World

ROME (Reuters) – Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi defied huge pressure to resign yesterday, desperately playing his last cards to save his crumbling government as fears over Italy’s instability hit markets across Europe.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa (Reuters) – Two former Penn State officials were charged yesterday with covering up alleged sexual assaults of young boys by a former coach, as authorities widely criticized the university for allowing the abuse to continue unchecked for more than a decade.

LONDON (Reuters) – Computer analysis of brain scans could help predict how serious or long term a psychotic patient’s illness may become and help doctors make more accurate decisions about how best to treat them, researchers said on Monday.

LONDON, (Reuters) – A human resources graduate from  Venezuela, whose ambition is to work with children, was crowned  Miss World 2011 at a glittering beauty pageant in London yesterday.

LUCKNOW, India (Reuters) – Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has a legion of fans all over the world, but not many will be able to beat Vishal Singh’s obsession with the star.

LOS ANGELES,  (Reuters) – Animated film “Puss in  Boots” held on to the domestic box office crown with a  surprisingly strong second weekend performance that beat new  Eddie Murphy comedy “Tower Heist.”

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – “Twilight” actors Robert  Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, made their mark  on Hollywood on Thursday, leaving imprints of their hands and  feet outside Grauman’s Chinese Theater.

ATHENS/PARIS, (Reuters) – Greek Prime Minister George  Papandreou and conservative opposition leader Antonis Samaras  agreed yesterday on a new coalition government to approve a euro  zone bailout deal before calling elections, the office of the  president said.

 ROME – Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has one day  left to win over waverers and see off a group of party rebels  threatening to bring down his government in a backlash over its  failure to adopt reforms to defuse a dangerous debt crisis.

CARACAS,  (Reuters) – President Hugo Chavez accused  political opponents eyeing a 2012 election battle yesterday of  wanting to reverse social policies in Venezuela’s slums and rid  the nation of Cubans who promote his self-styled “revolution.”

AMMAN, (Reuters) – Syrian forces shot dead at least 13  civilians yesterday in a continued military assault on the  restive city of Homs and in attacks on pro-democracy  demonstrations that erupted after prayers marking the main  Muslim feast, activists said.

BOGOTA, (Reuters) – Colombia’s FARC rebels scorned  the “happy laughter” of their foes and rejected a plea to  demobilize after the killing of their leader Alfonso Cano gave  President Juan Manuel Santos his biggest military victory.

KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) – At least 65 people were killed in the northeast Nigerian city of Damaturu, an aid agency said yesterday, after Islamist insurgents bombed churches, mosques and police stations and fought hours of gun battles with police.

MONROVIA (Reuters) – Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf urged voters yesterday to ignore a poll boycott called for by her rival, saying the move was illegal and intended to intimidate Liberians.

ATHENS (Reuters) – Greeks would prefer a national unity government ruling for several months during the debt crisis to the prospect of an early general election, polls published yesterday found.

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Advisers to Brazil’s Labour Minister Carlos Lupi demanded kickbacks from non-government organizations with government contracts, newsmagazine Veja reported yesterday, citing unnamed lawmakers and officials.

AMMAN (Reuters) – Tank fire killed at least 13 civilians and wounded dozens in the besieged Syrian city of Homs yesterday, activists and residents said, casting doubt on whether an Arab League plan can end months of bloodshed touched off by a popular uprising.

(Reuters) – Andy Rooney, the curmudgeonly commentator who pondered everything from shoelaces to the existence of God on CBS’s “60 Minutes” news show for more than 30 years, died on Friday night at the age of 92, CBS said.

POPAYAN, Colombia (Reuters) – Colombians rejoiced at the killing of top FARC rebel leader Alfonso Cano and hoped the biggest blow yet against Latin America’s longest insurgency could herald an end to nearly five decades of war.

ATHENS,  (Reuters) – Greek Prime Minister George  Papandreou survived a parliamentary confidence vote yesterday,  avoiding snap elections which would have torpedoed Greece’s debt  crisis bailout deal and inflamed the euro zone’s economic  crisis.