Pressure was growing today on Italy’s embattled premier Silvio Berlusconi as he struggled to win support for a vital emergency growth plan.

ITALIAN Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti pledged to meet European Central Bank demands for sweeping economic reforms in exchange for help in shielding Italy from the eurozone debt crisis.

ITALIAN Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s main coalition ally has warned the government could collapse over an unpopular austerity plan.

A DEFIANT Berlusconi, already weakened by a sex scandal, has vowed to stay despite the ruling by the constitutional court, which he called a political organ.

A key member of Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s conservative government has called for Italy’s soldiers to be withdrawn from Afghanistan, but the Italian defence minister immediately insisted the troops would stay.

Italy has accused Ryanair of employing a "vulgar and offensive" ad against rival airline Alitalia that made it look as if an Italian cabinet minister was giving passengers the finger.

A Cabinet minister resisted calls for his resignation today, after his decision to wear a T-shirt featuring cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad was blamed for sparking deadly clashes at an Italian consulate in Libya.

ITALIAN prime minister Silvio Berlusconi desperately fought to save his coalition government last night.

ITALIAN prime minister Silvio Berlusconi triggered a diplomatic row yesterday when he compared a German MEP to a Nazi during Italy’s six-month start of the EU presidency.

Italian rescue ships have recovered the bodies of seven immigrants who drowned off the North African coast when their ship capsized.

Seven years after his first, stormy tenure, media baron and conservative leader Silvio Berlusconi was tonight poised to get his chance to govern Italy again.