The gifted but inconsistent performer's relationship with his club and manager have often been strained, prompting Mancini to once remark after a match that if Balotelli had been a teammate during his own playing days, he may have given him a punch in the head every day.

CNN: January 4, 2013 -- Updated 1808 GMT (0208 HKT)

Across emerging Asia political concerns about rising inequality are prompting reform, often in ways that echo the changes of the Progressive Era a century ago.

ECONOMIST: Why Asia, too, is becoming increasingly unequal

Often, France has taken a lead role in recent crises, prompting criticism from countries such as South Africa about Western powers favoring military over diplomatic solutions.

WSJ: Mali Advance Shows Paris's Africa Dilemma

Often angry exchanges between British Conservative, UKIP, Labour and Green MEPs dominated parts of the debate, prompting other members in the parliament to comment that the session had turned into an internal UK argument.

BBC: MEPs clash over EU accession to ECHR