Fuel prices keep rising despite Italy’s tax cut, British Council to end English teaching in Italy after 80 years. and more news on Friday.
Fuel prices keep rising despite Italy’s tax cut
Petrol prices on Italy’s road network rose to an average of €1.79 per litre on Thursday, with diesel at €2.18, and above €2.20 per litre on motorways, according to the government’s fuel price observatory, Ansa reported.
The figures come despite a government cut of 25 cents per litre in fuel duty introduced on March 19th and extended until May 1st at a cost of around €500 million, intended to keep costs down for motorists.
Before the war in Iran began in late February, petrol cost €1.67 per litre and diesel €1.72, according to Il Post, meaning diesel has risen around 21 per cent since then even with the duty cut in place.
Consumer associations said the duty reduction was “totally cancelled out by pump price increases,” with diesel rising far more sharply than petrol because of its wider industrial and heating uses.
Industry minister Adolfo Urso summoned the major oil companies on Thursday, demanding they pass on falls in global crude prices to consumers immediately.
Meloni says Europe and US must work together
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called on Thursday for Europe and the United States to work “in tandem”, warning that strained ties risked leaving the West without influence on the world stage, AFP reported.
“It is undeniable that we are experiencing a particularly difficult moment in relations between Europe and the United States,” Meloni told the lower Chamber of Deputies in a wide-ranging address.
“If the two legs do not move in the same direction, the West is doomed to paralysis and ultimately to irrelevance.”
Meloni, who is close to US President Donald Trump, has sought to act as a bridge between European and American positions since taking office in October 2022.
Advertisement
Trump’s anger at NATO allies for not joining the Iran war has prompted fears he could pull the United States out of the alliance.
She said her government was “stubbornly Western” and that she had voiced disagreements with Washington when they arose, including over tariffs and the importance of NATO.
British Council to end English teaching in Italy after 80 years
The British Council is set to stop teaching English in Italy after more than 80 years, as the organisation struggles to repay a £197 million debt to the UK government taken on during the Covid pandemic, Il Post reported.
Around 120 of 150 staff in Italy are at risk across its Rome, Milan and Naples offices, according to the teachers’ union FLC CGIL. Courses and exams are expected to continue until the end of 2026, after which teaching activities would cease.
The British Council’s Italy director Brian Young confirmed to La Repubblica that talks were under way, saying the institute would continue to operate through exams and cultural activities and was “committed to managing this process with transparency and care.”
The Council has been present in Italy since the end of the second world war, and currently has around 1,250 students enrolled in language courses.