Rome becomes latest city to ban diesel cars

In a bid to combat air pollution, the Italian capital, Rome will ban cars with diesel engines from driving in the centre. The city's mayor, Virginia Raggi, announced the decision on her Facebook page, saying: "If we want to intervene seriously, we have to have the courage to adopt strong measures."

The move, which will see diesel banned from the city centre from the year 2024, is likely to impact Italians in a big way. Almost two-thirds of all new cars sold in Italy last year were diesel, and with little heavy industry in Rome the city's pollution problems can be blamed almost totally on the motor vehicle.