AFP UK

Kharkiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – An overnight Russian strike hits the centre of Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, as expectations grow over the start of a long-awaited Ukrainian offensive.

Probolinggo (Indonesia) (AFP) – Thousands of worshippers from Tengger tribe scale Mount Bromo, an active Indonesian volcano in East Java, to toss livestock, food and other offerings into its smoking crater in a centuries-old religious ceremony called the Yadnya Kasada.

Santorini (Greece) (AFP) – Off the spectacular Greek tourist island of Santorini, divers drag deadly “ghost nets” from the depths of the Aegean Sea which have claimed the lives of thousands of fish. George Sarelakos, head of the NGO Aegean Rebreath, says that the nets are “a huge problem around the globe… they represent about ten percent of marine litter found at the sea bottom.” Over the last five years, Aegean Rebreath’s 300 volunteer divers have removed more than 28 tonnes of nets and hundreds of thousands of plastic bags from Greek waters.

Istanbul (AFP) – Canadian entrepreneur-turned-climate-activist Craig Cohon, 60, who has been walking more than 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles) across Europe as part of his mission to help offset his lifetime carbon footprint, ends his journey in Istanbul. Having set off from London on January 3 for a carbon zero campaign he named “Walk it Back”, the self-proclaimed former “fossil fuel dinosaur” passed through 14 countries and 82 cities walking 25 kilometres a day in a bid to raise awareness on the impacts of climate change and to promote a carbon-neutral lifestyle. “I want to make sure that before I die that I am an advocate for making sure carbon is priced into our lives and that we put a price on carbon”, Cohon says.

Puffing smoke and blowing into a seashell, a Mayan shaman leads a purification ceremony before players from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador compete in the Third Central American Mayan Ball Games Tournament. The game, played by striking the ball using only hips, is a way to keep alive an ancestral tradition and strengthen ties between players from Central American countries.

Madrid (AFP) – After 14 years with the Spanish football club Real Madrid, striker Karim Benzema is leaving. In Madrid, disappointed but grateful fans thank him for all he has given: “The door will always be open for you here,” says Jose Antonio Miranda.

Milan (AFP) – After the announcement late Sunday that he was retiring from football, Zlatan Ibrahimovic speaks up during a press conference in Milan. He states the news was kept to himself, even his club AC Milan was left in the dark about his plan to bring the curtain down on a long, trophy-packed career. “It was raining when I woke up. So I said: God is sad too,” the veteran striker says.

Dakar (AFP) – Senegal’s director of public security tells journalists that “500 individuals have been arrested” after clashes which left at least 16 people dead and more than 350 demonstrators injured in Senegal. In Dakar, tension is gradually easing after 72 hours of violence following the sentencing of opposition politician Ousmane Sonko to two years behind bars.

A healthy Rocky Mountain snowpack is set to offer a bumper season for thrill-seeking white water rafters on Colorado’s rivers.

Thousands of Hindu worshippers scale an active Indonesian volcano to toss livestock, food and other offerings into its smoking crater in a centuries-old religious ceremony. IMAGES

New Delhi (AFP) – Hundreds of environmental activists gather along the Yamuna, one of India’s holiest rivers but also one of its most polluted. The event was held for World Environment Day on 5 June.