Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – In Kyiv, Ukrainians wear traditional embroidered clothes to mark Vyshyvanka Day, an annual celebration of folk traditions. The loose-fitting shirt, often white with geometric patterns embroidered around the edges known as “Vyshyvanka” is a beloved folk garment worn on special occasions. This year’s celebration is seen as a symbol of national unity against the Russian invasion.
Odesa (Ukraine) (AFP) – Eight cruise missiles fired over the Odesa region leaving the industrial district in the Black Sea port city damaged by falling debris after the Russian rockets were intercepted by Kyiv’s air defences. Most of the missiles were shot down over the sea, but two of them were shot down over the city’s industrial district, leaving one dead and two wounded, according to the military.
Manacor (Spain) (AFP) – Rafael Nadal says he is withdrawing from the French Open, adding that he expects 2024 to be his final year in professional tennis. The 36-year-old Spanish player has played at the claycourt major every year since 2005 and won it 14 times.
Iwakuni (Japan) (AFP) – US President Joe Biden lands at the US Marine Corps base at Iwakuni, just south of Hiroshima in Japan, to attend the G7 summit. [COMPLETES 33FF6QR]
Unknown (AFP) – Images showing flooded farmland, neighbourhoods and rivers in Italy’s northern region of Emilia Romagna following downpours earlier this week. More than 10,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and hundreds of landslides have been reported.
Port Sudan (Sudan) (AFP) – Hundreds of pro-army demonstrators gather near the hotel of the UN envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, to demand that he leave the country. Around 1,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the war more than a month ago, mainly in and around Khartoum as well as in the long-troubled western region of Darfur. More than one million others have been uprooted by the battles between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who leads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Qsarnaba (Lebanon) (AFP) – On a gentle slope looking out over Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, villagers work their way across pink-dotted terraces, gathering perfumed damask roses used for essential oils, sweets and cosmetics.
Tolemaida (Colombia) (AFP) – For the first time in 30 years, women are back on military service in the Colombian army. “I feel very good because we have shown that women are capable of doing what a man does, that we also have the same rights, the same qualities,” says soldier Yuliana Valderrama during a training session at the Tolemaida Military Air Base. There are currently 1,296 women volunteering for military service in the country.
Khartoum (AFP) – Aerial footage shows thick smoke billowing above the capital Khartoum as deadly fighting between Sudan’s warring generals shows no let-up. Around 1,000 people have been killed and nearly a million displaced in Sudan since battles erupted on April 15.
Reykjavik (AFP) – During the fourth Summit of the Council of Europe in Reykjavik, Iceland, Europe and the United States established a new “register” for Ukraine to record the damage caused by Russia’s aggression. It ensures “justice that is centred on the victims” of the war, says council head Marija Pejcinovic Buric.
