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Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Madonna arrives at the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro, where she will perform a free mega-concert in May to close out her “Celebration” tour. IMAGES

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia was taking advantage of delays in Western arms supplies to go on the offensive, saying quicker deliveries from allies would bolster the frontline.

Copenhagen (AFP) – Builders have begun working on Copenhagen’s historic former stock exchange after a fire ravaged the iconic building mid-April. Located close to Denmark’s Christiansborg parliament and seat of government, the Borsen building was undergoing renovations ahead of its 400th anniversary. Copenhagen police has launched a major investigation into the blaze.

Madrid (AFP) – Spain’s Pedro Sanchez says he will stay on as prime minister after threatening to stand down over what he has denounced as a campaign of political harassment by the right. “I have decided to stay,” he says in a highly anticipated public address after five days of silence which began following a court’s decision to investigate his wife for alleged graft.

Copenhagen (AFP) – Builders have begun working on Copenhagen’s historic former stock exchange after a fire ravaged the iconic building mid-April. Located close to Denmark’s Christiansborg parliament and seat of government, the Borsen building was undergoing renovations ahead of its 400th anniversary. Copenhagen police has launched a major investigation into the blaze.

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Hundreds of protesters gathered in the streets of Turin, Italy, ahead of the G7 Ministers’ Meeting on Climate, Energy, and Environment that opened on Sunday evening. Earlier that day, demonstrators blocked a highway and burned images with the faces of the G7 country leaders.

Venice (AFP) – People welcome Pope Francis’s visit to Venice on Sunday, the ageing pontiff’s first outside Rome since last year. The Pope addressed more than 10,000 faithful seated in the vast St Mark’s Square, following an earlier visit to a women’s prison and an address to young Venetians.

Manila (AFP) – Easy to fix and cheap to ride, jeepneys were once the backbone of the Philippines’ transport system, carrying passengers, goods and even visiting popes. But the government’s plan to phase out jeepneys in an effort to modernise the country’s public transport network has put the future of the iconic vehicles in doubt.

Kyoto (Japan) (AFP) – A special Japanese animation studio aims to provide job training and confidence to people with autism, who can find it hard to cope in Japan’s often high-stress and long-hours work environment.

Geneva (AFP) – The UN denounces the increasing enforcement of Iran’s strict hijab laws, with reports that “uniformed and plainclothes police are enforcing a violent crackdown” against women and girls. Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, says “hundreds of businesses have been forcibly closed for not enforcing compulsorty hijab laws”.