Plus: Russia's Victory Day parade, and Nigeria's capital of twins ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. Clean water has always been a limited resource in Gaza, but it has become harder to find, after seven months of aerial bombing and on-the-ground fighting caused major damage to critical infrastructure. Analysis from BBC Verify shows the extent of the loss, and the risks for public health. After Russia marked Victory Day - its remembrance of Nazi Germany's defeat - Steve Rosenberg reflects on the country's changing perspective on war and peace. Finally, Peter MacJob and Alex Last visit a town in Nigeria that boasts a high rate of twin births. | |
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QUESTIONS ANSWERED | Half of water sites damaged or destroyed |
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| | Of the 603 water facilities analysed, 53% appeared to have been damaged or destroyed since 7 October. Credit: BBC | According to a new analysis by BBC Verify, half of Gaza's water and sanitation facilities have been damaged or destroyed since Israel began its military retaliation against Hamas. Under international law, countries have a duty to protect critical infrastructure, unless there is evidence sites are being used for military purposes. The Israeli military says Hamas uses civilian infrastructure for its activities. |
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| | Kayleen Devlin, Maryam Ahmed and Daniele Palumbo |
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| What was the scope of the investigation? | We analysed more than 600 water and sanitation facilities, using a list of locations provided by Gaza's Coastal Municipalities Water Utility. | How was the analysis carried out? | We sought advice from experts at the UN and Human Rights Watch on the best approach. For each site, we sourced the most recent high resolution satellite imagery and compared each shot with an image taken prior to 7 October, when Hamas attacked southern Israel. We then marked a facility as destroyed or damaged if the closest structure to the given co-ordinates appeared to be reduced to rubble, partially collapsed, or showed other signs of damage. Without knowing the precise outline of each facility, we cannot say whether it has been partly damaged or completely destroyed. | What was the timeframe of the analysis? | The latest available satellite images were acquired in March and April, and our analysis has been ongoing since April. | | - Rafah exodus: More than 80,000 people have fled the city since Monday, according to the UN, as Israeli tanks are reportedly amassing near built-up areas amid constant bombardment.
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| Russia's changing view on war | | The only tank on show in the Victory Day parade was a World War Two Soviet T-34. Credit: Yuri Kochetkov/EPA | Russia's Victory Day, marking the defeat of Nazi Germany, is a secular holiday of increasing importance in the country. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the event is no longer just a commemoration of the past - it also speaks to the views of present-day Russia. |
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| | Steve Rosenberg, Russia editor |
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| | There were 9,000 people marching across the square. Sounds a lot. But in previous years – before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – the numbers were often higher. Today, there was less military hardware on display, too. The only tank was a single T-34. There were several references to Russia’s war in Ukraine, however. Among the parade's participants were soldiers who had been fighting there.
For decades after the horrors of World War Two, Russians used to say: "We can put up with all kinds of privations. Just so long as there’s no more war." That phrase - "No more war" - was once heard in towns and villages across this giant country. I remember former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev telling me with tears in his eyes that "No more war" was precisely what Russians told him when he travelled the country as Soviet leader. The message has changed. |
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THE BIG PICTURE | The texts that brought down a crime group |
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| | | Criminals used the EncroChat software thinking their messages were completely secure and their identities secret. Credit: BBC | BBC Panorama has obtained 10,000 messages exchanged by two secretive brothers who headed a gang called the Huyton Firm, in north-west England. The messages give a unique insight into the inner workings of an organised crime group, from fixing drugs deals to ordering violent attacks and murders. |
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FOR YOUR DOWNTIME | Asexuality on screen | Lithuanian film Slow has been praised for exploring the meaning of desire. | |
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And finally... in Nigeria | The small rural town of Igbo-Ora appears to have a higher-than-usual number of twins. Peter MacJob and Alex Last visited the self-proclaimed capital of twins to learn more about the local beliefs and the ongoing research into the multiple births. | |
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Thanks, as ever, for reading. Send us what you think of this newsletter. We read everything, even when we don’t have the time to reply. And feel free to send it to your friends and family, who can subscribe by clicking this link.
Also, you can add newsbriefing@email.bbc.com to your contacts list and, if you're on Gmail, pop the email into your “Primary” tab for uninterrupted service. Thanks for reading!
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BBC Studios Distribution Limited.
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Registered office: 1 Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane, London, W12 7FA, United Kingdom | |
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