(AFP) – Maryana Checheliuk, 24, returns to Ukraine after two years in captivity as a prisoner of war. Russia and Ukraine announced on 31 May that they had exchanged dozens of POWs in one of the only areas of dialogue between the warring countries.
El Bosque (AFP) – Waves wash over abandoned homes in a Mexican village, slowly being swallowed by the sea — a symbol of the climate change effects being felt by the major fossil fuel producer. Located in the southern state of Tabasco, El Bosque is the first settlement in the country to fall victim to the rising tides, forcing some 700 people from their homes.
Tiflis (AFP) – The speaker of Georgia’s parliament says that he has signed a controversial “foreign influence” bill into law. The measure was adopted despite mass protests, Western condemnation and a presidential veto.
Peking (AFP) – China denies accusations by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that it is working to prevent other countries from attending a planned peace summit on the war in Ukraine.
Tbilisi (AFP) – Thousands of Georgians gather in the capital Tbilisi for a charity concert aimed at raising funds for those arrested during weeks of protests against a controversial “foreign influence” law.
Mexico City (AFP) – Claudia Sheinbaum is elected Mexico’s first woman president by a landslide, making history in a country plagued by rampant criminal and gender-based violence.
Midrand (South Africa) (AFP) – President Cyril Ramaphosa urges South African party leaders to work together in the public interest after his ANC lost its 30-year-old governing majority in a bruising general election. But, in a sign of possible turmoil to come, graft-tainted former president Jacob Zuma boycotted the results ceremony and his party refused to recognise the outcome.
(AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says China is “working hard” to stop countries from going to a peace summit, which Beijing has publicly criticised because Russia is not invited. “China, unfortunately, is working hard today to prevent countries from coming to the peace summit,” Zelensky told reporters on the sidelines of a security forum in Singapore.
Moscow (AFP) – Although omnipresent on state television channels, the conflict remains barely visible in the streets of Moscow. Only adverts at a few bus stops show jobs with the army and praise the “heroes” on the frontline. A trendy food court in the centre of Moscow is buzzing with customers, despite a steep rise in inflation since the start of the conflict.
Bangkok (AFP) – Tens of thousands of people pack the streets in central Bangkok for the annual Pride celebrations during which Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said that the “government and public sectors will work together to legalise same-sex marriage successfully”. The Thai parliament is expected to finalise same-sex marriage legislation later this year, bringing the kingdom another step closer to becoming the first Southeast Asian country to recognise marriage equality.
