Italy delays regional ban on old diesel vehicles
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's cabinet on Thursday postponed a ban on older diesel cars in the heavily-polluted northern Po Valley regions, from Lombardy to Piedmont, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna.
The ban on so-called Euro 5 standard vehicles was set to come into force on October 1st to meet European Union commitments on cutting pollution, AFP reported.
But Transport Minister Matteo Salvini said the cabinet had agreed to postpone the ban for "at least a year," adding that the four million Italians still driving Euro 5 diesels in 2026 likely "lack the financial means to replace the vehicle."
The European Court of Justice ruled in 2020 that Italy had "persistently and systematically" breached EU rules on small-particle air pollution.
Senate approves law on return to nuclear power
Italy’s Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to a law giving the government the power to establish a regulatory framework for the return of nuclear energy.
The law doesn't authorise any new plants. Instead it gives the government 12 months to adopt decrees on building and running them, fuel safety and a new regulator.
"A courageous and common-sense choice," Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said, adding that nuclear power meant "more energy security, less dependence on foreign sources."
The law comes nearly 40 years after a 1987 referendum led to the country’s nuclear plants being shut down. Opposition parties criticised the move, with Green-Left Alliance (AVS) MP Angelo Bonelli calling it “a distraction” from high energy costs.
West Nile cases reach 700 in Italy as dengue also spreads
Italy recorded 700 confirmed cases of West Nile virus in humans so far this year, up from 657 in the previous bulletin, according to the latest weekly figures from the National Institute of Health (ISS), Adnkronos reported.
Of the 700 cases, 368 developed a neuroinvasive form of the infection, and 54 people died, compared with 680 cases and 48 deaths at the same point last year.
The virus, which returns to Italy every summer, was detected in 83 provinces across 19 Italian regions.
The ISS also recorded 312 confirmed cases of dengue since the start of the year, including 47 acquired locally rather than through travel abroad. Three local transmission clusters were identified in the provinces of Livorno, Lecce and Milan, with no deaths.
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