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ROME (AP) - A last-minute decree by the Italian government has freed up funds to ensure Rome's buses and trains keep running, the trash is collected and other municipal services work.
A day after Rome Mayor Ignazio Marino warned that the Italian capital risked shutdown, Premier Matteo Renzi's Cabinet backed Friday the freeing up of funds to bypass political gridlock in Parliament.
The funds consist of Roman taxpayers' money the Italian government is supposed to periodically disburse to the capital.
Marino had warned that without the funds, city buses would run out of gas early next week, trash would pile up and day-care center would be forced to close.
Marino last year inherited an administration saddled with debt and stained by corruption and patronage scandals.
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