Luciano Pavarotti Funeral 'State Event'

The funeral of Italian opera singer Luciano Pavarotti will be a "state event" when it takes place in his home town of Modena this afternoon.

Fellow tenors Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras are expected to join Prime Minister Romano Prodi  at the service in Modena Cathedral, along with U2 lead singer Bono.

The funeral will be screened live on Italian TV at 3pm local time, with the Italian air force's Frecce Tricolori display team performing a fly over to create the red, white and green of the national flag.