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The article reports that on April 18, 2013 Italy's Parliament failed to elect a new president, with commentary presented on the refusal of some members of the Democratic Party to support Franco Marini, a candidate endorsed earlier by party leader Pier-Luigi Bersani.

The article discusses how stem-cell research has evolved in a manner that could gain acceptance by the Catholic Church, as well as a three-day conference in Vatican City co-sponsored by the Church and non-profit organization Stem for Life Foundation which was attended by hundreds of scientists involved in stem-cell research.

The article discusses the inability of Pier Luigi Bersani of Italy's Democratic Party to form a coalition government, with the Five Star Movement led by former comedian Beppe Grillo refusing to work with the Democrats, and the Democrats themselves refusing to form a coalition with former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's party.

The article reports that Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi has resigned from his position in March 2013 following his involvement with a case in which two Italian marines were accused of shooting two Indian fishermen in 2012 and extradited to New Delhi, India to face trial.

The article reports that as of March 2013 Italian politicians were attempting to form a government following indecisive February 2013 elections, with Democratic Party leader Pier Luigi Bersani trying to form a coalition as President Giorgio Napolitano had requested.

World news briefs are presented as of March 12, 2013 including a cyberattack on Australia's central bank, how the breakup of China's railway bureaucracy will affect ticket prices for consumers, and a referendum in which residents of the Falkland Islands voted to remain a territory of Great Britain.

The article discusses the plight of Italy's population of people in their 40s, who are suffering under austerity measures that will lower their future pension benefits, and which were occasioned by deficit-spending they don't perceive themselves as having benefited from.

The article discusses the possible election of Khalid Chaouki to the Italian parliament, focusing on his plans to reform Italian immigration law to allow immigrants to practice law, medicine, and journalism.

The article reports that the eurozone's gross domestic product (GDP) decreased in the fourth quarter of 2012, which indicates the regions economic crisis is ongoing as economic conditions in countries such as Germany, Spain, and France did not show signs of improvement.

The article reports that former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his People of Freedom party have formed an alliance with the Northern League political party as of January 2013, which could prevent the Democratic Party from gaining majorities as Italian deals with fiscal issues.

This article discusses the strategy of outgoing Italian prime minister Mario Monti in the February 24, 2013 general Italian Senate elections, highlighting his desire to block the Italian Democratic Party from gaining complete control of the Senate in order to ensure his potential political future.

This article discusses the changes being made to Italy's unemployment benefits in 2013 under the Social Employment Insurance (ASPI) program, highlighting the program's inclusion in Italian Labor Minister Elsa Fornero's wage-subsidy reforms that allowed companies to more easily fire employees.

The article discusses conglomerate General Electric Co.'s purchase of the aeronautics operations of engine producer Avio SpA, as well as carpet manufacturer Mohawk Industries Inc.'s acquisition of tile maker Marazzi SpA, two deals said to reflect the appeal of Italian and other southern European firms as buyout candidates.

The article reports on the impact of the walkout by the former Italian Prime Minister Sivio Berlusconi's center-right party during a senate vote on Italian economic development on December 6, 2012, including its impact on the Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti's policy agenda.

The article reports on the possibility of a runoff election in Italy after primary votes failed to elect a Democratic Party candidate, discussing why the different political views of Democratic Party leader Pierluigi Bersani and Florence, Italy mayor Matteo Renzi have divided voters.

The article reports on comments made by former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi voicing his opposition to Prime Minister Mario Monti's government and its compliance with German Chancellor Angela Merkel's proposed austerity measures and threatening to remove the support of his People of Freedom party.

The article reports that Italy and Spain have both sold large amounts of government bonds during October 18, 2012 bond auctions, with Spain expected to request bailout funds from the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as well.

The article discusses economic conditions in Italy as of September 2012, with a focus on forecasted numbers for Italy's gross domestic product (GDP); slow growth in the county's services sectors including retail and tourism; and comments by Enrico Giovannini, chairman of Italy's statistics agency.

The article discusses commentary from Italian Economy Minister VIttorio Grilli in which he indicated any future budget cuts would be driven by a desire to shrink the public sector rather than to achieve more aggressive fiscal goals, and also expressed optimism about a plan by the European Central Bank to support the euro.

The article discusses statements by Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti on political attitudes and economic conditions in Italy as of September 2012, with a focus on Monti's economic policies and the possibility that he will remain prime minister after the 2013 parliamentary election.

The article reports on September 2012 statements from several United Nations (U.N.) agencies warning that droughts in summer 2012 and the resulting higher prices of basic grains may cause a global food crisis, and calling for preventive action.

The article notes that although Italian government officials decried a downgrade in the nation's credit rating by ratings firm Moody's Investors Service on July 13, 2012, the move reflects concerns among investors that Italy was at risk of getting shut out of capital markets.

The article discusses the economic situation in Italy as of July 2012, with a focus on comments by Prime Minister Mario Monti at a banking conference on his country's challenges in recovering from its debt crisis.

The article discusses labor law legislation crafted by Italian labor minister Elsa Fornero that was before the Italian parliament as of June 27, 2012.

The article discusses challenges facing Italy as it seeks to overcome a sovereign debt crisis in the euro zone including rising yields on Italian government securities that make it more expensive to borrow, and lagging competitiveness when compared to Germany.

The article discusses poll results released on June 8, 2012 that show support in Italy for Prime Minister Mario Monti and his parliamentary majority has declined to 50.5%, and that 37% have confidence in Monti.

The article reports that Italy has announced it will not balance its budget in 2013 as previously called for, and discusses a plan proposed by Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti aimed at crating jobs, expanding welfare protections, and reforming the civil justice system.

The article discusses Italian energy company Enel SpA, with details presented about its significant debt load, a downgrading of its credit rating by ratings firm Standard & Poor's, and chief executive Fulvio Conti's plans to improve Enel's financial position by cutting its dividend and lowering capital expenditures.

The article presents news briefs from around the world on several topics including a suicide bombing in Pakistan that killed at least 23 people, seizure by police in Italy of counterfeit U.S. government bonds, and injuries sustained by Prince Friso of the Netherlands from an avalanche while skiing.

The article discusses comments delivered by Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti at a meeting of the European Parliament in which he called for enhanced powers for that body.

The article reports that Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has proposed a policy which would increase the speed at which European Union (EU) countries could be sanctioned for violating the EU single market in order to support economic growth.

The article reports that the Italian government of Prime Minister Mario Monti will unveil a set of proposals aimed at strengthening Italy's economy, including giving retail stores more flexibility to hold sales, and issuing more taxicab licenses.

The article discusses efforts by Italian bank UniCredit SpA to raise $9.8 billion in new capital through a heavily-discounted rights offering to existing shareholders.

This section offers world news briefs as of December 16, 2011, including a dim outlook for the Italian economy, an offer from Russia to add aid for the latest European Union (EU) rescue plan, and the confrontation between Bahraini protesters and riot police.

The article reports on the depreciation of the Euro currency below 1.30 U.S. dollars in December 2011, amid differences among European Union (EU) leaders on a way to resolve the exacerbating sovereign debt crisis.

The article reports that lawmakers have been urged by Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti to support his newly formed government's commitment to reinvigorating the weak domestic economy and preventing a collapse of the euro.

The article reports on the decision of Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti to appoint an emergency government of technocrats to facilitate and restore investor confidence in its economy amidst the European debt crisis.

The article reports that Italy has successfully sold five-year government bonds on November 14, 2011 amid concerns over the ability of the new government to control the country's debt load.

This article reports on the effort of Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti to form a new government of national unity following the resignation of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in November 2011.

The article deals with the approval given by European Union (EU) authorities to the proposed growth initiatives of the Italian government.

The article reports on the efforts of Italy to counter the rapid ascent of its borrowing costs, including the approval of a key economic bill and the appointment of economist Mario Monti as senator for life by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano.

The article reports on the move of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to accept the proposal of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to monitor his fiscal policies to restore investor confidence in Italy in 2011.

The article reports on the pressure faced by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to adopt measures to boost the country's economic recovery as Italian borrowing costs reached euro-era highs.

This article reports on the reaction of the European Central Bank (ECB) to the selection of Ignazio Visco as the head of the Italian central bank in 2011.

This article announces the appointment of Mario Draghi as the head of the Bank of Italy.

The article reports that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi survived a major confidence vote in the lower house of Parliament on October 14, 2011, which prevented a government collapse.

The article reports that the ability of the government of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to pull the country out of the euro-zone debt crisis has been questioned by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano.

The article reports on the approval of an austerity package amounting to 54 million euros by the Italian Parliament to save Italy from the debt crisis in the euro-zone.

The article reports that Italy had to pay a high interest rate in order to sell government debt on September 20, 2011, which highlights the rising challenge in nervous markets amidst the worsening debt crisis in the euro-zone.

The article focuses on measures unveiled by the government of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi that balance the country's budget by 2013 by cutting 64 billion U.S. dollars in public spending.