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The center-left was favored, but there was no clear winner as the ballots were counted. Silvio Berlusconi's center-right coalition was not expected to do well, but was leading in the upper house of Parliament.

Several big retailers say the return of the full payroll tax is causing consumers to curtail spending, but so far the evidence is mostly anecdotal. Some analysts argue a variety of factors, and not any specific policy, contributed to slower growth in consumer spending in January.

The death toll is reported to be near 20. What caused the fire and crash has yet to be determined. Balloon rides over the ancient city of Luxor and nearby historic sites are popular among tourists. Those killed are said to have been from Japan, Britain, Belgium and France.

The Chelyabinsk meteor was part of a group of Earth-crossing objects known as Apollo asteroids, scientists believe.

But the Federal Reserve chairman warns Congress that the "sharp, front-loaded spending cuts" that would come with the so-called sequester could hurt the economy. He recommends "policies that reduce the federal deficit more gradually in the near term but more substantially in the longer run."

Billy Ray Harris held on to Sarah Darling's diamond ring after she accidentally put it in his change cup. When Darling retraced her steps, he returned it to her. His honesty has led to more than $150,000 — so far — in online pledges to help him.

The House speaker wants senators to act. The top Senate Republican says it's time to work on a compromise. And the Republican National Committee says the cuts would be "negligible compared to Obama's disastrous fiscal record."

A slow-motion train wreck of $1.2 trillion in spending cuts spread out over 10 years would definitely be at odds with the growing urgency of the president's warnings as the March 1 deadline draws near.

In a business where effects-laden movies bring in hundreds of millions of dollars, many of the studios that create those effects are barely staying afloat.

A new study on bullying shows that people who were bullied have higher rates of psychiatric illness as adults. Host Michel Martin speaks with the study's lead author, William Coleman of Duke University, and bullying expert Rosalind Wiseman.