Italy’s top story on Tuesday:

Prime Minister Giorgia Melon’s cabinet was on Tuesday morning preparing to debate a draft bill aimed at giving financial incentives to companies which employ parents, women and young people, Sky TG24 reported.

The measure, expected to be announced ahead of Labour Day on May 1st, would provide a tax deduction of 100 euros per eligible employee on a salary of up to 28,000 euros in January 2025 and social security payment deductions for two years to those who hire young people and women.

Meloni said at a meeting with trade unions on Monday that the aim was to support employment growth and protect the purchasing power of families and workers.

Despite a rise in employment rates in 2023, the proportion of people in work in Italy is still some way behind the EU average, according to the most recent Eurostat data.

Italy’s employment rate for people aged 20 to 64 in 2023 was 66.3 percent, almost 10 percentage points lower than the EU average, with 56.5 of women in this age range in work compared to an EU average of 70 percent.

G7 agrees timeframe for shutting coal power plants

Energy ministers on Monday agreed to phase out coal-fired power plants, as the 2024 G7 environment, energy and climate conference kicked off in Turin amid protests.

Delegates on Monday agreed a target of shutting down the plants “in the first half of the 2030s”, British Nuclear and Renewables Minister Andrew Bowie told AFP.

Hundreds of demonstrators marched in the northern Italian city on Sunday, some burning photos of the G7 leaders as they accused them of failing future generations over the climate crisis.

Italy, which is particularly vulnerable to wildfires, droughts and flooding, is placing a key emphasis on “biodiversity, ecosystems, warming seas”, as well as “research for next-generation nuclear power, fusion, the circular economy, critical raw materials, biofuels”, said Italian Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, as reported by AFP.

Italian navy shoots down drone over Red Sea

An Italian navy frigate shot down a drone over the Red Sea headed in the direction of an escorted merchant ship, Italy’s defence ministry said on Monday.

The Virginio Fasan frigate, which was protecting a European commercial freighter, shot down the drone on Monday morning near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, said the ministry in a press release.

The ministry said “complex attacks with missiles and drones” had earlier occurred in the morning, but they “were foiled thanks to evasive manoeuvres carried out by the merchant ship”, following instructions from the naval frigate.

Italy has operational command of the ‘Aspides’ mission, launched by the EU in February to protect merchant vessels transiting the vital Red Sea trade route from attacks by Iran-backed Huthis, AFP reported.

Rain forecast for Labour Day

Italy’s Labour Day national holiday on May 1st was set to be overshadowed by wind, rain and possibly even hail, according to weather forecasts.

After a few days of mild weather, storms are expected across much of the country as a cold front from the northwest collides with an African anticyclone, resulting in a low-pressure area of instability.

Northwesterly regions are expected to be worst affected, with up to 80-100mm of rain – a month’s worth – anticipated in the space of a few hours.

Central areas are also likely to be hit, with scattered showers forecast on the southern Tyrrhenian coast and in the northeastern Triveneto area towards the evening.