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Today in Italy: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday

The Local Italy
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Today in Italy: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
Data suggests Milan's pollution levels are on a par with those of Delhi and Chengdu. Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP.

New trial in Giulio Regeni case, Milan named world's third most polluted city, Italy takes over Taranto steel plant, and more news from around Italy on Tuesday.

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Italy's top story on Tuesday:

Italy will on Tuesday open a second trial hoped to secure justice for Giulio Regeni, an Italian student kidnapped and murdered in Cairo, AFP reported.

Regeni, 28, had been conducting research when he was abducted in January 2016. His body was found nine days later, dumped on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital, showing extensive signs of torture.

The murder severely strained ties between Italy and Egypt, while Italian MPs later accused Cairo of being "openly hostile" to attempts to try the suspects.

Italian judges threw out a 2021 trial the day it opened because prosecutors had not been able to officially inform the four suspects of the procedures against them.

Milan mayor brushes off claims city is world's third most polluted

Milan's Mayor Giuseppe Sala on Monday dismissed data suggesting the northern Italy city is one of the most polluted in the world, saying the findings were "the usual impromptu analyses... from social media".

Figures released by the Swiss site IQAir showed the concentration of PM2.5 fine particles in the Milan's air over the weekend was around 13.8 times higher than the World Health Organisation’s recommended limit, making it the world’s third or fourth most polluted city.

Sala acknowledged that city authorities "have not performed miracles" when it comes to reducing pollution levels, but said his council was trying to take action.

A 2023 study by environmental watchdog Legambiente ranked Milan as Italy's second most polluted city after Turin.

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Search continues for fifth worker killed in Florence worksite collapse

Rescue workers were continuing to search for the body of the fifth worker thought killed in an accident at a supermarket building site in Florence on Friday, local media reported.

Eight construction workers were on the site when a pylon collapsed, bringing down three floors of the structure. Three were seriously injured and the bodies of four were recovered, with a fifth presumed dead.

The Florence Prosecutors Office on Friday opened an investigation into the incident for manslaughter and "negligent collapse", but has yet to identify any suspects.

The lead prosector on the case told journalists on Monday that there was evidence that some of the workers, who were employed by three different companies, were undocumented.

Italy takes over troubled Taranto steel mill

After months of deadlock, the Italian government on Monday announced a temporary state takeover of the plant in Taranto majority-owned by steel giant ArcelorMittal.

"In coming days", the government will appoint commissioners to take control of the former Ilva steel plant, it said in a statement.

The former Ilva steel plant in the southern city of Taranto, in which the state already has a minority stake, is on the edge of bankruptcy, with over three billion euros in debt, reported AFP. It is unable to pay most of its suppliers, nor settle its gas and electricity bills.

Under the terms of emergency administration, the government will reportedly appoint administrators to oversee restructuring, while seeking new investors.

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