Berlusconi wins vote

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has narrowly won a vote of confidence in the lower house of parliament.



After a tense session, he won by three votes - 314 to 311 - having easily survived an earlier vote in the Senate.



Berlusconi had urged parliamentarians not to jeopardise Italy's stability by ousting him, but his critics say he is too mired in scandal to remain in office.



The 74-year-old is halfway through a five-year term but his position has been weakened by a series of scandals largely involving his relationships with women.



He has also lost the support of his closest political ally, Gianfranco Fini, along with dozens of his supporters, depriving him of his automatic majority in the lower house.