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Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Matteo Salvini meets with journalists following the CIPESS decision to approve the construction of the Messina Strait Bridge, Italy, on August 7, 2025.
Hard Numbers: Italy builds bridge over troubled waters, Ghanaian helicopter crash kills two ministers, Portuguese cop stuffs coke in animal skins, & More
13.5 billion: After decades of planning, the Italian government has approved a €13.5 billion ($15.6 billion) project to build the world’s longest suspension bridge, connecting Sicily to mainland Italy. The Ponte Messina will span one of the most seismically active areas in the Mediterranean, but designers say it will be able to withstand earthquakes. The target date for completion is 2033.
8: A helicopter crash in the central Ashanti region of Ghana has killed eight people including two government ministers: Edward Omane Boamah and Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed. The cause of the crash was unclear, but local farmers near the crash site reported foggy conditions as the helicopter flew overhead.
1.5: What’s that smell in Portugal? Oh it’s just some cocaine in rotting animal skins. A police captain and an accomplice are under arrest in Portugal on suspicion of importing 1.5 tons of the drug by hiding it in untanned hides imported from Latin America. The plot thickens: captain was himself involved in a sting operation against a drug ring two years ago.
1 of 3: South African prosecutors have withdrawn charges against one of the three men accused of murdering two Black women last year and feeding their bodies to pigs. The case has exacerbated racial tensions in the country, especially in rural areas. The trial will resume on Oct. 6.
74: Myanmar’s figurehead President Myint Swe died on Thursday at the age of 74. Swe had held the role ever since the military coup of 2021, repeatedly endorsing extensions of the country’s state of emergency to ensure the military junta could hold power.
Spiritual Counsel: Azucar para siempre! Nuyorican pianist and band leader Eddie Palmieri, a giant of Latin jazz and one of the pioneers of the genre that came to be called salsa, died Wednesday at the age of 88. Thank you for all of the music, all of the magic, and all of sugar, Eddie. Que en paz descanses.
Graphic Truth: G7 vs BRICS, who has more economic clout?
The G7 countries – the US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and Japan – will convene this weekend in Kananaskis, a rural town in the mountains of Alberta, Canada. High on the meeting’s agenda are tariffs, artificial intelligence, and international security, with special focus on Russian sanctions and Israel’s recent attacks on Iran.
While the G7 was originally formed as an informal grouping of the world’s wealthiest democracies, the BRICS – composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa – have sought to challenge their dominance of the global agenda.
Here’s a look at how the share of the global economy held by G7 and BRICS nations has evolved over time.
KAJ performing Bara Bada Bastu for Sweden at the First Semi-Final in St. Jakobshalle
At Eurovision 2025: Glitter, geopolitics, and a sauna diss track
Europe’s glitter-soaked, pyrotechnic-powered, music competition fever dream – otherwise known as the Eurovision Song Contest – takes place Saturday in Basel, Switzerland at 9pm CEST (3pm ET). It’s part talent show, part geopolitical popularity contest, and fully unhinged fun. Eurovision is officially “non-political,” but that’s never really the case: Ukraine won in 2023 after Russia’s invasion; Israel’s 2024 entry was about the Oct. 7 attacks.
Unlike in the past two years, politics is taking a relative backseat this time out. Nonetheless, this year’s entries include not one but two European diss tracks. Here are a few standouts.
KAJ - Bara Bada Bastu | Sweden 🇸🇪
The odds-on favorite to win, Sweden’s “Bara bada bastu” by the comedy-music act KAJ, makes fun of neighboring Finland’s obsession with saunas. The Nordic diss track draws from Epadunk, a Swedish genre of music that blends EDM with tractor culture. Which is apparently a thing!
Tommy Cash - Espresso Macchiato | Estonia 🇪🇪
Members of the Italian government tried (and failed) to get Estonia’s viral “Espresso Macchiato” by Tommy Cash banned for perpetuating Italian stereotypes. With lines like “Mi money numeroso, I’m sweating like a mafioso,” they may have a point. Mamma mia!
Shkodra Elektronike - Zjerm | Albania 🇦🇱
Albania's entry “Zjerm” is a fusion of pop, electronic and traditional Albanian folk music, anchored by infectious Middle Eastern strings. Sung by Shkondra Electronike, an Albanian duo living in Italy, Zjerm Albania’s best chance of making the top 10 in over a decade.
JJ - Wasted Love | Austria 🇦🇹
Austria's song, an operatic techno-banger “Wasted Love” by JJ is another contender for the top spot. It’s high-energy, surreal, and dramatic, a perfect Eurovision contender. Be sure to listen to the song—mid track it shifts from the Opera House to the rave, and JJ ends on a superhuman high note.
Tautumeitas - Bur Man Laimi | Latvia 🇱🇻
Latvia’s dreamy “ Bur man laimi” by the all-female sextet Tautumeitas is a dark horse candidate but very much worth the listen. The ethereal, hypnotic track is heavy on traditional drumming and polyphonic harmonies. It sounds like it’s being sung by elves casting a spell, and maybe it is… the title translates to “a chant for happiness.”
Let us know who you're rooting for! Send us a note at gzerodaily@gzeromedia.com.
Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa heads to the United States for negotiations from Tokyo's Haneda airport on April 16, 2025.
Two “Guinea pigs” come to Washington
As much of the world scrambles to figure out how to avoid Donald Trump’s expansive “reciprocal tariffs,” two big players are in Washington this week to try their hands at negotiating with the self-styled Deal Artist™ himself.
First, Japan. For decades, the world’s fourth-largest economy has run a big trade surplus with the US while also benefiting from American military protection. Trump has been upset about this arrangement for 40 years, and Japan’s import restrictions on US cars and agricultural goods are a particular focus for him. His 25% global tariff on car and steel imports will hit Japan hard, as will the overall 24% “reciprocal” levy against Tokyo that is slated to go into effect in July.
But Japan is also a top foreign investor in the US economy and a key East Asian ally amid Trump’s deepening confrontation with China. Japan’s Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa is looking to reduce tariffs to zero. Observers have already called his case a “guinea pig” for how countries with long-standing ties to the US can work deals with the America First president.
Late on Wednesday, Trump hailed “big progress” in the talks, which he attended personally, but neither he nor Akazawa gave further details. The two sides will meet again later this month.
Second, Italy. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who visits the White House on Thursday, is a pragmatic right-winger whom the US president has described as a “fantastic woman.” She shares Trump’s hardline views on immigration and social issues, and even defended US Vice President JD Vance’s recent blistering attack on the EU’s approach to free speech.
But Meloni also leads a highly export-dependent economy that runs a $40bn surplus with the US. Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” of 20% on the EU could therefore be a 🤌catastrophe🤌 for Italy.
The EU is warily watching. Can Meloni parlay her good graces with Trump into a deal that avoids a wider transatlantic trade war? Or will her solo visit enable the US president to weaken the overall unity of the bloc?
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. January 4, 2025.
Meloni joins Trump at Mar-a-Lago — with Europe’s economy on the line
President-elect Donald Trump was full of praise for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during her surprise visit to Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, calling her a “fantastic woman” who has “really taken Europe by storm.” The two caught a screening of a right-wing documentary and then had dinner. Meloni has a lot riding on making a good impression as Trump has threatened tariffs that would severely hamper Europe’s economic growth.
Neither side released details of what they discussed, but Meloni has been on a charm offensive since Trump won the US election. She also met with Trump at the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral last month in Paris and has worked hard to establish a close relationship with key Trump ally Elon Musk. She has called Musk a personal “friend” and a “genius” who’s been wrongly maligned for supporting Trump – Musk even had to deny the two were in a romantic relationship in September.
The personal is political. Meloni has set herself up as a unique bridge between Brussels and Trumpworld, putting her in the driver’s seat as the European Union prepares to negotiate to buy more oil and gas from the United States, without which Trump has threatened “TARIFFS all the way!!!”
The problem? Europe already buys a ton of US hydrocarbons, so much so that industry experts don’t think the bloc can import more. We’re watching for other European leaders to give Meloni broad deference on her preferred migration policies so long as she can continue to play Trump-whisperer.
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) nominates former President Donald Trump for Speaker of the House as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) watch inside the House Chamber on the third day of the 118th Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 5, 2023.
Hard Numbers: Matt Gaetz loved drugs and sex in Congress, Biden commutes death sentences, A deadly year for journalists, Italy’s magnificent mosaics shine again
20: A leaked draft of the House of Representatives’ ethics report on former member Matt Gaetz showed he paid for drugs and sex at least 20 times while in office, including with a 17 year old girl while he was 35. Gaetz denies the report and is suing to prevent its formal release, but the allegations within were severe enough to derail his nomination to be Donald Trump’s Attorney General.
37: On Monday, President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 out of the 40 federal prisoners on death row to life in prison in another major act of clemency as he approaches the end of his term. The three prisoners who did not receive commutation were responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing, the Tree of Life Synagogue mass shooting, and the mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston.
104: At least 104 journalists died while on duty this year, with the majority, 55, killed in Gaza. An astounding 10% of journalists working in the enclave have lost their lives since Israel invaded, while the rest work in appalling and dangerous conditions. Nearly ten times as many journalists died in Gaza as in the next deadliest countries, Lebanon and Pakistan, where six journalists each were killed on the job.
1.1 million: The stunning mosaics of Monreale Cathedral in Sicily have completed a $1.1 million restoration, bringing them back to a resplendent golden shine nearly nine centuries after they were first created — just in time for Christmas mass. Built by Sicilian artisans for their new Norman overlords, they are the largest Byzantine artworks outside of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (then Constantinople), and among the best-preserved artefacts of the early medieval Mediterranean.Elon Musk’s next target: Italy
Elon Musk has been busy – speaking at Trump rallies, launching rockets into space, transforming Twitter/X into something unrecognizable, and being named to help lead a new government department under President-elect Donald Trump. Naturally, Musk is still finding time to fight with the Italian government.
On Wednesday, Musk took to X to criticize Italian judges for ruling (twice) against his pal, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. She hoped to send thousands of migrants for screening outside the EU in Albania to ease pressure on one of the busiest migration routes to Europe. The cases will now go to the EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg, with no timeline set for a decision.
“These judges need to go,” Musk wrote to his 200 million-plus followers (and everyone else on the platform who can’t escape him even with the block button). He asked, "Do the people of Italy live in a democracy or does an unelected autocracy make the decisions?”
Italian President Sergio Mattarella hit back at Musk’s foray into Italian politics, without mentioning him by name. Italy “knows how to take care of itself while respecting its Constitution,” said Mattarella, and others “must respect its sovereignty.”
Since Musk’s takeover of Twitter/X in late 2022, the site has become more popular with conservatives after removing bans on controversial far-right influencers and relaxing content moderation. Twitter’s new direction spooked advertisers and led news outlet NPR to cease posting altogether. Now, The Guardian is quitting the platform too. “X is a toxic media platform,” the UK-based outlet said, and “Elon Musk has been able to use its influence to shape political discourse.”
Disgruntled (often liberal) users are on the hunt for microblogging alternatives. While Threads has the advantage of integrating with fellow Meta apps, competitor BlueSky – which was launched by then-CEO of Twitter Jack Dorsey in 2019 – is making waves with its different user-created algorithmic feeds, reaching 15 million users for the first time this week.
Shameless plug: Don’t forget to GZERO on Twitter/X … Threads … and BlueSky.Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni pays tribute to the 309 victims of the earthquake that struck, in L'Aquila, Italy, on 5 April 2009.
Hard Numbers: Harris goes into Fox’s den, Italy’s international surrogacy ban, Nigeria’s fuel tanker explosion, Hong Kong tries to get the party started, Jimmy Carter casts his 21st presidential ballot
200 million: Kamala Harris went into conservative territory to appear on Fox News on Wednesday night. In a pre-taped, 30-minute interview with network host Bret Baier, the vice president was grilled on immigration and her history of supporting taxes used to fund gender-affirming care for federal prisoners and detained immigrants. The interview was contentious, with the two repeatedly talking over one another. Fox News, which reaches nearly 200 million people each month, was just the latest stop on Harris’ media blitz – and was likely an attempt to reach independents and moderate Republicans.
1.25: Surrogacy has been banned in Italy for 20 years, but Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s conservative government has just gone a step further and criminalized seeking surrogacy abroad. Conservative lawmakers argued that they passed the law because they believe surrogacy is exploitative of women. Critics argued it would deprive gay or infertile couples of a way to have children and noted that the legislation targets a relatively small number of families in a country that already has a low birth rate.
100: A massive fuel tanker explosion in northern Nigeria killed 100 people and left 50 injured on Wednesday. The tanker exploded after veering to avoid colliding with a truck in the town of Maja. Fuel tanker explosions are common in Africa’s most populous nation, where roads can be poorly maintained. Complicating matters, residents often rush toward the tanker to siphon off fuel following accidents amid the country’s worst economic crisis in a generation.
10: Hong Kong has slashed its booze tax, one of the highest in the world, as the Chinese territory seeks to boost nightlife and revive its struggling economy. Until now, spirits with an alcoholic content of more than 30%, including brandy, whisky, and gin, had been subject to a 100% duty in Hong Kong. But the financial hub has been hit hard by China’s slowing economy and the fall in tourist numbers, leading the Beijing-backed government to slash the duty rate to 10%.
21: Former US President Jimmy Carter, who turned 100 this month, voted by mail on the first day of Georgia’s early voting on Tuesday. Although he did not reveal who he voted for, he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in August that, even more than making it to his 100th birthday, he was “only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris.” At 19, Carter likely cast his first vote in the 1944 presidential election, as a part of the first cohort of voters made eligible to vote by Georgia lowering its voting age to 18, making this his 21st presidential election.