AFP UK

Berlin (AFP) – German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock accuses Russia of “using hunger as a weapon of war”, as she speaks at a food security conference in Berlin.

Baku (AFP) – Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says that Ukraine and Moldova joining the 27-nation bloc would present “no risks” for Russia. However, Lavrov accuses the EU and NATO of wanting to wage war on Russia, comparing them to the Axis powers in World War II. 

Baghdad (AFP) – An all-amputee football team, made up entirely of players who lost limbs in Iraq’s many years of war, knock the ball about in Baghdad. The team cares about more than getting the ball in the back of the net – the goal is to get the players’ confidence back.

Geneva (AFP) – The United Nations says that its findings show that the shot that killed Al Jazeera TV journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on May 11 was fired by Israeli forces. The Palestinian-American journalist, who was wearing a vest marked “Press” and a helmet, was killed while covering an Israeli army operation in Jenin camp in the northern West Bank.

Sloviansk (Ukraine) (AFP) – With its white sand and clear water, the beach at Lake Weiss in Ukraine’s Sloviansk looks deserted. But some locals brave the beach despite the nearby sounds of rockets and missiles, as residents seek some normality amid the fierce fighting in the embattled region.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – President Volodymyr Zelensky hails the news of the European Union granting Ukraine candidate status for accession to the bloc, saying it shows his country is “not a bridge” between the West and Russia.

Límni (Greece) (AFP) – In summer 2021, forest fires destroyed about a third of the Greek island of Evia’s lush forest. A year on, even as climate change and fresh wildfires threaten the island again, the green shoots of a slow recovery are everywhere.

Paktik (Afghanistan) (AFP) – Afghan government helicopters and trucks deliver aid, headed to areas hardest hit by Wednesday’s earthquake, including Barmal and Gayan in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktika province. Afghanistan’s deadliest earthquake in more than two decades poses a huge logistical challenge for the new Taliban government, which has isolated itself from much of the world by introducing hardline rule.

Thiruvananthapuram (India) (AFP) – Old public transport buses are given a new life at a primary school in India’s Kerala state. Once destined for the junkyard, they are now turned into activity rooms for children between the ages of three and five through the “Education on Wheels” initiative by the Thiruvananthapuram local government. The initiative seeks to assist schools with shortage of learning space for students. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) donated the two scrapped buses which will be converted into air-conditioned rooms fitted with televisions, speakers, and perhaps even Wi-Fi if needed. To renovate one bus takes four days and costs under $4,000. DURATION: 01:19

Havana (AFP) – Ale, a baby white rhino born on June 9 in Havana, strolls curiously with his mother Katherine through the African grassland at the National Zoo of Cuba. DURATION: 00:30

Wakefield (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Labour Party candidate Simon Lightwood wins a UK parliamentary by-election in Wakefield, taking back the northern England constituency right from the Conservatives who also lost a seat in Tiverton and Honiton to the centrist Liberal Democrats, in twin results set to pile new pressure on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. DURATION: 00:23

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – “I believe this is what will always be the starting point of Europe’s new history. Europe without divisions,” President Volodymyr Zelensky says as the European Union decides to grant Ukraine official EU candidate status. DURATION: 01:02