Lower house approves pool safety clampdown
Italian MPs on Thursday voted in favour of an amendment to the government’s sports decree to improve pool safety following a spate of recent child deaths, Ansa news agency reported.
Five children have drowned in swimming pools in the past three months, according to civil protection minister Nello Musumeci. One recent case concerned the death of an 11-year-old girl who died after being sucked into a pool drain in Sestri Levante, Liguria.
Among other measures, the legislation requires pool drainage systems to meet certain standards to prevent accidental suction, with non-complying facilities facing immediate closure.
The amendment received bipartisan support, with 244 votes in favour. It now passes to the Senate, where it must be converted into law by August 25th, according to Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper.
Judge rejects petition to free jeweller who killed robbers
A Turin judge has rejected a petition to free a jeweller who was sentenced to almost 15 years in prison for killing robbers after they left his store, according to Ansa.
72-year-old Mario Roggero shot dead two robbers and injured a third in 2021 after they threatened his family with what turned out to be fake guns. He began his sentence at Milan's Bollate Prison last week after the Supreme Court upheld his conviction.
Italy's far-right parties have championed Roggero's cause in recent days, with Justice Minister Carlo Nordio submitting a plea with Italy's president to pardon the jeweller.
Judge Elena Massucco said the defence had not presented evidence that it was necessary to authorise Roggero's release, though the request is now set to be referred to other offices, Ansa reported.
Residents evacuated as fire breaks out on edge of Rome
Several families were evacuated from their homes on the outskirts of Rome on Thursday as a major fire broke out on the western edge of the city.
The blaze started around 2pm, affecting the Valle Galeria, Malagrotta, and Piana del Sole neighbourhoods, local news outlet Roma Today reported.
Hot winds fanning the flames meant the fire quickly spread across farmland and to an industrial site, with residents and rescue workers saying they heard loud explosions, the newspaper said.
Wildfires have engulfed parts of southern Italy in recent days, with Sicily particularly badly affected. A 59-year-old firefighter died of a suspected heart attack on Wednesday as he battled flames in the centre of the island.
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