Italy votes no to nuclear power

Science : In four referendums held 12–13 June, Italians voted overwhelmingly to overturn key policies—including the reintroduction of nuclear power—of Italy’s controversial prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi. Despite Berlusconi’s various political maneuvers to try to stop the referendums, Italy’s Supreme Court of Cassation ruled that they should go forward. The vote was significant because an estimated 57% of eligible voters showed up, surpassing the 50% needed for a quorum, and some 95% of them voted against Berlusconi’s policies. Italy now becomes the second Western country after Germany to reject nuclear energy following Japan’s Fukushima disaster.