Italy's PM under pressure to quit

Source: BBC News

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi is under pressure to stand down ahead of a crunch confidence vote in the Senate.

He comfortably survived a first vote on Wednesday in the lower house, but analysts say he now faces almost certain defeat in the upper chamber.

A small party in Mr Prodi's coalition deserted him this week, handing his Senate majority to the opposition.

Mr Prodi has been urged to quit and the country's president is reported to have asked him to avoid the second vote.

The BBC's Christian Fraser in Rome says there is speculation that Mr Prodi will tender his resignation to President Georgio Napolitano after a cabinet meeting on Thursday morning.

Berlusconi's boon?

The crisis was sparked by the withdrawal on Monday of the centrist Udeur party - with its three seats - from Mr Prodi's ruling coalition, costing the prime minister his Senate advantage of two.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7206040.stm

The Italians do everything better.

And right winger Berlusconi is good at stirring up trouble.

This is not good news in my opinion.

If we got rid of all of our corrupt elected officials, there would only be a small handful Democrats left standing.