Berlusconi acts over rubbish riots

Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi promised a swift solution to the latest rubbish crisis in Italy, saying that the government will take over management of a local dump where angry residents and police have clashed for days, and pledged millions of euros in compensation.

Mr Berlusconi held an emergency meeting in Rome after the clashes in Terzigno, near Naples, where protesters, complaining about the stench and poor conditions, have set vehicles ablaze and hurled firecrackers at police.