Italy's efforts to form government fail as president defends euro

— Italy’s efforts to form a government broke down on Sunday after the president rejected a eurosceptic pick for the key economy ministry, triggering a potential constitutional crisis and opening the prospect of fresh elections

— Italy's Prime Minister-designate Giuseppe Conte leaves after a meeting with the Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, Italy, May 27, 2018

— REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi The leaders of the two anti-establishment parties trying to field a government, the far-right League and the 5-Star Movement, accused President Sergio Mattarella of betraying the constitution and demanded a new vote as soon as possible

— Prime Minister-designate Giuseppe Conte gave up on efforts to form a government after the head of state refused to endorse 81-year-old economist Paolo Savona, a vocal critic of the euro and the European Union, to the pivotal economy post

— Italian President Sergio Mattarella speaks to media after a meeting with Italy's Prime Minister-designate Giuseppe Conte at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, Italy, May 27, 2018