Silvio Berlusconi has won a delay in his sex-for-hire trial after pleading he was too ill to attend court.

THE European Commission has had some real leaders, men with elements of greatness: Walter Hallstein, Roy Jenkins, Jacques Delors — father of the EU single market — come to mind.

The EU world, at least from Brussels, appears to be falling apart.

THE 59-year-old German economist just appointed by the Government to investigate the cause of Ireland’s banking crisis, is known in Brussels as a straight-talker.

Italy today denied that its secret services bribed the Taliban to stop them killing its soldiers patrolling in Afghanistan.

Italy's government wants to move this summer's Group of Eight summit from Sardinia to earthquake-stricken L'Aquila - both to save money and to give the devastated central region an economic boost.

IT’S all rather spooky. The signatories of the Lisbon Treaty are falling like ninepins. First to suffer was Nicolas Sarkozy, its author. After denying us a referendum on the treaty, he suffered a monumental rejection at the polls in recent local elections here in France.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is moving the Cabinet to Naples today, vowing to clean the city’s streets of the rubbish that has piled up for months and become a stinking symbol of government inadequacy.

An Italian judge has decided that Premier Silvio Berlusconi will be called to testify in the trial of 26 Americans and several Italians charged with kidnapping a terror suspect during a CIA operation.

The outgoing Italian government posted the entire population's tax returns on the internet causing a mad scramble which crashed the system.

Conservative leader Silvio Berlusconi tonight won a decisive victory in Italy’s parliamentary elections – a remarkable return to power for the billionaire media mogul.

Exit polls put Silvio Berlusconi narrowly in the lead for his attempt to become Italy’s premier for a third time today.

Italian voters turned out for the second and final day of elections today with billionaire Silvio Berlusconi seemingly edging into a lead for his third time as premier.

TO most of the outside world, Italy is a land of beautiful landscapes, delicious food, glamorous fashion and Renaissance art treasures.

Italy’s president dissolved parliament today, clearing the way for early elections – only two years after the last parliamentary vote.

Italy’s Senate Speaker said today he could not muster enough support for an interim government to change voting rules, clearing the way for an early election.

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.

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.

THE Italian army started bulldozing piles of uncollected rubbish away from schools in Naples yesterday, more than two weeks into the city’s latest waste crisis.

FROM London to Washington to Delhi and points in between, the assassination of Benazir Bhutto produced dismay and condemnation, along with concern for the stability of the volatile region.

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

Demands for a referendum on the European Union Reform Treaty were reignited today after British Prime Minister Gordon Brown signed Britain up to the document in the Portuguese capital.

German police arrested a fugitive wanted in the killing of British student Meredith Kercher in Italy.

An Italian police officer accidentally shot dead a football fan today while trying to break up a clash with supporters of another club at a motorway rest stop, a police chief said.

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.

SALVATORE Lo Piccolo, who magistrates believe is the Sicilian Mafia’s new “boss of bosses”, was arrested yesterday after nearly a quarter of a century on the run, police said.

ROMA gypsies are being rounded up and expelled from Italy on foot of a decree rushed into law last week allowing the country to take such action against anybody who threatened security.

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.

Milan has begun deporting Romanians with criminal records after a wave of violent crime blamed on swelling numbers of immigrants from one of the European Union’s newest and poorest members.

THEY cannot all be right. Last week, European heads of government rubber-stamped a new EU treaty almost identical to the constitution rejected two years ago by the French and the Dutch.

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.

Sudan President Omar al-Bashir today said his government was ready for a cease-fire with rebel forces at the start of peace talks scheduled for next month in Libya over the conflict in Darfur.

Luciano Pavarotti’s voice rang out a final time today inside Modena’s cathedral in northern Italy, as a recording of the great tenor singing with his father highlighted a funeral attended by family, dignitaries and close friends.

The voice that captivated millions of fans across the globe boomed out around an Italian piazza today in final tribute to legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti.

US Senator Barack Obama has the aura of a rock star, according to George Clooney, who also had nice words for the other Democratic Party presidential candidates.

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.

Thousands of police were on duty today in central Rome ahead of US President George W. Bush’s meetings with the pope and Italian officials.

TWENTY-SIX US citizens, almost all believed to be CIA agents, went on trial in absentia yesterday accused of kidnapping a Muslim cleric in Milan and flying him to Egypt.