Italy Forges on with World's Largest Suspension Bridge
Italy hopes to begin constructing the world's largest suspension bridge connecting Sicily to the Italian mainland this summer amid widespread skepticism that it will ever be built.
The 13.5-billion-euro ($15.3-billion) project would carry trains and six lanes of traffic, allowing cars to cross the Strait of Messina in 15 minutes, AFP reported.
Giorgia Meloni's hard-right government hopes to boost the economy of the impoverished region, although critics say there are better ways to do this -- and many believe that after decades of false starts, the bridge will never actually happen.
The choppy waters between the eastern tip of Sicily and the western edge of the region of Calabria are legendary as the place where monsters Scylla and Charybdis terrified sailors in Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey".
These days the challenges are more prosaic, from winds of more than 100 kilometers an hour (62 mph) to the real risk of earthquakes in a region that lies across two tectonic plates.
The government says the bridge will be at the cutting edge of engineering, with the section suspended between its two pillars stretching 3.3 kilometers, the longest in the world.
But critics point to a long history of public works announced, financed and never completed in Italy, whether due to corruption or political instability, resulting in enormous losses for taxpayers.
"The public does not trust this political class and these projects that become endless construction sites," said Luigi Storniolo, a member of protest group No Ponte (No Bridge).
Infrastructure Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, one of the main champions of the project, insists it will be a game-changer for the local economy.
"The bridge will be a catalyst for development," he said on a recent visit to Reggio di Calabria, the city where the bridge will begin.
The government hopes to boost trade in Sicily, which currently suffers from an "insularity cost" of around 6.5 billion euros a year, according to regional authorities.
Meloni's ministers are expected to give their final approval to the project -- which Rome will fund -- later this month, and Salvini insists construction will begin this summer.
But work had already been announced for the summer of 2024, before being postponed -- a common theme in the history of the bridge, the idea of which dates back to the unification of Italy at the end of the 19th century.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ArabGT
2 hours ago
- ArabGT
Are Chinese EVs Being Used for Espionage?
Electric vehicles (EVs) have rapidly transformed from niche technology into a dominant global trend. In 2024 alone, over 17 million EVs and plug-in hybrids were sold worldwide — with China accounting for a staggering 11 million of those units. Brands like BYD, NIO, and XPeng are now household names, offering everything from budget compacts like the Dolphin (also known as Seagull) to luxury SUVs bristling with smart features. Chinese EVs are no longer rare sightings on Western roads — they're front and center in showrooms from Berlin to Los Angeles. BYD recently overtook Tesla as the world's top EV manufacturer, and its ambitions are crystal clear: dominate the global EV landscape within the decade. This explosive rise hasn't gone unnoticed in Western capitals. Alarmed by China's low production costs, state-backed subsidies, and expanding market share, governments across the U.S. and Europe have begun pushing back. In 2024, the U.S. raised tariffs on Chinese EVs from 25% to 100%, effectively locking them out of the American market. The European Commission followed with anti-subsidy investigations and provisional duties reaching 35% or more, aiming to curb what it sees as unfair competition. While the UK has yet to impose similar national measures, quiet restrictions have emerged around sensitive military sites. But trade protection is only part of the picture. A darker question looms beneath the surface: could these Chinese EVs serve as tools of espionage? Western intelligence agencies and lawmakers have expressed growing concern. Modern EVs are, quite literally, computers on wheels — and some believe they might be the perfect Trojan horse. These vehicles are equipped with GPS tracking, high-resolution cameras, microphones, and over-the-air software update systems. Officials in the U.S., EU, UK, and Australia have all warned that this connectivity — especially when manufactured by firms under Chinese jurisdiction — creates real national security risks. U.S. senators have publicly speculated that such cars could map roads, track government movements, or even be remotely disabled in a cyber conflict. Is such a threat technically possible? On a purely theoretical level, yes. A single modern EV can generate more than 1,000 GB of data per hour. This includes GPS logs, driver behavior, video feeds, microphone input, and even synced smartphone data. Chinese EVs like the NIO ES8 have been observed transmitting up to 90% of their data traffic to servers in China. Given China's 2017 National Intelligence Law — which compels domestic firms to cooperate with state authorities — critics fear that this data could be accessed by Beijing. Modern EVs introduce cybersecurity risks because of their connected architecture. Components like modems, processors, and infotainment systems — essential for internet access, vehicle control, and smartphone integration — can also create vulnerabilities. Cellular modules in particular could be exploited to intercept data or link to internal systems. Over-the-air (OTA) updates add another layer of risk, as compromised software could enable surveillance or remote interference. With their built-in radios, cameras, microphones, and sensors, EVs are already powerful data collectors. Experts warn that if misused, they could operate as passive surveillance platforms, transmitting sensitive information without driver awareness. Yet for all the speculation, direct proof of espionage remains elusive. No major public incident has confirmed that a Chinese EV has been used to spy on Western governments or citizens. Even high-level officials acknowledge the risk is hypothetical — not proven. As some analysts point out, China has far more efficient means of surveillance, such as mobile apps, telecom infrastructure, and smart devices. Moreover, any misuse of EV platforms could backfire disastrously, damaging China's global economic interests. Beijing, for its part, has flatly denied the accusations. In response to British and American concerns, Chinese officials have called the claims 'baseless' and 'irrational.' The Chinese embassy in London emphasized its support for open supply chains and noted that no credible evidence has shown Chinese cars pose an actual security threat. And here lies the contradiction: if EVs are a threat, what about smartphones? Or routers? Or smart speakers and wearables? Chinese technology is already embedded deeply in Western lifestyles — from the phones we carry to the cameras on our streets. Even vehicles made by German or American brands often contain Chinese-made components. The truth is, data risks are everywhere in a hyper-connected world. So, are Chinese EVs espionage tools? The answer lies in a gray zone. The potential exists, but the danger — at least so far — is more symbolic than operational. What we're witnessing is not just a security debate, but a geopolitical clash over technology, influence, and control. In that context, EVs are just the latest frontier.
Al Arabiya
5 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Construction begins on massive CO2 capture facility in Sweden
Work on a giant carbon capture and storage (CCS) site in Stockholm began Thursday, with the facility expected to be operational in 2028. The new plant will have the capacity to capture and store more than 800,000 tons of CO2 per year, which is more than the annual emissions from the Swedish capital's road traffic, said Anders Egelrud, CEO of utility Stockholm Exergi, which is leading the project. It 'is going to be the largest project of this kind in Europe and one of the largest in the world,' Wopke Hoekstra, the European climate commissioner, told reporters as construction began. The investment amounts to 13 billion kronor ($1.4 billion) and the technology will be used to separate, liquefy, and permanently store CO2, generating so-called negative emissions. Stockholm Exergi, which produces heat and electricity for the Swedish capital, already uses residual products from the forestry industry, such as wood chips. The new facility will enable the capture and storage of carbon dioxide released from their own production. Funding comes from subsidies and loans, including from an EU fund and the Swedish state, as well as purchases of emission certificates by private companies. The captured CO2 will be temporarily stored on-site before being shipped to Norway for permanent storage in the 'underwater' CO2 cemetery Northern Lights, off the coast of Norway. In practical terms, after capture, the CO2 is liquefied and transported by ship to the facility near Norway's Bergen. It is then transferred to large tanks, before going through a 110-kilometre (68-mile) pipeline to be injected into the seabed, at a depth of around 2.6 kilometers. 'In the Nordics, you simply have the geography to relatively easily ship it and store it,' Hoekstra told AFP. CCS technology is complex and costly but has been advocated by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA), especially for reducing the CO2 footprint of industries like cement and steel, which are difficult to decarbonize. The world's overall capture capacity is currently just 50.5 million tons, according to the IEA, or barely 0.1 percent of the world's annual total emissions.
Al Arabiya
6 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
NATO chief hopeful of spending deal as he meets allies in Rome
NATO chief Mark Rutte said Thursday he was 'pretty confident' of getting a deal on boosting defense spending at a summit later this month, as he met European allies in Rome. He joined foreign ministers and diplomats from Italy, France, Germany, Britain, Poland, Spain, Ukraine and the EU to discuss defense spending and their support for Kyiv, as Russia escalates its bombardments. The meeting of the so-called 'Weimar+' group comes ahead of a G7 summit in Canada on June 15-17, where allies will push US President Donald Trump to be more aggressive in punishing the Kremlin. It will be followed by a NATO meeting in The Hague on June 24-25, where the focus will be reaching a deal that satisfies Trump's demands to spend five percent of GDP on defence. Rutte is urging NATO members to commit to 3.5 percent of GDP on direct military spending by 2032, and an additional 1.5 percent on broader security-related expenditure. 'We are discussing the final decisions we will take in The Hague. I'm pretty confident indeed... that we will get to a joint position, all 32 (members)', he told reporters heading into the talks in Rome. He praised Trump's efforts to reach a peace deal in Ukraine by talking directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying 'he broke the deadlock' -- even if the discussions are stalled. Russia has fired record numbers of drones and missiles at Ukraine over recent weeks, escalating three years of daily bombardments as it outlines hardline demands -- rejected by Kyiv as 'ultimatums' -- to halt the war. Rutte noted that Russia had sent a historian to talks in Istanbul, 'explaining more or less that Ukraine is at fault here. I think that's not helpful, but at least, step by step, we try to make progress.' Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, the meeting host whose country spends 1.5 percent of GDP on defense, said he was 'very happy' with Rutte's spending plan. 'For Italy it's important to spend more but we need more time, 10 years, I think it is more or less possible to achieve this goal,' he said.
