1.
Italy
tumbles into 'chaotic uncertainty'
Special
to CNN February 26, 2013
Italy's
parliamentary paralysis?
(CNN)
-- The only thing certain about the results of the Italian elections held
February 24 and 25 is that the country is headed for a new phase of utter and
chaotic uncertainty.
While
there may be clear winners in terms of ballot counts, there is no clear
majority in the powerful senate, which means that no one has a clear enough
mandate to actually govern the country. In short, Italy is right back where it
was in November 2011 when Silvio Berlusconi resigned amid a flurry of sex and
financial corruption scandals. But is that back to square one? That would be an
optimistic outcome. In many ways, things are far worse.
Italy
has actually used up many of its final chances in this electoral season. Not
only has the country chosen not to embrace continuing austerity under
technocratic leader Mario Monti, which is necessary by any calculation to
actually start moving Italy out of the recession.
It
has also opted to give a great deal of parliamentary power to the
anti-establishment Five Star protest movement led by comedian Beppe Grillo who,
aside from not actually being a candidate, vows to bring a referendum on
Italy's continuing involvement in the eurozone currency among other things. He
now stands to have the largest party in the lower house. None of his candidates
have any parliamentary experience, which is likely why he won so much support.
2.
Drag
queens, fake beards and chocolates: Notable diamond heists
CNN February 19, 2013
From
gangster film-style armed robberies to elaborate stunts, thieves have tried
almost anything to get hold of diamonds.
London
(CNN) -- Within eight minutes, a gang of eight men managed to snatch $50
million worth of diamonds from a plane on Brussels Airport on Tuesday.
"It
comes as a big surprise that something like this is possible," said Jan
Van der Cruysse, a spokesman for Brussels Airport. "But of course, this is
rather connected to banditism and organized crime rather than aviation
security."
He
is not the only official left stunned by robbers. From 1960s gangster
film-style armed robberies to elaborate stunts involving drag queens and fake
beards, thieves from around the world have tried almost anything to get hold of
diamonds. Here are some of the biggest heists they pulled off:
On
Valentine's Day weekend in February 2003, $100 million worth of precious stones
were snatched from the Antwerp Diamond Center.
The
thieves, headed by Leonardo Notarbartolo, reportedly managed to penetrate some
of the most advanced security measures, including hi-tech combination locks,
motion and heat sensors -- and 18-inch steel doors.
The
gangsters even changed the tapes of the security cameras in the building to
avoid being identified. They did, however, make one mistake: they left behind a
half-eaten sandwich with DNA samples on it. They were arrested after
months-long police operation involving detectives in several countries. The
jewels were never recovered.
3.
Abe lays
out vision of Japan power in Asia
CNN February 23, 2013
Japan
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered a vision of a new Japan while visiting the
U.S.
(CNN)
-- Japan's new prime minister on Friday offered the world a vision of his
country as a reinvigorated Asian power, pledging to restore its influence in a
region where it is increasingly eclipsed by China.
"Japan
is not, and will never be, a tier-two country," Shinzo Abe said in a
speech to members of the US foreign policy establishment, following his first
meeting with President Barack Obama.
"It
is high time, in this age of Asian resurgence, for Japan to bear even more
responsibility to promote our shared rules and values."
Mr
Abe's declaration that "Japan is
back" could raise hackles in China, where a new leadership is keen to
establish that country as a more dominant political force, befitting its
position as Asia's largest economy.
Mr
Abe, a conservative nationalist, referred to a rare increase in Japan's
military spending and made a forceful reassertion of Tokyo's claim to the
Senkaku Islands, whose ownership has been contested by Beijing, saying Japan
"simply cannot tolerate any challenge now, or in the future".
But
he also tried to assure US leaders that he was working to avoid escalating a
dispute which Washington has made clear it does not want to be drawn into,
suggesting he might be open to meeting Chinese leaders to try to ease tensions
over the islands. "The doors are always open on my side for the Chinese
leaders," Mr Abe said.
China
on Friday criticised Mr Abe after the Washington Post published an interview
quoting him as saying Beijing had a "deeply ingrained" need to
challenge its neighbours over territory. Japanese officials said the quote was
"misleading" and Mr Abe had not said China sought conflicts with
other countries.
4.
Oscars 2013: Ang Lee wins best director for
'Life of Pi'
LA Times February 24, 2013
In
a case of history repeating itself, Ang Lee nabbed the directing Oscar for his
film "Life of Pi" at the 85th Academy Awards on Sunday, beating
Steven Spielberg as he did back in 2006 when the two were last nominated.
Back
then, Lee's work on "Brokeback Mountain" bested Spielberg's drama
"Munich." This time, Lee beat him for his work on
"Lincoln."
Lee,
59, also bested Austrian Michael Haneke ("Amour"), Benh Zeitlin
("Beasts of the Southern Wild") and David O. Russell ("Silver
Linings Playbook").
"Life
of Pi," based on Yann Martel's bestseller, centers on a boy's survival in
the ocean after a tragic shipwreck. The film, which cost $120 million, has
grossed more than $111 million domestically and $465 million overseas.
Lee's
win marks "Life of Pi's" fourth win of the evening. "Thank you,
movie god," quipped the Taiwanese director.
The
3-D film also nabbed prizes for cinematography, score and visual effects. It's
the first time a director has won for helming a 3-D movie.
Left
out of contention were "Argo" director Ben Affleck and "Zero
Dark Thirty" helmer Kathryn Bigelow. Affleck won top honors from the
Directors Guild. This marks the first time in a decade that the winner of
the Directors Guild feature prize does not also win the Academy Award.
The
85th Academy Awards are being held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday
night, in a televised ceremony hosted by Seth MacFarlane.
