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Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that he is ready to quit as Ukraine’s president if it means Kyiv would be admitted to the NATO military alliance.

Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Stars nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, including Demi Moore, Pamela Anderson and Adrien Brody, walk the red carpet ahead of the ceremony.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praises the United Kingdom for showing “leadership” on the war with Russia in his evening address, after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged his “ironclad support” for Kyiv in a phone call. US President Donald Trump’s embrace of Kremlin talking points on Ukraine — calling President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator without elections” and blaming Ukraine for Russia’s 2022 invasion — has caused alarm in Europe, reinforcing suspicions that Trump is effectively pulling the plug on decades of US support for the continent.

Rome (AFP) – People pray for Pope Francis outside Gemelli hospital in Rome, the day after the Vatican warned the 88-year-old’s condition was “critical”. The Argentine pontiff, who is being treated for double pneumonia, suffered a prolonged asthma-style attack on Saturday and required blood transfusions for a low platelet count.

Moscow (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin says his soldiers in Ukraine are defending “national interests” and vowed “unchanged” determination to strengthen the country’s armed forces on the eve of the third anniversary of Moscow’s offensive on Kyiv. “Today, at the risk of their lives and with courage, they are resolutely defending their homeland, national interests and Russia’s future,” Putin says in a video released by the Kremlin.

Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) (AFP) – Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva blows out cake candles to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Workers’ Party (PT) in Rio de Janeiro. During his speech, he reiterates that US President Donald Trump “was not elected sheriff of the world” but to govern his country. “As for who will govern Brazil, it’s us,” says Lula in front of a cheering crowd dressed in red, the colour of the PT.

Bukavu (DR Congo) (AFP) – Hundreds of Bukavians attend a meeting to show their support for the new M23/AFC authorities in the eastern DRC. Rwanda-backed M23 fighters took control of the South Kivu provincial capital Bukavu last Sunday, weeks after capturing Goma, the capital of North Kivu and main city in the country’s east. The armed group also presents thousands of recruits which M23 leaders say have signed up to join its ranks “voluntarily”, though this cannot be independently verified.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Around $350 billion worth of Ukraine’s critical resources are located in areas captured by Russia, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko says. The remarks come as Kyiv is pushing back against US President Donald Trump’s calls for Ukraine’s resources to be used as compensation to the United States for aid delivered under former President Joe Biden.

Vortová (Czech Republic) (AFP) – Dozens of people wearing masks set out for the annual Shrovetide procession in the central Czech region of Hlinecko. The tradition, unchanged since at least the 18th century, was inscribed in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage in 2010. The processions bring together masks including a mare, knackers, Jews, Turks and chimney sweepers.

Caracas (AFP) – Venezuela’s Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, reports a 90% drop in the country’s murder rate. Between 2018 and 2024, the number of murder cases fell from 8,507 to 1,338, Saab says during an interview with AFP. An 80-percent drop in GDP over a decade of increasingly repressive rule by President Nicolas Maduro since 2013 has made many Venezuelans desperate. Maduro, who claimed victory in July 2024 elections that the opposition and much of the international community says he stole, insists low salaries are a consequence of international sanctions.

Moscow (AFP) – Speaking at the Forum of Future Technologies in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country will be ready to welcome “a return to our market for those who want to return” after heavy sanctions and a mass exodus of Western companies following Russia’s 2022 assault on Ukraine. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Saudi Arabia earlier this week, the first high-level meeting between Moscow and Washington officials since 2022, causing a rebound of the flailing ruble and raising prospects that economic sanctions could soon be re-examined under prospective peace negotiations.

Rugombo (Burundi) (AFP) – Around 42,000 people have fled the conflict raging in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and crossed into Burundi in the past two weeks, says the UNHCR representative in Burundi, Brigitte Mukanga-Eno. Rwandan-backed M23 fighters have made big gains in the eastern DR Congo, seizing the cities of Goma and Bukavu and stoking fears of a regional conflagration.