WORLD BRIEFS

MYANMAR: Freed and back to political work

Aung San Suu Kyi began the nuts and bolts work of reviving her political movement Monday, consulting lawyers about having her disbanded party declared legal again. The democracy icon was released over the weekend from 7 1/2 years in detention. On Sunday, she told wildly cheering supporters at the headquarters of her National League for Democracy that she would continue to fight for human rights and the rule of law in the military-controlled nation. The 65-year-old Nobel Peace laureate must balance the expectations of the country's pro-democracy movement with the realities of freedom that could be withdrawn any time by the regime. The junta recently staged Myanmar's first elections in 20 years, and in a step that will blunt some of the long-standing international criticism of its conduct, released Suu Kyi a week later.

ITALY: Three quit Berlusconi's government

For Silvio Berlusconi, the question no longer seems if he will be forced from power, but when. The Italian leader who has survived prostitution scandals and corruption investigations faces no-confidence votes in coming weeks that he appears to have little, if any, chance of surviving. Monday, four members of the government quit, increasing the premier's isolation at a time when the man who once was his closest ally is now calling for his head. "There's no doubt that the government will not last," said political analyst James Walston of the American University of Rome. Berlusconi's dominance of Italian politics - he's been premier three times in the past 16 years - has been remarkable, and so, in some ways, would be his departure. But few would count him out for good, given that Italian politics is full of comebacks - and Berlusconi, 74, is a master of that art. He has been locked in a bitter battle with former ally Gianfranco Fini, who has the numbers to bring the government down. Fini recently urged Berlusconi to resign, and on Monday carried out his threat to pull men loyal to him from the government. A minister, a deputy minister and two undersecretaries who formed Fini's delegation in the government all stepped down.

BRITAIN: Replacements for jumbo jet engines

Rolls-Royce will temporarily replace any oil-leaking engines like the one that caught fire and blew apart on a Qantas superjumbo jet earlier this month, an aviation official said Monday. Because airlines keep some spare engines on hand, the long-term impact to the Airbus A380, the world's largest jetliner, and its buyers may not be dire, aviation analysts said. Future deliveries of the A380 could be delayed if the scope of the oil-leak problem turns out to be greater than disclosed and a large number of temporary replacement engines is needed, they said.