Italy saw its borrowing rates skyrocket in a big auction of bonds Tuesday as Premier Mario Monti put the finishing touches on his new lean government of technocrats, tasked with getting the country's enormous debt under control to avoid a catastrophic default.

Though Italy easily raised €7.49 billion ($10 billion), it had to pay more to investors to get them to open their wallets.

First there was Marley, the rambunctious Labrador retriever whose death brought readers to tears in John Grogan's "Marley and Me." Now there's Sammy, a mixed-breed hound who's the subject of another tear-jerker, a children's book, "Sammy in the Sky."

When her beloved hound dog died, Pulitzer Prize-Winning journalist Barbara Walsh watched her young daughters tearfully struggle with their loss and with tough questions. Walsh quickly realized there was a story to be told, one that she hopes will help other families deal with the loss of a pet.

The British Fashion Council on Monday honored Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen as Designer of the Year for 2011.

The council said Burton — who earlier this year drew praise for designing Kate Middleton's much-heralded wedding dress — has "allowed McQueen's legacy to live on while still giving her own twist of creative genius to a collection that has outshone its rivals on and off the catwalk."

Anne Hathaway has signed on for a new role: Fiancee.

A spokesman for the 29-year-old actress says Hathaway is engaged to boyfriend and fellow actor Adam Shulman.

Williams cofounder Patrick Head says he is ending his involvement in Formula One.

The 65-year-old Head set up the team with Frank Williams in 1977.

The newspaper coverage was troubling: London's huge international showcase was beset by planning problems, local opposition and labor woes — and the transport was a mess.

It sounds like the 2012 Olympics, but this was the Great Exhibition of 1851 generating stories of late trains, unscrupulous landlords and dangerous overcrowding.

Mexican mariachi music, Chinese shadow puppetry and poetic dueling from Cyprus were among the cultural traditions identified by the United Nations on Tuesday as in need of protection.

Also added to the Intangible Cultural Heritage list — now in its second year and nearly 250 strong — were French-style horseback riding, which celebrates harmony between beast and man, the doleful fado songs of Portugal and Jultagi tightrope walking from Korea.

Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen is returning to Formula One with Lotus Renault GP next year.

Raikkonen, who left F1 at the end of 2009 to try rallying, signed a two-year agreement, the team said on its website Tuesday.

Toyota's president unveiled a futuristic concept car resembling a giant smartphone to demonstrate how Japan's top automaker is trying to take the lead in technology at the upcoming Tokyo auto show.

Toyota Motor Corp. will also be showing an electric vehicle, set for launch next year, and a tiny version of the hit Prius gas-electric hybrid at the Tokyo Motor Show, which opens to the public this weekend.

Who says "Frosty the Snowman" has to be jolly?

A man in a "Frosty the Snowman" costume was arrested Saturday during the annual Christmas parade in Chestertown, on Maryland's Eastern Shore. He's accused of scuffling with police and kicking at a police dog.