Stricken Alitalia's board meets to review options

ROME (Reuters) - Ailing Italian carrier Alitalia's (AZPIa.MI: ) board held an extraordinary board meeting on Saturday to review its options ahead of a long-awaited rescue plan from its sale adviser, a source familiar with the meeting said. The company confirmed the board held a three-hour meeting but said it did not plan to issue a statement on the board's deliberations and declined further comment. Italian media has been abuzz with speculation in recent weeks over a plan being drawn up by bank Intesa Sanpaolo to salvage the loss-making airline after two previous attempts by the government to settle its fate failed. Newspapers have said the plan includes putting the airline under special administration and splitting off its healthy units for prospective investors, but Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has denied any plans to... [read full story]