Tunisia's first post-revolution polls risk being rigged, the Islamist party leading opinion polls warned Wednesday, vowing a fresh uprising if vote was marred by fraud.

"There is a risk of the election results being manipulated," Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi told a press conference in Tunis, warning: "If there is manipulation, we will rejoin the forces and the guardians of the revolution which ousted Ben Ali and the first (interim) government. We are ready to oust up to ten governments if needed."

Italian authorities seized 245 million Euros ($338.5 million) fromUnicredit, Italy's largest bank, on suspicion of tax evasion in 2007 and 2008, judicial and Unicredit sources said on Wednesday.

According to the sources, executives from Unicredit, including former head Alessandro Profumo, and British bank Barclays are under investigation in an operation dubbed "Brontos".

Ask any Westerner what they think is the world's most popular spirit and they're unlikely to name -- or even to have heard of -- the lethally strong Chinese grain alcohol, baijiu.

But more baijiu is sold worldwide by volume than vodka, whisky or rum, say international drinks firms such as British brewer Diageo, and such is their enthusiasm for the national drink of 1.3 billion Chinese that several firms are trying to market baijiu overseas.

Kenyan jets struck Shebab positions in Somalia Wednesday in a bid to rid the border area of Islamist rebels they blame for a spate of abductions, including that of a French woman who died in captivity.

Kenyan ground troops guided by pro-government Somali forces prepared for a fresh assault against the insurgents with the blessing of the Western-backed government in Mogadishu and its Ugandan protectors.

Paris's Hotel Ritz, famed for generations as the city's highest-profile luxury hotel, said Tuesday it is to close for more than two years from next summer for an "unprecedented" renovation.

The move comes after the five-star hotel in central Paris, owned by billionaire Egyptian tycoon Mohamed Al Fayed, failed earlier this year to win France's coveted "palace" designation marking a top luxury destination.

A California county Tuesday banned sex offenders from decorating their homes to attract kids on Halloween or from giving out candy to children when they come "trick or treating."

The Riverside County ordinance also barred sex offenders from lighting up their homes on the evening of October 31, when youngsters traditionally go door-to-door in search of treats.

A higher than usual phone bill can leave anyone stunned. And when Celina Aarons got a jaw-dropper for more than $200,000, it was no mistake.

The Florida woman has a plan that usually costs her $175 a month. She includes two of her brothers on it, who are deaf and mute, and use smart phones extensively for texting and communicating more easily.

Police clashed with protesters outside parliament Wednesday, firing tear gas as they came under attack with firebombs during a massive demonstration against austerity.

An Agence France Presse reporter saw some 200 youths attacking a steel barricade erected outside the parliament building as the street protest of some 70,000 people converged on central Syntagma Square in Athens.

South Korea's Samsung Electronics on Wednesday unveiled its new smartphone that runs on Google's latest Android operating system, the latest weapon in its battle to topple Apple's iPhone.

The launch of the "Galaxy Nexus", which comes days a after the new iPhone 4S went on sale, was initially scheduled for October 11 but was delayed following the death of Apple chief Steve Jobs as a gesture of respect.

An Australian woman mauled by a kangaroo as she walked her dogs said on Wednesday it was a miracle she survived the attack, in which the native animal clawed her head and body.

Janet Karson told The West Australian newspaper she was walking her three dogs in the bush near Manjimup south of the western city of Perth on Saturday when a kangaroo leapt out in front of her and one of her dogs gave chase.