AFP UK

Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin says that he sees “no point” in meeting Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky until a peace deal was ready, rebuffing the Ukrainian leader’s call for a face-to-face encounter. “I see no point in meeting. It only makes sense for the Ukrainian side to stop the advance of our armed forces. That’s it. And we need agreements,” Putin tells Russia’s flagship economic forum in Saint Petersburg, a day after Zelensky released an open later calling for a meeting.

Peru (AFP) – Under the scorching sun of the Peruvian Altiplano, 78-year-old Dominga Quenta, an Indigenous Aymara woman, no longer expects anything from Lima. With only days to go before the presidential runoff between right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori and left-wing candidate Roberto Sanchez, people like her have long since stopped believing in politicians’ promises. “No one ever comes here; no one ever sees us. We fend for ourselves,” says Rufino Cutipa, a former teacher and local farmer.

Washington (United States) (AFP) – President Donald Trump says the United States will “take care” of Cuba as he addresses reporters in the Oval Office of the White House, calling the island’s communist government “very tough, very nasty”. “I like to do one thing at a time,” he says. “We’ll take care of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and as soon as that’s done, on our way back, we’ll just make a little brief stop over.”

Kathmandu (Nepal) (AFP) – A Nepali climber who dragged himself off Everest six days after being abandoned is recovering in hospital as family members call for an investigation into rescue efforts.

Pucallpa (Peru) (AFP) – Ballots and voting kits make their way to Pucallpa in Peru’s Amazon, where election workers load boxes onto boats that will travel by river to reach isolated communities ahead of the country’s presidential vote on june 7. IMAGES

Lima (AFP) – Keiko Fujimori arrives to cheering supporters at her final campaign rally, making a last push for votes as Peru heads into a tightly contested presidential election. IMAGES

Israel-Lebanon border (Israel) (AFP) – Smoke rises from south Lebanon as Israel continues to strike, despite the two countries agreeing to a conditional ceasefire that Lebanon’s president called the “last chance” for a durable end to the fighting.

La Paz (AFP) – Thousands of Bolivians queued for hours to buy chicken, a stark sign of how much families are struggling with shortages that have been worsened by protests. Bolivia’s conservative president said he had moved Wednesday to “strengthen” the army’s role in quelling anti-government protests that have paralyzed cities, caused widespread shortages and threatened to topple his fledgling government.

South Africa (AFP) – Hundreds of foreigners fearing for their lives have taken shelter in community halls on South Africa’s south coast, saying mobs of locals were going door-to-door telling them to leave the country.

La Paz (AFP) – Hundreds of people queue to receive chickens in the Bolivian capital La Paz, as food shortages caused by the protest crisis continue to mount. IMAGES

Caracas (AFP) – Union members, retirees, students and relatives of political prisoners march together in the streets of Caraca, capital of Venezuela, toward the US Embassy to demand presidential elections. IMAGES

Wakiso (AFP) – The Ghetto Kids, a Ugandan dance troupe made up of street children, speak of their excitement at being invited by music superstar Shakira to perform at the World Cup. The Colombian star last week announced on Instagram that the Ugandan kids were her first selection to join her for the half-time show of the World Cup final in the United States this summer.