Unknown (AFP) – A member of the team of late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny says that a deal to free him as part of a prisoner swap had nearly been reached when he died in prison. The 47-year-old critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin died on 16 February in opaque circumstances after spending more than three years behind bars, prompting outrage and condemnation from Western leaders and his supporters.
Unknown (AFP) – A spokesperson for the Russian army’s “Centre” division says Russia has “liberated” the eastern Ukrainian settlement of Lastochkyne, the latest in a string of Russian advances along the front. As the conflict enters its third year, Moscow’s troops have mounted heavy attacks and taken Avdiivka — a key eastern town near to Lastochkyne — while Ukrainian troops are struggling with a lack of ammunition.
HARSFJARDEN (Sweden) (AFP) – After last holdout Hungary ratified Sweden’s NATO bid, clearing the final obstacle to an enlargement of the military alliance spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, residents of the capital Stockholm say they are “relieved” at the news, with one saying that NATO will make them “safer”. Russia’s February 2022 invasion prompted Sweden and neighbouring Finland to apply to join the bloc, ending a long-standing stance of non-alignment in both countries.
Lima (AFP) – With water sprays and frozen fruit, staff at a zoo in Peru are looking to help their animals beat a heatwave.
Miaoli (Taiwan) (AFP) – People throw firecrackers at an effigy of a god in north-western Taiwan, in a ritual intended to bring wealth and good fortune on the final day of Lunar New Year celebrations. The event, which has been held in the township of Zhunan for more than a hundred and fifty years, is a display of gratitude to fortune god Master Han Dan for saving the town from a plague.
Sao Paulo (AFP) – Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro arrives at the Sao Paulo rally he called to reject claims he plotted a coup with allies to remain in power after his failed 2022 reelection bid. Investigators say the far-right ex-army captain led a plot to falsely discredit the Brazilian election system and prevent the winner of the vote, leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, from taking power. A week after Lula took office on January 1, 2023, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court, urging the military to intervene to overturn what they called a stolen election IMAGES
Sao Paulo (AFP) – Thousands of people turn up to a rally called by former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in Sao Paulo, to reject claims he plotted a coup with allies to remain in power after his failed 2022 reelection bid. Investigators say the far-right ex-army captain led a plot to falsely discredit the Brazilian election system and prevent the winner of the vote, leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, from taking power. A week after Lula took office on January 1, 2023, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court, urging the military to intervene to overturn what they called a stolen election. IMAGES
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says his country’s victory “depends” on support from the Western world and that he was “sure” the United States would approve a critical package of military aid.
Larissa (Greece) (AFP) – Holding banners and flowers, university students pay their respects to the victims of Greece’s deadliest railway crash nearly a year after the tragic incident. For nearly 19 minutes a passeneger train and freight train were running on the same line, they collided near a tunnel outside Larissa before midnight on February 28, 2023.
Buenos Aires (AFP) – Protesters ralliy across the globe in support of Ukraine on the second anniversary of Moscow’s invasion, urging greater Western backing as fears mount about Kyiv’s ability to fend off an emboldened Russia. Crowds gathered in Bueonos Aires, Belgrade, Toronto and many other cities, demanding that Russian President Vladimir Putin put an end to the war. “For us, it’s important to be here because we have to give signs of life here in Europe, so that no one forgets, because it’s not (just) our war, just Ukraine, it’s the war, it’s Ukraine that protects everyone” says one Ukrainian woman at a rally in Paris.
Vatican City (AFP) – During his Angelus prayer, Pope Francis mentions the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine. “It is a war that not only devastates this region of Europe but also triggers a global wave of fear,” he says.
Auckland (AFP) – A beloved New Zealand summer pastime, to dive into water and generate the biggest splash possible, has taken on a competitive flavour at the inaugural “Manu” championships in Auckland. Even All Blacks legend Sean Fitzpatrick turns up to give it a go.
