Prime Minister Mario Monti

• Matteo Renzi set to become Italy's youngest prime minister

  Centre-left leader Matteo Renzi was set to be nominated as Italy's youngest prime minister in a matter of days after a party coup forced Enrico Letta to resign as premier of the euro zone state struggling to pull out of recession.

• Four Italian journalists taken hostage in Syria freed

  Four Italian journalists who were being held hostage in Syria have been freed, Prime Minister Mario Monti said in a statement on Saturday.

• Appreciate decision to send back marines: PM tells Italian premier

  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today told his Italian counterpart Mario Monti that a view on specific aspects of the case involving two marines facing murder charges in the country cannot be taken pending investigations.

• We risked getting isolated: Italian PM on marines' issue

  Outlining the reasons for sending back to India the two marines accused of killing Indian fishermen, Italy's outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti said Rome faced serious risk of being isolated internationally and could have opened a crisis of "serious proportions" with New Delhi.

• Italy PM Monti says he 'can't wait' to leave office

  Caretaker Prime Minister Mario Monti, looking tired and distraught, said on Wednesday he was ready to leave office a day after a prominent member of his government resigned over the handling of a dispute with India.

• Marines row: Italian PM wants rapid solution

  Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti addressed his country's parliament on Wednesday, a day after Italy's foreign minister resigned to protest against his government's decision to send two marines back to India to face trial in the deaths of two fishermen.

• Italian PM Mario Monti assures 'correct governance' of its defence group Finmeccanica

  Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has said that his government would "guarantee the correct governance" of Italian defence and aerospace company Finmeccanica, after its Chief Executive Officer Giuseppe Orsi was arrested on suspicion of corruption.

• Prime Minister Mario Monti says ready to lead Italy again as elections loom

  Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said Sunday he was ready to govern the country again as head of a pro-reform coalition in favour of change in Italy and Europe but would not be a candidate in the February election.

• Italy dissolves parliament, outgoing PM Mario Monti mulls future

  Italy's head of state dissolved parliament on Saturday and opened the way to a February election, with doubts growing over whether outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti will participate in what promises to be a bitter campaign.

• Italy Prime Minister Mario Monti resigns, elections likely in February

  Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti tendered his resignation to President Giorgio Napolitano on Friday, the president's office said, paving the way for national elections in February.

• Silvio Berlusconi, Mario Monti set fiery Italian campaign tone

  Italy's Silvio Berlusconi on Tuesday set the tone for his election campaign saying nobody should care about bond spreads, and accusing Mario Monti of being "German-centric" as the prime minister said he had spared Italy from the same fate as Greece.

• Silvio Berlusconi says he will run for Italian leadership again

  Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Saturday he would run to become the country's leader for a fifth time, confirming his return to politics after months of indecision.

• Italian prime minister Monti fears eurozone crisis could tear Europe apart

  Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has voiced fears that tensions sparked by the eurozone crisis have already turned countries against each other and must not be allowed to rip Europe apart.

• Fishermen killing: Italian PM talks to Manmohan Singh on marines issues

  In a bid to mount pressure on India, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has talked to his counterpart Manmohan Singh to express concern over the situation involving two Italian marines held in Kerala for allegedly killing two fishermen in February.

• Fishermen killings: Don't set dangerous precedent, Italian Prime Minister tells Manmohan Singh

  Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti spoke to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday night after which an Italian statement said that he had warned against India setting a "dangerous precedent" with the prosecution of two Italian Marines in Kerala.