Italy

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been sentenced to four years in jail for his part in a six-year old tax fraud case.

The euro has hit a two-month high against the US dollar as the European Central Bank's bond-buying plans bolstered the single currency.

ITALY

Guy Foster, head of portfolio strategy at Brewin Dolphin, discusses the progression of the eurozone crisis in light of the latest policy shift.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has described a psychological rift deeply ingrained within the eurozone that could potentially rip Europe apart.

M&G's Michael Riddell has put 10% of his International Sovereign Bond fund portfolio in Italian government bonds in anticipation of a fresh liquidity injection from the European Central Bank.

European stocks are climbing after a four day sell-off, following a pledge from European Central Bank president Mario Draghi that the ECB will "do whatever it takes to preserve the euro".

Investment bank Citigroup has forecast a 90% chance Greece will leave the euro in the next 12 to 18 months.

Italian and Spanish authorities both moved to ban short-selling today after shares plunged across the globe on fears Greece will fail to meet bailout pledges.

After two years of intense negotiations and 19 crisis summits, EU leaders are still deeply divided over what action is needed to solve the eurozone sovereign debt crisis.