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Berlusconi Comes Under Attack from His Wife

Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy are adding new luster to the role of the 21st century First Lady — with their style and smarts, they complement and sometimes even outshine their high-profile husbands. Other recent First Ladies, such as Hillary Clinton and Argentina’s Cristina Kirchner, have used their experiences in the halls of power to launch themselves into political offices of their own. But Veronica Lario, wife of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, has a different approach to this historically supporting part

Can Congress Make Health-Care Reform Pay for Itself?

The budget that just passed both houses of Congress has given the prospects for health-care reform this year a big boost. With the inclusion of procedural language that would make it impossible for opponents to filibuster, it will now take a simple majority to pass the Senate, rather than 60 votes, simplifying the political arithmetic considerably. But that is only the beginning

Officials Say Flu Cannot Be Contained As Global Cases Rise

The World Health Organization on Monday raised the pandemic swine flu alert level from phase 3 to 4, two levels below the declaration of a full pandemic. The elevated alert means there has been sustained human-to-human transmission of the new A/H1N1 swine flu virus, and that scientists now believe government efforts should focus on slowing the spread of the virus rather than containing it at its source. “We have taken a step in that direction, but a pandemic is not considered inevitable,” said Keiji Fukuda, the WHO’s interim director-general for health, safety and environment

Maybe an Asteroid Didn’t Kill the Dinosaurs

When a scientific principle is common knowledge even in grammar schools, you know it’s long since crossed the line from theory to established fact.

Does Beer (Goggling) Affect Whom We Find Attractive?

Alcohol often gets blamed for sexual assignations that, in the bright light of the next morning, seem unwise. It’s called beer-goggling, but does it really exist?

Art’s Great Whodunit: The Theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911

Even at the beginning of the 20th century — before mass reproductions, package tours to France and The Da Vinci Code — Mona Lisa was different from other pictures. The woman with the enigmatic smile got so many love letters that her portrait was the only artwork at the Louvre to have its own mailbox.

What Happens If You’re on Gay Rights’ ‘Enemies List’

Ever since a slim majority outlawed gay marriage in California, opponents have waged national protests and petitions, urging the judicial system to reconsider the results of the Nov. 4 referendum. While the court weighs whether or not to get back into the fray, the civil unrest ignited by the ban shows no sign of abating.

How India’s Young and Restless Are Changing Its Politics

Soma Chakraborty moved to Bangalore as a new bride in November, excited to join her husband, Avishek, in a place known for fun, freedom and opportunity. That notion lasted about a month. “I’m trying to love the city,” she says gamely

Why a Top State Department Nominee is Dividing the GOP

The battle began in late March, when Fox News firestarter Glenn Beck said Harold Koh, Obama’s nominee to be the State department’s top lawyer, supported Muslim Sharia Law. “Sharia law over our Constitution!” Beck said in amazement. When that unlikely charge was debunked, Beck switched tacks and asserted that Koh, the outgoing dean of the Yale Law School and a former official under Presidents Reagan and Clinton, wanted to subjugate the United States constitution to foreign law.

Baghdad Bombings: Is Iraq Unraveling Again?

At least five bomb attacks in Iraq in the past 48 hours have left some 140 people dead, wounded dozens more and raised fears that the country may be returning to the sectarian violence from which it has only just emerged. On Thursday three bombs in central Baghdad and areas northeast of the capital killed at least 80 people and wounded more than 100