Matteo Salvini

Italy's parliament will be dissolved between Christmas and the New Year, a parliamentary source said on Wednesday, opening the way for national elections in early March that look unlikely to throw up a clearcut winner, according to Reuters. 

The leader of the Italian anti-immigrant and anti-european party "Northern League" Matteo Salvini said the only response to immigration should be to block rescue ships and shut down Italian ports, the French press reported.

"Former center-left Prime Minister Mateo Renci this week said that we can not accept all immigrants to Italy," Salvini told foreign journalists.

Matteo Renzi bowed out as Italian prime minister with a combination of jokes, regrets and a strong hint that he wants to lead his party into an early election battle.

Political consultations on forming a caretaker government started on Dec. 8, after Renzi formally submitted his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella following a crushing referendum defeat.

AP Photo/ Jae C. Hong

BELGRADE - The victory of Republican candidate Donald Trump over Democrat rival Hillary Clinton in US presidential elections indicates that Western media do not reflect the public sentiment, Fabrizio Bertot, Italian politician with Forza Italia and Former member European Parliament told Sputnik.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi suffered a setback in local elections on May 31, with a weaker-than-expected showing by his centre-left bloc and a marked rise in support for the right-wing Northern League and the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement. 

Italians voted May 31 in regional elections seen as a key measure of the fading fortunes of ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi and an important test for centre-left Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.  

The deaths of 30 boat migrants sparked anger and frustration in Italy on Monday, as critics accused the government of failing to deal with an immigration crisis which has seen over 5,000 people rescued in the last 24 hours.