ROME - The Italian government meets on Thursday to approve flagship reforms of the welfare and pension system, election pledges of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and the right-wing League which mark a major overhaul of the country's welfare state. The reforms, providing income support for the poor and allowing people to retire earlier, are center-piece of the government's expansionary 2019 budget. Critics say they are unsustainable for Italy's strained public finances.
