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70 Abkhaz killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine since 2022
8 June 2025
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Who is Italian?
8 June 2025
Italians go to vote on 8 and 9 June in a referendum that is dividing the nation and will help define "Who is Italian".
Until the mid-19th century Italy was "a mere geographical expression", divided in small states and parts of it occupied by foreign powers. Eventually, the Italian language brought people together, and the Italian state as we know it emerged by 1871.
In todays Italy, the question of who gets to be Italian is a sensitive one.
Large numbers of migrants and refugees arrive in the country each year helped across the Mediterranean from North Africa by smuggling gangs.
The national referendum on Sunday and Monday proposes halving the time required to apply for Italian citizenship.
Cutting the wait from 10 years to five would bring this country in line with most others in Europe.
The referendum was initiated by a citizens' initiative and is supported by civil society groups. But for such a referendum to be valid, 50% of all voters in Italy have to turn up.
Giorgia Meloni, the country's hard-right prime minister, has announced she will boycott the vote, declaring the citizenship law already "excellent" and "very open".
Other parties allied to her are calling on Italians to go to the beach instead of the polling station.
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Israel is arming criminal gangs in Gaza
7 June 2025
Just when we thought the news from Gaza could not get bleaker, something new about the Israeli actions in the territory has emerged. Israel is arming “criminal gangs” in the war-torn Gaza Strip. Former Defence Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, revealed this on Thursday (5 June).
"Israel transferred assault rifles and light weapons to criminal gangs in Gaza,” Lieberman, leader of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu Party, told the public broadcaster KAN.
He said the weapons were transferred to the gangs upon orders of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“In my opinion, the Cabinet hasn’t approved the transfer of weapons, but the head of the General Security Service (Shin Bet) was aware,” he added.
“We are talking about what is equivalent to ISIS (Daesh) in Gaza. No one guarantees that these weapons will not be directed at Israel. We have no means of monitoring or tracking,” Lieberman said.
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Unexploded ordnance remains a deadly concern in Ukraine
6 June 2025
On Thursday (5 June), the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) warned that Ukraine is now the most heavily mined country since World War II, with over 139,000 square kilometres of land potentially contaminated by mines and unexploded ordnance.
Speaking in New York on Thursday, UNMAS advisor Paul Heslop said that this contamination endangers lives and livelihoods, particularly in farming areas. Over six million people live near these dangerous zones, and more than 800 people have been killed or injured by landmines since 2022.
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Yemeni government criticises US travel ban
6 June 2025
In a statement released on Thursday (5 June), the Yemeni government expressed strong concern over the United States' recent decision to ban its citizens from entering the country. Yemeni officials said the move would negatively affect thousands of Yemeni students, researchers and families who have complied with U.S. laws. They urged the U.S. to reconsider, citing Yemen’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.