Lviv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Father Taras Mykhalchuk celebrates the funeral service of two Ukrainian servicemen, Oleg Muzhkevych and Valery Dianov, killed during combat with Russian troops, at the Saints Peter and Paul Garrison Church in Lviv. Since the beginning of the war, Father Taras Mykhalchuk has been conducting servicemen’s funerals every day.
Ankara (AFP) – NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says “the time has come to ratify both Finland and Sweden and to make them full members of our alliance ” during a press conference in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Pazarcık (Turkey) (AFP) – Aerial shots show the damage done to a road near Pazarcik, Turkey, by the deadly earthquake which struck Turkey and neighbouring Syria on February 6 2023. The fault line between two tectonic plates – the Arabian and the Eurasian – lays beneath Turkey’s southeastern provinces and passes through this road.
Pyongyang (AFP) – North Koreans lay flowers in front of giant bronze statues of former leaders in Pyongyang, as the country marks the anniversary of the birth of Kim Jong Il, the late father of current ruler Kim Jong Un.
New York (AFP) – The earliest and most complete Hebrew Bible, dating to the late ninth to early tenth century, is to be auctioned at Sotheby’s in New York. It is estimated at $30 to $50 million, making it the most valuable printed manuscript or historical document ever offered at auction.
London (AFP) – Using cutting edge materials and state of the art architectural software, a project at University College London is seeking to bring endangered or threatened languages to life as 3D objects. The collaborative effort, between the university’s Anthropology and Architectural departments, models and then 3D-prints languages — including Amazonian Tariana and Kurdish — with the hope of highlighting their complexity, value as intangible heritage and the risks they face.
Dubai (AFP) – “Probably towards the end of this year should be good timing to find someone else to run the company” says Twitter CEO, Elon Musk, hinting that he could step back just a year after buying the platform. The Tesla and SpaceX owner, who frequently sets stock market trends through his own Twitter activity, paid $44 billion for the site, before embarking on a range of controversial policies, including the reinstatement of former president Donald Trump’s account.
Chasiv Yar (Ukraine) (AFP) – Near the frontline hotspot of Bakhmut, described by President Zelensky as a “fortress”, the Ukrainian town of Chasiv Yar reverberates with the sound of shelling. Despite the fighting creeping closer, those who’ve stayed this long won’t be pushed from their homes. “I’m not alone in Chasiv Yar, says Nadezhda Vasykova, “I refuse to be homeless” she adds, “I would rather die here.”
Sant Joan Despí (Spain) (AFP) – Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández lavishes praise on opposite number Erik ten Hag ahead of his team’s clash with Manchester United in their Europa League play-off tie on Thursday. “Turning around Man United’s situation was not easy and he is doing it” Xavi says, adding “it’s a shame we’re not playing at home” in reference to his view that Barcelona belong in Europe’s top level Champions League.
Azusa (United States) (AFP) – With two deadly mass shootings fresh in people’s minds, and a rise in hate crimes, an increasing number of Americans of Asian descent are considering getting trained on how to use firearms to defend themselves. “Anytime there’s been a mass shooting, my business goes up” says Tom Nguyen, a firearms instructor based in Azusa, California.
Unknown (AFP) – “I think we’re in slightly more difficult territory” says UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, when asked if the Black Sea Grain deal will be extended. The hard-won initiative was brokered by the UN and Turkey last July and renewed in November, but is now due to expire in mid-March.
Vienna (AFP) – The Belvedere Museum in Vienna invites couples to be photographed kissing in front of Gustav Klimt’s painting “The Kiss” to celebrate Valentine’s Day and “to reach out to people who would otherwise not come,” says the museum’s chief financial officer Wolfgang Bergmann.
