ITALY NEWS: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is set to reach a major political milestone on September 4, when her government is expected to become Italy's longest-serving uninterrupted government since the republic was founded in 1946.

Meloni took office on October 22, 2022, and is set to reach 1,413 days in power, surpassing the previous record associated with Silvio Berlusconi's second government.

The milestone is particularly significant given Italy's long history of political instability. Since the republic was founded in 1946, the country has had dozens of governments, with administrations historically lasting relatively short periods.

Meloni has also undergone a significant transformation on the international stage. Once viewed as a radical political figure, she has adopted a more pragmatic approach and positioned herself as a key European Union partner and strong supporter of Ukraine.

Giorgia Meloni Set To Become Italy's Longest-Serving PM | Historic Milestone On September 4

Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi on Saturday gave his first public address since being hospitalised a month ago. Delivering a video message to his Forza Italia party members, Berlusconi said he was ready to get back to work.

Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi on Saturday gave his first public address since being hospitalised a month ago. Delivering a video message to his Forza Italia party members, Berlusconi said he was ready to get back to work. “Here I am, here for you, wearing a shirt and jacket for the first time in a month," said the 86-year-old billionaire media mogul in a pre-recorded video. "I never stopped, not even in the past few weeks. worked on the party's new structure and I'm ready to return to work with you and fight alongside you our fights for freedom," he added. The party members watching the 20-minute video clapped enthusiastically at the end while some could be seen wiping away a tear or two. According to Italian media reports, the video was filmed on Friday after Berlusconi was not allowed to leave the hospital by doctors and relatives as he would have tried to attend the party's two-day convention in Milan. ALSO READ | From serving as PM thrice to hosting 'bunga-bunga' parties - the controversial life of Silvio Berlusconi Having been diagnosed with persistent leukaemia, Berlusconi was admitted to Milan’s San Raffaele Hospital on April 5. He spent two weeks in the intensive care unit before being moved to a general ward in mid-April. Berlusconi's health has deteriorated in recent years. In 2016, he had open heart surgery and three years later, an intestine surgery. He was hospitalised for Covid-related pneumonia in September 2020. Later, he developed complications linked to Covid and was admitted several times the next year. According to reports, he also had prostate cancer. Berlusconi's party However, despite being a pale shadow of his former self, Berlusconi, nicknamed Il Cavaliere (The Knight) has managed to remain in the news cycle, year after year, despite last serving as the prime minister in 2011. Berlusconi founded Italy's centre-right party Forza Italia in the summer of 1994 to beat the 'communists'. His party pioneered the populist brand of politics in the European country and propelled him to the higher echelons of the bureaucracy. WATCH | Will Silvio Berlusconi woo backers for Italian presidency? × In 2011, he stepped down as the PM. However, to this day, he leads his party and is an elected senator. Currently, his party is a junior member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition government. Earlier this year, Berlusconi was cleared of bribing young showgirls to lie about his notoriously infamous "bunga bunga" parties. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Italy ex-PM Silvio Berlusconi says he is ready to get back at work after serious illness

Italy's Silvio&nbsp;Berlusconi&nbsp;was forced to clarify on Friday remarks about long-time friend Vladimir Putin after suggesting the Russian leader was "pushed" by his entourage into invading Ukraine.

The 85-year-old former prime minister's party is expected to return to power following Italian general elections on Sunday as a junior partner in a government led by Giorgia Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy.

"Putin has fallen into a truly difficult and dramatic situation,"&nbsp;Berlusconi&nbsp;told Rai television late Thursday.

He said a delegation of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region went to Moscow to appeal for help against what they claimed were attacks by Ukrainian forces.

"Putin was pushed by the Russian population, by his party, by his ministers, to invent this special operation... to enter and within a week reach Kyiv, replace the (Volodymyr) Zelensky government with good people and in another week go back,"&nbsp;Berlusconi&nbsp;said.

His comments sparked an outcry in Italy, prompting the former premier to insist he was misunderstood and had just been reporting what others had said.

"The aggression against Ukraine is unjustifiable and unacceptable," he said in a statement on Friday, offering his support for the EU and NATO.

Enrico Letta, head of the centre-left Democratic Party, called his comments "scandalous".

Berlusconi&nbsp;has long been friends with Putin. The other member of his alliance with Meloni, League leader Matteo Salvini, has in the past often expressed admiration for the Russian president.

Meloni strongly supports, however, the policy of the outgoing Italian government in sending weapons to Ukraine and backing Western sanctions against Russia.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

Italy's Silvio Berlusconi was forced to clarify on Friday remarks about long-time friend Vladimir Putin after suggesting the Russian leader was "pushed" by his entourage into invading Ukraine.

Italy's Silvio Berlusconi was forced to clarify on Friday remarks about long-time friend Vladimir Putin after suggesting the Russian leader was "pushed" by his entourage into invading Ukraine. The 85-year-old former prime minister's party is expected to return to power following Italian general elections on Sunday as a junior partner in a government led by Giorgia Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy. "Putin has fallen into a truly difficult and dramatic situation," Berlusconi told Rai television late Thursday. He said a delegation of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region went to Moscow to appeal for help against what they claimed were attacks by Ukrainian forces. "Putin was pushed by the Russian population, by his party, by his ministers, to invent this special operation... to enter and within a week reach Kyiv, replace the (Volodymyr) Zelensky government with good people and in another week go back," Berlusconi said. His comments sparked an outcry in Italy, prompting the former premier to insist he was misunderstood and had just been reporting what others had said. "The aggression against Ukraine is unjustifiable and unacceptable," he said in a statement on Friday, offering his support for the EU and NATO. Enrico Letta, head of the centre-left Democratic Party, called his comments "scandalous". Berlusconi has long been friends with Putin. The other member of his alliance with Meloni, League leader Matteo Salvini, has in the past often expressed admiration for the Russian president. Meloni strongly supports, however, the policy of the outgoing Italian government in sending weapons to Ukraine and backing Western sanctions against Russia. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Former Italy premier Silvio Berlusconi clarifies Putin 'pushed' into Ukraine war remark

silvio-berlusconi

Silvio Berlusconi, News on Silvio Berlusconi, stories on Silvio Berlusconi, articles on Silvio Berlusconi, Silvio Berlusconi stories at Wion, Silvio Berlusconi news, Silvio Berlusconi latest news

silvio berlusconi

Giorgia Meloni Set To Become Italy's Longest-Serving PM | Historic Milestone On September 4

Italy ex-PM Silvio Berlusconi says he is ready to get back at work after serious illness

Former Italy premier Silvio Berlusconi clarifies Putin 'pushed' into Ukraine war remark