bernasconi addressed the two houses of parliament to plead his case. he said it would be political folly to oust him right now, and it could be decided by a single ballot. >> the italian prime minister appeared before the upper house in a last-ditch bid to stay in office. >> i am absolutely convinced that each of you knows that we can manage whatever possible criticism, but a break up, no. a vote of no-confidence in the government? no. >> observers believe his future is on a knife's edge. >> i do not know what will happen. that is why there is worry and uncertainty. i hope the coalition falls. >> i hope that the government will go forward, yes, because there is someone in italy that despite all of this fultz -- all of his faults. >> if he loses, italy may face fresh elections. if that happens, bernasconi says he plans to run for office again. >> i spoke earlier to a correspondent in rome, and he began by telling us how the political situation in rome has reached this point. >> things started to go wrong for berlusconi in the spring, when he came under

. -- parcels were also sent to sylvia bernasconi, the prime minister. those delivered in italy appeared to be designed to maim whoever opened them. bbc news, rome. >> the government of bolivia has increased fuel prices by more than 70%. the administration says the $380 million state subsidy can no longer be afforded, especially as much of it ends up going to foreigners. jonathan josephs has more. >> for the bolivians comet is a most unwelcome christmas present. -- for the bolivians, it is a most unwelcome christmas present. the heavy subsidies can no longer continue. profiteers' often take advantage by smuggling the cheap fuel out of the country and sell it in neighboring nations -- profiteers often take advantage. the money, instead of going abroad, should stay in the country, to benefit bolivians, so what does it mean to bolivian consumers? a liter of regular gasoline has gone up to around 91 cents from about 53 cents. there are now fears of higher food prices and inflation in one of the poorest countries. the exploitation of their long oil and gas re