Rome - A boy was feared drowned after falling into Rome's Tiber river, which was swollen after days of heavy rain, officials said Saturday.

The young Irish boy was among crowds of curious and anxious onlookers who had come out during the night to look at and take pictures of the river as it threatened to burst its banks.

Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno said early Saturday that the situation had "stabilized."

The Tiber reached a level of 12.5 metres, the highest for decades.

Apart from minor flooding in Monterondo, the Italian capital had managed to keep its feet dry, the mayor said.

"The flood has not passed, but for now, we can put our minds at rest," Alemanno said.

Rome - Italy's largest labour union federation signalled the start of a four-hour nationwide strike Friday with a march by hundreds of its members down the streets of a rainswept Rome.

The leftist CGIL federation is protesting what it says is Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right government's "inadequate" response to salaries, pensions and education reform.

However, the strike is being viewed as a show of strength by the CGIL after the country's other two main union groupings, the more moderate CISL and UIL, refused to participate, branding the work stoppage "irresponsible."

Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI has attacked financial greed, the arms race and unjust trade practices, which he identified as the root causes of poverty, in a document issued by the Vatican on Thursday.

The pontiff's words are contained in a message for the Roman Catholic Church's traditional January 1, World Day of Peace, which for 2009 is themed: Fighting Poverty to Build Peace.

Rome - Serie A side Catania have renewed the contract of coach Walter Zenga until

Rome - Police divers on Thursday pulled the body of a woman from a car submerged in a flooded tunnel near Rome following a night of heavy rains and snowfalls around Italy.

The identity of the woman and the cause of her death were not immediately clear, the ANSA news agency reported.

The tunnel near Monterotondo was among several areas in and around the Italian capital hit by storms that left several motorways and roads blocked.

Authorities urged commuters to use public transport instead of their cars.

Rome - To understand the challenges facing Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in 2009, it's best to consider the country's distinctive boot shape and its reputation for quality footwear.

Like a person putting on a fine boot, Berlusconi only has to pull hard enough on the boot straps to ensure a snug fit. But, should he pull too hard, he risks splitting the seams and pushing his toes through the fabric.

Similarly, Berlusconi, flush from his victory in April's elections, ends 2008 on a high note, with approval ratings around 60 per cent. But maintaining those figures into 2009 will require applying just the right amount of pressure in just the right place.