Moskau (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow would cease fire and begin peace talks “immediately” if Ukraine pulled back troops from four regions and gave up its NATO membership bid.
Blankenhain (Germany) (AFP) – Ahead of England’s Euro 2024 opener against Serbia, Conor Gallagher believes the team will be “more than ready”. Speaking at the team’s Blankenhain base, the Chelsea midfielder describes England’s loss against Iceland in their final warm-up game as “a bit of a wake-up call.”
Seoul (AFP) – The BTS ARMY gathers in Seoul for the K-pop phenomenon’s annual FESTA, which this year has coincided with Jin – the band’s oldest member – finishing his compulsory military service. The group has been on a self-desribed ‘hiatus’ since 2022, when all seven band members were conscripted, a requirement for all men under 30 in South Korea. Just days after being released from service, Jin is set to host a ‘huggathon’, during which he will hug 1,000 lucky fans.
Viña del Mar (Chile) (AFP) – The coastal city of Vina del Mar, a popular tourist destination in Chile’s Valparaiso region, prepares for high winds and heavy rain after the country’s meteorological agency issued the highest level of weather warning for six regions. The weather front is expected to be Chile’s worst since 1982, when rains killed 15 people in the capital, Santiago, according to official records.
Geneva (AFP) – G7 leaders have “a particular responsibility” to tackle “profound global challenges” says UN chief Antonio Guterres. Speaking in Geneva on 12 June, after returning from a conference on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and ahead of a G7 summit in Italy, Guterres describes “a unique level of destruction…and casualties in the Palestinian population.”
Undisclosed (Ukraine) (AFP) – “We don’t have time to watch the news” says Oleksandr, a member of a Ukrainian tank unit near the Donetsk region frontline, ahead of a peace summit due to take place in Switzerland. “All the guys just want to come home alive” he adds. Away from the front, Kyiv has based its summit agenda on a 10-point ‘peace plan’ and hopes to unite the international community behind it when world leaders gather on 15 and 16 June.
Japanese 89-year-old Tomiji Suzuki started coding in retirement and is now making apps for the fast-growing elderly demographic. So far Suzuki has developed 11 free iPhone apps to help Japan’s ageing population, including his latest: a slideshow of items to remember when leaving the house, from a wallet and hearing aids to patient registration cards.
Jakarta (AFP) – Rifda Irfanaluthfi is the first Indonesian gymnast to qualify for the Olympics, let alone the first woman, and her mind is set on reaching Paris fully fit so she can etch her name into gymnastics legend at home.
Yerevan (AFP) – Dozens of demonstrators were injured in the Armenian capital Yerevan on Wednesday, after police fired stun grenades at an anti-government rally outside parliament to protest Armenia’s land concessions to arch foe Azerbaijan, as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was answering questions from lawmakers inside.
Arbil (Iraq) (AFP) – Fire rages at an asphalt storage facility of an oil refinery located on a road west of Arbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. IMAGES
Snigurivka (Ukraine) (AFP) – Deminer Tetiana Shpak crouches down in a once tranquil poppy-strewn field near the southern Ukrainian city of Snigurivka, now littered with Russian mines. Just a few years ago, this scene would have been impossible — until 2018, women were banned from becoming deminers, a profession long considered too dangerous for them. But the Russian invasion in February 2022 changed that. More women like her are joining mine-clearance teams, where they now account for 30 percent of personnel, according to official data.
Berlin (AFP) – In two years’ time, a massive hole in the heart of Berlin will become the German capital’s biggest reservoir, capturing an increasingly precious resource — water. Once a swamp centuries ago, Berlin has gone from a city trying to keep its abundant groundwater from overflowing to one scrambling to keep its forests green.
