Morning Edition

Italy's new prime minister is trying to impose a strict austerity plan to rein in runaway debt and reassure the markets. But it's not going down well. Particularly hard to swallow is the announcement that the retirement age will be immediately raised by five or six years.

A Nativity scene in Caracas features the traditional baby Jesus born in a manger. But those standing nearby include a figure of President Hugo Chavez. The scene also makes a case that Chavez should qualify as a wise man. It includes a miniature cable car, symbolizing infrastructure improvements for which the president wants to be known.

Tommaso began life as a stray cat on the streets of Rome until he was rescued by a wealthy widow. The 94 year old had no children, according to ABC News. So when she died last month, she left her entire fortune to the cat. That's $13 million.

State and local authorities in Florida are investigating the loss of more than 2,300 beehives in Brevard County. Officials have identified an insecticide that is commonly used to kill roaches, ticks and flees. It was found in a container used to feed the bees in the hives. Now officials need to find the culprit who fed the bees the poison.

Calls for a boycott against home improvement giant Lowes have been streaming in. The controversy involves Lowes advertising on the reality TV show All-American Muslim, which follows the daily lives of five Arab-American families in Dearborn, Mich. Lowes pulled its ads after a conservative group complained.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in the streets over the weekend to denounce alleged election fraud in parliamentary elections earlier this month. David Remnick, editor of "The New Yorker," has written an article about Russian's resistance to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, and talks to Steve Inskeep about Russian politics.

A disputed election in the Democratic Republic of Congo has returned sitting President Joseph Kabila to power for the next five years. The opposition claims there was election fraud. Congo's influential Catholic church has voiced reservations about the conduct of the elections.

In recent years, China's real estate market has boomed. A three-bedroom apartment in Shanghai overlooking the river would cost more than $3 million. But that's beginning to change. The slide comes as the world's most dynamic economy grapples with other challenges, including massive local government debt and slowing growth.

It was a busy day yesterday for presidential politicking in New Hampshire. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich traded barbs over Romney's proposed ten-thousand dollar bet with Texas Governor Rick Perry, as well as Gingrich's consulting fees earned working for mortgage giant Freddie Mac. New Hampshire Public Radio's Josh Rogers reports.

A spirited fight is on in Iowa for the evangelical vote in the Republican race for president. So far, Christian conservatives have not coalesced behind one candidate, the way they did four years ago for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.