Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi formally resigns

Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi formally resigned Wednesday, a spokesman for the president said, stepping down after a bruising referendum defeat and kicking off a period of political uncertainty in the eurozone’s third largest economy.
President Sergio Mattarella will begin consultations with political parties over forming a caretaker government at 6:00pm (1700 GMT) on Thursday, the spokesman said.