- Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction
- European Mediterranean states discuss Middle East, migration
- Djokovic proves staying power as progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Hurricane Milton leaves at least 16 dead as Florida cleans up
- Britain face 'ultimate challenge' in America's Cup duel with New Zealand
- Lebanon calls for 'immediate' ceasefire in Israel-Hezbollah war
- Nihon Hidankyo: Japan's A-bomb survivors awarded Nobel
- Thunberg leads pro-Palestinian, climate protest in Milan
- Boat captain rescued clinging to cooler in Gulf of Mexico after storm Milton
- Tears, warnings after Japan atomic survivors group win Nobel
- 'Unspeakable horror': the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- Stock markets diverge before China weekend briefing
- Christian villagers 'trapped' in south Lebanon crossfire
- Sabalenka sets up Gauff showdown in Wuhan semis
- EU questions shopping app Temu over illegal products risk
- Kim Sei-young holds lead with late birdies at LPGA Shanghai
- Toulouse welcome Dupont 'boost' as Olympic star returns to Top 14
- Japanese atomic bomb survivor group Nihon Hidankyo wins Nobel Peace Prize
- Deadly Israeli strike on Beirut likely targeted Hezbollah security chief
- Bangladesh Islamist chief backs crimes against humanity trial for ex-PM
- Everest climber's remains believed found after 100 years
- 20 Pakistan coal miners shot dead in attack
- Clashes on South China Sea, Ukraine dominate Asia summit
- Han Kang's books sell out in South Korea after Nobel win
- Zelensky meets Pope, Scholz as whirlwind Europe tour ends
- Hello Hallyu: why is South Korean culture sweeping the globe?
- UK economy rebounds in August in boost to new govt
- Voice of Japan's beloved robot cat 'Doraemon' dies
- Shanghai markets sink ahead of briefing on mixed day for Asia
- Investors, analysts eye bigger China stimulus at Saturday briefing
- 20 Pakistan coal miners shot dead in attack: police
- Blinken condemns China's 'increasingly dangerous' sea moves
- Toyota returns to Formula One as Haas partner
- EU chief says China must 'adapt its behaviour' to solve trade row
- Musk unveils robotaxi, pledges it 'before 2027'
- Lynx rally, stun Liberty in overtime in WNBA Finals opener
- Pogacar hunting 'perfect' season finale with Coppi's Il Lombardia record
- 'Soul of old Baghdad': city centre sees timid revival
- Kittle at the double as Niners hold off Seahawks
- At least 11 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Yankees advance in MLB playoffs as Guardians stay alive
- Asian markets mixed after Wall St drop, Shanghai dips before briefing
- Automaker Stellantis says CEO will retire in 2026
- Musk's promised robotaxi unveil delayed
- Kamada says Japan can close in on World Cup place against Australia
- On US coast, wind power foes embrace 'Save the Whales' argument
- Renewables revolt in Sardinia, Italy's coal-fired island
- Argentina held, Brazil leave it late in 2026 World Cup qualifiers
- Obama blasts 'crazy' Trump in first rally for Harris
- 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, a plea in favour of world order?
Mykola's diary: Chronicling the battle for Donbas
Scouring the frontlines with binoculars from his home in Lysychansk, Mykola keeps track of the conflict in his region of eastern Ukraine in what he calls his "little war diary".
In the top right-hand corner of every page is the date and below is the day's entry, always starting with the words: "We're holding on!"
The 67-year-old said he keeps the diary "for historical record", adding that he would have liked his mother to have done it too during World War II while living in the same house.
"I write down what happened and at what time. I am very detailed, and I only tell the truth. Today the shelling stopped at 8:20 am and I wrote it down. See?"
His entry for the previous day: "Smerch (rocket) fire on Severodonetsk", "Shelling of the market, the Yermolovskaya bakery is destroyed" and "Calm returns at 11:00 pm".
Mykola spends hours at an observation point he's set up on the top floor of his home with a sheepskin on the windowsill to protect his elbows and a pair of binoculars that lets him observe combat between Russian and Ukrainian forces.
From his window, he has a sweeping view over the entire plain beyond the Donets River and the frontline where Russian troops have been trying to break through for the past two weeks.
When the weather is nice and the shells are not falling, the pensioner climbs up on the roof where he has built an observation platform with planks of wood next to a little Ukrainian flag.
While some in his hometown are not opposed to control by Russian forces, Mykola clearly supports the Ukrainian side and is adamant about victory even though the frontline is getting closer every day.
- 'Stay to the end' -
The former electromechanical engineer leafs through his dairy. Fifty-eight pages are filled in and a hundred or so remain blank.
He lives alone in his three-storey family home, decorated in 1950s Soviet style and surrounded by memories of happier times.
There are albums with photos of family hunting expeditions, records of folk music, a stamp collection and the title deeds for land given to his great grandparents under Tsarist Russia.
In the "summer kitchen" adjacent to the house, he boils some water to make tea.
"Black, green or with berries?" he asks, saying he has enough supplies for "any war".
In his office, next to maps of the Donbas region, a radio broadcasts instructions on what to do if Russian forces break through.
"If the Russians arrive, you have to take up arms. Resist!" the presenter says. "If you don't, this is what is going to happen -- the men will be killed, the women raped and the rest deported to Russia."
Asked what he would do, Mykola, a former hunter, says: "I will stay to the end".
If Lysychansk were to fall into Russian hands, he says he would join the resistance.
But he lacks the technological know-how for any modern-day partisan organisation.
"They told me to join some Signal or Telegram groups but I don't know how all that works," he says, before returning to his binoculars and his diary.
M.Thompson--AMWN