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On the Monday of Pope Benedict XVI's final week as leader of the Roman Catholic Church begins, there's word that:

— Britain's most senior Roman Catholic cleric has resigned and will not be taking part in the conclave of cardinals that will select the next pope. As NPR's Philip Reeves reports from London, "Cardinal Keith O'Brien's decision was announced a day after revelations that he behaved inappropriately with several priests."

— Benedict has, as it was rumored he might, decided to allow the cardinals to begin the conclave earlier than rules require. If all the cardinals who are eligible to vote have gathered at the Vatican, the Associated Press and Reuters report, they won't be required to wait the 15 days after Benedict's resignation (which takes effect Thursday) to begin the conclave.

On O'Brien's resignation, Phil tells our Newscast desk that the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland was the subject of a report in Britain's Observer. Phil says that "the newspaper alleged he made inappropriate approaches towards three priests and one former priest in the 1980s. Cardinal O'Brien — archbishop of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh — strongly denies this. He's 74, and was due to retire soon."

But the cardinal opted to step down, saying he doesn't want to be a distraction at the conclave of cardinals. His decision, Phil adds, "may increase pressure on several other cardinals who are facing demands to recuse themselves because of their handling of abuse scandals."

From 'On The Media': Inside the Vatican with 'Whispers in the Loggia' blogger Rocco Palmo.

The final death toll has not yet been determined, but the number is high. A hot air balloon carrying tourists on a flight over historic sites around the ancient Egyptian city of Luxor caught fire Tuesday. It then plunged to the ground.

NPR's Leila Fadel reports from Cairo that 19 people may have perished. Al-Jazeera puts the current death toll at 18. According to NBC News, at least 14 people were killed — but another four are said to be missing.

Regardless of the final number, "it was the deadliest hot air balloon accident in the world in at least 20 years," says CNN. Those killed included tourists from Japan, Britain, Belgium and France, according to news reports.

As for the cause, NBC reports that:

"There were conflicting accounts of what happened.

"[Ahmed Aboud, who runs another balloon company and acts as a spokesman for balloon operators in the area] said that gas tanks caught fire and ignited the balloon at about 1,000 feet.

"But an eyewitness, who did not want to be identified, said the balloon was about 12 feet off the ground when a landing rope was thrown to people on the ground. As they grabbed it, the rope wrapped around a gas container, which broke and a fire then started. The witness estimated the balloon then 'shot up 500 meters' (1,640 feet) and the pilot 'jumped out as it was going up.' "

As Italy's elections results came in Monday, the country appeared headed toward political gridlock, a development that rattled financial markets hoping for a clear result.

A center-left coalition, headed by Pier Luigi Bersani and favored in pre-election polls, looked like it would win the lower house of parliament, according to partial results.

But in a surprise, the center-right grouping, headed by the former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, appeared to be ahead in the upper house.

And NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reported from Rome that there were other surprises as well:

The wild-card 5 Star Movement, headed by comedian-turned politician Beppe Grillo, is doing better than expected and may become the biggest single party.

TV network anchors and guests appeared confused and rattled by projections that conflicted with earlier exit polls in a country where many people are hesitant to reavel exactly who they're voting for.

Haven't had a chance to watch the Oscar-nominated documentary shorts? All Things Considered is here to help. In the week leading up to the Academy Awards, NPR's Audie Cornish talked with the directors of the five short films nominated for best documentary short.

The films tell a range of stories — about a preventable disease that's ravaging Africa and the quiet loneliness of Florida retirees, the vibrant art of a homeless teenager and the hard life of "canners," and finally a salon that helps women with cancer cope with their scars.

'Mondays At Racine': For Cancer Patients, A Salon Treatment
One Monday each month, sisters Cynthia and Rachel open the doors to their hair salon, free, to cancer patients. As filmmaker Cynthia Wade documents, the time at the salon spent with hats and wigs does more than address hair loss; it helps women cope with the physical and emotional scars of cancer. (All Things Considered audio and transcript, Feb. 22, 2013)