Expanding Italian Base-World
Thousands of Italians protested the planned expansion of an American base in Vicenza, Italy.
I think the challenge in this article was to explain the political system in Italy concisely while still giving the news. The New York Times article
(http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/18/world/europe/18italy.html)
said that "Last week, Prime Minister Romano Prodi infuriated members within HIS ruling coalition,especially COMMUNISTS and RADIAL LEFTISTS, when he decided NOT to reverse the plan set in motion by his predecessor, Silvio Berlusconi, to allow the expansion of the base. The CENTER-RIGHT OPPOSITION seized on the dissent as a sign of its weakness.
This paragraph explains that HIS party is Leftist and explains the whole political situation since his predeccor who we can assume has more rightist politics.
The reuters say (http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSL1715002720070217)
"LEFTISTS who last year voted FOR Prime Minister Romano Prodi, an Iraq war OPPONENT, turned out in droves to DECRY his approval for U.S. plans to expand the base in Vicenza, home of the 173rd Airborne Brigade."
This one also explains the political relationship succinctly, but the ending with "home of the 173rd Airborne Brigade" adds way too much information to this story.