Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky tells the African Union that the continent is being held hostage by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which has spurred food shortages and fears of a food crisis in Africa.
Beirut (AFP) – Prime Minister Najib Mikati says Lebanon is ready to expel Syrian refugees living in the country if the international community does not work to repatriate them. Lebanon, grappling with its worst ever economic crisis, has the world’s highest proportion of refugees in its population. The government estimates that Syrians account for almost a quarter of its more than six million residents.
A battalion made up of veterans and refugees of Chechnya’s wars is fighting in Ukraine – against the Russians. Many of these soldiers see Ukraine’s struggle against Russia as much like their own.
Sylhet (Bangladesh) (AFP) – Monsoon storms in Bangladesh have killed dozens of people and unleashed devastating floods that have left millions of others stranded. Floods are a regular menace in the country, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency, ferocity and unpredictability.
Zaporizhzhia (Ukraine) (AFP) – In the town of Zaporizhzhia in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian mechanics are converting old rally cars into armoured vehicles to help the war effort. With a reinforced body and an upgraded engine, it is designed so soldiers at both the front and back can shoot while speeding across the front.
Stockholm (AFP) – The 12-metre tall installation “Arch” by the artist Ai Weiwei is on display in front of the National Museum of Stockholm. The stainless steel structure, which resembles a cage, features silhouettes of two people holding one another at its centre.
Lysychansk (Ukraine) (AFP) – More residents are being evacuated from the Ukrainian city of Lysychansk amid heavy Russian shelling. Bombardments continue to strike buildings and facilities in the city, which lies just across the river from the battered Severodonetsk.
Sitiawan (Malaysia) (AFP) – In the small Malaysian town of Sitiawan, a family-run business makes traditional “mee suah” noodles by hand, stretching them out on wooden racks to dry in the baking hot sun. Known as “thread noodles” due to their long thin form, the food was originally brought to the Southeast Asian country by Chinese immigrants.
Brumadinho (Brazil) (AFP) – Brazilians compete in a soapbox cart championship where speeds can go higher than 100km/h.
Bangkok (AFP) – What happens when Donald Trump, a Bangkok motorbike taxi driver, and a Squid Game contestant take the stage in a Bangkok bar late on a Saturday night? It can only mean an air guitar battle for peace.
