In a referendum Monday, an overwhelming 94 percent of Italian voters rejected Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's plan to have Italy return to nuclear power generation. They also rejected water supply privatization and a law exempting him and other ministers from appearance in courts.
Clearly the people of Italy take a serious view of the accidents at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, which was badly damaged in the March 11 quake and tsunami.
Germany decided June 6 to abolish its 17 reactors by 2022 and Switzerland decided June 8 to stop its five reactors by 2034. Italy had stopped the operation of its five reactors at four locations by 1990, following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident.