AFP UK

Donetsk Oblast (Ukraine) (AFP) – On the front lines in the Donetsk region, a Ukrainian tank platoon commander describes the difficulty of defending oneself while saving ammunition and time.

Washington (AFP) – Cherry blossoms draw nature lovers and amateur photographers to the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC. The flowers are due to peak bloom this week, and many woke up early to admire them.

Moscow (AFP) – Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrives at the Kremlin for formal talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the Ukraine conflict a closely-watched matter on the agenda. Although Putin had earlier told his counterpart that he was “open” to negotiations and to discussing Beijing’s plan for peace in Ukraine, he accuses Kyiv of not being willing to implement China’s proposals to end the fighting.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow, foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin says Beijing will “continue to play a constructive role in promoting the political settlement” of the Ukraine war. Wenbin adds that Xi “stressed that voices for peace are growing” to Putin.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky implores the International Criminal Court to ensure “accountability” for Russia’s actions in Ukraine, adding that the world needs to see that “no one is above justice” and that “no one can make torture and filtration camps to exterminate a nation”. The address follows the issue on Friday of arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and his Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, over the “illegal deportation” of Ukrainian children to Russia.

Bangkok (AFP) – Seven storeys above a shop floor hawking cheap perfume and nylon underwear, Thailand’s “shopping mall gorilla” sits alone in a cage — her home for 30 years. Activists around the world have long called for the primate to be moved from Pata Zoo. But the family who owns Bua Noi have resisted public and government pressure to let go of the critically endangered animal.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – In a cosy barn on the outskirts of Kyiv, a group of Ukrainian soldiers take a break from battle with a session of hippotherapy — using riding and contact with horses to relieve the stress brought by their time at the front.

Nairobi (AFP) – Kenyan riot police fire tear gas and water cannon against demonstrators joining a day of action called by the opposition to protest a punishing cost-of-living crisis.

Paris (AFP) – Hundreds of students gather in central Paris on Monday night to demonstrate against French President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms, which raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Pretoria (AFP) – South Africa’s opposition holds rallies under tight security in a bid to force out President Cyril Ramaphosa over his handling of the country’s sickly economy and crippling energy crisis.

Brussels (AFP) – Thousands of Iranians demonstrated in the streets of Brussels, demanding that the European Union place the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on a blacklist. A dozen Ukrainians are also present in the demonstration.

Kayah State (Myanmar) (AFP) – Displaced Myanmar villagers prepare makeshift bunkers of earth and sandbags as fighting between junta troops and anti-coup rebels rages and military shelling becomes an almost daily occurence.