Five Star Movement

Italy's teetering government was thrown a lifeline Thursday after the country's president refused to accept the resignation of Prime Minister Mario Draghi, insisting he address parliament in a bid to avoid snap elections.

He won a vote of confidence but not from the “Five Star Movement” – “The relationship of trust that forms the basis of a government no longer exists”

The lower house of Italy's parliament voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to ratify former European Central Bank (ECB) head Mario Draghi as prime minister amid the dual challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the worst economic slump since World War II.

 Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese, and Health Ministers Roberto Speranza retained their mandates in the new government formed by Mario Draghi.

Prosecutors in Rome have launched an investigation into a grave threat after a dummy of climate activist Greta Thunberg was hanged under a Roman bridge, BTA reported.

The dummy which was found hanging from a bridge in Rome had pigtails and an attached sign saying "Greta is your God"

Coalition leaders in Italy have agreed on the need to avoid EU disciplinary measures because of the excessive debt and the worsening budget deficit. That became clear late last night at a meeting of the Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte with his runners-up and government ministers - the leaders of the League and the 5-star Movement  parties Matteo Salvini and Luigi di Maio.

The reason given were "groundless attacks without precedent by Italy."

Ansa is quoting a French Foreign Ministry press releases that said there had been "outrageous statements" by the Italian government.

"Disagreeing is one thing, exploiting relations for electoral ends is another," the ministry added.

Five-Stars Movement (M5S) leader Luigi Di Maio salutes the crowd during a rally in Naples, Italy, Tuesday, May 29, 2018. (Ciro Fusco/ANSA via AP)

ROME (Sputnik) - Italian Prime Minister-Designate Giuseppe Conte couldn't form a new government, Ugo Zampetti, an official at the president's office, said Sunday.

The leader of Italy's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement dismissed proposals for a stop-gap government to reform the electoral law and repeated his call for a snap election in June, according to a newspaper interview on May 4.