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Bono and The Edge perform in Kyiv bomb shelter

<p dir="ltr">U2 musicians Bono and The Edge has performed a secret show in a bomb shelter in Kyiv, after being personally invited by Ukrainian president Zelenskyy. </p> <p dir="ltr">The members of the Irish rock band shared photos of their performance on Twitter, as they were joined by Ukrainian band Antytila's lead singer Tomos Topelia.</p> <p dir="ltr">From a station platform, the duo performed U2 hits such as <em>Sunday Bloody Sunday</em>, <em>Desire</em> and <em>With or Without You</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The people in Ukraine are not just fighting for your own freedom, you are fighting for all of us who love freedom,” said Bono during a break between songs. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We pray that you will enjoy some of that peace soon.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">President <a href="https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZelenskyyUa</a> invited us to perform in Kyiv as a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people and so that’s what we’ve come to do. -- Bono and The Edge <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StandWithUkraine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StandWithUkraine</a></p> <p>— U2 (@U2) <a href="https://twitter.com/U2/status/1523264383065141250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The performance had an emotional impact on Ukrainians, with members of the small underground crowd taking to Twitter to express their gratitude. </p> <p dir="ltr">One person said, “Thank you Bono and Edge for the music and for making the world a better place through art, Ukraine will win this war with the world's support.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Bono and The Edge were later seen in the Ukrainian towns of Irpin and Bucha, which are the sites of alleged Russian war crimes in the first weeks of the invasion. </p> <p dir="ltr">The pair were shown greeting locals amongst the ruins of buildings, and outside St. Andrew Pervozvannoho All Saints church - where a mass grave was found in April.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Twitter</em></p>

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Ed Sheeran releases music video filmed in Ukraine

<p dir="ltr">UK singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has released his latest track <em>2step</em>, along with an emotional music video. </p> <p dir="ltr">The video for the song was filmed in Kyiv, Ukraine, just days before the deadly Russian invasion. </p> <p dir="ltr">Before the song starts, a written message from Sheeran appears on the screen in black and white.</p> <p dir="ltr">In it, the Grammy-winning singer explains he filmed the video in Kyiv before “the devastating acts of violence started.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was my first time visiting the country and I felt so welcomed...” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Ukraine is a proud and resilient country and I’m grateful to have had the chance to film my video there.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I stand with Ukraine, and will be donating my record royalties from YouTube streams of the video to the DEC’s [The Disasters Emergency Committee] Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal,” the singer added.</p> <p dir="ltr">The video shows Ed Sheeran walking through the quiet and peaceful streets of Kyiv, as he performs the song about the stress and struggles of his personal life.</p> <p dir="ltr">The track <em>2step</em> is the latest from Sheeran’s album <em>“=”</em> (pronounced “equals”), which he released in 2021.</p> <p dir="ltr">Since the music video has been released, it has amassed over 9.5 million views. </p> <p dir="ltr">You can check out the video below. </p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z_MvkyuOJgk" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><em>Image credits: Youtube</em><span id="docs-internal-guid-a36fedf5-7fff-61e3-e994-e8d8a0c0212e"></span></p>

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Reporter stands next to grenade live on air in Kyiv

<p>A senior international correspondent for CNN has accidentally found himself next to a grenade while on a live cross from war-torn Ukraine. </p> <p>While speaking to his colleague back in the US studio, Matthew Chance realised he was standing exceptionally close to a grenade. </p> <p>The journalist was crouching down on a dirt road and explaining how the Ukrainian resistance has been strong against the Russian army, before swiftly standing up and moving away from the camera. </p> <p>Quickly resuming his report, Chance said, “Oh actually...I was crouching right down by a grenade. I didn’t see that. Let’s move away from that."</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">So <a href="https://twitter.com/mchancecnn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mchancecnn</a> just realized live on CNN that he was right next to a grenade in Kyiv </p> <p>"Oh actually -- I was crouching down right by a grenade. I didn't see that. Let's move away from that." <a href="https://t.co/Bsj4LKXgHl">pic.twitter.com/Bsj4LKXgHl</a></p> <p>— Nora Neus (@noraneus) <a href="https://twitter.com/noraneus/status/1498258017585934339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>Since the fighting in Ukraine started five days ago, Matthew Chance has been on the forefront of the conflict, sharing devastating footage of the aftermath of the battles near the capital city of Kyiv where vehicles are "still smoking". </p> <p>With less than a week since Russia first invaded Ukraine, Moscow forces appear to be strengthening and turning more violent due to the force of the Ukrainian resistance. </p> <p>On Monday, shelling of the Russian-speaking region of Kharkiv - the Ukraine's second largest city - sparked global fear that president Vladimir Putin is becoming more ruthless in his offences. </p> <p>The United Nations has estimated that close to 500,000 people have now fled war-torn Ukraine to save themselves from violence at the hands of Russian forces. </p> <p><em>Image credits: CNN</em></p>

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