Latest news with #NicolaFratoianni
NZ Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
Italy approves $15.6b project for world's longest suspension bridge
It has been designed with two railway lines in the middle and three lanes of traffic on either side, with a suspended span of 3.3km – a world record – stretching between two 400m high towers. Strait of Messina Bridge, the numbers of the project. Photo / Webuild Strait of Messina bridge. Photo / Webuild Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who is also responsible for transport and infrastructure, told reporters work could begin as soon as September or October. He said the bridge and the associated new roads, railways and stations would act as a 'development accelerator' for impoverished Sicily and Calabria, boosting economic growth and creating tens of thousands of jobs, many of them skilled. Yet the project has sparked local protests over the environmental impact and the cost, with critics saying the money could be better spent elsewhere. Nicola Fratoianni, an MP of the Greens and Left Alliance, slammed a 'mega-project that will divert a huge amount of public resources' and 'risks turning into a gigantic black hole'. The Italian Court of Auditors has criticised the extent of the debt-laden state's investment in this one project in its assessment of the 2024 budget. The centre-left Democratic Party warned that the project 'tramples environmental, safety and European norms – and common sense'. The public prosecutor of Messina also recently warned of the risk that organised crime would benefit from the project. Salvini on Wednesday insisted the Government would do everything to prevent mafia infiltration. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition claims the bridge will boost the economy, but critics warn of financial and environmental risks. Photo / Webuild Nato spending The longest suspended bridge in the world is currently the 1915 Canakkale Bridge in Turkey, which has a main span of 2.023km between its towers and opened in 2022. Many believe that Italy's ambitious project will never actually materialise, pointing to a long history of public works announced, financed, yet never completed in Italy. The project has had several false starts, with the first plans drawn up more than 50 years ago. Eurolink, a consortium led by Italian group Webuild, won the tender in 2006 only for the government to cancel it after the eurozone debt crisis. The consortium remains the contractor on the revived project. This time, Rome may have an added incentive to press ahead – by classifying the cost of the bridge as defence spending. Italy has agreed with other Nato allies to massively increase its defence expenditure to 5% of GDP, at the demand of US President Donald Trump. Of this, 1.5% can be spent on 'defence-related' areas such as cyber security and infrastructure – and Rome is hoping the Messina bridge will qualify, particularly as Sicily hosts a Nato base. Currently, the only way to cross the Messina Strait is by ferry, taking at least an hour by car and two on the train – where individual carriages are loaded on to the ferry – but the bridge aims to cut journey times to 10 and 15 minutes, respectively. Meloni insisted it was a 'demonstration of Italy's willpower and technical expertise' that would 'form the backbone of a faster and more modern nation'. – Agence France-Presse
NBC News
27-07-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Israel again intercepts Gaza-bound ship carrying activists and humanitarian aid
TEL AVIV, Israel — The Israeli military has intercepted a Gaza-bound aid ship seeking to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory, detaining 21 international activists and journalists and seizing all cargo, including baby formula, food and medicine, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said Sunday. The coalition that operates the vessel Handala said the Israeli military 'violently intercepted' the ship in international waters about 40 nautical miles from Gaza, cutting the cameras and communication, just before midnight Saturday. 'All cargo was non-military, civilian and intended for direct distribution to a population facing deliberate starvation and medical collapse under Israel's illegal blockade,'' the group said in a statement. The Israeli military had no immediate comment. Israel's Foreign Ministry posted on X early Sunday that the Navy stopped the vessel and was bringing it to shore. It was the second ship operated by the coalition that Israel has prevented in recent months from delivering aid to Gaza, where food experts have for months warned of the risk of famine. Activist Greta Thunberg was among 12 activists on board the ship Madleen when it was seized by the Israeli military in June. The ship's interception comes as Israel faces mounting international criticism over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, with concern growing over rising hunger in the territory amid Israeli restrictions on aid. A regional human rights group, Adalah, said the raid on the vessel violated international law. It demanded the immediate release of the 21 activists, including lawmakers and human rights campaigners, from 10 countries. 'The flotilla never entered Israeli territorial waters, nor was it intended to do so; it was headed toward the territorial waters of the State of Palestine, as recognized under international law,' Adalah said in a statement. 'Israel has no legal jurisdiction or authority over the international waters in which the vessel was sailing.' Adalah demanded immediate disclosure of the activists' location and legal status. Lawmaker Nicola Fratoianni, of a left-wing environmentalist party, called on the Italian government to ensure the safety of the two Italians on board. Also on board were seven U.S. citizens, including a human rights attorney, a Jewish U.S. war veteran and a Jewish-American activist, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
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Business Standard
27-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Israel intercepts Gaza-bound ship carrying activists, humanitarian aid
The Israeli military has intercepted a Gaza-bound aid ship seeking to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory, detaining 21 international activists and journalists and seizing all cargo, including baby formula, food and medicine, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said Sunday. The coalition that operates the vessel Handala said the Israeli military violently intercepted the ship in international waters about 40 nautical miles from Gaza, cutting the cameras and communication, just before midnight Saturday. All cargo was non-military, civilian and intended for direct distribution to a population facing deliberate starvation and medical collapse under Israel's illegal blockade," the group said in a statement. The Israeli military had no immediate comment. Israel's Foreign Ministry posted on X early Sunday that the Navy stopped the vessel and was bringing it to shore. It was the second ship operated by the coalition that Israel has prevented in recent months from delivering aid to Gaza, where food experts have for months warned of the risk of famine. Activist Greta Thunberg was among 12 activists on board the ship Madleen when it was seized by the Israeli military in June. The ship's interception comes as Israel faces mounting international criticism over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, with concern growing over rising hunger in the territory amid Israeli restrictions on aid. A regional human rights group, Adalah, said the raid on the vessel violated international law. It demanded the immediate release of the 21 activists, including lawmakers and human rights campaigners, from 10 countries. The flotilla never entered Israeli territorial waters, nor was it intended to do so; it was headed toward the territorial waters of the State of Palestine, as recognised under international law," Adalah said in a statement. Israel has no legal jurisdiction or authority over the international waters in which the vessel was sailing. Adalah demanded immediate disclosure of the activists' location and legal status. Lawmaker Nicola Fratoianni, of a left-wing environmentalist party, called on the Italian government to ensure the safety of the two Italians on board. Also on board were seven US citizens, including a human rights attorney, a Jewish US war veteran and a Jewish-American activist, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
The Hill
27-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Israel again intercepts Gaza-bound ship carrying activists and humanitarian aid
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Israeli military has intercepted a Gaza-bound aid ship seeking to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory, detaining 21 international activists and journalists and seizing all cargo, including baby formula, food and medicine, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said Sunday. The coalition that operates the vessel Handala said the Israeli military 'violently intercepted' the ship in international waters about 40 nautical miles from Gaza, cutting the cameras and communication, just before midnight Saturday. 'All cargo was non-military, civilian and intended for direct distribution to a population facing deliberate starvation and medical collapse under Israel's illegal blockade,'' the group said in a statement. The Israeli military had no immediate comment. Israel's Foreign Ministry posted on X early Sunday that the Navy stopped the vessel and was bringing it to shore. It was the second ship operated by the coalition that Israel has prevented in recent months from delivering aid to Gaza, where food experts have for months warned of the risk of famine. Activist Greta Thunberg was among 12 activists on board the ship Madleen when it was seized by the Israeli military in June. The ship's interception comes as Israel faces mounting international criticism over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, with concern growing over rising hunger in the territory amid Israeli restrictions on aid. A regional human rights group, Adalah, said the raid on the vessel violated international law. It demanded the immediate release of the 21 activists, including lawmakers and human rights campaigners, from 10 countries. 'The flotilla never entered Israeli territorial waters, nor was it intended to do so; it was headed toward the territorial waters of the State of Palestine, as recognized under international law,' Adalah said in a statement. 'Israel has no legal jurisdiction or authority over the international waters in which the vessel was sailing.' Adalah demanded immediate disclosure of the activists' location and legal status. Lawmaker Nicola Fratoianni, of a left-wing environmentalist party, called on the Italian government to ensure the safety of the two Italians on board. Also on board were seven U.S. citizens, including a human rights attorney, a Jewish U.S. war veteran and a Jewish-American activist, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
San Francisco Chronicle
27-07-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Israel again intercepts Gaza-bound ship carrying activists and humanitarian aid
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Israeli military has intercepted a Gaza-bound aid ship seeking to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory, detaining 21 international activists and journalists and seizing all cargo, including baby formula, food and medicine, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said Sunday. The coalition that operates the vessel Handala said the Israeli military 'violently intercepted' the ship in international waters about 40 nautical miles from Gaza, cutting the cameras and communication, just before midnight Saturday. 'All cargo was non-military, civilian and intended for direct distribution to a population facing deliberate starvation and medical collapse under Israel's illegal blockade,'' the group said in a statement. The Israeli military had no immediate comment. Israel's Foreign Ministry posted on X early Sunday that the Navy stopped the vessel and was bringing it to shore. It was the second ship operated by the coalition that Israel has prevented in recent months from delivering aid to Gaza, where food experts have for months warned of the risk of famine. Activist Greta Thunberg was among 12 activists on board the ship Madleen when it was seized by the Israeli military in June. The ship's interception comes as Israel faces mounting international criticism over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, with concern growing over rising hunger in the territory amid Israeli restrictions on aid. A regional human rights group, Adalah, said the raid on the vessel violated international law. It demanded the immediate release of the 21 activists, including lawmakers and human rights campaigners, from 10 countries. 'The flotilla never entered Israeli territorial waters, nor was it intended to do so; it was headed toward the territorial waters of the State of Palestine, as recognized under international law," Adalah said in a statement. 'Israel has no legal jurisdiction or authority over the international waters in which the vessel was sailing.' Adalah demanded immediate disclosure of the activists' location and legal status. Lawmaker Nicola Fratoianni, of a left-wing environmentalist party, called on the Italian government to ensure the safety of the two Italians on board.
