Europe, Rome | featured news

Rita Levi-Montalcini, a biologist who conducted underground research in defiance of Fascist persecution and went on to win a Nobel Prize for helping unlock the mysteries of the cell, died in Rome at the age of 103.

Tens of thousands of Italian workers rallied in Rome on Saturday to protest pension cuts, tax hikes and labor reforms imposed by the government of Mario Monti and to demand more stable work, particularly for the young. The demonstration organized by Italy's main labor unions came a day after Monti's latest effort to stave off contagion from Europe's debt crisis. His Cabinet on Friday approved measures worth (EURO)80 billion ($100 billion) to spur economic growth, streamline the notoriously bloated public sector and lower the national debt.

The global "Day of Rage" against the world's financial system won some limited sympathy from political and economic leaders on Sunday, after protests that were peaceful everywhere but Italy.

Six cities from Europe, Asia and the Middle East are competing to host the 2020 Olympics. Submitting bids to the International Olympic Committee by Friday's deadline were Rome; Madrid; Tokyo; Istanbul; Doha, Qatar; and Baku, Azerbaijan.

John Paul II was beatified on Sunday in a celebratory Mass that drew more than a million people to Rome.

Eight hundred Poles boarded a special train Friday night for a 26-hour trip across Europe, bound for Rome and the beatification of the late Pope ...

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was hospitalized today in Rome, Italian news agencies said. CNN reports that Pelosi is resting at her hotel after undergoing tests.

Stops in the four-hour tour call at Roman sites both familiar and off-the-beaten-track.

She has been competing internationally since age 14 and now, at 42, swimmer Dara Torres has 12 Olympic medals from five summer Olympics to her name. From Seoul to Barcelona to Sydney, the mother of 3-year-old Tessa continues to travel and flex her swim muscles.