tl;dr botB

Few in Italian political history have been accused of the kind of corruption that dogged Berlusconi throughout his years in power. Berlusconi is not a Mussolini, who used the parliament to achieve political ascendency, before canceling democracy altogether to rule Italy with an iron fist. Conveniently, some analysts blame ordinary people for their gullibility which allowed the likes of Berlusconi to use democracy as a vehicle for his own quest for power and wealth. Berlusconi would have never ruled over Italy if it were not for the near complete distrust of the others, those who speak of democracy, balance of power and respect for institutions, only to achieve power and do everything to hold on to their seats. Still, we must keep in mind that, with or without Berlusconi, Italy remains a democracy.

On June 14, what is believed to be one of the deadliest refugee and migrant shipwrecks occurred off the Greek coast, potentially claiming the lives of around 800 individuals. The Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa have become the main destination for migrants trying to reach Spain, with a smaller amount of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to the Spanish mainland. The Mediterranean Sea has also become a perilous route for migrants seeking a better life in Europe, with a tragic loss of life. Over the years, countless migrants have embarked on treacherous journeys, often packed onto overcrowded and unseaworthy vessels in their desperate attempt to reach European shores. According to the UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency, although the total number of migrants who embark upon the dangerous journey has fallen since the peak in 2015, the number of those who are killed during the dangerous endeavor has in fact risen.

The increasingly public feud between Russian military leaders and the head of a Russian paramilitary group escalated dramatically on Friday, when Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the paramilitary Wagner Group, accused Russian armed forces of attacking his soldiers and vowed retaliation. Prigozhin, whose Wagner forces helped take the city of Bakhmut, has been increasingly vocal in his attacks against the Russian military’s leaders, posting more and more scathing criticism of the top brass over the war effort and accusing generals of denying Wagner the ammunition and support needed to fight effectively. Prigozhin has claimed to be the founder of the Wagner Group, but the reality is likely much more complicated. In one video Prigozhin posted in May, he stands in a field, apparently surrounded by corpses of dead Wagner fighters. Even before Prigozhin escalated his rivalry with the Russian military this week, experts I’ve spoken to really doubted Prigozhin was actually a Putin rival and could build his own power center in the Russian state.

Enormous crowds of worshippers thronged Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, on Friday for the biggest hajj pilgrimage in years, with more than two million expected to brave the scorching Saudi Arabian heat. The hajj is among the five pillars of Islam and must be undertaken by all Muslims with the means at least once in their lives. The hajj rituals begin late Sunday at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The hajj and year-round umrah rituals generate an estimated $12 billion annually. Umer Karim, a doctoral researcher focusing on Saudi foreign policy at Britain’s University of Birmingham, said hosting the hajj is a matter of prestige and a source of political legitimacy for Saudi rulers, the custodians of the holy sites.