ROME, April 2, 2008 (AFP) - The Italian state will not make a requested 300-million-euro bridging loan to Alitalia unless the failing airline's unions reach agreement with Air France-KLM on the European giant's takeover bid, Economy Minister Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa said Tuesday.

ROME, April 1, 2008 (AFP) - Air France-KLM is ready to reduce the number of job cuts at Italian flag carrier Alitalia from the 2,100 it initially wanted in an effort to get its takeover offer accepted, local reports said Tuesday.

The Ansa and RadioCor news agencies, citing union sources, said that by changing some of its planned aircraft, Air France-KLM could keep more staff.

ROME, March 31, 2008 (AFP) - The deadline for takeover negotiations between Air France-KLM management and unions at Alitalia was extended to Wednesday, the struggling Italian carrier said after a day of tense talks.

ROME, March 31, 2008 (AFP) - Tense negotiations with Alitalia's unions on Air France-KLM's takeover bid went into overtime on Monday as the Italian airline's boss gave workers 24 hours to reach a 'basic accord.'

ROME, March 31, 2008 (AFP) - Alitalia chairman Maurizio Prato urged unions representing the airline's workforce on Monday to reach a 'basic accord' on Air France-KLM's takeover plan in the next 24 hours, media reports said.

ROME, March 28, 2008 (AFP) - Unions representing workers at the nearly bankrupt Italian flag carrier Alitalia on Friday rejected a revised version of Air France-KLM's takeover plan, the ANSA news agency reported.

The new proposal 'substantially repeats what has already been shown to the unions' on Tuesday, eight of Alitalia's nine labour unions said in a joint statement.

MILAN, March 27, 2008 (AFP) - Conservative leader Silvio Berlusconi kept Italy guessing on Thursday over the composition of an Italian consortium that could take over struggling Alitalia and so avoid its sale to Air France-KLM.

BERLIN, March 27, 2008 (AFP) - German services union Verdi on Thursday threatened public sector strikes after it rejected a proposed wage deal for more than one million workers offered in arbitration.

The arbitrators proposed meeting employees' wage demands of an eight-percent pay hike to offset higher food and fuel costs.

BERLIN, March 27, 2008 (AFP) - Arbitration talks over public service wages stalled on Thursday as German labour unions rejected a proposed deal, employers said, raising the spectre of crippling strikes.

MILAN, March 27, 2008 (AFP) - Conservative leader Silvio Berlusconi insisted in an interview published on Thursday that a consortium was shaping up to keep the near-bankrupt Alitalia airline in Italian hands, even if its composition remains unclear.