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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.

Istanbul (AFP) – “There is nothing as pleasant as swimming between two continents,” says 66-year-old Eren Tor after taking his daily cold plunge in Istanbul’s Bosphorus on a snowy day. “For me, Istanbul is the most beautiful city in the world,” says the retired dentist, adding, “This is like an antidepressant to us.”

Berlin (AFP) – People in Germany’s capital, Berlin, share their thoughts, hopes and fears for the upcoming election on the eve of the key vote. Sunday’s election comes at a time of upheaval for Europe and its biggest economy as US President Donald Trump has ended a united Western stance on the Ukraine conflict by reaching out to Russia.

Jacobabad (Pakistan) (AFP) – With temperatures sometimes rising above 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit), Jacobabad is Pakistan’s hottest city and maintaining secure water supplies is essential. But residents’ access to the resource is no longer guaranteed. The city’s supply system, pumping and purifying water from a canal, was funded by the US until President Donald Trump imposed a 90-day freeze on foreign spending. With funding drying up, so too could Jacobabad’s supply of clean water.

Paris (AFP) – Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky was “elected through free elections,” says French President Emmanuel Macron, contrasting this with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, “who kills his opponents and has manipulated his election for a long time”. Macron’s comments come ahead of a planned visit to the White House next week, where he will meet US President Donald Trump.