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Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – “We are not debtors,” says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking ahead of a visit to the United States, where he could sign an agreement giving the country access to Ukraine’s mineral resources. US President Donald Trump has demanded compensation for military and financial aid provided by the Biden administration to Kyiv, which is still fighting off Russian forces three years after Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

Bath (United Kingdom) (AFP) – At the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, southwestern England, visitors don extravagant costumes and pose with a Mr Darcy mannequin. This year, the centre is expecting greater footfall than usual as the city and the wider UK kick off celebrations in the run up to the literary icon’s 250th birthday on 16 December. “She really connects to her readers,” says Lauren Falconer, a guide at the centre, praising an author whose work has sold millions of copies, led to screen adaptations and inspired hit productions like Bridgerton.

Paris (AFP) – “There will be no solution in Ukraine without the Ukrainians,” says French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, adding “there will be no solution for European security without the Europeans”. Bayrou’s comments come after President Emmanuel Macron met with US counterpart Donald Trump in Washington on Monday 24 February, the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Prayagraj (India) (AFP) – Huge crowds cover the shores of the Indian Ganges river as devotees take a final sacred dip of the Kumbh Mela festival. According to the Uttar Pradesh state government, more than 640 million people took part in the festival, flocking to the northern city of Prayargraj over the course of six weeks.

Washington (AFP) – “I’d like to buy minerals on Russian land too,” says US President Donald Trump, with a potential deal allowing the US access to Ukraine’s natural resources appearing more and more likely. According to a senior Ukrainian official, Kyiv has agreed on the framework of the deal, which it hopes will improve relations with the Trump administration. Asked whether a Russian oligarch could be given a ‘gold card’, allowing foreigners the right to live and work in the US in return for $5 million, Trump says “yeah, possibly. I know some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people.”

Seoul (AFP) – The number of births in South Korea rose in 2024 for the first time in more than a decade on the back of a rise in marriages, bucking a trend for a country battling a demographic crisis.

Yellowknife (Canada) (AFP) – Canada is stepping up its military and diplomatic presence in the Arctic as part of a broader effort to assert its sovereignty in a region that accounts for 40 percent of Canadian territory and 75 percent of its coastline.

Nir ‘Oz (Israel) (AFP) – Hundreds of people gather at a small cemetery in a southern Israeli community to bid a final farewell to Oded Lifshitz, a kibbutz founder who died in captivity in Gaza.

Santiago du Chili (AFP) – Images of streets and stores in Santiago as Chile suffers an unusual and extensive electricity blackout. Initial reports say the outage started at 3:16 pm (1816 GMT) and stretched all the way from Arica in the north of the long, narrow South American country to Los Lagos in the south. No reason has been given for the failure in the country of 20 million people in the middle of the southern hemisphere summer. IMAGES

Istanbul (AFP) – More than 130 people have already died this year after drinking bootleg alcohol in Turkey, where clandestine production is widespread, and bootleg alcohol is often tainted with methanol, a toxic substance that can cause blindness, liver damage and death. Although Turkey is a nominally secular country, alcohol taxes have risen sharply under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a Muslim who vociferously opposes drinking. Critics say such high prices are fuelling the production of moonshine.

London (AFP) – British luxury brand Burberry closes London Fashion Week with its new Autumn/Winter collection after a shortened edition this year, with several designers opting for a dinner or presentation instead of a pricier runway show. Shown at the Tate Britain Museum, it is the fifth collection by its creative director, Daniel Lee, who has been trying to give the traditional fashion house a facelift since arriving two and a half years ago.

Burbank (AFP) – A month after devastating wildfires struck Los Angeles, a film industry workers’ union continues to support struggling locals. Over the past five years, the industry has faced severe challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic, historic actors’ and writers’ strikes, the rise of artificial intelligence and the worst natural disaster in the city’s history.