Kadima's departure from the government comes just 70 days after it joined forces with Netanyahu, providing him with an unprecedented power bloc of 94 out of 120 Knesset members.

CNN: Israeli government loses main coalition partner

Some countries have nevertheless put their heads above the parapet and spoken out against the more powerful nations, including the Gulf lobby, that wield power within the bloc.

BBC: Climate: Fractures in the lobby?

They must put aside their partial differences and after the election, yes, form a new bloc of power.

BBC: Struggling Greeks losing belief in the state

King Abdullah is unlikely to choose one of his own sons as second in line, even though the power of the Sudairi bloc to resist it has been weakened by the deaths of Sultan and Nayef.

BBC: Middle East

The EU, which emerged from the ashes of a world war that left Europe shattered, humiliated and sidelined, is now the world's biggest economic power, exporter, trading bloc, aid donor and foreign investor.

WSJ: Gareth Harding: Europe Reborn

The EU's largest economy has long been an ardent proponent of renewable subsidies, to the extent that even with its less than tropical climate, it accounts for nearly half the bloc's installed solar power capacity.

CNN: Eurozone woes push climate reform to backseat

Here's the dilemma for an Antonin Scalia or Chief Justice John Roberts, who typically vote with the conservative bloc: While they don't like expanding federal power, they like second-guessing the democratic process even less.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Italy potentially wields the most power within the conclave, with 28 of the 115 votes, making it the largest bloc in the College of Cardinals.

CNN: No winner in first vote to elect new pope