The Good Friday holiday becomes a national day of mourning in Italy, as 205 victims of Monday’s earthquake are given a state funeral led by the Vatican’s second highest official, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.

Alegeria’s Abdelaziz Bouteflika wins a third term as President in an election marred by allegations of fraud.

The F.B.I. and U.S. Navy negotiate with Somali pirates after the American captain who was taken hostage makes a failed attempt to escape by jumping from the lifeboat he is sharing with his captors.

The C.I.A. announces plans to close the remaining secret prisons where suspects were subjected to harsh interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, which many describe as torture.