Berlusconi wins confidence vote in Italy's Senate

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi on Wednesday won a required vote of confidence in the Senate, clearing his new conservative government's first parliamentary hurdle. The vote was 175–133, with five senators abstaining.

The easy victory was no surprise; Berlusconi's coalition won a solid majority in each house of parliament in the May 13 elections. The coalition includes the sometimes xenophobic Northern League and the once–fascist National Alliance. It faces a confidence vote Thursday in the Chamber of Deputies, parliament's lower house.

The media magnate was premier once before, for seven stormy months in 1994. His new government is Italy's 59th since World War II.