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Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urges the European Union to set out a clear timeline for his country’s accession to the bloc, on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion. “It is important for us to receive a clear date for joining the EU,” Zelensky says in a video address to the European Parliament, adding: “If there is no such guarantee, (Russian President Vladimir Putin) will find a way to block Ukraine for decades by dividing you, by dividing Europe.”

Sobetsu (Japan) (AFP) – At the foot of an active volcano in northern Japan, shouts ring out, competitors size each other up and snowballs whistle through the air in a very serious game of “yukigassen” — a sport with Olympic dreams. Yukigassen, essentially a snowball fight, first became a sport in Sobetsu 37 years ago and has since spread to 13 countries, including Russia, Finland and Australia. “We say it’s the oldest winter sport in human history,” says Yuji Ano, president of the organising committee for the Sobetsu tournament.

Bihsud (Afghanistan) (AFP) – Afghans gather to pray for villagers who died in air strikes by Pakistan, which says its operation killed dozens of militants. Islamabad says Taliban authorities have failed to act against militant groups using Afghan territory to carry out attacks in Pakistan, something Kabul denies. Pakistani military action killed 70 Afghan civilians between October and December last year, according to the UN mission in Afghanistan.

Yogyakarta (Indonesia) (AFP) – Thousands flock to the Jogokariyan mosque in Indonesia’s Yogyakarta for free meals during Ramadan, as it continues a long-standing programme powered by donations and volunteers who cook the food in their homes. About 3,800 iftar fast-breaking meals are served each evening, financed largely through online contributions, organisers say.

Voronezh (Russia) (AFP) – Around 500 kilometres south of Moscow, Voronezh — a city of one million people — is closer to the front line in eastern Ukraine than to the Russian capital. From frequent Ukrainian retaliatory drone attacks to army recruitment adverts around the city, the conflict has gradually seeped into daily life. “We all hope that everything will be over in 2026,” says the mother of a Russian soldier who has been missing in Ukraine for four months.

Kabul (AFP) – Afghanistan’s decision to overhaul its medicine market was meant to improve quality and domestic production, but industry specialists say the swift changes have led to a litany of problems. The Taliban authorities announced in November that the decades-long dependency on medicine imports from Pakistan would soon end, a step taken after deadly border clashes with their neighbour.

Juba (AFP) – “The fighting must stop,” says UN aid chief Tom Fletcher during a visit to South Sudan, where a new conflict is breaking out in the country’s east. “This should not be a difficult war to end,” he adds. The fighting in Jonglei state has displaced some 280,000 people since December, according to the United Nations.

Geneva (AFP) – The UN’s leader warns that “rule of law is being outmuscled by the rule of force”, at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council’s annual session in Geneva. “Human rights are under a full-scale attack around the world,” Antonio Guterres says.

London (AFP) – A Royal historian and biographer of ex-prince Andrew says the British royal family is at a “crunch point”, adding that “if they are found that they have been abetting him, enabling him, protecting him, then I think Charles will have to stand aside”. For his book, “Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York”, Andrew Lownie spoke with hundreds of sources close to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Lownie shares with AFP anecdotes of the disgraced royal’s alleged misconduct in public office as well as his links to Jeffrey Epstein.

Paris (France) (AFP) – Timothee Chalamet lookalikes compete at the Arlequin Cinema in Paris to determine who most resembles the French-American actor. The event is organised to celebrate the release of film ‘Marty Supreme’, in which Chalamet stars.

Floreana Island (Ecuador) (AFP) – Footage released by Ecuador’s environment ministry shows park rangers releasing giant tortoises. More than 150 giant tortoises have been reintroduced to Floreana Island in Ecuador’s famed Galapagos archipelago where they disappeared more than a century ago.

West Palm Beach (United States) (AFP) – Donald Trump supporters gather near Mar-a-Lago after US Secret Service agents killed a man carrying a shotgun and a fuel can who had breached the security perimeter of the Florida estate.