Biden withdraws from presidential race, protests in Mallorca, Russian attacks escalate

It happened while you were sleeping. Here is what the world agencies reported from Sunday night to Monday.

• Joe Biden announced on Sunday evening Greenwich Time that he is withdrawing from the race for the US presidency. "It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term," he wrote in a statement on platform X. Biden took 48 hours to come to this decision, analysing data and polls that showed his victory was largely unattainable - two sources cited by Reuters reported.

• Several thousand residents of Mallorca protested on Sunday in Palma de Mallorca, the central city of this Balearic island, against the mass influx of tourists. The demonstration involved various social organizations and movements, including urban and environmental activists and numerous families. Demonstrators told the media that mass tourism not only causes traffic chaos in Mallorca but also leads to the destruction of local nature and a drastic increase in the cost of living.

• President of Finland Alexander Stubb, known for his love of endurance sports, swam with the current of the Oulanka River in the National Park located on the border with Russia for 24 kilometres. His wife, Suzanne Innes-Stubb, covered a shorter 11-kilometre section.

• In the past 24 hours, the Russians attacked Ukrainian territory twice using missiles, carried out 52 airstrikes using 69 guided cluster bombs, and launched 713 kamikaze drones. Intense battles took place, especially in the Pokrovsk direction. The enemy was also active in the Kharkiv and Kupiansk directions - the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported Sunday evening.