Italy is facing the prospect of an early election or the formation of an interim government after the resignation of prime minister Romano Prodi.

Embattled Italian prime minister Romano Prodi has tonight arrived at the presidential Palace to hand in his resignation, after losing a confidence vote.

Embattled Italian Premier Romano Prodi appealed today for backing in a confidence vote needed to keep his centre-left coalition from collapsing.

Piles of uncollected rubbish were still clogging the streets of Naples today as Italy's new waste "tsar" outlined plans for relieving the crisis.

Italy’s justice minister resigned today following a corruption probe involving his wife, putting further strain on Premier Romano Prodi’s shaky government.

Emergency steps to deal with the growing backlog of rubbish piling up on Naples' streets were announced today by prime minister Romano Prodi.

Italian Premier Romano Prodi held talks with top ministers today in a bid to come with a “radical” new solution to Naples’ rubbish crisis.

Leaders across the world are today united in their condemnation of the assassination of Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi.

Italy is in shock over another football tragedy in which a Lazio fan was shot and killed today at a motorway service station in Arezzo.

Italian commandos, aided by Nato forces and aircraft, rescued two kidnapped Italian intelligence agents in a daring ambush and gunbattle that left at least nine of the captors dead in western Afghanistan today.

In a rare, high-profile visit to the West, Sudan’s president today met with the pope and Italy’s premier, and offered to declare a cease-fire with Darfur rebels to coincide with the start of UN-backed peace talks next month.

PALESTINIAN president Mahmud Abbas yesterday called for an international force in the Gaza Strip, which is now controlled by the rival Hamas movement.

Anti-Christian discrimination by the majority Muslim population of Iraq was raised by Pope Benedict XVI at a meeting with US President George Bush in the Vatican today.

The first trial involving the CIA’s extraordinary rendition programme opened in Italy today, without the presence of any of the 26 American defendants accused of kidnapping an Egyptian terror suspect.

The state of US-Italy ties may best be revealed by what takes place in a Milan courtroom just hours before US President George Bush arrives today.

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi will today call for the ambitious scope of the draft European constitution to be retained, as negotiations on the future of the failed treaty enter their final phase.

Italian Premier Romano Prodi’s government has won a Senate vote to keep Italy’s troops in Afghanistan, despite opposition from some radical leftists in the ruling coalition.

Italy’s Senate was expected to back a government measure today and keep the country’s troops in Afghanistan, despite the opposition of some radical leftists in Premier Romano Prodi’s bloc.

ITALY’S Prime Minister Romano Prodi has never been a great football fan, unlike his opposite number Silvio Berlusconi, who is both president and owner of AC Milan, as well as most of the country’s TV stations.

Italy coach Pierre Berbizier feels the Azzurri are not treated with the same respect as other national teams in the RBS 6 Nations.

Italian prime minister Romano Prodi’s government is facing a confidence vote in parliament’s lower house today.

ITALIAN Prime Minister Romano Prodi won a confidence vote in the senate last night, allowing him to stay in office and drawing an end to a political crisis prompted by his resignation a week ago.

Premier Romano Prodi’s nine-month-old government hangs on a confidence vote this evening in the Italian Senate, where the centre-left leader is pitching for outside support to shore up his shaky coalition.

Italian Premier Romano Prodi today defended Italy’s foreign policy, including its troop commitment in Afghanistan, as he tried to persuade senators to keep his government afloat.

Romano Prodi prepared to address the Italian senate today, ahead of a confidence vote in the upper house that will decide whether or not his centre-left government survives.

Italian Premier Romano Prodi’s government will face a vote of confidence in the Senate on Wednesday, putting his razor-thin majority to the test a week after defeat in the upper house of parliament triggered his resignation.

A top ally of Italy’s caretaker prime minister claims Romano Prodi has secured enough support from the country’s centre-left coalition to win the confidence vote needed to return to power.

Italy's president today asked Romano Prodi to stay on as premier and face a confidence vote in parliament.

Party leaders rallied behind Romano Prodi last night, boosting his chances of returning to office days after he resigned as Italian prime minister.

Two days after stepping down as prime minister, Romano Prodi appeared closer to returning to office this afternoon, as Italy’s president met with key politicians to discuss forming a new government.

Italy’s president began a second day of talks with political leaders today, in what is expected to be a final round of consultations on the formation of a new government after the resignation of Premier Romano Prodi’s nine-month-old Cabinet.

Italy’s caretaker premier Romano Prodi called on his coalition allies to give him airtight support for another government.

ITALY’S president began talks with political leaders yesterday to discuss the formation of a new government following the end of Romano Prodi’s nine-month-old administration.

Italy’s caretaker prime minister Romano Prodi summoned his allies to a late night meeting tonight to see if they could commit themselves to backing him convincingly enough to possibly put together another government.

Italy's president began talks with political leaders today to discuss the formation of a new government following the end of Premier Romano Prodi's nine-month-old administration.

Italian premier Romano Prodi resigned after nine months in office following an embarrassing loss by his centre-left government in the Senate on foreign policy.

Italian Premier Romano Prodi resigned last night after his centre-left government embarrassingly lost a Senate vote on foreign policy, including the country’s military mission in Afghanistan.

ITALIAN Prime Minister Romano Prodi resigned yesterday after nine months in office following an embarrassing senate defeat by his centre-left government on foreign policy matters, including Italy’s military mission in Afghanistan.

Premier Romano Prodi resigned tonight after an embarrassing loss in the Italian Senate on foreign policy.

Italian Premier Romano Prodi planned to offer to quit tonight after an embarrassing foreign policy loss in the Italian Senate, a Cabinet minister said.

An Italian cabinet minister has said premier Romano Prodi will offer his resignation to the country’s president.

Italy’s government today lost a crucial vote in the Senate over its mission in Afghanistan, a result that could lead to its resignation.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai will meet Italian Premier Romano Prodi today, as Italy prepares to hold a crucial vote in parliament over its troops in Afghanistan.

Football has been halted in Italy after a police officer was killed when fans rioted at a match.