World News by Wild Rose

Emma Bonino’s life in politics began with a crime. In 1974, at a time when abortion was illegal in Italy, ⁠she travelled to a clandestine clinic in Florence ⁠to terminate an unplanned pregnancy. “Coming back by train at night, I ⁠decided that never, never, never again should anyone have to suffer this humiliation,” she later recalled. A year later, determined to drag abortion out of the shadows, she handed herself in to police, turning her private “offence” into a public act of defiance. The...

Protesters in Rome and UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, warn proposed law could silence criticism of Israel.

Giorgia Meloni, 49, has been Italy's Prime Minister since October 22, 2022. She is also the first woman to hold the position

Alison Sargent is pleased to welcome Political analyst Lorenzo Pregliasco, co-founder of polling agency YouTrend and adjunct professor at the University of Bologna. He argues that Giorgia Meloni’s unusual longevity in office is best understood not simply as a record of political strength, but as the product of a carefully calibrated governing strategy. Meloni has maintained stability partly by avoiding structural reforms disruptive enough to mobilize multiple constituencies against her at once. Her dominance within Fratelli d’Italia, the absence of a credible alternative leader, and a fragmented opposition have reinforced that advantage.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is celebrating a milestone: her hard-right government is now the longest-lasting in the country's post war history. In a country known for its political instability, it's a notable record. But considerable challenges remain for Italy's first female prime minister, ahead of elections next year. FRANCE 24's Italy correspondent Seema Gupta reports.

William Hilderbrandt is pleased to welcome Dr. Giulia Sandri, Associate researcher at the Free University of Brussels. Meloni has benefited from something historically scarce in Italian politics: longevity. Four years of governmental stability have allowed her to accumulate diplomatic relationships, strengthening Italy’s position within Europe and giving Rome greater visibility internationally. Yet Sandri argues that this political success sits alongside a much less decisive domestic record. Improvements in employment and fiscal credibility coexist with weak growth, stagnant wages, declining purchasing power and persistent structural problems in healthcare, education, demographics and public administration. 

PRESS REVIEW – Friday, September 4: Italy's Giorgia Meloni becomes the longest-serving prime minister in Italy's postwar history. While she's celebrated by the rightwing press, the leftwing press say her leadership is a fiasco. Also, is Europe gearing up for a chaotic winter? Concern is mounting after the UN warned of a "supersized" El Niño phenomenon that could bring heavy rains and snow. Plus we look at tributes to Gloria Steinem, journalist and women's rights icon, who has died at 92. 

As supporters celebrate the milestone, analysts warn longevity is not tantamount to stability.

In a country where governments are famously short-lived, the perceived success of Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni has often been attributed to her survival skills rather than her accomplishments. The record is likely to boost the prime minister's image as Italy, which has had almost 70 governments over the past 80 years, gears up for a national vote in 2027, analysts say. But recent events have complicated her path to re-election.

Giorgia Meloni's hard-right government on Friday becomes the longest-lasting in Italy's postwar history -- a notable record that belies considerable challenges ahead of elections next year. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks with Nathalie Tocci, Director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali in Rome and Professor of Practice at the John Hopkins University SAIS. She says that Meloni's success comes down to "50 percent savvy political tactics and 50 percent extraordinarily good luck".

Italy's first female Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has surpassed a longevity record set by the late Silvio Berlusconi. When she took office in 2022, many European allies viewed her with unease, given her party's neo-fascist roots. Yet she has governed pragmatically, working within EU institutions and even supporting Ukraine. Domestically, however, she has targeted same-sex parents and clamped down on press freedom.

Giorgia Meloni's hard-right government has been in power for 1,413 days. She surpassed the record set by Silvio Berlusconi between 2001 and 2005, making her government Italy's longest serving uninterrupted government since World War II, after a period of intense instability. Italy has had 68 governments in the last 80 years. Giorgia Meloni and her party will celebrate the feat on Friday with a huge pre-election rally in the southern city of Bari. FRANCE 24's Seema Gupta tells more.