Monte dei Paschi shareholders approve bad loan clean-up

Shareholders in Monte dei Paschi di Sienaapproved on Sunday a long-awaited bad loan clean-up plan aimed at easing the sale of the state-owned bank to a healthier rival.Italy has worked for two years on the plan, which gained final approval from the European Central Bank in September and must be completed by Dec. 1.Rome bailed out Monte dei Paschi in 2017, acquiring a 68% stake for 5.4 billion euros (4.89 billion pounds).