AFP UK

Kyauktaw (Myanmar) (AFP) – Cyclone Mocha crashed struck Myanmar and Bangladesh on Sunday, sparing sprawling refugee camps but bringing a storm surge to swathes of western Myanmar where communications were largely cut off.

Berlin (AFP) – Visiting Berlin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says “we’re not attacking Russian territory, we are liberating our lawful land”. Ukrainian forces have been training troops and stockpiling Western-supplied munitions and hardware that analysts say will be key to reclaiming territory captured by Russia. Berlin unveiled a new military package for Kyiv worth 2.7 billion euros ($3 billion), its biggest yet for Ukraine, just before Zelensky’s first visit to Germany since Russia’s invasion.

Teknaf (Bangladesh) (AFP) – Cyclone Mocha — the most powerful storm to hit Bangladesh in more than 15 years — sweeps through the coastal town of Teknaf, tearing roofs off buildings and downing trees. Authorities in the South Asian nation had moved hundreds of thousands of people to safety ahead of the cyclone’s arrival.

Ankara (AFP) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main challenger pledges Sunday to restore democracy, after casting his ballot in the country’s most important election of modern times. “We all missed democracy,” secular leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu tells reporters. “You will see, God willing, spring will come to this country.”

Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Aerial views over Gaza as calm returns to the city on the first day of a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Islamic Jihad militant group, following five days of cross-border fire which has killed dozens.