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Ukraine

THE renewed Russian offensive in Donbas has turned the eastern Ukrainian region into “hell”, President Volodymyr Zelensky says.

“In Donbas, the occupiers are trying to increase pressure,” Zelensky said. “There’s hell, and that’s not an exaggeration.”

Moscow’s forces are trying to take complete control of Donbas, a Russianspeaking area that has been partially controlled since 2014 by pro-kremlin separatists.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Moscow was nearing full control of the separatist region of Lugansk in eastern Ukraine. He said that 1 908 Ukrainian soldiers had surrendered at the Azovstal steel plant in the port city of Mariupol, which is now under Moscow’s control. | AFP

SPAIN’S former king made his first trip home this weekend after nearly two years in exile following a string of financial scandals.

After nearly 40 years on the throne, the scandal prompted Juan Carlos to abdicate in 2014 and flee to the United Arab Emirates, dogged by allegations of corruption.

Although prosecutors closed their probes into his affairs in March, revelations about the murky origins of his fortune have caused irreparable damage to a figure once revered for his role in Spain’s transition to democracy.

Juan Carlos has been living in selfimposed exile in Abu Dhabi since August 2020. | AFP

Afghanistan

THE Afghan caretaker government has banned wheat exports with immediate effect in a move to meet local needs, the government confirmed on Friday.

More than 22 million out of the 35 million population in Afghanistan face acute food shortages.

Rice and wheat flour are two main food sources in Afghanistan. | Xinhua