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Hong Kong activists stage a rare public protest against government plans for a new national security law, saying it lacks democratic oversight and human rights safeguards.

“The defeat of Russia is indispensable to security and stability in Europe,” says French President Emmanuel Macron after hosting a meeting of European leaders to discuss Ukraine.

Vatican City (AFP) – More than 250 years since its last restoration, the Canopy of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome is undergoing major works in preparation for the World Jubilee in 2025, when more than 30 million pilgrims are expected to visit. The Canopy is one of the most famous works by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, sometimes dubbed “the second Michelangelo”, and was created in collaboration with Francesco Borromini.

Geneva (AFP) – UN chief Antonio Guterres warns that deadlock in the organisation’s Security Council on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine risks “fatally” undermining its authority, stressing the need for “serious reform”. As one of five permanent members of the 15-member council, the United States — Israel’s biggest ally — has a veto that it has wielded three times so far to bar the body from calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Palestinian Territory, while Russia has exercised its veto to prevent any action on the war in Ukraine.

London (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp hails Liverpool’s League Cup final triumph against Chelsea as the “most special” trophy of his career, after Virgil van Dijk clinched a 1-0 win for the Reds with a dramatic header two minutes from the end of extra-time at Wembley. The victory was all the sweeter for Klopp as it came during an injury-hit period for his club that forced him to field a remarkably inexperienced team, bringing on four academy players dubbed “Klopp’s kids”.

Sao Paulo (AFP) – Thousands of Brazilians pour into the streets of Sao Paulo as ex-president Jair Bolsonaro flexes his political muscle, hitting out at an election ban that has seen him barred from seeking office for eight years. The far-right ex-army captain denies charges he plotted a coup to stay in power after losing an election in October 2022 and prevent the winner of the vote, leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, from taking office.

Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Palestinians pull a dead boy out from the rubble and bury the victims in a recently opened cemetery after Israeli strikes on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. International concern is mounting over a long-feared Israeli ground invasion of Rafah, where many Gazans fleeing the fighting have been displaced, with dire warnings of mass civilian casualties. Israel insists the proposed operation will help it achieve “total victory” over Hamas “within weeks”.

Unknown (AFP) – A member of the team of late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny says that a deal to free him as part of a prisoner swap had nearly been reached when he died in prison. The 47-year-old critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin died on 16 February in opaque circumstances after spending more than three years behind bars, prompting outrage and condemnation from Western leaders and his supporters.

Unknown (AFP) – A spokesperson for the Russian army’s “Centre” division says Russia has “liberated” the eastern Ukrainian settlement of Lastochkyne, the latest in a string of Russian advances along the front. As the conflict enters its third year, Moscow’s troops have mounted heavy attacks and taken Avdiivka — a key eastern town near to Lastochkyne — while Ukrainian troops are struggling with a lack of ammunition.

HARSFJARDEN (Sweden) (AFP) – After last holdout Hungary ratified Sweden’s NATO bid, clearing the final obstacle to an enlargement of the military alliance spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, residents of the capital Stockholm say they are “relieved” at the news, with one saying that NATO will make them “safer”. Russia’s February 2022 invasion prompted Sweden and neighbouring Finland to apply to join the bloc, ending a long-standing stance of non-alignment in both countries.