Italian government totters as Conte, Renzi divide deepens

FILE PHOTO: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte wearing a protective face mask leaves at the end of a news conference on government's new anti-COVID-19 measures in the Christmas period at Chigi Palace in Rome, Italy December 18, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte faces a showdown with his coalition partner and former premier Matteo Renzi this week that could bring down his government even as it struggles to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Long-strained relations between the two men have deteriorated markedly in recent weeks, with Renzi calling for radical changes to plans to reboot the economy while also demanding that Conte cede his control over the secret services.