AFP UK

Los Angeles (AFP) – “Like family”: the Jonas Brothers pay tribute to their fans as the US pop rock band unveil their Hollywood Walk of Fame star on the boulevard.

Moscow (AFP) – Russian Defence Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov claims that Russian troops have “liberated” the village of Blagodatne, north of the eastern Ukrainian town of Bakhmut. Russia has been seeking to seize Bakhmut for months in some of the heaviest fighting since President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine in February last year.

Fiumicino (Italy) (AFP) – Images of Pope Francis as he embarks on the papal plane in Rome’s Fiumicino airport before it takes off. This is his fifth visit to Africa, flying to the Democratic Republic of Congo and then South Sudan to plead for peace in the two violence-plagued nations. His plane is expected to land around 3:00 pm local time at Kinshasa’s Ndjili airport. IMAGES

Bongabon (Philippines) (AFP) – Even before his onions are fully grown, Philippine farmer Luis Angeles races to harvest the crop and cash in on eye-watering prices for a vegetable that has become a luxury item in the country. Onion prices have soared in recent months, reaching as high as 800 pesos (nearly $15) a kilogram in Manila supermarkets, making them more expensive than chicken or pork. Experts and farmers said the high prices are due to different reasons, including high production and transport cost. But the agricultural industry is facing bigger problems: aging farmers and fewer people interested in farming.

In space (AFP) – Yogi, Paddington and Winnie the Pooh, move over. There’s a new bear in town. Or on Mars, anyway. Scientists operating the camera onboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have shared images of what appears to be a beaming face of a teddy bear a carved into the surface of the red planet.

Peshawar (Pakistan) (AFP) – Emergency services enter and leave heavily-guarded police compound, where a mosque blast on Monday killed more than 80 people and wounded 150 more. IMAGES

The Hague (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday he has not ruled out the delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine but warned against the risk of escalation in the conflict. “Nothing is excluded in principle,” he said after talks with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte when asked about the possibility of sending jets to Kyiv as it battles Russia’s invasion.

Cusco (Peru) (AFP) – Hundreds of people line up along the streets of Poroy village, in the outskirts of Peru’s Cusco city, to buy canisters of gas amid shortages following anti-government road blockades.

Monrovia (AFP) – Liberian President and former international football star George Weah said Monday that he would run for a second term in October, rejecting mounting criticism that he is out of touch with the majority of the population. About half of Liberia’s people live on less than $1.90 a day, according to World Bank figures.

Singapore (AFP) – Global growth is set to be higher than expected this year, the IMF said Monday, raising its forecast on surprisingly strong consumption and investment while China’s lifting of zero-Covid restrictions provides another boost.

Kherson (Ukraine) (AFP) – Footage shows the moment the Ukrainian city of Kherson was hit by Russian artillery on Sunday. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the strikes in the southern city left at least three people dead.

Peshawar (Pakistan) (AFP) – Security services stand on high alert after a blast at a mosque inside a highly sensitive Pakistani police headquarters on Monday left dozens dead and at least 150 more injured, prompting the government to put the country on high alert.