Global News

The U.K. is airlifting cash to help skint personnel on Cyprus;  Pope Francis officially begins his gig at the Vatican;  And a alternative music icon probably alienated what’s left of her fan base forever.

The EU is now calling for changes to a deal that angered an entire island;  Australia and the U.S. close in on an alternative energy deal;  and the Cat that launched a thousand memes is cashing in.

Health officials are urging Aussies to consider getting vaccinated against a new strain go H1N1 swine flu going around.  The new variant is resistant to Tamiflu, one of the most used treatments for influenza.

A coalition of Syrian opposition groups has chosen a new provisional Prime Minister who they will consider to be “in charge” of rebel-held territories.  He is Ghassen Hitto, a telecom executive who spent most of his life in America.

The United Nations is beginning two weeks of talks over the international trade in illegal conventional weapons.  The last round of talks were scuttled by the U.S. and Russia, the world’s largest arms exporters.

India’s supreme court is indefinitely extending the order preventing the Italian ambassador from leaving the country.  It’s the latest step in a diplomatic row testing the Vienna Convention concept of “Diplomatic Immunity”.

Police in Quebec, Canada now have both fugitives back in custody, after a brazen prison break in which a hijacked helicopter picked them up from the yard and flew them away.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is endorsing Marriage Equality rights for gays and lesbians.  She’s widely expected to run for President in 2016.

An Aburame fish (Fat Greenling) caught near the water intake for the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan is rewriting all records for radioactivity in a fish

The first female mayor of Lima, Peru has survived a referendum to throw her out of office.  Mayor Susana Villarán got support from 52 percent of the city’s voters.

A private jet apparently had mechanical trouble on approach to the airport in South Bend, Indiana and crashed into a row of houses.  At least two people aboard the plane are dead and rescuers can’t find one resident.

Police in Quebec, Canada have one inmate back in custody after a brazen daylight prison break in a helicopter.  Another inmate is still at large.

Ten patients in Dandenong Hospital’s intensive care unit got more than they wanted in the facility, they were infected with what’s being called a “nightmare” drug-resistant “superbug”.

China’s transition of power is complete, and new President Xi Jinping is indicating that good relations and good business is going to take precedence in his decade at the helm.

The European Union and the Cypriot parliament are looking for ways to modify a bailout for the island’s banks after a run on ATMs and cash points basically cleaned them out.

Greece’s national soccer team is banning a player for life for giving a Nazi salute while celebrating a goal.  The Hellenic Football Federation says Giorgos Katidis’ gesture "is a deep insult to all victims of Nazi brutality."

A judge in Steubenville, Ohio found two High School Football stars guilty to raping a female acquaintance.  The crime outraged America because it was recorded on a cell phone video that was notoriously distributed around the Internet.

Pope Francis waded out into the crowd before delivering his first Angelus from the window at the Vatican to a crowd of thousands.  The former Jorge Mario Bergoglio shook hands and kissed babies just outside Saint Anna’s Gate.

A high profile defector says Syria's armed forces have encountered a serious problem in the 2-year civil war; Depositors say it’s unfair to be stuck with the tab for the EU’s bailout of Cyprus;  And two high-flyers make an AMAZING entrance to Rio de Janeiro, and we’ve got the video on the other side of the “read more” button.  Seriously, that's a heckuva ride:

Efforts to curb sexual violence in India are marred by a terrifying new attack; People on the receiving end of the E.U.’s latest bailout are doing what they can to protect their assets; and Barack Obama’s drone program comes under attack from the U.N.  Here’s the world news for your Saint Patrick’s Day morning: