silvio berlusconi has made no secret of his dislike of judges.e spent $300 million on legal fees during his business political career. defending himself a says in the unfair courts. silvio berlusconi's lawyers say latest claims are groundless and absurd. they come at an awkward time for the prime minister. he wants to strengthen his weak government and not have its distracted by more allegations. so far it is scandal and not success that follows him into 2011. >> pope benedict -- his predecessor at a ceremony on may 1. he has signed a document except in the authenticity of a miracle attributed to john paul. a french nun claims to have been cleared from parkinson's disease from john paul himself who was a parkinson's suffer. you will find all the international news anytime you want on bbc.com. you can get in touch with me on twitter. you can see what is coming up on facebook as well. thanks for watching. >> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around the globe and click-to-play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth,

prosecutors say she was 17 when silvio berlusconi paid her for sex. she and the prime minister have repeatedly denied there was any intimate contact or exchange of money. she is at least one of 14 ministers -- people that entertain the prime minister at his home. some have come forward to say they were paid for sex. silvio berlusconi said if those allegations were true he would have to have the stamina of superman. public officials must rediscover their moral roots said the pope. other senior figures have gone further. the italian bishops' conference is due to discuss the issue on thursday. does this mean silvio berlusconi is on his way out? almost certainly not. the prime minister's coalition partners will ultimately want him to stay. duncan kennedy, "bbc world news." >> a top stories for you this hour. a blast at the biggest russian airport in moscow has killed 35 people and injured more than 130. protests on the streets of lebanon against plans by has blood to form the next government. -- plans by hezbollah to form the next government. revolution s

silvio berlusconi denies allegations that he paid for sex with underage prostitutes. vatican statement urges more solid morality in says the church must distance itself from silvio berlusconi of the accusations are confirmed. from rome, years the report. >> tens of -- still prime minister. silvio berlusconi taking time out to reflect on the events that are swirling around him. told by reporters, the opposition into should resign. mr. berlusconi says i am having fun. later, the prime minister comes back out to repeat his message. someone else must think about their resignation, certainly not me. i am the person with been offended. prosecutors say the prime minister paid this girl, known as ruby the heartbreaker, for sex. she was to 17 years old. ribby in mr. berlusconi both deny it. but the prosecutors say she was one of a number prostitutes used by mr. berlusconi. they said that have wiretaps proving the girl tried to blackmail the prime minister. the vatican has now made its first comments on the scandal. >> the catholic church must distance itself from berlusconi if

silvio burlusconi in trouble with a teenage burlesque answer.here 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. >

prosecutors say she was 17 when silvio berlusconi paid her for sex.uby and the prime minister have both repeatedly denied there was any intimate contact or exchange of money. prosecutors say ruby is one of at least 14 women who entertained the prime minister at his home. some have come forward to say that they were paid for sex. silvio berlusconi says if all the allegations were true, he would have to have the stamina of superman. pope benedict indirectly chastised him on friday, saying that public officials must rediscover their spiritual and moral roots. other senior catholic church figures have gone further. the italian bishops' conference will discuss the conference -- the scandal on monday. does all this pressure mean he is on his way out? almost definitely not. if the opposition does not have a credible alternative, his coalition partners will want him to stay. duncan kennedy in rome. ♪ >> here are the top stories. a blast at russia's biggest airport in moscow has killed at least 35 people and injured more than 130 others. protests on the street

the devastating allegations that have left silvio berlusconi reeling. his career at its lowest mark. the most damaging accusation is he paid for sex with a 17-year- old. she denies these sex but admits he gave her 6,000 pounds. the prime minister has gone on television twice in the face of universal condemnation. >> there has not been any abuse of power or any prostitution. there has been nothing i should be ashamed of. the accusations are not logical. >> it is a sign of life. nothing really strange. >> i have been going on for a long time. >> sometimes you feel ashamed. >> pope benedict appeared to pass his own judgment. the pope spoke of people in public life needing to be committed to a more robust morality. other figures in the catholic church have gone even further with bishops calling the scandal a devastating tornado. political opponents of the prime minister say he must resign. >> mr. berlusconi refused to the question today. evidence has been leaked to the press. one girl describes him as a cash machine for which you need no pin. another was as

no wonder silvio berlusconi books under pressure. facing the most damaging accusations of his career. this is the girl at the center of the claims. her facebook name is ruby. prosecutors say the prime minister paid to have sex with a 17-year-old. >> ruby has told interviewers she never had sex with him work was paid for sex. the 6,000 pounds he gave her was because she needed help. mr. berlusconi has twice been on television this week to deny the claims. >> i did not pay prostitutes and did not have sex with ruby. it was a lurid rebuttals from the leader. but phone conversations secretly taped by prosecutors reveal a different version. ruby is recorded as saying she would receive as much money as you want if you kept quiet. one girl was ordered to put on a stethoscope and nurse's uniform. you know how much he likes that sort of thing. today, pope benedict reference the scandal during an audience in the vatican. the pope spoke of italian society losing its soul and spiritual roots. other figures in the catholic church have gone even f

. >>> in italy tonight, prime minister silvio berlusconi, who has been separated from his wife now forlmost two years, is facing allegations that are growing more sordid and more serious by the day. wrongdoing involving young women, and now possible criminal activity involving an underaged girl. and as our own michelle kosinski reports from milan, the prime minister last night lost his cool. >> reporter: silvio berlusconi been called the teflon prime minister. a 74-year-old man with a notorious weakness for beautiful, young women. the billionaire media mogul is suspected of paying a 17-year-old belly dancer for sex. her stage name is ruby the heart stealer. abusing his power, allegedly cavorting with showgirls and prostitutes during wild parties at his villa, described by police as orgies. this showgirl turned dental hygienist turned politician is suspected of recruiting women for him. for weeks, sordid details have leaked from the investigation, filled with wiretap transcripts. one woman describes berlusconi's parties, "it's like a brothel in there, worse than the papers say, all of w

. >> this was the piece of paper with the decision on silvio and berlusconi. would it continue his prosecution or lift it, it went for both they treated it as a victory anyway, saying no one should be above the law, even if they are running a country. the court said mr. berlusconi will no longer automatically be shifted from persecution he will go back on trial for three cases of fraud and -- of fraud and bribery. had he been totally defeated, it might have triggered a crisis. the court passed the matter under the three trial judges theory but it is up to them to decide if the case should be reactivated. he no longer had a blanket exemption his fragile administration will now struggle on. his political liabilities remain lined up. >> brisbane under water. tens of thousands of australians see their home engulfed by the flood superior -- by the floods. 5000 workers are voting whether to except the radical packet of change. it could close if the workers vote against more flexible rules. >> a candlelight vigil ahead of a two-day referendum that could have a seriou

prosecutors have confirmed they are investigating possible abuse of power charges against prime minister silvio berlusconi. the case centers around his dealings with a 17-year-old moroccan nightclub dancer who attended parties at his home. the investigation includes allegations of under age prostitution. prosecutors are examining whether berlusconi intervened to have the girl released from police custody when she was detained over theft allegations. the prime minister denies any wrongdoing. >>> military police and brazil have been deployed to stop looting in flooded areas and rescue workers are covered more victims. brazil's worst natural disaster in four decades has claimed 500 lives. 10,000 people are seeking shelter and aid. the extent of the damage has exposed major flaws in the country's emergency plan. >> relatives waited anxiously outside of the hospitals for news of their loved ones. coffins are brought out one after the other. only now many learned that friends and family are among the victims. the police stations and churches have been turned into makeshift morgues. >> i lost my mothe

. >>> new documents made public yesterday, italian prosecutors allege prime minister silvio berlusconifinancially supported and had sex with a "significant number of young prostitutes." the revelation is part of an investigation into whether berlusconi paid to have sex with an underaged nightclub dancer. berlusconi has denied any wrong doing. >>> scientists for the u.s. geological survey are warning that california faces the risk of being hit by a so-called super storm that could cause four to five times as much economic damage as a large earthquake. the hypothetical scenario created using california's flood history and climate change projections describes what could be a ten-foot wall of water flooding nearly a quarter of the state's homes. >>> it died out around 8,000 years ago, but in just five years the woolly mammoth could soon be walking the earth again. japanese researchers say they will launch a project this year to revive the ice age paciderm through the cloning of cells through the carcass of a mammoth preserved in sign earian permafrost. >>> here's how wall street will kick

silvio berlusconi is under investigation in the case of alleged prostitution involving a seventeen year old girl prosecutors are looking into whether the italian prime minister abused his power to have been freed from a police station she denied suggestions that she had sexual relations with the premier but a skinny has not yet commented but his supporters say the claim is unfounded. let me have to time i should say to a climatized to life back on earth the most recent crew to return from the international space station have been speaking about their out of this world experience. had a chance to quiz the team of three about life in orbit. hundreds of people have turned up here today to welcome back the crew of t m a nineteen and it's the hundredth mission that's been to the international space station and i have all three of them here with me go to your chicken shannon shannon walker and douglas wheelock have all spent six months in space conducting experiments and doing maintenance to the space station and when they arrived here today they laid some flowers at the statue of eureka curr

look at some other stories from around the world and italian prosecutors have accused prime minister silvio berlusconi of having sex with a number of underage prostitutes they have requested to search the premier's home as part of an investigation there as kone has denied the allegations which follow a number of other sex scandals surrounding him the latest revelations come a time when berlusconi's government has been struggling to maintain its majority while prostitution is not illegal in the country exploiting or helping to arrange sex with minors is. more than three and a half thousand people have fled their homes after raging floodwaters reached the australian state of victoria falls weeks of flooding in queensland to the north where the death toll from flooding is now risen to twenty authorities are still searching for missing people. the for fear of haiti's own claude duvalier has returned to the country twenty six years after he was overthrown he greeted crowds of supporters but did not say why chosen to return or what he planned to do also known as baby doc he inherited power from h

any other politician would run a mile from that smile-- anyone but italy's prime minister silvio berlusconi was still 17 when he invited ruby to what were called bunga- bunga parties at his mansion. and ruby was not alone. italian prosecutors are investigating berlusconi's relations with a string of show girls who are said to have stripped, danced, bumped and grinded their way into the prime minister's legendary affections. news of the criminal investigation forced the 74- year-old berlusconi to go on t.v. and insist he'd done nothing wrong. parties, yes, sex, yes, but he never paid for it. and he had no idea some of the women were underage. he accused the investigators of being politically motivated. but for an italian public long used to their leader's sexual hijinks, this may have been one bunga-bunga too many. so much so that today the pope took a swipe at the sex scandal. "public officials," he said, "must set a good moral example." >> he doesn't seem to be in control any longer. so it's not just a matter of how you behave personally and sexually, it is that he seems to be a bit too mu

look at some other stories from around the world and a time prosecutors have accused prime minister silvio berlusconi of having sex with a number of under-age prosecutes they have requested to search the premier's home as part of an investigation has denied the allegations which follow a number of other sex scandals surrounding him the latest revelations come at a time when there are those counties government has been struggling to maintain its majority while prostitution is not illegal in the country exploiting or helping to arrange sex with minors is. rescue workers in the state of rio de janeiro have continued their efforts to recover bodies trapped under tons of mud and debris the rain storms over the last week have left nearly seven hundred people dead and more than one hundred thousand displaced a downpour on least rob the raging torrents of water down the mountainside directly into towns news this weekend getaways the government has been happily criticized for failing to warn residents of the disaster. the former dictator of haiti. has returned to the country twenty six years after

and that's what happened today when pope benedict called on the italian prime minister, silvio berlusconi, to change his ways. here's miguel marquez. >> reporter: the 74-year-old prime minister, who calls himself superman, on the ropes like never before. his kryptonite? this 18-year-old exotic dancer called ruby the heart stealer. berlusconi is under investigation for allegedly paying ruby, under age at the time, to attend orgies called bunga bunga parties, then trying to cover it all up. the salacious tales make for riveting headlines. in transcripts of wiretaps leaked to the italian media, ruby told a friend she was only 16 when she first attended the parties. she said berlusconi told her, i'll give you whatever amount you want, i'll cover you in gold. but the important thing is to keep everything under wraps. both ruby and the prime minister deny ever having sex. "there's been no abuse of power, no consorting with prostitutes of any age," he says. "this is all fabricated by prosecutors who trample the law for political purposes and media attention." >> reporter: but today's urging from

italian prime minister silvio berlusconi is facing up prostitution investigation involving a teenager who were tended to posses at his private residence according to the country's leading newspaper said investigators were examining whether better skinny abused his power to have the like it's a release from a police station the investigation also involves a probe into underage prostitution allegations ballasts gainey has denied any wrongdoing in the case. the check called. for more noble stories that we're covering as well as blogs and videos from all countries it's a great look at what's on one team at the minute now a proposed balance back from the back pages the spanish newspaper insists it's a red hot debate but how will it affect the world's oldest profession. and she isn't spotting you cheap saw an attractive nearly one hundred meg towels and facebook fans the unlikeliest of stars heidi the cross slide open. now i have a ninety percent of the world's remains all found in russia's far east republic of giant tusks the being on the earth and carved into exclusive pieces of all that.

angela merkel has welcomed silvio berlusconi in berlin. germany has committed to do everything necessary to keep the euro stable. germany has dismissed proposals to pick up be temporary fun for struggling euro zone countries the president had earlier called on eu leaders to increase the fund. >> the headlines leave no doubt. the european union is worried about one of its members. oread -- it once in increase in the rescue fund, despite opposition from france and germany >> it must be enforced. it must be wideneded. -- widened. barroso once detailed budgets by april. ed be -- the eu price is one manager also wants more countries. >> this is all about crisis prevention, and the better we are able to prevent the crisis, the less need for crisis management 3 put the question now is whether the e.u. reform plans can stabilize the euro in years to come. >> we have more from frankfurt on today's trading. >> after portugal issued its bonds, there was a great relief. share prices started skyrocketing. the dax went to its highest level at the end of

we have a sex scandal that is surrounding around silvio ber lus skoeny.ore about that. >>> and what if you knew about a crash before it happens? that could be a reality much more than you think and an exclusive look coming up. >> and oprah reveals the big secret, the long lost half sister she found out, and coming up the emotional meeting and what oprah said to the mother and what she said about her when she confronted the news. >>> and we now find out more about the woman who kidnapped a baby in new york. she came face to face with carlina white, and tom jaw nojas has more details. >> reporter: according to documents ann pettway told the fbi she came to this hospital in 1987 and spotted carlina white and took the baby and simply walked out taking the train back home to connecticut with an infant she would call her own. and now 23 years old, pettway is in custody and says she is sorry. >> reporter: it was an emotional day in court for carl tyson, carlina white's father, seeing the woman who authorities say stole her infant daughter 23 years ago. do you be

prosecutors have confirmed they are investigating possible abuse of power charges against prime minister silvio berlusconi. the case centers around his dealings with a 17-year-old moroccan nightclub dancer who attended parties at his home. the investigation includes allegations of under age prostitution. prosecutors are examining whether berlusconi intervened to have the girl released from police custody when she was detained over theft allegations. the prime minister denies any wrongdoing. >>> military police and brazil have been deployed to stop looting in flooded areas and rescue workers are covered more victims. brazil's worst natural disaster in four decades has claimed 500 lives. 10,000 people are seeking shelter and aid. the extent of the damage has exposed major flaws in the country's emergency plan. >> relatives waited anxiously outside of the hospitals for news of their loved ones. coffins are brought out one after the other. only now many learned that friends and family are among the victims. the police stations and churches have been turned into makeshift morgues. >> i lost my mothe

la debilidad del primer ministro italiano silvio berlusconi por las mujeres jÓvenes lo tiene en serios de animales aquÍ en mi a mí informa que este domingo 16 de enero a partir de las siete de la maÑana revisarÁn, vacunaran y darÁn asistencia mÉdica gratuita a sus mascotas. los interesados deben aproximarse al sector del parqueo. la asistencia mÉdica es gratuita. el jardÍn botÁnico de miami beach invita a la sexta versiÓn de "the taste of the garden" que se realizarÁ hoy viernes en el centro de convenciÓn de esa ciudad y el carnaval mÁs exÓtico del mundo llega a miami, disfrutÉ de una noche tropical y mÁgica con el carnaval mÁs hermoso del mundo desde san salvador, bahÍa llega el famoso ballet folklÓrico de bahÍa. ahora nos vamos hasta la gran manzana donde birmania rÍos nos dirÁ cuáles son las sorpresas que tiene para este fin de semana. >> gracias, el que haya frÍo riÑa v. no quiere decir que no puede salir a divertirse, fÍjese todo lo que pueda ser este fin de semana en nueva york. >> maÑana 15 de enero el jardÍn botÁnico de nueva york iniciÓ una exhibiciÓn que le harÁ olvidar el fr