Italian Senate passes austerity package
The measures aim to balance the budget by 2014
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The lower house must also adopt the measures in a vote on Friday. Correspondents say that is likely.
Italy has one of the largest debt mountains in the eurozone and wants to avoid any need for a bail-out.
Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has said Italy is on the front line of the eurozone's economic difficulties.
Italy raised 2.97bn euros ($4.2bn; ?2.6bn) through a sale of 15-year government bonds on Thursday, but had to offer a 5.9% rate of return - an all-time high for such bonds.
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The lower house must also adopt the measures in a vote on Friday. Correspondents say that is likely.
Italy has one of the largest debt mountains in the eurozone and wants to avoid any need for a bail-out.
Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has said Italy is on the front line of the eurozone's economic difficulties.
Italy raised 2.97bn euros ($4.2bn; ?2.6bn) through a sale of 15-year government bonds on Thursday, but had to offer a 5.9% rate of return - an all-time high for such bonds.
