Indonesia

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Russia continues its slow push in Ukraine

The top Russian and US envoys gathered on July 8 for a Group of 20 foreign ministers meeting in Indonesia, with the host immediately telling them the Ukraine war must end and differences be resolved through negotiations.

"In 2050, the world will be multipolar, with many influential states, including Russia, pursuing their own interests, and the main task of the West will be to ensure that such an order works", explained Olaf Scholz on Sunday, in an interview with the American CBS network.

At least 17 people were killed and dozens wounded on July 1 in missile strikes on Ukraine's Odessa region, a day after Russian troops abandoned positions on a strategic island in a major setback to the Kremlin's invasion.

The news came after NATO leaders wrapped up a summit in Madrid, with US President Joe Biden announcing $800 million in new weapons for Ukraine.

The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Layen, stated that she does not support the idea of a boycott of the G20 summit if Russian leader Vladimir Putin participates in it.

The Group of Seven economic powers are set to commit themselves to supporting Ukraine in the long haul, with the U.S. preparing to announce the purchase of an advanced surface-to-air missile system for Kiev, as leaders meet in the German Alps and confer by video link with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

A study conducted by BIRN in 2021 showed social media platforms removed reported threats of violence and harassment in local languages in 60 and 50 per cent of the cases respectively in four Western Balkans countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Break-ins and vandalism, accusations of racism and anti-Semitism and a giant compost heap: Documenta, one of the world's biggest art fairs, opened under a cloud of controversy.

The exhibition, which turns the sleepy German city of Kassel into the center of the art world once every five years, kicked off on June 18 after months of bitter rows.

The Secretary-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned the countries of the world not to be complacent about the COVID-19 pandemic because the risk of dangerous new variants has not disappeared, DPA reported.

Disney's latest animation "Lightyear," which features a same-sex kiss, has been denied release in more than a dozen mainly Muslim countries.

Countries across Asia and the Middle East have refused to give Pixar's "Toy Story" spinoff a showing, in the latest development for parent company Disney as it tries to navigate differing public and political attitudes on LGBTQ issues.