Italy's former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi says he had struggled to stay awake at a hearing in one of his three trials in which he is accused of bribing his former British tax lawyer.
Italy's Mario Monti has formally accepted his nomination as Italian prime minister and says he would also take the post of finance minister as he unveiled his new Cabinet.
Italy's premier-designate Mario Monti has begun talks to create a new government of non-political experts tasked with overhauling an ailing economy.
Italy's Mario Monti, the sober economist set to take over from the larger-than-life Silvio Berlusconi, could not be more different from the outgoing premier.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has formally resigned, ending one of the most scandal-plagued eras in recent Italian history amid the jeers of hundreds of protesters.
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi is preparing to resign after parliament's lower chamber passed European-demanded reforms, ending a 17-year political era.
Italy's Senate ohas given its initial approval to a package of key economic reforms aimed at staving off bankruptcy including state asset sell-offs and a liberalisation of local services.
Markets finally sink showman Berlusconi.
Italian borrowing costs reached breaking point after Silvio Berlusconi's insistence on elections opened the way to prolonged instability and delays to economic reform.
Global equities rose while the euro steadied after Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said he would resign, raising hopes for the debt-ridden country.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will resign once key reforms are adopted, an official says, after a parliament vote sounded the death knell for his centre-right coalition.
Investors fretted as Silvio Berlusconi's reform-shy government teetered on the brink and debt-crippled Greece battled to put together a unity government.
Global stocks and the euro fell as uncertainty in Italy added to concerns the eurozone debt crisis could engulf Rome, prompting investors to cut exposure to riskier assets.
Two journalists close to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi say he will resign within a matter of hours.
A simple "no" answer by the Greek public could see the "complete meltdown of the European banking system and throw Europe into turmoil" after a stunning move by the Greek prime minister.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, under sharp pressure from his EU partners over Italy's finances, was called in for pre-summit tete-a-tetes.
A political storm has erupted over the worst riots in Rome for years, with the government accused of failing to prevent well organised and violent groups infiltrating one of many global finance protests.
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has narrowly survived a confidence vote in Parliament, but his slight majority raises doubt over his ability to govern effectively.
With his ratings at record lows, scandal-hit Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has quipped that his party should change its name to “Go Pussy!”, a gaffe likely to incense voters.
According to a report, an Italian court says Premier Silvio Berlusconi persuaded a businessman to lie to prosecutors about his role in bringing prostitutes to wild parties at his villas.
Migrants have clashed with residents on an Italian island off the coast of Sicily where tens of thousands of North Africans have landed since the start of the year.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has made light of the sex scandals surrounding Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, saying critics are simply jealous of his sexual prowess.
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has accused the left-wing opposition of ruining Italy as he met with EU officials in Brussels.
Italy has proof that Muammar Gaddafi had planned to turn its tiny island of Lampedusa into an "inferno" by sending thousands of African migrants there by boat, says an official.
Diplomatic cables have shown that the United States confronted Italy about claims that it paid Taliban not to attack its troops in Afghanistan, say reports.
A dying Jehovah's Witness in Italy has won the legal right not to receive treatment, sparking a heated debate between supporters and opponents of euthanasia in this predominately Catholic country.
A Milan court has rejected submissions by Silvio Berlusconi's defence team in the trial against the Italian premier for alleged bribery and paying for sex with a 17-year-old girl.
The 18-year-old nightclub dancer at the centre of a sex trial against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says she is pregnant and plans to marry soon.
A former showgirl turned local politician for Silvio Berlusconi's ruling party has denied accusations from prosecutors of being a "brothel manager" for the Italian prime minister.
Premier Silvio Berlusconi says it will be "folly" for him to quit two years ahead of term, warning that political instability would leave the country prey to financial speculators.
The Italian electorate has risen up against Silvio Berlusconi, overturning laws passed by his government including one that would have helped him avoid prosecution.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has acknowledged defeat in four referendum votes, saying the will of Italians is "clear".
Lady Gaga has delighted tens of thousands of fans at a brief concert at a gay pride rally in Rome.
Italy's playboy premier Silvio Berlusconi has shrugged off a crushing political setback joking that it was too early for his funeral, as his trial for sex with an under age call girl resumed.
Premier Silvio Berlusconi has suffered a serious political blow in his native Milan when his candidate failed to win outright a mayoral race.
The upcoming Italian local elections will be a test of how badly Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been hurt by a sex scandal, three trials for corruption and a stagnating economy.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has branded magistrates "a cancer of democracy" while attending a hearing in one of the four trials he is facing.
Guards could return to Europe's utopian border-free area as the EU unveils proposals to ease French and Italian fears about a potential deluge of penniless north African migrants.
Europe is divided over how to deal with an exodus of migrants fleeing unrest in north Africa, as Rome clashes with neighbours refusing to take in boatpeople pouring into Italy.
Premier Silvio Berlusconi doesn't seem to be letting his legal woes get him down, joking to two young blondes that he'd like to invite them to his famed "bunga bunga" parties.
Italian coast guards have plucked 48 refugees from the Mediterranean and have spotted 20 bodies at sea after a boat laden with about 200 African migrants from Libya capsized.
Silvio Berlusconi's trial on charges of sex with an underage prostitute and abuse of power opens after a dramatic build-up that has dented his popularity.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has promised to clear thousands of illegal Tunisian migrants from Lampedusa after an outcry over a humanitarian crisis on the tiny island.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has attended a legal hearing for the first time in eight years over allegations of fiscal fraud and breach of trust in his business interests.
Premier Silvio Berlusconi paid for sex with a Moroccan teen 13 times, prosecutors say in a document seeking indictments against aides for allegedly soliciting prostitutes for him.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has undergone four-hour facial surgery, under general anaesthetic, to restore his jaw after an attack by a deranged man in 2009.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, plagued by legal troubles including accusations that he had sex with an underage prostitute, will attend all his court hearings.
The young woman at the centre of one of Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi's alleged sex scandals says she wants her previous life back.
A tax fraud trial involving Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has resumed in his absence in the first of a series of showdowns between the embattled leader and Italy's justice system.
Two women from a Ukrainian rights group who stripped off their clothes to protest Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's alleged sexual misconduct have been sentenced to brief jail terms.
The Opposition has criticised Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for failing to condemn violence in Libya and saying he did not want to "disturb" Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Italy's Silvio Berlusconi allegedly used the power of his office to try and hide a sex crime, the examining magistrate in his case has explaining why he should stand trial.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is clinging to power despite plunging approval ratings after the announcement that he will stand trial for sex with an underage prostitute.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who faces trial for sleeping with a teenage prostitute and abuse of power, has had years of legal troubles.
Nearly 1 000 people escaping turmoil in Tunisia landed on an Italian island overnight after the government declared a wave of illegal immigrants a humanitarian emergency.
Italian magistrates will request that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi face a fast-track trial over allegations he had sex with an underage girl and abused his powers to help her.
Hundreds of demonstrators chanted for Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to resign outside his villa near Milan, in the latest protest against the scandal-plagued prime minister.
Weakened by divisions in his ruling party and a raging sex scandal, Silvio Berlusconi has reached out to the left-wing opposition with a deal to overhaul Italy's economy.
AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi has put the blame for finishing the season empty-handed on coach Carlo Ancelotti.
Three aides to ex-Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi have gone on trial on charges they allegedly recruited an underage Moroccan girl and other women for prostitution at Berlusconi's villas.
Italian prime minister-designate, Mario Monti, is scheduled to hold talks on forming a government with representatives of outgoing Silvio Berlusconi’s party.
Economist Mario Monti has agreed to try to form the next Italian government.
Car honking and dancing in the streets has greeted the resignation of Silvio Berlusconi as prime minister in Rome, with thousands waving Italian flags and holding up "Bye Bye Silvio" signs.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says he is "deeply embittered" after thousands of people in Rome cheered the imminent end of his rule.
Russia's Vladimir Putin called his old friend Silvio Berlusconi "one of the last Mohicans", who will be missed by Italy once he steps down as premier.
Italy's senate has approved reforms intended to reverse a collapse of market confidence and which will help kick off a rapid transition that will end the Berlusconi era.
Outgoing Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says he lacks power and compared himself to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, who was reduced to making 'suggestions' rather than ruling.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says he will not run for office at the next election and will step down by the end of the month.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, bowing to a parliamentary revolt and intense market pressure, says he will resign once crucial reforms are adopted.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's future is hanging by a thread after he failed to garner an absolute majority in parliament and borrowing rates hit a record high.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, under massive pressure to resign, faces a crucial vote on public finances in parliament, which could sink his government if enough party rebels desert him.
As investors turned their anxiety towards Rome's debt crisis, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi defied pressure from his party to step down.
Tens of thousands of opposition activists have demonstrated in central Rome for the ouster of Premier Silvio Berlusconi.
There is a new fear spreading through Italy's industrial heartland near Milan -- a looming credit crunch for businesses linked to a spike in pressure from the financial markets.
A Milan court has refused to indict Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi in a tax fraud case involving his Mediaset media company.
The global "Day of Rage" against the world's financial system has won some limited sympathy from political and economic leaders after protests that were peaceful everywhere but Italy.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has told supporters that being prime minister is "a burden" but that he has to stay on for the sake of Italy's financial stability.
A Milan judge has ordered three aides to Premier Silvio Berlusconi to stand trial on charges they allegedly recruited a Moroccan girl and several women for prostitution.
An Italian court has excluded 10 witnesses who had been scheduled to testify on behalf of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in his fraud trial, because, judges say, the case needs to wrap up.
Berlusconi's top aide says the scandal-stung premier won't quit, as more steamy details emerge about his parties with younger women.
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi might face another trial in Milan.
A businessman linked to a prostitution case involving Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been arrested on suspicion of extorting the premier.
Silvio Berlusconi has met the head of Libya's rebel National Transitional Council for talks aimed at securing Italian business interests in post-conflict Libya.
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has dismissed speculation he might step down next year and push for early elections as the country tries to avoid financial collapse.
Italy is in danger of being swept up by eurozone contagion, which would take the debt crisis to a new and more critical level.
Libya has barred Italy from future participation in its oil sector because of Rome's role in the Nato airstrikes on the country.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has confirmed that he will not run in the next elections in 2013 and will hand over the reigns of his party.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has shrugged off criticism of the Nato-led campaign in Libya, saying the Western alliance should stay put until Muammar Gaddafi departs.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi faces parliamentary votes this week that will test the strength of his coalition which struggling to stay united.
Italy says Middle East peace can only be reached through negotiations, keeping to its position rejecting any unilateral actions such as recognition of a Palestinian state.
Italian voters have turned out in numbers for referendums including one that will undo a law that offers the Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi a legal shield in criminal prosecutions.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has expressed "great regret" over Brazil's release of ex-militant Cesare Battisti, as Rome says it will go to The Hague over the decision.
Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi risks losing his power base of Milan to the left after local elections that have shown just how fragile his centre-right coalition is.
Sex and power are no strangers. History is littered with tales of the powerful and privileged felled by sex scandals.
The Italian army has been ordered to clear tons of uncollected garbage from the rubbish-strewn streets of Naples a week before local elections.
Italian soldiers will head to Naples to help clean a city that is again filled with garbage, says Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has vowed not to quit, promising to hang in there as long as he's needed.
A defiant Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has arrived in court to face the latest in a series of trials on charges ranging from tax fraud to paying for sex with a minor.
Lawyers representing the Moroccan go-go dancer at the centre of Silvio Berlusconi's "sex trial" say she will not be seeking compensation from the Italian prime minister.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's trial on charges of sex with an underage prostitute and abuse of power has been adjourned.
As Italy's Silvio Berlusconi prepares for the first hearing in his sex crime trial this week, rumours persist that Hollywood star George Clooney could be called as a witness.
Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, his popularity plummeting as he faces a string of legal cases, has appeared in court for the first time in 8 years.
The time is not ripe for mediation in the Libya conflict as Muammar Gaddafi still believes he can prevail, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said.
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son Seif al-Islam has told Italian newspapers the army has regained control over "90% of the country" and would totally defeat rebels.
Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi, who faces trial for allegedly paying for sex with an underage teenager, will defend himself - as long as he doesn't have to show up in court more than once a week, his lawyer says.
"Ruby", the teenager at the heart of a sex scandal involving Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, has attracted frenzied attention at the Vienna Opera Ball.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has called for caution regarding the crisis in Libya and Muammar Gaddafi's possible exile, saying the situation is "confused" and constantly changing.
Muammar Gaddafi does not seem to be in control of Libya anymore, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Gaddafi's strongest European ally, has said.
European governments are facing mounting fears for their citizens in Libya after Tripoli warned of civil war, but cracks remain on how to deal with veteran leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The Moroccan teenager at the centre of a prostitution scandal involving Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi says "all the gold in the world" could not make up for her suffering.
A newspaper close to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says it has received an envelope containing a bullet and a leaflet bearing the symbol of a left-wing guerrilla group.
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi says he is not worried by an impending prostitution trial, where embarrassing testimony could end his political career.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will go on trial for buying underage sex and abuse of power in April, a judge has ruled.
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has hit out at prosecutors wanting to put him on trial for allegedly paying for sex with a 17-year-old girl, saying their actions are “disgusting”.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's cabinet will meet to adopt measures aimed at boosting economic growth as Italy battles with high debt and youth unemployment.
The Italian parliament has rejected prosecutors' request to search some of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's properties in a prostitution probe targeting him.
A Roman statue of Mars displayed in Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's office has had a new penis added on, under specific orders from the Italian leader who has been mired in a series of sex scandals.