AFP Video

Kharkiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – As investigators survey the damage in a bombed-out block of apartment buildings in Saltivka, on the outskirts of the eastern city of Kharkiv, residents gather around them, eager to know if and when they’d be compensated for the bombing of their buildings. The investigators were dispatched to decide if this attack constituted a war crime. Floor by floor they go through the building, taking stock of the damage caused by the Russian army’s shelling.

Berlin (AFP) – In the Bundestag, Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Germany will deliver to Ukraine an air defence system capable of shielding a “major city from Russian airstrikes”, rejecting accusations that his government was slow to arm Kyiv.

Copenhagen (AFP) – Traditionally eurosceptic Denmark votes in a referendum on whether to overturn its opt-out on the EU’s common defence policy after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The vote comes on the heels of neighbouring Finland’s and Sweden’s historic applications for NATO membership, as the Ukraine war forces countries in Europe to rethink their security policies. IMAGES

Washington (AFP) – Suga, the South Korean rapper who is part of South Korean K-pop supergroup BTS, calls on people to “embrace all of our differences” as the band visits the White House. The group were in Washington, DC, to meet US President Joe Biden and discuss anti-Asian hate crimes.

Shanghai (AFP) – Shanghai slowly whir back to life Wednesday as a range of Covid-19 restrictions were eased after a two-month lockdown that confined residents to their homes and battered the Chinese economy.

Singapore (AFP) – Singaporeans queue at a popular chicken rice stall on Tuesday to get their fix of the local favourite before Malaysia’s curbs on chicken exports kick in.

Recife (Brazil) (AFP) – The search for victims of the downpour in Monte Verde, Recife has entered into its fourth day as rescue workers working intensively to remove bodies and look for possible survivors.

Sloviansk (Ukraine) (AFP) – Residents in Ukraine’s Slovyansk were devastated after Russia struck the city with missiles causing three dead and six injured. Russian forces continue to make progress in the Donbas region, after gaining control of half of eastern Ukraine’s key city of Severodonetsk. 

Washington (AFP) – BTS fans gather outside the White House as the K-pop band meet with US President Joe Biden to discuss anti-Asian hate crime. Standing outside the White House with dozens of other fans, 29-year-old Stella Chang says the band’s success among her friends makes her “really proud as a Korean American”.

Brussels (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron says he and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have urged Vladimir Putin to end Russia’s blockade of the Ukrainian port of Odessa under the terms of a UN resolution.