Germany's crumbling bridges need additional funds, auditors say
FILE PHOTO: A drone image shows the re-construction of the Rahmedetal bridge, which gained fame because the A45 motorway in the heart of Germany had been closed for years due to Germany's dilapidated infrastructure and the debt brake, near Luedenscheid, south of Dortmund, Germany, March 27, 2025. REUTERS/Stephane Nitschke
BERLIN - Germany is lagging on its targets to renovate the country's dilapidated bridges by 2032 and needs to boost investment, according to auditors, who said the government's goals appear unachievable.
Only 69 of the 280 structures scheduled for renovation in 2024 under the 2032 plan had been modernised, Germany's federal audit office said.
To achieve the target, Autobahn GmbH, which is in charge of the renovations, would have to modernise around 590 substructures every year from now on. "That doesn't seem realistic," Kay Scheller, president of the office, said.
"The gap between planned and successful modernisation will continue to widen over the years," she said.
The audit office, which accused the transport ministry of presenting progress too positively and of falling short on the targets, said a total of 2.1 billion euros ($2.39 billion) would be required for 400 substructures in 2026, while the ministry put the sum at 1.4 billion euros.
The transport ministry disagrees with this assessment of "embellishing" the numbers, noting that the modernisation of bridges is a top priority, a spokesperson for the ministry told Reuters.
"The implementation of the programme is on schedule and is communicated transparently by the transport ministry and Autobahn GmbH," the spokesperson said.
The German auditors demanded more funds for the government-owned Autobahn GmbH without giving an exact figure, as that depends on construction price developments. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
13 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Trump signs proclamation to suspend student visas at Harvard
FILE PHOTO: A view of the Business School campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., April 15, 2025. REUTERS/Faith Ninivaggi/File Photo U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation to suspend U.S. entry of foreign nationals seeking to study or participate in exchange programs at Harvard University, the White House said on Wednesday, amid an escalating dispute with the Ivy League institution. The order also directs the U.S. State Department to "consider revoking" existing academic or exchange visas of any current Harvard students "who meet the Proclamation's criteria." Last month, the State Department ordered all its consular missions overseas to begin additional vetting of visa applicants looking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose, according to an internal cable seen by Reuters. Harvard argues the Trump administration is retaliating against it for refusing to accede to its demands to control the school's governance, curriculum and the ideology of its faculty and students. Wednesday's two-page directive said Harvard has "demonstrated a history of concerning foreign ties and radicalism." The FBI has "long warned that foreign adversaries take advantage of easy access to American higher education to steal information, exploit research and development and spread false information," the proclamation said. It said Harvard had seen a "drastic rise in crime in recent years while failing to discipline at least some categories of conduct violations on campus." The notice also accused the university of failing to provide sufficient information to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security about foreign students' "known illegal or dangerous activities." Accusing Harvard of "extensive entanglements with foreign adversaries," the proclamation said Harvard received more than $150 million from China alone." It said many agitators behind antisemitic incidents on campus were "found to be foreign students." The restrictions on new student visas at Harvard marked the latest Trump administration crackdown in a multifront attack on the nation's oldest and wealthiest university. It followed previous moves to freeze billions of dollars in grants and other funding, end the school's tax-exempt status and to open an investigation into whether it discriminated against white, Asian, male or straight employees or job applicants. Trump alleges top U.S. universities are cradles of anti-American movements. Last month, his administration revoked Harvard's ability to enroll foreign students, a move later blocked by a federal judge. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
14 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Chinese authorities issue bounty for hackers said linked to Taiwan
FILE PHOTO: A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration/File Photo BEIJING - The public security bureau in the Chinese city of Guangzhou has put up an undisclosed bounty for more than 20 people it suspects carried out cyber attacks in China, the official news agency Xinhua said on Thursday. The authorities said the hackers were linked to the Taiwan government and named one of them as Ning Enwei. There was no information on the size of the bounty in Chinese state media. Chinese authorities accused Taiwan of organising, planning and premeditating attacks on key sectors such as military, aerospace, government departments, energy and transportation, maritime affairs, science and technology research firms in China as well as in special administration regions Hong Kong and Macau, Xinhua said. Taiwan's government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Xinhua, citing a cybersecurity report, said the Taiwan "information, communication and digital army" has cooperated with U.S. anti-Chinese forces to conduct public opinion and cognitive warfare against China, secretly instigate revolution and attempt to disrupt public order in China. Last week authorities in Guangzhou, capital of the southern Guangdong province, attributed a cyberattack on an unnamed technology company to the Taiwan government, saying Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supported the "overseas hacker organisation" responsible. The accusation prompted Taiwan to blame China for peddling false information, saying it was China who was carrying out hacking against the island. China views Taiwan as its own territory. Taiwan's democratically elected government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims. Chinese courts and legal bodies have no jurisdiction in separately governed Taiwan, whose government has repeatedly complained about Beijing's "long armed jurisdiction" efforts. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
14 minutes ago
- Straits Times
El Salvador judge orders pre-trial detention of prominent lawyer Ruth Lopez
Ruth Lopez, anti-corruption and justice director of Cristosal, arrives at a courthouse for a hearing, after she was arrested for alleged embezzlement while she served as a state official, in San Salvador, El Salvador, June 4, 2025. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas Ruth Lopez, anti-corruption and justice director of Cristosal, leaves a courthouse after a hearing, following her arrest over allegations of embezzlement during her time as a state official, in San Salvador, El Salvador, June 4, 2025. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas Ruth Lopez, anti-corruption and justice director of Cristosal, leaves a courthouse after a hearing, following her arrest over allegations of embezzlement during her time as a state official, in San Salvador, El Salvador, June 4, 2025. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas Ruth Lopez, anti-corruption and justice director of Cristosal, arrives at a courthouse for a hearing, after she was arrested for alleged embezzlement while she served as a state official, in San Salvador, El Salvador, June 4, 2025. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas Supporters of Ruth Lopez, anti-corruption and justice director of Cristosal, protest as she leaves a courthouse after a hearing, following her arrest over allegations of embezzlement during her time as a state official, in San Salvador, El Salvador, June 4, 2025. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas SAN SALVADOR - A judge in El Salvador ordered the provisional detention of prominent lawyer Ruth Lopez, human rights group Cristosal said on Wednesday. Lopez, a well-known human rights and anti-corruption advocate, was arrested by Salvadoran authorities last month over allegations of embezzlement during her time as a state official. She left Wednesday's hearing shouting that she was innocent and said she had now been charged with illicit enrichment. "I am a political prisoner. All the charges are because of my legal work, due to my denunciation of corruption in this government," Lopez added. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
