Yechury supports calling Raja as witness before JPC

NEW DELHI: CPM member in the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on 2G spectrum allocation Sitaram Yechury today supported calling former telecom minister A Raja as a witness before the panel saying it will help reaching "closer to the truth".

"We have no objection if he comes. More the witnesses the merrier, closer to the truth we can get," he told reporters outside Parliament House.

On Friday last, Raja had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and JPC Chairman P C Chacko expressing his willingness to appear before the committee as a witness. He has claimed that he has been "condemned unheared" and wants to present his side of the story.

Chacko has said that he is yet to take a decision on calling Raja before the committee and would consult members individually.

DMK members in JPC T R Baalu and T Siva have been pressing Chacko to call Raja as a witness.

Chacko is apparently against calling Raja as a witness. He has told members that as an accused Raja has legal protection and cannot make fresh revelations before any committee. Therefore, there was no point in calling Raja.

Congress members in the JPC are against calling Raja as a witness as his deposition could be used by opposition members, including BJP and the Left, in cornering the government. Raja has maintained that he had kept the Prime Minister's Office and others informed about his decisions on 2G licencing issue.

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Advanced breast cancer edges up in younger women


CHICAGO (AP) — Advanced breast cancer has increased slightly among young women, a 34-year analysis suggests. The disease is still uncommon among women younger than 40, and the small change has experts scratching their heads about possible reasons.


The results are potentially worrisome because young women's tumors tend to be more aggressive than older women's, and they're much less likely to get routine screening for the disease.


Still, that doesn't explain why there'd be an increase in advanced cases and the researchers and other experts say more work is needed to find answers.


It's likely that the increase has more than one cause, said Dr. Rebecca Johnson, the study's lead author and medical director of a teen and young adult cancer program at Seattle Children's Hospital.


"The change might be due to some sort of modifiable risk factor, like a lifestyle change" or exposure to some sort of cancer-linked substance, she said.


Johnson said the results translate to about 250 advanced cases diagnosed in women younger than 40 in the mid-1970s versus more than 800 in 2009. During those years, the number of women nationwide in that age range went from about 22 million to closer to 30 million — an increase that explains part of the study trend "but definitely not all of it," Johnson said.


Other experts said women delaying pregnancy might be a factor, partly because getting pregnant at an older age might cause an already growing tumor to spread more quickly in response to pregnancy hormones.


Obesity and having at least a drink or two daily have both been linked with breast cancer but research is inconclusive on other possible risk factors, including tobacco and chemicals in the environment. Whether any of these explains the slight increase in advanced disease in young women is unknown.


There was no increase in cancer at other stages in young women. There also was no increase in advanced disease among women older than 40.


Overall U.S. breast cancer rates have mostly fallen in more recent years, although there are signs they may have plateaued.


Some 17 years ago, Johnson was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer at age 27, and that influenced her career choice to focus on the disease in younger women.


"Young women and their doctors need to understand that it can happen in young women," and get checked if symptoms appear, said Johnson, now 44. "People shouldn't just watch and wait."


The authors reviewed a U.S. government database of cancer cases from 1976 to 2009. They found that among women aged 25 to 39, breast cancer that has spread to distant parts of the body — advanced disease — increased from between 1 and 2 cases per 100,000 women to about 3 cases per 100,000 during that time span.


The study was published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.


About one in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, but only 1 in 173 will develop it by age 40. Risks increase with age and certain gene variations can raise the odds.


Routine screening with mammograms is recommended for older women but not those younger than 40.


Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, the American Cancer Society's deputy chief medical officer, said the results support anecdotal reports but that there's no reason to start screening all younger women since breast cancer is still so uncommon for them.


He said the study "is solid and interesting and certainly does raise questions as to why this is being observed." One of the most likely reasons is probably related to changes in childbearing practices, he said, adding that the trend "is clearly something to be followed."


Dr. Ann Partridge, chair of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's advisory committee on breast cancer in young women, agreed but said it's also possible that doctors look harder for advanced disease in younger women than in older patients. More research is needed to make sure the phenomenon is real, said Partridge, director of a program for young women with breast cancer at the Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.


The study shouldn't cause alarm, she said. Still, Partridge said young women should be familiar with their breasts and see the doctor if they notice any lumps or other changes.


Software engineer Stephanie Carson discovered a large breast tumor that had already spread to her lungs; that diagnosis in 2003 was a huge shock.


"I was so clueless," she said. "I was just 29 and that was the last thing on my mind."


Carson, who lives near St. Louis, had a mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation and other treatments and she frequently has to try new drugs to keep the cancer at bay.


Because most breast cancer is diagnosed in early stages, there's a misconception that women are treated, and then get on with their lives, Carson said. She and her husband had to abandon hopes of having children, and she's on medical leave from her job.


"It changed the complete course of my life," she said. "But it's still a good life."


____


Online:


JAMA: http://jama.ama-assn.org


CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/index.htm


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What's Next for Pope Benedict XVI?












The party for the world's most prominent soon-to-be retiree began today when Pope Benedict XVI hosted his final audience as pontiff in St. Peter's Square.


More than 50,000 tickets were requested for the event, according to the Vatican, while the city of Rome planned for 250,000 people to flood the streets.


FULL COVERAGE: Pope Benedict XVI Resignation


With his belongings packed up, Pope Benedict XVI will spend the night, his final one as pope, in the Apostolic Palace.


The pontiff, 85, who is an avid writer, will be able to take his personal notes with him. However, all official documents relating to his papacy will be sent to the Vatican archives.


On Thursday, Pope Benedict XVI will take his last meeting as pontiff with various dignitaries and the cardinals, said the Rev. Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican Press Office.



INTERACTIVE: Key Dates in the Life of Pope Benedict XVI


While not all of the cardinals are in Rome, it is possible that among the princes of the church saying farewell to the pope could be the man who will succeed him.


"I think the overall tone is going to be gratitude. From the cardinals' perspective, it'll be like the retirement party for your favorite professor," said Christopher Bellitto, a professor at Kean University in New Jersey who has written nine books on the history of the church.






AP Photo/Andrew Medichini











The Conclave: Secret World of Picking the Pope Watch Video











Papal Appearance: Faithful Flock to Saint Peter's Square Watch Video





RELATED: Cardinal Resigns Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations


Pope Benedict XVI will depart the Vatican walls in the afternoon, taking a 15-minute helicopter ride to Castel Gandolfo, the papal retreat just outside of Rome, where he will live while his new Vatican quarters undergo a renovation.


Around sunset, the pontiff is expected to greet the public from his window in the palace, which overlooks the small town square, for the last time as pope.


At 8 p.m. local time, the papal throne will be vacated. The man known as Pope Benedict XVI for the past eight years will take on a new title: Pope Emeritus.


What Lies Ahead for the Pope Emeritus


The announcement that Benedict XVI would be the first pope to resign in 600 years shocked the world and left the Vatican with the task of creating new rules for an event that was unprecedented in the modern church.


"Even for the historical life of the church, some of this is brand new territory," said Matthew Bunson, general editor of the "Catholic Almanac" and author of "We Have a Pope! Benedict XVI."


"The Vatican took a great deal of care in sorting through this," he said. "This is establishing a precedent."


Along with Benedict's new title, he will still be allowed to wear white, a color traditionally reserved for the pope.


He'll still be called Your Holiness. However, the Swiss Guards, who are tasked with protecting the pope, will symbolically leave his side at 8 p.m. Thursday.


His Ring of the Fisherman, kissed by thousands of the faithful over the years, will be crushed, according to tradition.


Not much is known about the pope's health.


In his resignation statement, the pontiff said his physical strength has deteriorated in the past few months because of "an advanced age."


He also mentioned the "strength of mind and body" necessary to lead the more-than-1-billion Catholics worldwide.


If he is able to, Bellitto believes the pope will keep writing, perhaps on the Holy Trinity, a topic of great interest to him.



RELATED: Papal Conclave 2013 Not Politics as Usual


As the pope emeritus settles into the final chapter of his life, experts have said it is likely he will stay out of the public realm.


"[Pope Benedict XVI] has moved very deliberately in this process," Bunson said, "with an eye toward making the transition as smooth, as regal, as careful as possible for the election of his successor."



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Fatah-linked militants claim Gaza rocket after inmate death






GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Gaza militants from Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades fired a rocket at Israel on Tuesday as a "preliminary response" after one of its members died in an Israeli jail.

It was the first time a Gaza rocket had struck southern Israel in more than three months, and stoked fears that the mass protests in the West Bank over the fate of prisoners held in Israeli jails could spread to the Hamas-run territory.

Following weeks of anger in support of four prisoners on long-term hunger strike, the issue came to head on Saturday with news that a 30-year-old prisoner who had been interrogated for throwing stones, had died in custody.

Arafat Jaradat was arrested on February 18 and interrogated by Israel's Shin Bet internal security services on suspicion of involvement in a "stone-throwing terror attack" in November. Five days later, he died in Megiddo prison.

His death sparked angry demonstrations across the West Bank, with Palestinian prisoner affairs minister Issa Qaraqaa saying preliminary results from his autopsy showed he had died "as a result of torture".

At his funeral near the southern city of Hebron on Monday, militants from Al-Aqsa Brigades, an armed offshoot of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party, vowed revenge, with the group claiming Tuesday's rocket as a first response.

"In a preliminary response to the killing of our hero the prisoner Arafat Jaradat, we claim responsibility for firing a Grad rocket on Ashkelon at 6:00 am (0400 GMT)," the Gaza branch said in a statement.

The rocket struck a road just south of the Israeli port city, causing damage but no injuries, police said.

It was the first such attack since the end of an eight-day confrontation in November during which militants fired more than a thousand rockets at Israel and the air force hit back with a major bombing campaign.

The violence, which killed 177 Palestinians and six Israelis, ended with a truce deal on November 21.

Meanwhile Palestinian police were Tuesday preventing demonstrators from reaching an area near Jalame checkpoint in the northern West Bank where several mass protests have erupted into violence in the past 10 days, an AFP correspondent said.

Earlier, Abbas had instructed the security forces to "maintain the calm" in the West Bank, following a demand from Israel at the weekend that he act to cool the situation.

Washington also sent a "clear message" to both sides calling for calm, a State Department spokesman said, indicating it expected "all parties to consider the results of the autopsy calmly and without inflammatory rhetoric".

And the United Nations said there must be an independent inquiry into Jaradat's death.

"The United Nations expects the autopsy to be followed by an independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Mr Jaradat's death, the results of which should be made public as soon as possible," UN Middle East envoy Robert Serry said late on Monday.

The Palestinians also called for an independent inquiry in a letter from their UN ambassador Riyad Mansour to the UN Security Council in which it said the autopsy showed Jaradat "was subjected to severe beatings, abuse and medical negligence during his captivity, possibly amounting to torture."

According to the letter, the autopsy showed Jaradat had six broken bones in his neck, spine, arms and legs, as well as other injuries.

Israel has said the prisoner could have suffered broken bones during the attempts by the emergency services to resuscitate him.

It said the preliminary findings were "not sufficient to determine the cause of death" which could only be known with the results of microscopic and toxicological, which are reportedly due back on 10 days.

-AFP/fl



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Rajya Sabha to discuss chopper deal tomorrow

NEW DELHI: The AgustaWestland chopper deal had its echo in the RajyaSabha on Tuesday with BJP demanding a discussion on the issue and government agreeing to have it on Wednesday.

"We are ready for a discussion on the issue tomorrow," minister of state for parliamentary affairs Rajiv Shukla said after BJP insisted on an immediate discussion on the issue.

Raising the issue during zero hour, Prakash Javadekar (BJP) said, "The whole nation is being robbed. Everyday we are reading such stories. There are reports that kickbacks to the tune of Rs 400 crore were paid...It's a shame. It is a question of nation's pride."

Leader of opposition Arun Jaitley said the government should agree to a debate on a particular day, preferably on Wednesday on the issue, after which Shukla said the defence minister wanted some more time as more details on the issue were awaited and suggested a discussion by next week.

As BJP members including Venkaiah Naidu, Najma Heptulla and Ravi Shankar Prasad disagreed and were up on their feet demanding immediate discussion on the chopper deal and defence minister A K Antony's response on it, Shukla said a debate on farmers problems was slated for tomorrow on Naidu's demand and if he agreed to change it government can discuss the chopper deal tomorrow itself.

EMS Natchiappan, who was in the chair, told members that there were other issues mentioned during Zero Hour, on which the members insisted parliamentary affairs minister Rajiv Shukla to respond.

"Government is ready to have a discussion on it at any point of time. I had discussed the issue with the defence minister, he is ready for it next week. In case the members want to take up the issue tomorrow, we are ready," Shukla said.

On this, Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "We want proper answers tomorrow."

SP members also rose on their feet with Naresh Agarwal saying that they had given a notice for taking up the issue of price rise soon after the question hour.

"The price rise issue has not been taken up for discussion despite notice which amounts breaking of the rules and as a protest we are walking out from the House," Agarwal said and staged a walk out with SP members despite Natchiappan saying that the issue too would be taken up.

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Senate Expected to Vote on Hagel Nomination












After a battle lasting nearly two months, characterized by tough interrogation and a partisan divide, lawmakers are expected to confirm President Obama's nomination of Republican Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense this afternoon.


The Senate returns today after a week off from debating Hagel's merit. Republicans blocked a cloture vote to confirm Hagel on Valentine's Day, pushing the decision back until after their President's Day recess.


Democrats framed that rejection as a filibuster, while Republicans said they needed another week to discuss the candidate's record.


"This is a very controversial nominee, there is a desire to not end debate now," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said that Thursday. "We feel like come back next week, after the break, unless there is some bombshell I'd be ready to move on to vote."


Ten days later, GOP Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and John McCain of Arizona predicted the Senate will go through with a vote today. The nomination is likely to pass but with many no votes from the GOP.


A group of 15 Republicans sent a letter to Obama last week asking him to withdraw Hagel's nomination. Coburn, one of the senators who signed that letter, said the fight among lawmakers over Hagel's qualifications would weaken him should he become secretary.


"I like Chuck Hagel as an individual, but the fact is, in modern times, we haven't had one defense secretary that's had more than three votes against him," Coburn said on "Fox News Sunday" this weekend. "And you're going to have 40 votes against him, or 35 votes. And that sends a signal to our allies as well as our foes that he does not have broad support in the U.S. Congress, which limits his ability to carry out his job."








Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense: Confirmation Process Watch Video









Obama Taps Sen. Chuck Hagel for Defense Secretary Watch Video





McCain did not sign that letter.


"I do not believe that Chuck Hagel, who is a friend of mine, is qualified to be secretary of defense, but I do believe that elections have consequences -- unfortunately," McCain told CNN's Candy Crowley Sunday on "State of the Union," explaining why he chose not to sign. "And the president of the United States was reelected."


Obama announced his support for Hagel two weeks before the kick-off of his second term.


Hagel is a former GOP senator from Nebraska and Purple-Heart-decorated Vietnam veteran. If confirmed, he would be the first former enlisted member of the Armed Forces to serve as secretary of defense, but he has been an unpopular pick from the start, with groups claiming he was anti-Israel and anti-gay rights.


The hearings over Hagel's nomination have had tense moments, with many serious accusations and at least one bordering on the bizarre.


Republicans have raised questions about Hagel's finances. A letter signed by 20 senators faulted Hagel for failing to disclose information about compensation he and organizations he worked with received during the last decade.


McCain also accused Hagel of being on "the wrong side of" history for his opposition to President Bush's 2007 surge of American troops in Iraq.


A conservative website attacked Hagel for taking money from a group called "Friends of Hamas," which was later revealed to be an imaginary entity dreamed up by New York Daily News reporter Dan Friedman.


If confirmed, Hagel would take the place of departing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.


Panetta bemoaned the drawn-out confirmation hearing process at an event at the Pentagon, saying the experience was "like it's 'Groundhog Day' around here."


"I have a hard time," Panetta told an audience gathered to honor former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. "You know? I've got -- My office is packed up. Sylvia is packing at home. I'm ready to go."



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Nokia launches cheaper Windows-based phones






BARCELONA: Nokia, once the leader of the mobile phone world, unveiled Monday two new Windows Phone-based Lumia smartphones aimed at the cheaper end of the market.

The Finnish group revealed the Nokia Lumia 720 and Nokia Lumia 520 on the opening day of the world's biggest mobile fair, the Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona, Spain.

"The momentum behind Nokia is gathering pace," said Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop.

"The launches today reflect our commitment to broadening our devices and services portfolio to meet the demands of people and businesses around the globe."

The Nokia Lumia 720 has a camera with Carl Zeiss optics and has a starting price of 249 euros (US$330) before taxes, with a rollout due to start in Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore in the first quarter.

The Nokia Lumia 520 would be priced at just 139 euros pre-tax, it said, the cheapest of its Windows Phone 8 devices, launching first in Hong Kong and Vietnam in the first quarter of this year before a broader release in the second quarter.

Nokia said it would bring the Lumia 720 and the Nokia Lumia 520 to China.

Last month, Nokia posted a net profit of 202 million euros in the fourth quarter, its first quarterly profit for 18 months.

But the beleaguered company, which is trying to cut costs, said that it would not pay a dividend to shareholders for the first time in more than 20 years.

In the three months ending December 31, Nokia made a net profit of 202 million euros compared to a loss of 1.07 billion euros in the same quarter a year ago.

The company sold a total of 86.3 million devices during the quarter, including 4.4 million Lumia smartphones, its new flagship product developed with Microsoft.

Nokia said at the time that the numbers were better than expected.

Still, net sales of smart devices fell 55 percent in the quarter to 1.2 billion euros on a yearly basis as volumes fell.

-AFP/fl



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Mamata is positive on NCTC: Sushilkumar Shinde

KOLKATA: Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Monday said that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who had earlier objected on certain issues, has a 'positive mind' towards the National Counter Terrorism Centre.

"I had talked to her earlier also on the NCTC issue. She has a positive mind (Unka toh maan hai)," Shinde told reporters when asked if he discussed the issue with the chief minister at a meeting at Fraserganj in South 24-Parganas district today.

Shinde reiterated that the Centre was keen to introduce the NCTC to firmly deal with terrorism.

The NCTC, which has regained importance following the Hyderabad serial blasts last week, has been opposed by several states on the ground that law and order was a state subject.

Shinde had yesterday said that he had already told the Rajya Sabha that the Centre would pursue the NCTC and do it.

He had also said that Mamata Banerjee was very cooperative on the issue and others like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

"Whenever the country faces any difficulty, the CM is very cooperative," Shinde had said.

Shinde and Banerjee also discussed coastal security issues during their visit to the riverine Indo-Bangla border in the Sunderbans.

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Best Moments From the Academy Awards






Host Seth MacFarlane took the stage at the 2013 Oscars with an opening monologue revealing he was ready to poke fun at the star-studded audience.


"The quest to make Tommy Lee Jones laugh begins now," he said.


But it wasn't too long before MacFarlane was interrupted. William Shatner, dressed as his iconic character Captain Kirk from "Star Trek," descended on the stage to warn MacFarlane that he was about to ruin the Oscars and be branded the worst host ever.


"The show is a disaster. I've come back in time … to stop you from ruining the Academy Awards," Shatner said.

Seth MacFarlane's Boobs Tribute


Shatner tried to steer MacFarlane away from singing an "incredibly offensive song that upsets a lot of women in the audience."


Cue MacFarlane's medley "We Saw Your Boobs," a laundry list set to music of acclaimed actresses in Hollywood who all bared their breasts in film.


MacFarlane was joined by the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles to call out Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Naomi Watts, Jodie Foster, Hilary Swank and countless others who we've seen nude in film.



Not every joke funnyman Seth MacFarlane made landed with the A-list crowd at the 85th annual Academy Awards.


The host elicited gasps from the crowd when he introduced "Django Unchained" as "the story of a man fighting to get back his woman, who's been subjected to unthinkable violence. Or, as Chris Brown and Rihanna call it, a date movie."


Another joke that somehow earned a too-soon nod? A throw to President Abraham Lincoln's assassination.


"I'd argue that the actor who really got inside Lincoln's head was John Wilkes Booth," MacFarlane said.


MacFarlane's jab at Mel Gibson didn't land too smoothly either. MacFarlane said the N-word laden "Django Unchained" screenplay was "loosely based on Mel Gibson's voicemails."

Oscars' Movie Musical Tribute


The theme of the 85 annual Academy Awards was celebrating music in film, and the tributes to movie musicals didn't disappoint.


Featured performers included Catherine Zeta-Jones belting "All That Jazz" from 2002's Best Picture winner "Chicago," Jennifer Hudson's show-stopping "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" from 2006's "Dreamgirls," and the cast of this year's Best Picture nominee "Les Miserables" reuniting on stage for "One Day More."

Introducing the Von Trapp Family


To introduce Christopher Plummer to the stage to present the award for Best Supporting Actress, MacFarlane couldn't help but make a joke out of the actor's infamous role as Captain Von Trapp in "The Sound of Music."


MacFarlane came out to announce the Von Trapp family singers, but no one came out. Instead, a man dressed in a Nazi uniform ran in to tell him that they were gone.

Kristen Stewart Hobbles on Stage to Present


When Daniel Radcliffe took the stage to present the award for Achievement in Production Design, he was joined by his hobbling co-presenter Kristen Stewart, who was seen crutching along the red carpet during the pre-show.


The "Twilight" star's makeup artist told People magazine that the actress "cut the ball of her foot, quite severely, on glass two days ago."


The Associated Press reported that backstage, Best Supporting Actress winner Anne Hathaway told Stewart to "break a leg."

Jennifer Lawrence's Unstable Victory


Jennifer Lawrence was so shocked to take home the Oscar for Best Actress that she lost her footing on her way up to the stage to accept her award.


"You guys are just standing up because I fell and that's really embarrassing," she said to the audience.


Lawrence regained her composure to give her acceptance speech, extending a special thank you to "the women this year," who she called "so magnificent and so inspiring."

Daniel Day-Lewis a Three-Peat Best Actor Winner


It was a highly anticipated win for Daniel Day-Lewis, who took home the award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Abe Lincoln in Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln."


Lewis cracked a joke in his acceptance speech, saying he was supposed to be cast as Margaret Thatcher and presenter Meryl Streep was the first choice for Lincoln.


"Meryl Streep was Steven's first choice to play Lincoln… I'd like to see that version," Lewis said.

Michelle Obama Announces Best Picture Winner


In one of the biggest surprises of the night, the Academy brought out First Lady Michelle Obama to help Jack Nicholson introduce the nominees for Best Picture.


Rocking her new bangs and a silver gown, the first lady, live from the White House, announced "Argo" as this year's Best Picture.


"It was a thrill to announce the #Oscars2013 best picture winner from the @WhiteHouse! Congratulations Argo!" FLOTUS tweeted afterwards.

Ben Affleck Triumphs at Oscars


Ben Affleck was flabbergasted by his win for Best Picture for "Argo." His frenzied, heartfelt acceptance speech resonated as he thanked his wife, Jennifer Garner, and ended on an inspirational high note.


"I want to thank my wife, who I don't normally associate with Iran. I want to thank you for working on our marriage. It is work, but it is the best kind of work," he said.


"I was here 15 years ago or something and you know I had no idea what I was doing. I stood out here in front of you all, really just a kid. I went out and I never thought I'd be back here and I am because of so many of you who are here tonight …. I want to thank them for what they taught me, which is that you have to work harder than you think you possibly can, you can't hold grudges. It's hard, but you can't hold grudges. And it doesn't matter how you get knocked down in life because that's going to happen. All that matters is that you got to get up."


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Italians vote in crucial election for euro zone


ROME (Reuters) - Italians began voting on Sunday in one of the most closely watched elections in years, with markets nervous about whether it can produce a strong government to pull Italy out of recession and help resolve the euro zone debt crisis.


Some of the first people to cast their ballots expressed fears that no clear winner would emerge, leading to political stalemate and a coalition that may not govern for long.


"I think we will have to go to elections again ... I expect instability for the next two years," said Vincenzo D'Ouria, voting in Milan.


Italians started voting at 8 a.m. (0700 GMT). Polling booths will remain open until 10 p.m. on Sunday and open again between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday. Exit polls will come out soon after voting ends and official results are expected by early Tuesday.


The election is being followed closely by financial markets with memories still fresh of the potentially catastrophic debt crisis that brought technocrat Prime Minister Mario Monti to power more than a year ago.


Monti and his wife cast their votes at a polling booth in a Milan school on Sunday morning. His centrist bloc would only enter a future government as a junior partner of a bigger party.


Final polls published two weeks ago showed center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani with a 5-point lead, but analysts disagree about whether he will be able to form a stable majority that can make the economic reforms Italy needs.


Bersani is now thought to be just a few points ahead of center-right rival Silvio Berlusconi, the four-times prime minister who has promised tax refunds and staged a media blitz in an attempt to win back voters.


A huge final rally by anti-establishment-comedian-turned-politician Beppe Grillo on Friday highlighted public anger at traditional parties.


Grillo's 5-Star movement, made up of political novices, is in third place in its first general election, polls suggest, and popular support from voters across the political spectrum has increased uncertainty about the outcome.


"Italians want change, but you cannot achieve that with Grillo. They are far too inexperienced for the Italian parliamentary machine," said Cristina Rossi, 40, a civil engineer who was on her way to vote for Bersani's Democratic Party in Milan.


"I fear the outcome will be a weak government, but maybe this is just a necessary transition to be able, in one or two years, to chose someone who can really govern Italy."


Italy, the euro zone's third-largest economy, is stuck in deep recession, struggling under a public debt burden second only to Greece's in the 17-member currency bloc and with a public weary of more than a year of austerity policies.


BERLUSCONI CRITICISM


Berlusconi hogged the headlines on Sunday after he used news conference at his soccer club AC Milan's training ground to break the campaign silence imposed on politicians in the day before polls open.


He told reporters that Italy's magistrates were "more dangerous than the Sicilian mafia" and had invented allegations he had held sex parties in order to discredit him.


The 76-year-old billionaire, who is appealing a jail sentence for tax fraud and is on trial accused of having sex with an underage prostitute, was criticized by his rivals for making a political statement during a ban on campaigning.


While the center left is still expected to gain control of the lower house, thanks to rules that guarantee a strong majority to whichever party wins the most votes nationally, a much closer battle will be fought for the Senate, which any government also needs to control to be able to pass laws.


Seats in the upper house are awarded on a region-by-region basis, meaning that support in key areas can decisively influence the overall result.


Pollsters still believe the most likely outcome is a center-left government headed by Bersani and possibly backed by Monti.


But strong campaigning by Berlusconi and the fiery Grillo, have thrown the election wide open. Surveys showed up to 5 million voters will make up their minds at the last minute.


The Interior Ministry urged some 47 million eligible voters in Italy not to let bad weather put them off, and said it was prepared to handle snowy conditions in some northern regions to ensure everyone had a chance to vote.


STAGNANT ECONOMY


Whatever government emerges from the vote will have the task of pulling Italy out of its longest recession for 20 years and reviving an economy largely stagnant for two decades.


The main danger for Italy and the euro zone is a weak government incapable of taking firm action, which would rattle investors and could ignite a new debt crisis.


Monti replaced Berlusconi in November 2011 after Italy came close to Greek-style financial meltdown while the center-right government was embroiled in scandals.


The former European Commissioner launched a tough program of spending cuts, tax hikes and pension reforms which won widespread international backing and helped restore Italy's credibility abroad after the scandals of the Berlusconi era.


Italy's borrowing costs have since fallen sharply after the European Central Bank pledged it was prepared to support countries undertaking reforms by buying unlimited quantities of their bonds on the markets.


But economic austerity has fuelled anger among Italians grappling with rising unemployment and shrinking disposable incomes, encouraging many to turn to Grillo, who has tapped into a national mood of disenchantment.


(Additional reporting by Cristiano Corvino and Lisa Jucca in Milan; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)



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