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Berlusconi's fury at Italian high court
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has lashed out at a ruling by the country's high court that upheld a prison sentence for him in a tax fraud case.
In a nine-minute video on Thursday, an indignant and defiant Berlusconi vented his anger over the court's decision.
"In exchange for the commitments I have made over almost 20 years in favor of my country and coming almost at the end of my public life, I receive as a reward accusations and a verdict that is founded on absolutely nothing, that takes away my personal freedoms and my political rights," he said.
Same-sex couples start new lives with new law
They've been a couple for two years and are eager to raise two children together. But it wasn't until Thursday that Holli Bartelt and Amy Petrich were allowed to legally wed.
They wasted no time.
They made plans to tie the knot one minute after a law permitting gay marriage went into effect in their home state of Minnesota.
At 12 a.m. Thursday, Minnesota and Rhode Island officially became the latest among 13 states - and the District of Columbia - to allow same-sex marriage. Both states passed applicable laws in May.
Snowden's lawyer: common ground with U.S.
Edward Snowden is in good health in Russia and his lawyer there is amenable to hammering out an ending that would satisfy all. This, according to his father's lawyer, Bruce Fein, who appeared on "Anderson Cooper 360" on Wednesday night.
He relayed the conversation he had with Russian lawyer Anatoli Cuchara.
"There may be a time, where it would be constructive to try and meet and see whether there can't be common ground that everyone agrees would advance the interest, the United States, Mr. Snowden, Lon, his father and the interest of Russia in trying to resolve this in a way that honors due process and the highest principles of fairness and civilization," Fein said.
Snowden is afraid he would not get a fair trial if he came back to the United States.
Up in the sky, look: It's Supermoon!
The heavens will deliver a rare treat to moonstruck romantics and werewolves Sunday who rise before the sun.
A feat of lunar synchronicity will create a Supermoon.
This happens when the moon is full and at the same time reaches its perigee - the closest point to Earth in its orbit, according to NASA.
It makes for the biggest, brightest moon of the year.
Kerry, key allies in Qatar for talks on Syrian rebels' support
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Qatar early Saturday for meetings with his Western and Mideast counterparts who support Syrian rebels struggling to topple President Bashar al-Assad.
The diplomatic group, known as the London Eleven, is meeting in Doha to help shift the balance of power on the Syrian battlefield away from al-Assad and into the hands of his enemies.
But they are up against support for his government by Russia, China, Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Body of Sopranos star awaits autopsy
James Gandolfini probably died of a heart attack, according to the head of a Rome hospital's emergency department where the actor was taken.
The body of the actor was transferred to a hospital morgue in Rome early Thursday, where it awaited an autopsy.
By law, medical examiners in Italy are required to carry out the postmortem 24 hours after the body's arrival in the morgue, a hospital spokesman said.
Before Italian authorities can release his remains for transport back to the United States, the U.S. Embassy in Rome must issue a death certificate.
Brazilian protesters 'time out,' back later
Protesters in Brazil called for a "time out" Wednesday, a glaring contrast to the loud, voluminous demonstrations that reverberated across several cities the day before.
Crowds originally protesting bus fare hikes have grown into multitudes decrying social injustice as broad avenues filled to capacity for blocks.
There were over 200,000 confirmed participants Tuesday, according to the main organizer, the Free Fare Movement. Though the group said it has nothing planned for Wednesday, there may be scattered protests regardless.
FBI 'most wanted' alleged sex abuser arrested
Mexican authorities have arrested a former college professor who was on the FBI's 10 most wanted list over allegations of child sex abuse.
Walter Lee Williams was detained late Tuesday, Mexican state news agency Notimex reported.
The FBI placed the former university professor wanted for alleged sexual exploitation of children on the list Monday, according to Notimex.
Williams researched in the field of gender development at a university in California, which gave him easy access to his victims, mainly teenage boys in developing countries, the FBI said.
9 cent hike causes clashes on Brazil streets
Nine cents have been enough to make tens of thousands of Brazilians cry foul for a week.
For the demonstrators who have transformed streets in Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte into protest battlegrounds, it isn't so much that the price of a bus ticket went up from 3.00 to 3.20 reais ($1.38 to $1.47).
The small bump in fare was the straw that broke the camel's back in a much larger issue, and protesters plan to march again Tuesday to vent their anger.
Suspects' father delays trip to U.S.
The parents of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects have left their home in Dagestan for another part of Russia, the suspects' mother Zubeidat Tsarnaev told CNN Friday. She said the suspects' father, Anzor Tsarnaev, is delaying his trip to the United States indefinitely.
He was to fly to the United States as soon as Friday to cooperate in the investigation into the attacks. But his wife called an ambulance for him Thursday.
She told CNN's Nick Paton Walsh that her husband was delaying the trip for health reasons. She wouldn't elaborate.
Anzor Tsarnaev agreed to fly to the United States after FBI agents and Russian officials spoke with them for hours this week at the family's home.
FULL STORY38 die in Russian psychiatric hospital fire
Thirty-eight people are  dead after a fire tore through a psychiatric hospital near Moscow, Russian officials said Friday.
There were 41 people in the building and three escaped the blaze early Friday.
FULL STORY
North Korea shuns Seoul offer for talks
North Korea on Friday shunned a South Korean proposal for talks over the two countries' joint manufacturing zone, where Pyongyang halted activity this month amid tensions.
In a statement on state media, a spokesman for the North's National Defense Commission described Seoul's offer of talks about the Kaesong Industrial Complex as "deceptive."
The complex, which is on the North's side of the border but houses the operations of more than 120 South Korean companies, is seen as the last major symbol of cooperation between the two countries.
FULL STORYImmigration bill: Must secure border
The border with Mexico must be secure.
This requirement is the cornerstone of an immigration reform bill a bipartisan group of senators are to file on Capitol Hill Tuesday. There will be no path to legal residency for migrants without it.
Undocumented immigrants may also not reach the status of fully legal residents under the proposed legislation, until the Department of Homeland Security has implemented measures to prevent "unauthorized workers from obtaining employment in the United States."
FULL STORY
Seoul thinks Kim may test a missile this week
South Korea's government said Sunday it believes North Korea may test a missile around April 10, citing as an indicator Pyongyang's push for workers to leave the Kaesong Industrial Complex by then.
Seoul "is on military readiness posture," said South Korea's Blue House spokeswoman Kim Haeng in a briefing. She said national security chief Kim Jang-soo also based the assessment on North Korea's hint to foreign diplomats in Pyongyang to send personnel out of the country.
FULL STORY
Documents to be released in Conn. shooting
There has been much speculation over what was going on in Adam Lanza's head when he walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, with an assault rifle in December and opened fire on small children.
Thursday morning state prosecutors are planning to release new documents in the case, but it may not shed more light on the reasons for the mass shooting.
FULL STORY
Quasars discovered 50 years ago
Breathtaking blossoms nearly the size of our solar systemare strewn across the universe - hundreds of thousands of them. Quasars are, at the same time, among the most fiery monsters.
Astronomer Maarten Schmidt was the first to discover one and revealed it to the world 50 years ago Saturday in an article in the journal Nature.
His discovery was a sensation in the 1960s and made its way into pop culture. It was the age of the first manned space flights.
FULL STORYXi Jinping: China's new boss in a hurry
Xi Jinping has taken the center stage as China's undisputed paramount leader.
The National People's Congress this week confirmed Xi as the new state president and chairman of the State Central Military Commission, making him the Communist party chief, head of state and commander-in-chief.
This completes the handover of power from Hu Jintao, 70, who ruled China for 10 years, to the 59-year-old Xi, who was announced as the country's presumptive leader last November.
FULL STORYSupporters of defeated Kenyan contender gather outside court
Kenyan police fired teargas Saturday to disperse supporters of Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who lost the presidential election and is expected to file a petition to challenge the poll outcome.
The supporters gathered outside the supreme court in Nairobi, where he is expected to submit his challenge.
Zimbabweans vote on new constitution before elections
Zimbabweans voted Saturday for a key referendum on a new constitution that limits presidential terms for the first time in the African nation.
Robert Mugabe, 89, has been in power for decades, first serving as prime minister in 1980 and taking over as president seven years later.
"This is a Zimbabwean document to replace a British one. That is why I voted for it," said Babra Mheno, 34, a university student, referring to the nation's former colonial rulers.
If approved, which is highly likely, the constitution will give more powers to the parliament and limit the president's. It also introduces a two-term limit of five years each for a president.
FULL STORYRights group: Syria expanding use of cluster bombs
More civilians in Syria are dying because government forces are using increasing numbers of cluster bombs in residential areas, a rights group said Saturday.
Human Rights Watch says its researchers have identified 119 locations across Syria, where at least 156 cluster bombs have been used from August to mid-February.
The result is "mounting civilian casualties," the rights group said.
Human Rights Watch said it has investigated two cluster bomb attacks in the past two weeks - in Deir Jamal, near Aleppo, and Talbiseh, near Homs.
These attacks killed 11 civilians, including two women and five children, and injured 27 others, the rights group said.
"Syria is expanding its relentless use of cluster munitions, a banned weapon, and civilians are paying the price with their lives and limbs," said Steve Goose, director of the arms division at Human Rights Watch.
FULL STORY
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