Pope Benedict blessing: Tens of thousands hear prayer

Tens of thousands of pilgrims have attended St Peter's Square in Rome for one of the final public appearances of Pope Benedict XVI.

He is stepping down on 28 February.

The Pope recited the Angelus prayer and thanked all those who had prayed for him and shown him support over the past few days since his resignation.

The Vatican has said it may hold the conclave that chooses the new pope early, so he can be in place before the start of Holy Week on 24 March.

Vatican accommodation

The Pope appeared at his study window overlooking St Peter's Square at 11:00 GMT, his first such appearance since announcing his resignation last Monday.

The crowd erupted into loud applause and there were chants of "Long live the Pope".

One banner in the square read: "We love you".

The Pope used his Angelus appearance to urge the faithful to "renew" and "refocus" on God.

He said: "The Church calls on all its members to renew themselves... which constitutes a fight, a spiritual battle, because the evil spirit wants us to deviate from the road towards God."

The pope spoke in a number of languages; speaking in Spanish, he said: "I beg you to continue praying for me and for the next pope."

The BBC's David Willey in Rome says that after the prayer recital on Sunday the Pope plans to spend the rest of the week on a Lenten prayer retreat closeted inside the Apostolic Palace with senior cardinals and bishops.

He says the retreat will be a time of reflection about what Pope Benedict's eight-year long papacy has achieved and what are the priorities now facing a Church whose credibility has been seriously harmed by clerical sex abuse scandals.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said earlier: "The Pope is living through these days calmly even though they're very emotional and packed."

The Vatican said on Saturday it was considering calls from cardinals to hold the papal conclave earlier than planned, to have a pontiff in place before Holy Week, the most important event in the Christian calendar.

Under current rules, the vote cannot be held before 15 March, to give cardinals enough time to travel to Rome. The Vatican is examining the possibility of changing the rule.

After his spiritual retreat, the Pope will have very few public engagements.

He is scheduled to receive Italian President Giorgio Napolitano on 23 February.

The Pope will then celebrate Angelus again on 24 February and hold a final audience in St Peter's Square on 27 February.

Pope Benedict will be flown to his summer residence of Castel Gandolfo on 28 February and remain there as accommodation in the Vatican is prepared.

At 19:00 GMT on 28 February he will no longer by pope.

One Vatican official told Reuters news agency it was "absolutely necessary" that Benedict lived in the enclave, "otherwise he might be defenceless".

"He wouldn't have his immunity, his prerogatives, his security, if he is anywhere else," the official said.

There are concerns he could be cited in relation to legal cases connected with alleged sexual abuses by Catholic Church officials.

The 85-year-old pontiff announced his shock resignation last Monday, citing his advanced age as the reason for stepping down.

The last pontiff to resign was Pope Gregory XII, who quit in 1415 amid a schism within the Church.

Eurozone recession deepened at end of 2012

The eurozone recession deepened in the final three months of 2012, official figures show.

The economy of the 17 nations in the euro shrank by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, which was worse than forecast.

This followed news that Germany, France and Italy all saw bigger-than-expected contractions in the period.

Germany, the eurozone's biggest economy, with a fall of 0.6%, saw the deepest contraction since the height of the financial crisis.

It was hit by a sharp decline in exports.

The French economy shrank by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, while Italy showed 0.9% contraction for the period.

Italy has been in recession since mid-2011. Prime Minister Mario Monti has introduced severe austerity measures to cut its debt and reassure markets that it is a safe country to lend to. An election is due on 24 February.

Some analysts have predicted France is heading for a recession - usually defined as two consecutive quarters of contraction.

However, France's central bank recently forecast that the economy would expand in the first three months of 2013.

'Growth re-thought'

The latest GDP number means that the French economy barely grew in 2012.

French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici admitted on French radio that the government may need to rethink its growth forecast of 0.8% for 2013.

"We note that the figure for 2012 is not good, around zero, and so we also know that growth for 2013 will have to be re-thought."

He added that he did not want to "condemn the country to recession" by adding "austerity to the difficulties of today".

French President Francois Hollande is trying to make France more competitive by slashing government spending and relaxing labour regulations.

'Outlook promising'

The German statistics office said: "Comparatively weak foreign trade was the decisive factor for the decline in the economic performance at the end of the year: in the final quarter of 2012 exports of goods declined significantly more than imports of goods."

But economists remain upbeat about the outlook for Germany.

"This is a temporary period of weakness in the German economy rather than the beginning of a long period of stagnation or even a recession " said Andreas Rees, chief German economist at the bank Unicredit.

He added: "The outlook is very promising. The chances that the economy will return to growth at the beginning of this year are very good."

That sentiment has been backed up by recent surveys. January's closely watched business confidence survey for Germany hit its highest level since before the eurozone crisis.

Eurozone purchasing managers' index (PMI) surveys for January also indicated the worst may be over. Germany, Spain and Italy all showed signs of stabilisation - although in France the downturn deepened.

Mario Balotelli: AC Milan link dismissed by Manchester City

Manchester City assistant manager David Platt has said Mario Balotelli will not be moving to AC Milan this month, despite reports in the Italian media suggesting negotiations were under way.

"I don't think anything is going to happen," said Platt of a proposed January move involving the striker.

AC Milan's spokesman, Riccardo Coli, described stories linking the club with the 22-year-old as "only rumours".

Last week reports emerged that a loan bid from the club had been rejected.  

But City manager Roberto Mancini said on Friday that the Italian, regularly linked with a return to Italy since he arrived in England in 2010, will not leave the club."It is not true. Mario stays. We didn't have any requests about Mario or other players," said the 48-year-old.

The Italian also stated it would be "difficult" to buy new players with the transfer window set to close next week.

"I don't know [if City will buy anyone] but we don't have enough players," he added. "We are 18 players now. We can't sell any players."

Balotelli - who has scored one league goal in 14 appearances this term - has courted controversy throughout his time in England, with the latest incident involving a training ground bust-up with Mancini at the start of January.

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani had stated that if City were to lower their valuation then a move could occur,  but Mancini - who expressed his frustration with the furore surrounding Balotelli - insisted the Italy international remained part of his long-term plans.

"Mario has another three years on his contract," he replied when asked about the ex-Inter Milan player's future.

Mancini was similarly dismissive of another article that argued director of football Txiki Begiristain has stipulated that City play in the 4-3-3 system favoured by the Spaniard's former club Barcelona next season  and all future signings will be purchased with that formation in mind.

He said: "I don't know but I speak with Txiki every day and he never told me this and we have the same thoughts about football and it's not more important to play 4-3-3, 4-4-2 or 4-5-1, it's important to have good players.

"Everyone wants to play like Barca but Barca is one, like Real Madrid or AC Milan, it's impossible to play like Barca but you can win if you play different styles.

"We are agreeing about everything because we think the same about football. We are the same. We don't have a different view."

Silvio Berlusconi: Ruby sex trial plea rejected

An Italian court has denied the request of former PM Silvio Berlusconi to halt a trial where he is accused of having sex with an under-age prostitute.

The court in Milan also decided it did not need to hear testimony from the woman - dancer Karima El Mahroug.

Mr Berlusconi's lawyers requested the trial be halted while he runs in the current election campaign.

Both he and Ms Mahroug - better known by her stage name "Ruby Heartstealer" - have denied ever having sex.

Mr Berlusconi stepped down from a third term as prime minister in November 2011, when he was replaced by the technocrat Mario Monti.

His People of Freedom (PDL) party is hoping to form a centre-right coalition government with another party but have not named a candidate for prime minister.

On 7 January, an ally of Mr Berlusconi's said that he would not return as prime minister even if his party won the elections next month.

Mr Berlusconi however has not explicitly ruled himself out of running the premiership, saying the candidate for the post "will be decided if we win".

Rejection

Lawyer Niccolo Ghedini said Mr Berlusconi would be too busy campaigning to follow the case or attend court - and also feared the trial could influence the election.

But judges rejected the application.

Prosecutors have accused the defence of trying to prolong, and now delay, the trial to avoid a verdict before the election, at the end of February.

Ms Mahroug had arrived at the trial to give testimony for the defence.

She has been called twice before, but failed to show up, apparently because she was on holiday in Mexico.

Mr Berlusconi, now 76, is accused of paying to have sex with Ms Mahroug in 2010 when she was 17. Sex with a prostitute who is under 18 is a crime in Italy.

The billionaire media mogul has admitted sending Ms Mahroug money - but insists he was just making gifts to a friend in need.

Abuse of power

Prosecutors say they had sex on 13 occasions. He denies having had sex with her, and testified that, in any case, she had told him she was 24.

Ms Mahroug also denies having sex with him - or being a prostitute.

Mr Berlusconi is also accused of abuse of power, for intervening after Ms Mahroug was briefly held by police over theft claims. He allegedly urged police officers to release her, telling them, falsely, that she was a granddaughter of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

He admits making the phone call, but denies putting police under pressure - and testified that Ms Mahroug had told him she was related to Mubarak.

Mr Berlusconi faces up to 15 years in jail if found guilty.

This is one of many cases that have dogged the former prime minister. In the most recent, he was convicted of tax fraud in connection with the purchase of broadcasting rights by his Mediaset TV company.

He was sentenced to a year in prison and barred from holding office for five years - though this will not be enforced until his appeal is complete.

Cruise safety one year after Concordia

When the lights went out during the magic show, the Costa Concordia passengers watching thought it was part of the act. Then there was a scraping sound, the ship began to list to one side and a panicked evacuation began.

One year ago, on January 13, 2012, the Costa Concordia struck rocks and turned on its side off the Italian island of Giglio, killing 32 people and shaking an industry that prefers to be known for fun in the sun and endless entertainment.

Capt. Francesco Schettino may be indicted in the next few weeks on charges that include manslaughter and abandoning ship before his passengers, and other Concordia executives and crewmembers may also face trial. The ship is still in the water. Salvage experts hope to float the ship by the end of summer 2013 and eventually tow it to an undetermined port for salvage.

Since the disaster, safety policies have been reviewed and changes made to make cruise travel safer.

To find out what changes passengers can see aboard ship, CNN.com interviewed Cruise Critic editor-in-chief Carolyn Spencer Brown, a veteran of more than 200 cruises. Spencer Brown has sailed with all of the world's top cruise lines and many lesser-known lines.

The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity:

How has the cruise industry changed in the wake of the Costa Concordia disaster?

The primary change, and the most important change, that we've seen in the wake of the tragic capsizing of Costa Concordia is a renewed commitment to safety on a global level. It's not that cruising was unsafe before. But the idea that something this disastrous actually did happen has made the cruise industry determined never to suffer a repeat.

The other big change? This accident was sobering for cruise travelers, many of whom in the past might have tried to skip the muster drill or chat away during the safety instructions. Cruise Critic readers understand, better than before, that while the cruise lines are responsible for safety, they too have a role to play in cruising safely. Post-Concordia, I've been to 14 muster drills -- on a variety of ships and cruise lines -- and have noticed that people take them much, much more seriously now. They listen. And on one ship passengers even asked questions. I have never seen that before!

What changes do passengers see?

The most important change, and the first improvement to come out of the tragedy, was a new muster rule. Before, cruise ships could hold the muster, also known as the safety drill, up until 24 hours after sailing (though to be honest, most did do musters before the ship left port). Now, the drills must be completed before sailing. This is important because several hundred passengers who'd boarded Costa Concordia the day it ran aground had not yet attended a muster -- and so didn't have the information on what to do in case of an emergency when they needed it most.

Is cruising safer now than before the Concordia incident on January 13, 2012?

Absolutely. There have been 10 initiatives put into place by the industry since the accident that address a range of issues, from limiting bridge access to carrying significantly more life jackets than needed to standardizing, to some extent, the muster drill.

What should passengers do when they board a ship -- and when they're at sea?

First and foremost, they need to listen to the ship's crew members. From officers to bartenders and from spa massage therapists to kids' club counselors, every one of them is required to undergo consistent training via numerous drills, covering issues like evacuation, serious health emergencies and fire. If you've ever stayed onboard while a ship's in port, you've probably heard the drills being conducted over the loudspeaker. So it's crucial that passengers know they should follow directions issued by crew.

Also, when passengers first start their cruise, they may not feel like hearing about safety instructions when there's a holiday waiting to start, but they need to focus and listen at the muster drill.

Beyond that? Relax and have a good time.

How should passengers go about choosing a safe ship? Is there a Good Housekeeping-type seal of approval from various associations or travel agents?

There isn't one specific place to go for information. At the end of 2012, all of the disparate cruise industry policy- and marketing-related organizations all over the world banded together to issue global safety recommendations and ultimately merged into one cohesive organization under the umbrella of the Cruise Lines International Association. CLIA has been actively working with the cruise industry and safety regulators to come up with a series of new regulations and guidelines, all in response to the tragic Costa Concordia event.

Separate from CLIA are government bodies in the U.S. like the CDC, which operates the Vessel Sanitation Program, and the U.S. Coast Guard, which oversees safety inspections and ensures compliance with the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. Travelers can reference CDC reports by visiting the CDC website, and we also have a quick reference guide on Cruise Critic. Coast Guard incident reports can be found on the U.S. Coast Guard website.

How can passengers stay healthy aboard ship?

Our top tip for staying healthy on board is always to wash your hands frequently, as you would anywhere where there are a large number of people interacting with one another. In addition to hand washing, also be sure to take advantage of hand sanitizer stations throughout the ship.

For travelers who know they are susceptible to seasickness or worry that they may be, they should come prepared with ginger candies, acupressure wristbands or over-the-counter medicines like Dramamine.

It's also important to answer health forms honestly prior to boarding the ship. If a passenger shares that they've been feeling ill prior to debarkation, the cruise line can take the appropriate precautions to ensure that the illness is not spread to other passengers -- a benefit to the sick passenger, as well as their fellow passengers.