Ukraine war worsens Sri Lanka economic crisis

Medical student Bisola Ehi Ogolowa from Nigeria has managed to flee Ukraine to neighboring Hungary. She might be safe from Russian bombs, but she feels alone and without help.

Just over two weeks on from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Catherine Nicholson is joined by Polish MEP Roza Thun und Hohenstein and German MEP Helmut Scholz to discuss the European response to the crisis. The reception of refugees in the EU is a pressing issue; earlier this week the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced €100 million for immediate humanitarian help. MEP Scholz calls for a "clear answer" from the EU on how to help people in need, while questioning the militarisation of the response. To what extent should Europe help the Ukrainian military against the Russian army? And how can escalation be avoided as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to plead for more help?

In Sri Lanka, 13 years after the end of the civil war with the Tamil Tigers that lasted a quarter of a century, reconciliation appears elusive. Elected in 2019, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, seen by the Sinhalese majority as a hero and accused by the Tamil minority ​​of war crimes during the conflict, embodies this divide. FRANCE 24's Thomas Denis reports, with Navodita Kumari.

Open-source intelligence (or OSINT) has grown up. Digging up the truth about criminals, conflicts and cartels using only what's available online used to be the obscure realm of hobbyists. Now with the war in Ukraine, OSINT enthusiasts and professionals alike have been thrust into the spotlight and hundreds of thousands of people are poring over their work. They have a new, global audience and new responsibilities, as we explore in this week's Tech 24.

Russia's attack on Ukraine is putting Russian speakers in Estonia under pressure to decide which side of history they are on. The Estonian government is under pressure to help them feel more at home in the Baltic state.

Towns and villages in the Kherson region, under occupation by Russian troops since the first days of the war, have been completely isolated. The behavior of the Russian soldiers has left many citizens puzzled.

It's estimated that thousands of foreigners have answered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's call to defend Ukraine. What ramifications could that have?

Some 250 Ukrainian peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo prepare to return home to face Russian forces. Also, Egypt bans exports of staples such as wheat and flour in an effort to secure food reserves. The country depends heavily on wheat imports from Ukraine and Russia. And Nigeria sees long queues at the petrol pump, grounded flights and electricity cuts due to fuel shortages. Prices are surging, partly because of the war in Ukraine.

At a top-level summit in Versailles, EU leaders have agreed to give Ukraine another half a billion euros in military aid. But they rejected the idea of fast-tracking Kyiv's EU membership bid.

Russia has this week widened its military offensive in Ukraine. For the first time, Russian forces have now begun striking targets in the west of the country. But as well as bombarding new cities Russia has continued its bombardment of Mariupol in the South and Sumy as well as Kharkiv to the east. Satellite images of the long-awaited Russian convoy suggest that it is now attempting to encircle the capital, Kyiv.

Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, is bracing for an all-out attack as Russian forces close in. Shelling has already reached the outskirts of Kyiv, while others cities are also suffering heavy bombardment.

Tens of thousands of people spilled into the streets of Berlin to demand peace in Ukraine. Many waved Ukrainian flags or held banners with slogans opposing the Russian invasion.