Italy's new government line-up brings together personalities from across the political spectrum, from Silvio Berlusconi's protege to a crime fighter and a militant feminist from the radical party. Here are some of the key names of the coalition members tasked with tackling the social crisis in recession-hit Italy, but who risk sparring over key reforms called for to revitalise the eurozone's third largest economy.

Italy's prime minister-designate Enrico Letta scrambled on Friday to put together a coalition, as stocks fell in a sign of growing investor impatience over a two-month political deadlock in the eurozone's third-largest economy. The Milan stock market closed down 0.51 percent as earlier hopes that Letta would unveil his coalition on Friday fell through and informal talks with the parties continued. The government is expected to be sworn in on Saturday, Italian media reported, citing sources in Letta's staff.

The court of appeals in Milan on Saturday postponed to May 8 a hearing in former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's trial for tax fraud linked to his television business empire. The court's judges recognised that Berlusconi had a valid excuse for not being present at the hearing since he is a lawmaker in parliament, which is voting to elect a new president for Italy. Berlusconi was convicted of tax fraud last year and this is his appeals trial, which has been constantly delayed because of the political calendar including a February general election.

ROME (Reuters) - An Italian court postponed a ruling on Silvio Berlusconi's bid to move two trials on tax fraud and sexual misconduct charges out of Milan until after the election of a new state president, a court official said on Thursday. A hearing to consider Berlusconi's request to move the two trials from Milan, where the former prime minister says the courts are biased against him, to the nearby city of Brescia was postponed from Thursday to May 6.