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Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian war veterans wounded in the war with Russia hold an open training session in preparation for the upcoming Invictus Games, an international sporting competition for disabled soldiers. The games will be held in Dusseldorf in September 2023. Mikhailo Drobotenko, who was wounded by a mine near Severodonetsk, says, “We need to attract more guys to do this. It distracts and helps in rehabilitation. Sport is life.”

Lake Issyk-Kul (Kyrgyzstan) (AFP) – On the shores of Lake Issyk Kul in Kyrgyzstan, a group of volunteer scuba divers show off their haul for the day: a boat engine, car tyres, bottles, clothes and a multitude of plastic items. Issyk Kul is a UNESCO heritage site and home to a diverse range of animal species, but the flow of visitors — and the waste they often leave — is endangering the lake.

Chibayish (Iraq) (AFP) – Dead fish lie on the banks of rivers and marshes in Iraq’s southeast in the floodplain of the Tigris river, already suffering from the effects of global warming. Largely arid Iraq is ranked by the United Nations as one of the world’s five countries most impacted by some effects of climate change.

Mazar-i-Sharif (Afghanistan) (AFP) – “It is very difficult to be a girl”, sighs Halima Mohammadi as she reacts to a new ban imposed by Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities: the beauty parlours were given a month to shut down. The order will force the closure of thousands of businesses run by women — often the only source of income for households — and outlaw one of the few remaining opportunities for them to socialise away from home.

Minsk (AFP) – Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is still in Russia, says Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Speaking to foreign media outlets in Minsk, the Moscow-allied leader explains “he is in Saint Petersburg. Perhaps he went to Moscow this morning. But he is not in Belarus”. Lukashenko’s comments come despite a deal between Prigozhin and the Kremlin for him to move to Belarus following his failed insurrection last month.

Colombo (AFP) – Student leader Wasantha Mudalige remains lionised by many for channelling public anger at an unprecedented economic crisis into a movement that shook the foundations of Sri Lanka’s political system. At the height of last summer’s unrest, he helped spearhead a siege of government buildings in Colombo that saw once-loved premier Gotabaya Rajapaksa chased into a humiliating exile.

Tel Aviv (AFP) – Protesters and police clash as thousands block Ayalon highway in Tel Aviv, following the resignation of Tel Aviv police chief Ami Ashed. Police use water cannons and mounted horse units to remove protesters.

Jenin (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – The Israeli army ended a two-day raid in the occupied West Bank, leaving several dead and thousands displaced. The operation involved hundreds of forces, drone strikes and armored bulldozers, targeting the West Bank city of Jenin, a center for multiple armed Palestinian groups.

Ulaanbaatar (AFP) – Flooded streets and inundated homes in Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar after torrential rains forces hundreds of people to flee their homes.

Kabul (AFP) – Images of beauty parlors in Kabul after Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities have ordered them to shut within a month, in the latest curb to further squeeze women out of public life.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Images show police and emergency services at the scene of an alleged suicide bombing outside a Kyiv court, which has left one man dead and two officers injured. IMAGES

Kharkiv Oblast (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian servicemen share their dugout with an unusual friend, a pet raven named Mavic. While loved, Mavic is a known troublemaker, stealing and hiding everything from phones to bullets.