Two populist and stridently anti-European Union political groups, both fierce rivals, surged in Italy's parliamentary election at the expense of the country's traditional powers, but neither gained enough support to govern alone, preliminary results showed.

While most soccer-loving fans around the globe will be glued to their televisions next year during the World Cup, restaurants and cinemas around Italy might find themselves extra busy during the summer.

The owner of the Dublin city centre property which housed the La Stampa restaurant, bar, and hotel claims AIB advertised them for sale at up to €7.5m less than their value.

Some of the stranger stories from around the world

The publication of two new books has intensified the Vatican leaks scandal and highlight the struggles of Pope Francis as he tries to reform the sprawling bureaucracy, writes Nicole Winfield

The country’s commercial property market is set to emulate the exceptional levels of activity seen last year as investors scrambled to get deals done before the capital gains tax exemption expired.

The boutique Dawson hotel in Dublin city centre is being put up for sale with a €15m guide price and is likely to attract considerable attention given its prominent location.

The European Union must take a collective stand to tackle migrant trafficking at its source in African countries, Italy’s prime minister Matteo Renzi said ahead of an emergency summit of the bloc’s leaders yesterday to discuss the crisis.

A woman who underwent fertility treatment at a clinic in Rome became pregnant with the twins of another couple after their embryos were mixed up.

The Kremlin gave gifts to heads of state at a G20 meeting in St Petersburg that were actually bugging devices, it has been reported.

Pope John Paul II has cleared the final obstacle before being made a saint.

Cardinals electing the new pope will be looking for a charismatic but tenacious man capable of reuniting a fractious Church, stamping down on scandals, and reigniting faith among the young.

The third series of popular period drama Downton Abbey begins tonight on UTV and Wednesday on TV3.

Amid all the rivalries and gossip exposed by a growing Vatican crisis, Pope Benedict’s deputy, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, has emerged as the chief target of an unprecedented campaign of leaks.

The worst crisis in Pope Benedict’s pontificate deepened when Italian media said at least one cardinal was among those suspected of divulging sensitive documents as part of a power struggle at the top of the Church.

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has confirmed he will not run again for office and said his hand-picked successor Angelino Alfano will be his party’s candidate when Italy holds new elections.

THE global “Day of Rage” against the world’s financial system won some limited sympathy from political and economic leaders yesterday, after protests that were peaceful everywhere but Italy.

Prosecutors say an Italian businessman recruited about 30 girls to attend parties at Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s homes, selecting them for their looks and age and paying some of them to have sex with the Italian leader.

WHAT Edina and Patsy of Absolutely Fabulous would make of today’s fashion world — from bloggers to Lady Gaga — remains anyone’s guess.

A scouting trip to France led to a eureka moment for Paul Flynn when he abandoned crispy pancakes for fancy chicken. He tells Joe McNamee about a new challenge

SORDID details of the grasping ambition of parents of young girls caught up in Italy’s latest sex scandal emerged yesterday as excerpts from wire-taps were splashed over the country’s papers.

The Italian press pulled no punches this morning as they dissected the Azzurri’s World Cup failure.

Roman Catholic Church officials said the recently created first synthetic cell could be a positive development if correctly used, but warned scientists that "only God can create life".

Italy will send around 1,000 extra troops to Afghanistan, the country’s Defence Minister said today.

ITALY have made it, and with a match to spare, just as they did when they won the World Cup in 1982 and 2006, as Marcello Lippi was keen to point out.

REPORTS that 30 women attended 18 parties hosted by Silvio Berlusconi and some were paid to have sex with guests have added to the Italian leader’s problems at a time of speculation that his grip on power may be weakening.

BOB GELDOF grilled Silvio Berlusconi in an interview published yesterday, telling him Rome’s failed pledges on aid put the Italian premier’s credibility in doubt as he chairs a G8 summit this week.

Premier Silvio Berlusconi apparently demanded a public apology from his wife today after she announced plans to divorce.

PREMIER Silvio Berlusconi’s second wife, former actress Veronica Lario, is seeking a divorce after 19 years of marriage, citing his reported flirtations with younger women.

Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s second wife is seeking a divorce after 19 years of marriage and three children, citing his reported flirtations with younger women.

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon believes the Bianconeri can challenge for the Scudetto next season if they strengthen the squad in the summer.

Italian opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi urged the country to close its borders to Romanian workers and a conservative ally called for the expulsion of tens of thousands of immigrants as the nation grappled today with public outrage over a wave of violent crimes blamed on foreigners.

Hundreds of mourners are paying their respects to Luciano Pavarotti, whose body is laying in state in his hometown of Modena, Italy.

The Vatican today sought to play down suggestions that Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was snubbing Pope Benedict XVI by attending a Nato meeting during the pontiff’s upcoming visit to the predominantly Muslim country.

IF ITALIAN tax returns are to be believed, the average shoe salesman in the prosperous northern city of Bolzano earns €673 per year, while jewellers around the country earn less than primary school teachers.

MADONNA has shrugged off a storm of protest and accusations of blasphemy from the Catholic Church to stage a mock crucifixion in Rome.

Luciano Pavarotti has no intention of letting the curtain fall on his singing days despite 70 years of age and recent surgery for pancreatic cancer.

JUST two days after his election victory was confirmed, Italy’s prime minister-in-waiting, Romano Prodi, struggled yesterday to contain a row within his centre-left coalition that boded ill for his future government.

ROYALTIES for Pope Benedict XVI’s writings and speeches? The Italian publishing world is aghast.

THE name and reputation of Judas Iscariot will never be quite the same again if a group of Vatican scholars gets its way.

Italy is expected to pick apart US conclusions on the shooting by American soldiers of an Italian agent in Baghdad, challenging a report that cleared US troops of any wrongdoing in the incident.

In a historic gathering steeped in intrigue, cardinals from six continents today open their first conclave of the new millennium to elect a pope who will inherit John Paul II’s mantle and guide the world’s 1.1 billion Roman Catholics into a new era.