Eric Linton

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, a former Marxist guerrilla leader, took a big early lead in Sunday's presidential election after heavy social spending won him strong support among the country's poor.

With Silvio Berlusconi's fate resting on a group of party rebels threatening to pull the rug from under his government next week, the Italian prime minister is using carrot and stick to try to win over the doubters and pull off yet another parliamentary escape.

Asian shares struggled and credit markets weakened Monday, with investors still nervous despite the agreement on formation of a new Greek unity government intent on avoiding imminent debt default.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou sealed a deal with the opposition Sunday night on a crisis coalition to approve an international bailout, but details remain thin despite an EU ultimatum for Athens to get serious about tackling its huge problems.

Thousands of protesters opposed to a new oil pipeline from Canada to the United States circled the White House grounds Sunday to press President Barack Obama to reject the project for environmental reasons.

A retired right-wing general promising a crackdown on violent crime won Guatemala's presidential election Sunday and will be the first military man to take power since democracy was restored in 1986.

European shares extended the previous session's strong gains Friday as signs Greece would seek political consensus on a new aid package and dump a referendum helped cap some fears of an imminent default, although the outcome remains uncertain.

Asian shares rallied more than 3 percent and the euro steadied Friday on hopes that Greece will abandon a proposed referendum on a European Union bailout, but investors remained cautious over a confidence vote scheduled for later in the Greek parliament.

Japan's Olympus Corp said it will not announce its quarterly earnings on Nov. 8 as expected because it needs more time after appointing an external panel to look into past acquisitions, sparking a fresh plunge in the firm's shares.

Italy, under fierce pressure from financial markets and European peers, has agreed to have the IMF and the EU monitor its progress with long- delayed reforms of pensions, labor markets and privatization, senior EU sources said Friday.

Asian shares rose more than 2 percent and the euro steadied Friday on hopes that Greece will abandon a proposed referendum on a European Union bailout, but investors remained cautious over a confidence vote planned in the Greek Parliament.

Pressure mounted on Italy's besieged premier Silvio Berlusconi to quit Thursday as six former parliamentary loyalists called for a new government and the squabbling Cabinet failed to agree an urgent economic reform program.

The Greek government teetered on the brink of collapse Thursday over plans for a referendum on a euro zone bailout, with ruling party defections casting grave doubt on whether Prime Minister George Papandreou can survive a confidence vote.

Suspected suicide attackers launched an assault near a base used by NATO-led forces in the western Afghan province of Herat Thursday, authorities said, and gunfire was still being heard although there was no immediate word on casualties.

Protesters shut down operations at Oakland's port and blocked traffic Wednesday in demonstrations against economic inequality and police brutality that were marred by scattered vandalism.

European stocks turned negative after early gains Wednesday, adding to a sharp two-session drop as investors dumped banking shares on fresh concerns about the euro zone debt crisis.

Italy's top financial officials will meet later Wednesday as escalating market turmoil threatens to push the euro zone's third largest economy into a debt crisis that could threaten the whole currency bloc.

Greece's prime minister won the backing of his Cabinet Wednesday to hold a referendum on a 130 billion euro bailout package but will find the stunned euro zone leaders who engineered the deal last week harder to convince.

The glamorous and easy-going Riviera resort of Cannes turns into a fortified camp this week as French police prepare for the arrival of world leaders for a G20 summit set to be hijacked by fears that a euro zone crisis relief plan is unraveling.

Israel test-fired a ballistic missile Wednesday, Israel Radio said, amid a heightened public debate over the possibility of an Israeli attack against Iran's nuclear program.

Asian shares fell and the euro stuck near 3-week lows against the dollar on Wednesday, as investors shed riskier assets after Greece's shock call for a referendum stoked fears about the viability of a European debt deal struck just last week.

The U.S. army Wednesday extended a curfew for military personnel in South Korea by two months, a day after a court sentenced an American soldier to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a local teenage girl.

The Nikkei share average fell nearly 2 percent Wednesday after overseas shares skidded on Greece's surprise call for a referendum on a European bailout plan that investors had hoped would be the solution to the region's sovereign debt woes.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi denied as entirely baseless a report that he had held a special meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel after last week's summit meeting of European Union leaders.

Asian shares and commodities fell Tuesday, after a shock announcement that Greece will hold a referendum on a new EU bailout deal for the debt-ridden country threw efforts to resolve the euro zone's debt crisis into fresh doubt.

European stocks extended their early losses Tuesday, suffering their biggest one-day sell-off in six weeks after Greek prime minister called a referendum on the latest bailout deal, risking a new euro zone crisis.

Renewed worries about the slow progress in resolving the euro zone's debt crisis dampened investor appetite for risk, sending Asian shares and commodities lower Tuesday while keeping pressure on the euro.

Asian shares fell Monday and commodities slipped as the dollar spiked to a three-month high against the yen following Japan's intervention, prompting investors to book profits after last week's rally.

The Nikkei average edged lower, giving up sharp morning gains made after Japanese authorities intervened to curb persistent yen strength as investors locked in profits on concerns the yen won't stay down for long.