Three weeks ago at dawn, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the start of a "special military operation" in Ukraine. Since then, Ukrainian forces have fought back against the full-scale invasion. Some 3 million people have already fled the country, and the UN estimates that 2 million more are internally displaced. FRANCE 24's Rob Parsons, Clovis Casali and Abdallah Malkawi went to meet Ukrainian soldiers, as well as regular citizens – some trying to flee, others choosing to stay and resist.

A weekly news show produced with photos, videos and personal accounts from FRANCE 24 Observers around the world – all checked by our staff here in Paris.

Tigray fighters have agreed to uphold a cease-fire in the war-ravaged Tigray region to allow for the delivery of aid. Hundreds of thousands of people in Tigray face starvation.

The Ethiopian Government declared the cessation of hostilities on Thursday, saying that it was to allow aid to reach stricken civilians. Hours later, Tigrayan authorities issued a statement saying that they would do everything possible, to make the humanitarian ceasefire, a success.

Aid convoys have yet to reach Ethiopia's war-ravaged Tigray region almost a week after the government announced a humanitarian truce.

Tigrayans are being targeted with ethnic cleansing in the contested Western Tigray zone, according to a new report by human rights groups. The onslaught of rape and killings amounts to "war crimes," they added.

A group of young people in Ethiopia’s Hawassa city is leading the fray to tackle the solid and organic waste menace that has dogged the city for years. The group moves door to door to collect the waste on their donkey carts. They have a recycling plant where they separate the waste and produce natural fertilizer from the organic waste.

After Russia's withdrawal from the areas around Kyiv, many people are returning to their homes or what's left of them. DW's Rebecca Ritters has traveled to Irpin, where residents have started to rebuild – unsure of what the future might hold.

In Ethiopia's northern Afar region, discarded explosives have been maiming and killing children at an alarming rate, medical workers told Reuters. Fighting that began in November 2020 in the Tigray region and spread last year to Afar has eased in recent weeks. But even as open combat subsides, civilians continue to bear the costs of a war that has killed thousands, displaced millions and left hundreds of thousands suffering famine conditions.

Tigray fighters have withdrawn from the Afar and Amhara regions, but people there remain wary. DW's Mariel Müller reports from the Amhara town of Lalibela, where more are taking up arms.

Amid a COVID surge, the Chinese capital has also closed entertainment venues and restaurants, in a major blow to the already hard-hit industries. At the same time, Shanghai's strict lockdown has been slightly relaxed.

The war in Ethiopia has left tens of thousands dead and millions displaced, as government troops and the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front battle over territory. A UN investigation found all sides in the conflict had committed atrocities, including rape. Warning: This report contains descriptions of sexual violence.