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       The death of five construction workers on a building site in Florence in February has catapulted workplace safety to the forefront of Italian politics.

       In 2021, Italy registered the second-highest number of workplace victims in the EU after France, with the count expected to rise this year.

       Euronews correspondent Giorgia Orlandi travelled to Rome to report on new plans aimed at improving working conditions across the country.

       Watch the full report in the video above.

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       Six alleged members of the Islamic State group were killed in a shootout in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region, in what was described by security forces as a “counterterrorism operation."

       According to the Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC), on Saturday, six men barricaded themselves in a third-floor apartment in Karabulak, a town of about 30,000 in Russia’s semi-autonomous Republic of Ingushetia.

       A shootout with security services followed, as surrounding streets were blocked off and residents of the apartment block evacuated to a nearby school, the Russian Interfax news agency reported.

       Heavy gunfire and blasts appearing to come from inside an apartment block could be heard in videos posted by Karabulak residents on social media.

       The NAC did not immediately name the alleged Islamic State militants, but said three were on Russia’s wanted list.

       All six had been involved in violent acts, including an attack on a traffic police unit last March that killed three officers, it added.

       The local branch of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the country’s main security agency, announced at 7:30 pm local time on Saturday emergency measures were being introduced due to an ongoing “counterterrorism” operation. The restrictions were lifted shortly after midday on Sunday.

       The NAC claimed security services found automatic weapons, ammunition, hand grenades and homemade explosives inside the apartment where the men were hiding out.

       The agency said that no local residents were hurt. However, Baza - a Russian Telegram channel set up by journalists critical of the Kremlin - reported a man walking by was killed in the shootout.

       Euronews could not verify either side's claim.

       Islamic rebels have fought two full-scale wars with Russian troops in Chechnya, a region neighbouring Ingushetia, over the past 20 years. Although the insurgency has been largely suppressed, sporadic attacks persist.

       Ingushetia also suffers frequent violence attributed to insurgents, and both regions have seen unrest following Russia’s military action in Ukraine and a deeply unpopular mobilisation order in September 2022.

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       US Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday is hosting a member of Israel’s wartime Cabinet in Washington on Monday.

       Benny Gantz, a centrist, will sit down with several senior officials in the US government, in defiance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who did not authorise the trip.

       An official from Netanyahu’s far-right Likud party said Israel's PM had a “tough talk” with Gantz about the visit, highlighting the growing cracks within the Israeli Cabinet nearly six months into the country's war with Hamas.

       In her meeting with Gantz, Harris plans to press for a temporary ceasefire deal that would allow for the release of certain hostages still held by Palestinian militants.

       Israel has essentially agreed to the deal, according to a senior US official. It is now up to Hamas to decide, they added.

       “Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table,” Harris said on Sunday. “This will get the hostages out and get a significant amount of aid in."

       Harris continued: “This would allow us to build something more enduring to ensure Israel is secure and to respect the right of the Palestinian people to dignity, freedom and self-determination.”

       For his part, Gantz intends to strengthen ties with the US, bolster support for Israel’s war and push for the release of Israeli hostages, according to a second Israeli official.

       The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t allowed to publicly discuss disputes within the Israeli government.

       The meetings come amid US airdrops of aid into Gaza, just days after scores of Palestinians were shot and killed as they tried to get food from an Israel-organised convoy.

       On Sunday, Harris called on Israel to “do more to significantly increase the flow of aid.”

       “No excuses,” she said. “They must open new border crossings. They must not impose any unnecessary restrictions on the delivery of aid.”