Prostitution accusations against PM Berlusconi widen

Milan prosecutors on Monday said that the evidence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in regards to the prostitution allegations against him have widened.

According to the ANSA news agency, prosecutors have sent a formal request to the Italian parliament, asking for permission to search the office of Berlusconi's accountant in relation to the allegations.

Berlusconi, 74, was placed under investigation last week for allegedly exploiting underage prostitution. The Italian leader is accused of having sex with a teenage runaway Moroccan belly dancer, identified as 'Ruby Rubacuore.'

"A significant number of young women prostituted themselves with Silvio Berlusconi at his residences in exchange for sums of money," the prosecutors' request read. The document also informs that in addition to sums of money, the girls received free housing in the sumptuous villa owned by Berlusconi in a plush Milan district. The girl was 17 years old when the alleged acts took place.

Berlusconi under investigation for exploiting under-age prostitution

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been placed under investigation for exploiting under-age prostitution, the ANSA news agency reported on Friday.

Berlusconi was accused of allegedly having sex with a teenage runaway Moroccan belly dancer. The premier and the teenager, identified only as ‘Ruby Rubacuore,’ had sexual intercourse in repeated occasions between February to May last year.

The alleged offenses took place in Berlusconi’s sumptuous Milan villa when the girl was just 17 years old. The Milan prosecutor’s office said it has detailed and vast evidence on the case.

Investigation finds group hijacking web servers to distribute child porn

A criminal group has been discovered to be hijacking web servers in order to distribute child pornography, according to an investigation conducted by the Italian Postal and Communications Police and Europol, the European Police Office.

Europol said on Friday that its joint investigation has, since early 2009, resulted in the cleaning of more than 1,000 web servers worldwide in conjunction with the servers' owner. "The complex investigation is still ongoing, to identify the producers and connected criminals," Europol said.