Europe watches as Italians, tired of the status quo, prepare to cast their votes Sunday and Monday. Silvio Berlusconi is on the ballot yet again, but the current favorite is an ex-Communist with the center-left Democratic Party, Pier Luigi Bersani. And commentators now say the underdog anti-establishment Five Star Movement, led by comedian and activist, Beppe Grillo, may come in a surprise second.

The announcement that Pope Benedict XVI would resign at the end of the month took the world by surprise. Many visitors to the Vatican said they believe there's something we're not being told.

The bodies of Sakine Cansiz, Fidan Dogan, and Leyla Saylemez returned home to Turkey's Kurdish region after the three women were murdered in Paris. Of the thousands who gathered for their funerals, many said they support peace talks with Turkey.