Rome will burn, regardless of Italian election result By Michael Stott

ROME - Italy's jaded electorate, angry about corruption and economic mismanagement, is shifting allegiances towards anti-establishment upstarts. No matter who wins, the next government won't be strong enough to pursue the tough reforms the country needs.

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Greece stands still in general strike (PHOTOS): Most businesses and public sector activities are grinding to a halt in Greece as the country sees another 24-hour general strike in protest against austerity measures and the ongoing economic woes.

Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali. (AFP Photo/Fethi Belaid)

Tunisian PM steps down after crisis prompted by political assassination: Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali has announced his resignation. It comes after Jebali's plan to form a cabinet of technocrats failed. Opposition to the proposed government came from the leader of Jebali’s own Ennahda party, Rached Ghanouchi.





N. Korea propaganda footage shows Obama, US troops on fire: A new North Korean propaganda video has emerged, depicting US President Barack Obama and American soldiers through a background of flames. The footage states Pyongyang carried out its latest nuclear test to spite the US, which warned against it.



‘End to adoption question’: Russia shocked at another child’s death in US: Russian politicians and media are outraged by the death of a three-year-old adopted Russian boy and US silence on the matter. The boy was reportedly brutally beaten in Texas by his adoptive mother, who allegedly also gave him psychotropic medication.


First patient dies in UK from SARS-like novel coronavirus: A British man suspected to have contracted the new coronavirus from his father has died in Birmingham. Meanwhile, a new study has been published, showing that the virus, which is similar to SARS, has mutated to efficiently attack human cells.



US direct military support to Mali likely to continue after elections: The US could carry on with direct military support in Mali, even if the elections scheduled to take place by July are successful, according to a visiting American Congressional delegation.


West Bank protesters rally for release of deteriorating prisoners (PHOTOS): Thousands demonstrated in Palestine’s two largest cities in support of hunger strikers in Israeli jails. Protesters called on the EU to take action to demand better treatment of the weakening prisoners and back their release.

LIFE AFTER DEATH? Ghost writer: New app to keep you tweeting after death

A new application will soon allow users to keep posting Twitter updates from beyond the grave, independently using intricate knowledge of your online character to create a virtual continuation of your personality after you die.

U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Andrew Johnson, a 20th Bomb Squadron navigator, conducts a preflight inspection on a B-52H Stratofortress aircraft during exercise Red Flag 13-2 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, January 28, 2013. REUTERS/Matthew B. Fredericks/U.S. Air Force photo/Handout

Pentagon tries to protect war funding, troops By David Alexander

WASHINGTON -Military and civilian defense officials say they are facing a trio of converging constraints that give them little leeway to protect the most vital programs and projects. But some on the outside say the Pentagon is exaggerating the likely damage. Full Article

A Kenyan woman waits to register as a voter on the last day of registration in capital Nairobi December 18, 2012. REUTERS/Noor Khamis

Cash, sexism keep women out of Kenya politics

By Katy Migiro

NAIROBI - Violence, a deeply chauvinistic society and a lack of cash are locking women out of elected office in Kenya, east Africa's leading economy but a laggard when it comes to female representation. Full Article

A man passes by a sign with currency exchange rates in Moscow June 4, 2012. REUTERS/Denis Sinyakov

Bank of Russia slams vast criminal cash exports

By Douglas Busvine and Katya Golubkova

MOSCOW - In an indictment "Kremlin capitalism" system that has taken hold under President Vladimir Putin, Russia's central bank chief said nearly $50 billion, or 2.5 percent of the national income, was sent abroad illegally in 2012. Full Article

Businessmen are reflected in an electronic board displaying a downward arrow for the Nasdaq index outside a brokerage in Tokyo May 25, 2010. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

Tight-fisted firms deal blow to Abe's revival plan

By Stanley White and James Topham

TOKYO - Tight-fisted companies in Japan may prove the biggest obstacle in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plan to push the sluggish economy into higher gear as they intend to keep a firm lid on wage levels, a Reuters survey shows. Full Article

A worker rivets on the outside the body of a Boeing 777 at their assembly plant in Everett, Washington, October 18, 2012. REUTERS/Andy Clark

Boeing engineers split, contract talks to resume By Bill Rigby

SEATTLE - A partial resolution to drawn-out labor talks is a chink of light for Boeing, which is struggling to get to the bottom of battery malfunctions on its 787 and needs engineers in its factories to carry out its planned production ramp-up. Full Article