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With special pandemic precautions, voting for Italy’s next president has begun without a clear slate of candidates following three-time ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s reluctant withdrawal.

Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has been undergoing a series of medical examinations in a Milan hospital.

Former premier Silvio Berlusconi has bowed out of Italy’s presidential election set for next week.

A deeply symbolic victory for Venezuela's opposition hasn't resolved a deep divide over its strategy.

Italy is poised to elect a new president, a figure who is supposed to serve as the nation’s moral compass and foster unity by being above the political fray.

Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, who was held as a hostage for six years by Colombia’s largest guerrilla group, says she will be running for her country’s presidency.

Italy is marking the 10th anniversary of the Costa Concordia disaster with a daylong commemoration on Thursday.

Twice in less than two months, Venezuela’s opposition has prevailed in the gubernatorial race in the home state of the late President Hugo Chávez, with the results giving hope to that faction while shocking the ruling party.

Voters in the home state of Venezuela’s late President Hugo Chávez have picked an opposition candidate for governor in a closely watched special election called after the contender representing that faction in November’s regular contest was retroactively disqualified as he was ahead in the vote count.

The internal struggles of the movement started by late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez were encapsulated by the apparent defeat _ and its aftermath _ of one of his brothers during the gubernatorial election in November.

Italy has set Jan. 24 as the start date to begin voting for a new Italian president.

French authorities have announced that children six and older will have to wear masks in indoor places open to the public as new cases of the highly contagious omicron variant surge past 200.000 for the fourth consecutive day.

Evangelical pastors have become increasingly influential inside Argentine prisons, especially in Santa Fe province.

Italian Premier Mario Draghi says his government has accomplished most of what it set out do in fighting the pandemic and restoring economic growth.

Security pros say it’s one of the worst computer vulnerabilities they’ve ever seen.

NASCAR champion Kyle Larson is among those conflicted over the ending of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen overcame a mistake in qualifying to grab the pole for the Formula One title-deciding Abu Dhabi GP.

In 2021, few in the publishing industry worried that no one cared about books anymore.

While many European theaters remain closed due to the pandemic, the famed Teatro alla Scala has opened its new season with the gala premiere of Verdi’s “Macbeth” to a fully seated house.

Masked Milanese turned out in all their finery for La Scala’s gala season opener of Verdi’s “Macbeth” in a fully seated theater.

The Philadelphia Union will be without 11 players on Sunday when the team plays NYCFC in the MLS Eastern Conference finals because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

The former head of the Brazilian Olympic Committee was sentenced to 30 years and 11 months in jail for allegedly buying votes for Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Olympics.

Tottenham has come from behind to beat Leeds 2-1 and earn a first win under Antonio Conte in the Premier League.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have qualified 1-2 for the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix, setting up a showdown between the Formula One championship contenders at the very start of Sunday’s race.

Donald Trump’s first post-White House book will be, like so much else about him, a departure from other former presidents.

Chileans are voting for president Sunday with a mix of dread, optimism and above all uncertainty about what lies ahead after a wave of social and political unrest that includes the current effort to rewrite the constitution.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has pitched a proposed law requiring people and organizations who receive foreign funding to register as “foreign agents,” following the lead of countries like the United States.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has ended a turbulent weekend with a stunning victory.

Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega holds a commanding lead in preliminary results from Sunday’s election against a field of little known challengers.

Max Verstappen stretched his lead over Lewis Hamilton in the Formula One season championship with a dominant victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Valtteri Bottas won pole position for the Mexican Grand Prix on Saturday and Mercedes earned its first front row lockout of the season as Lewis Hamilton will start second.

Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen dominated the second practice for Mexican Grand Prix with enough speed that he should be the race favorite.

Robert Lewandowski has scored a hat trick on his 100th Champions League appearance to lead Bayern Munich into the last-16 with a 5-2 rout of Benfica.

A giant red heart sculpture installed this week in Central Park as a tribute to health care workers and COVID-19 victims has been taken down.

“The Harder They Fall" has all of the gunfights, train robberies, saloons, and showdowns you would expect in a Western.

The Italian city that suffered the brunt of COVID-19’s first deadly wave is dedicating a vivid memorial to the pandemic dead: A grove of trees, creating oxygen in a park opposite the hospital where so many died, unable to breathe.

President Joe Biden says Pope Francis told him he's a “good Catholic” and should keep taking Communion when the world's two most prominent Roman Catholics met at the Vatican on Friday.

Sergio Perez topped Formula One's final practice before Saturday qualifying for U.S. Grand Prix.

Chelsea and Manchester City didn’t field a recognized striker between them yet still combined for 11 goals in ominous displays by the two title contenders in the Premier League.

Writer and former Nicaraguan Vice President Sergio Ramírez says he will live in exile in Spain, after the government of President Daniel Ortega tried to arrest him and banned his latest book.

Players were expecting low scores at The Summit Club and Robert Streb led the way.

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas won the Turkish Grand Prix for his first victory of the season while Max Verstappen finished second to reclaim the overall lead from title rival Lewis Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton had the fastest qualifying time at the Turkish Grand Prix but a 10-place grid penalty prevented him from extending his record pole streak.

Sergio’s Cuban Restaurant celebrated the fourth annual Croqueta Day on Friday with a 6.6-foot-long crispy log.

Sahith Theegala has the lead in the Sanderson Farms Championship with a 64.

In the post-defeat dissection that’s sure to come for Europe's Ryder Cup team, certainly the disappearing act by Rory McIlroy will be one of the top talking points.

Make it a very sweet 16 for the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Ryder Cup is going back to the Americans.

The United States wrapped up the Ryder Cup in record-setting fashion.

Not even the rest afforded by a career-first Ryder Cup benching in the morning could turn things around for Rory McIlroy.

A man charged with killing a Chicago police officer admitted to investigators that he pulled his handgun out of his waistband during a traffic stop and opened fire, a prosecutor told a judge Tuesday.

Families and first responders have remained hopeful that loved ones have survived, while others have been mourning friends and family who were lost in the collapse.

Families and first responders have remained hopeful that loved ones have survived, while others have been mourning friends and family who were lost in the collapse.

"They're two amazing, great people. It's a love story. They couldn't be without each other. Thank you, God, for letting them go together," the couple's son said.

Here you are at a restaurant again. It’s packed and you’re hungry for a good Cuban meal. Where is the waiter?

In 2018, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Giménez officially acknowledged the area's obsession with croquetas by naming October 1 "Croqueta Day." Fast-forward two years, and, thanks to a marketing campaign from Islas Canarias, Miamians can now proudly proclaim they live in "Croqueta County." If you want to become a resident of Croqueta County Islas Canarias-style, you can do so at the croquetacounty.com website, where you can also download Croqueta County-branded screensavers or buy a T-shirt ($15). Photo by Alex FernandezIf you have a more nontraditional love affair with croquetas, Dos Croquetas (10505 SW 40th St., Miami; 305-912-3672) offers a few exciting additions to its menu. The Flamin' Hot Cheetos Chicken croqueta ($1.99) is made with chicken, roasted japapeño, and a cheddar/jack cheese blend and coated in, yes, Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

Miami-Dade County has proclaimed October 1 Croqueta Day. To celebrate, many of Miami's favorite restaurants are offering deals on croquetas and some of them are giving Miami's favorite snack food away. This Saturday, October 5, check out a special croqueta burger a marriage of Gonzalez's own meat patty and Sergio's croquetas (price TBD). Vicky BakeryVarious locationsvickybakery.com Various locationsOn Croqueta Day, all 15 Vicky Bakery locations will offer a free "Vicky croqueta" while supplies last. The offer is good for one free croqueta per person.