Former Italy PM Berlusconi has leukaemia, source says
World
The 86-year-old is being treated in a cardiac unit of Milan's San Raffaele Hospital
MILAN (Reuters) - Four-times Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has been diagnosed with leukaemia, a source close to the matter said on Thursday, a day after he was admitted to intensive care with breathing problems.
The 86-year-old, whose media empire has made him a billionaire, is being treated in a cardiac unit of Milan's San Raffaele Hospital.
There has been no official comment on his condition, but the source's diagnosis of leukaemia, which is a cancer of the blood cells, confirmed a report in the Corriere della Sera daily.
Berlusconi's Forza Italia party is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing coalition, though the former prime minister does not have a role in government.
"I spoke this morning with Professor (Alberto) Zangrillo (Berlusconi's personal doctor) and he told me that Berlusconi spent a quiet night, his condition is stable," Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani told RAI state television.
Tajani, a long-time Berlusconi ally within Forza Italia, noted Berlusconi had survived a series of health problems. "We all want to be optimistic and we hope that the lion will return soon to take charge of the party. He's our political leader and of course he never gives up," Tajani told the broadcaster.
The party subsequently released a statement saying Berlusconi had spoken in the morning to senior Forza Italia allies and urged "maximum commitment" in parliament. "The country needs us," he was quoted as saying.
ENDURING INFLUENCE
Berlusconi, who made his fortune from commercial television, has suffered repeated bouts of ill-health in recent years and came out of the same hospital just last week after being treated for a few days.
"There is obviously concern.. (He) is alert but not in a position to deal with every situation," Paolo Barelli, leader of Forza Italia in the lower house of parliament, told Italian radio.
