Italy’s Prime minister Mario Monti (L) smiles with ministers at the end of a confidence vote at the Senate on December 22, 2011 in Rome. Italian senators gave their approval on Thursday to austerity tax increases and pension reforms in a bid to avoid bankruptcy for the eurozone’s third-biggest economy as a recession looms. Monti’s government had called a confidence vote on the package in the Senate to ensure that the unpopular measures went through before Christmas to shore up sagging confidence in Italy on the financial markets. AFP PHOTO/ANDREAS SOLARO (Photo credit should read ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images)
