Italy's government on Wednesday approved a controversial 13.5-billion-euro ($15.6-billion) project to build what would be the world's longest suspension bridge connecting the island of Sicily to the mainland.

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.