Europe

Next week, a salvage crew plans to rotate and raise the Costa Concordia cruise ship, in one of the biggest maritime salvage operations ever undertaken. The huge vessel has been partially submerged off Giglio Island since an accident in January 2012 that killed 32 people.

Pope Francis has famously shunned luxury items — including the popemobile. The pope has accepted the keys to a 1984 Renault with nearly 190,000 miles on it. It was a gift from a priest. The pope plans to drive it on Vatican grounds.

Until recently, Russia seemed unable or unwilling to do anything to head off a U.S. strike against Syria. Now, it's running with a plan to have Syria place its chemical weapons under international control. The strategy allows nearly all sides to save face politically.

For a dollar, patrons in one Ukrainian town could enjoy a shot of vodka. Mixers were also available. That is until the authorities discovered the converted coffee machine.

Jews have lived in Greece since the time of Alexander the Great; the overwhelming majority of the community died during the Nazi occupation. Now, 70 years later, the community — and Greece — is confronting the rise of the Golden Dawn Party, a group that espouses neo-Nazi ideology.

As expected, the Kremlin-backed incumbent won Moscow's mayoral election, but the surprising thing was that he garnered barely enough votes to avoid a run-off election. The main opposition candidate, Alexei Navalny, walked away with at least 27 percent of the vote. His campaign strategists have said it would be a victory if he got more than 20 percent, because that would energize the opposition and show that Muscovites want a more democratic future.

Two centers of culture are in conflict on the banks of the Thames in London. One is the world renowned South Bank Center of the Arts, with four resident orchestras, including the London Philharmonic. It also has conservatories, the Royal Festival Hall, the Hayward Gallery and the Queen Elizabeth Hall. The other cultural landmark is the Undercroft, a dark, concrete cavern, covered in graffiti, that lies beneath the Arts Center and looks out on to the Thames. It's the birthplace and temple of British skate boarding. For forty uninterrupted years it has been hallowed ground for those who regard skate boarding as an art form every bit as legitimate as anything performed in the concert halls above. But now the South Bank Arts Center is trying to force the skateboarders to a different location, so the Undercroft can be leased to restaurants. And the skate boarders are mobilizing to resist.

An English village is getting an accidental tourism boost thanks to the hit British TV show Downton Abbey. The show is set in a location that's fictional but that hasn't stopped American tourists from swarming Downton, England.

Saturday in Argentina, the International Olympic Committee will announce the host of the 2020 Summer Games. The committee is choosing from among Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo. The contenders all have strong selling points, but each also has serious issues clouding its bid.

The City Of Lights became known as a beacon of freedom and tolerance for African Americans. Paris is rich in black history — especially from black Americans who have flocked there since the 19th century.