While the Hatnua leader, Tzipi Livni, has been named as chief negotiator if talks with the Palestinians resume, her commitment to a two-state solution is not shared with other key coalition partners.

BBC: Israel's cabinet for change - if it lasts

The initiatives represent a mix of concerns shared by key Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ) executives and tries to exploit the technical skills the company believes can give it particular impact.

FORBES: Google.org Opens Its Wallet--A Little

It was a plea for Europe to change itself for its own sake - abandoning the shared goal of "ever-closer union", accepting that the single market rather than the single currency was the key shared ambition and agreeing that powers should be returned to member states not inexorably transferred to Brussels.

BBC: Cameron's referendum gamble