking nervously at this. they will be wondering what frustrations that were expressed so angrily are boiling beneath the surface. they are a danger to their own futures. but for the moment they have to work out how they can put together a credible government. i think they will be watching closely to see whether these people who are still associated with the old regime -- are they going to bring in their opponents? will they allow freedom of speech on the state media? maybe people might trust a better future. >> we have been hearing this is

a country with more police than many other in the region. and the role of the military will be crucial. what are your predictions there? >> a big problem in this part of the world is -- there is a lack of any legitimate institutions. there is no rule of law. it does not mean anything. unless you can -- you will start to have a country that does not matter. if a policeman shoots an unarmed civilian, he/she gets tried and convicted. the immediate short-term problem as freeing up the government and establishing its credibility and restoring law and order. that will be the big challenge

for this interim administration. >> he promises to institute widespread reforms and freedom. opposition reporters said compromises did not go far enough. the president has been strongly criticized for his authoritarian ruling. >> 23 years as president. this is a man who had an iron grip in tunisia. zine al-abidine ben ali came to power many years ago against a man who defeated him and who was ruled unfit to rule. since then, the president has want multiple elections with enormous majorities. under his rule, tunisia was relatively prosperous. but there was heavy criticism of the descent and lack of media

freedom. it was deemed authoritarian and not democratic. tunisia came in the top 25 in the economist democracy index of 2010. and lead to you as cable's described corruption and abuse of power. it was not just his leadership that came under fire, it was his life style too. they talked about the extravagance of his family and the excess fuelling hatred among ordinary people. now it seems that anger has seen an end to two decades of his power. >> we spoke to the former ambassador to the un. he gave this view.

>> after three years of normal rule and open policies for the people panties' the elite of the country, -- for the people and the elite of the country. [unintelligible] as far as the universal principles of human rights, as far as the respect of the constitution and rule of law. it was really authoritarian regime that was imposed upon the people of tunisia. >> on wikileaks it was described as a police state.

is that how you would describe it? >> i did not follow your question. >> on wikileaks, tunisia was described by some as a police state. is that how you would do your country? >> it was exactly the reality. [unintelligible] was very [unintelligible] and he has made very accurate descriptions of the political system in tunisia. >> the former ambassador speaking there. let's move on. brazilians have started burying victims of the floods that have claimed 500 lives.

it has the worst natural disaster in decades. rescuers are struggling to access remote areas. one affected place is one mountainous area around rio déàa narrow. >> the torrents of money brown water is still flowing. the rescuers had a massive struggle to just reach the victims. floods were so powerful that a car was down three floors up. families were destroyed. >> i lost my mother, my daughter and my granddaughter. i don't know what to do from now on. >> yesterday we reported on the rescue of this woman. later she spoke to reporters still traumatized. >> i really don't know how i am

alive. or how i will replace what i have lost. >> the rain was more damaging because of an area that has recently seen a rush of development. many people had built homes and land on steep hillsides and generally with cheap constructions. this is the worst hit town. my colleague is they're seeing the devastation firsthand. >> the rain has lost intensity here. but the situation remains very dangerous because the soil is extremely wet and unstable. the cleanup and rescue operations are being postponed. >> the brazilian president has viewed the damage. he took office two weeks ago and faces the worst natural disaster

in decades. he promised $500 million for aid. >> we will work with the state government on the rebuilding efforts. we are here to guarantee that the rebuilding will help prevent future disasters. >> under rainy skies, and child is buried. the final death toll is not known. long lines of graves have been dug. >> at least 27 people have died and more are missing in the floods of central sri lanka. water levels are starting to go down but governments are still struggling to get supplies to 1 million people. one australian city has started to clear up as floodwaters started to receive. thousands of homes and businesses were swamped.

at least 25 people have been killed. stay with us if you can on "bbc world news." venezuela struggles to rid itself of the economy. we have a special report. a group of health experts morning breast feeding babies for six months before starting them on solid food may not be the best option. this team says there is some evidence it can lead to iron deficiency and allergies. the study contradicts the current advice from the world health organization. >> for nearly a decade mothers have been advised to give their babies breast milk until they are six months old. now the advice has been questioned by child health experts who say that is too long for some children. >> recognize that sometime

between4 and 6 months this starts to become insufficient to meet the babies requirements. it has been controversial to what point this occurs. it probably occurs at different points for different babies. >> then we -- when the report was you in recent studies they found evidence to suggest some babies could suffer iron deficiency if mothers waited until their babies were six months old to introduce solids. researchers say infants may be prone to allergies and warn parents to start their babies on solids at six months could be limiting that opportunity to introduce new tastes. one university has challenged this study describing it as [unintelligible] the national childbirth company

says they believe parents should be able to make their own decisions about what age to start feeding their children. but the team behind this report hopes it will lead to more research on the issue. >> latest headlines for you on "bbc world news." the prime minister of tunisia has assumed power. a nationwide state of emergency of -- has been imposed. thousands have taken to the streets of the capital. >> the italian prime minister has been placed under investigation over his dealings with a teenage nightclub dancer. the investigation includes allegations of underage prostitution. silvio says these allegations

are a absurd. >> he cannot seem to shake of his judicial jinx. silvio burlusconi in trouble with a teenage burlesque answer. there are claims he improperly called police to get them to release the woman from custody. this is hurt. her stage name is ruby. she was 17 at the time she attended parties given by the prime minister at his home. she claims on one occasion she received $9,000. mr. berlusconi denies having sex with her. the allegations compound a bad week for the leader. coming less than a day after the

highest court removed his immunity from prosecution. he has yet to hear if he is to go back on trial in corruption cases. he has made no secret of his dislike of judges, especially those in lawn that are politically motivated -- especially those in milan. he spent $300 million on legal fees during his political career. defending himself in the courts. his lawyers say the latest claims are groundless and absurd. this comes at an awkward time for the prime minister. he wants to strengthen his weak government and not be distracted by more allegations. so far it is scandal that has followed him into 2011. bbc has signed a huge deal

to explore for oil off the russian gulf coast. it could be worth billions. >> the chief executive of bp, there are some people who keep you waiting. this deal has been worth waiting for. the exploitation of what they hope to be vast reserves in the arctic. the russian prime minister vladimir putin said the work would require billions of dollars of investment and the latest technology. >> this has great potential. it is in its early days. you are right about the need to develop technology centers for the arctic and the ingrate -- great environmental care.

>> some of the world's biggest gas reserves are believed to be under these seas. bp says it has the know-how. russia's largest known reserves are in western siberia. today's deal focuses on the northern area where unproven estimates show there could be 5 billion tons of oil and 10 trillion cubic meters. >> the arctic is considered to be a major undeveloped oil province. bp has got a very prime position in the early stages of developing that region. if geologists are correct, then this could be the deal of the century. >> last year bp had a year to forget. the deep water horizon disaster has left it with the billions of dollars of liability, a

reputation at an all-time low and doors closing in its face in america. bp its problems in russia, too. in 2008 they experienced a campaign of harassment after it fell out of its business contract. it included a running with the tax police. america is probably off-limits and russia will be increasingly important. >> bp been investing for more than two decades. the announcement appeared to confirm the company possible relationship with russia is back on track. -- the company's relationship with russia. >> a venezuela is the largest oil producer but the only country still in recession. the economy will improve this year. questions are being asked about

the way they are spending the oil revenues. >> this bridge is taking us to the birthplace of the vast oil business. past the giant billboard face of the president hugo chavez who is making it clear oil well funds his revolution. all is not well in the economy. the only one in latin america that is not rising. it is sinking in a localized recession unique on this continent. it really is the heart of the oil industry. the source of the enormous oil wealth for many years. questions still remain after many decades if the present government making proper or foolish use of all that money? >> some of the poor people are buying heavily subsidized food

with a market created by the president. milk and flour are the things he is buying. half the price in the shops. this couple struggle financially. his job disappeared and the factory is owned by their father. they are delighted with the health care and free treatment they have been getting. but this oil company will pay all the welfare bills. they cannot hide the fact investment has fallen under the president. >> we call it socialism of the 21st century. the middle class is practically gone. all the indices we have here --

more than 6000 companies have suffered. >> the but -- but the supporters reject that. >> we lost revenue with the falling price of oil in this decade but no social welfare program was stopped. >> the blame game over the oil wealth is far from over. all the country's politicians are under pressure to grow and not shrink this economy. >> you will find much more on that and all the international news anytime online at bbc.com. you can get in touch with me on twitter. you can see what we are working on and what is coming up on facebook.

thanks very much for watching. , again. >> funding was made possible by the stone and -- newman's own foundation. the john d. macarthur foundation and union bank. >> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >>