Italy approved a €13.5 billion ($15.7 billion) bridge to link the island of Sicily with the mainland, giving a green light to the long-delayed project after Giorgia Meloni’s government recast it as a national security priority.

Rome has given final approval to a €13.5bn ($15.6bn) project to build the world's longest suspension bridge, connecting the island of Sicily to the region of Calabria, on the tip of Italy's boot. The designers claim the bridge – which is due to be built on one of the most seismically active areas in the Mediterranean – will be able to withstand earthquakes.