World News: Berlusconi may face trial over alleged sex offence

Prosecutors in Italy say they will formally ask for prime minister Silvio Berlusconi to be tried for alleged sex with an underage prostitute and abuse of power.

The Milan chief prosecutor said a request for a fast-track trial would be submitted to a court today.

Mr Berlusconi is alleged to have paid for sex with a 17-year-old girl and then intervened to get her released from custody in a separate case. The woman, known as Ruby, is now 18 and denies that they had sex.

A Moroccan nightclub dancer, whose real name is Karima El Mahroug, she was detained for alleged theft by police but freed after a phone call from the premier.

Although frequenting prostitutes is not a crime in Italy, having sex with one under the age of 18 is an offence that commands a prison sentence.

Mr Berlusconi denies the sex allegations, insisting they are politically motivated.

He has previously admitted calling the police after Ms Mahroug's arrest but says he acted out of pity.

Prosecutors are sending their dossier to a judge in Milan. That judge will then take a few days to decide whether or not to send Mr Berlusconi for trial.

Leader slams religious attacks

Indonesia's president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said violent, hard-line groups should be disbanded after mobs set churches on fire and killed three members of a minority Islamic sect.

The attacks raised concerns about escalating religious intolerance.

Temple troop claims denied

Cambodia angrily rejected Thailand's accusation that Cambodian troops used a centuries-old temple along their disputed border as a military base,.

The mountain-top Preah Vihear temple, a World Heritage site, was the scene of artillery battles during a four-day flare-up.

'Buttock jab' woman dies

US police are investigating the death of a UK woman after an alleged hotel room "buttocks-enhancement" procedure.

Officers say a 20-year-old woman who had travelled from London died in hospital in Pennsylvania yesterday after an injection of silicone.

Detectives said the procedure, believed to have been arranged over the internet, took place at a hotel near Philadelphia airport. They are seeking two people in connection with the matter.

Drive to stop petrol sniffing

Australia is fighting rampant petrol-sniffing in the Outback by extending the availability of a less harmful fuel as part of a major campaign to improve Aborigines' health, the prime minister said today.

Opal has been introduced since 2006 to 108 petrol stations servicing the Outback.

Koreas to hold talks on split families

South Korea: The government agreed today to hold talks with North Korea on reuniting families separated by war, as military officers from both sides met at the border for a second straight day to try to ease tensions on the peninsula.

China: Officials are preparing for "a severe, long-lasting drought" in the worst-hit eastern province of Shandong, with the national weather bureau forecasting little if any rain for the region until February 17.