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Sydney (AFP) – Early voting is open in Australia’s national election ahead of the official polling day on 3 May. Both the ruling Labor and opposition Liberal parties have vowed to tame the cost of living, which tops voters’ concerns in the polls, but are divided on how to tackle climate change. Prime Minister and Labor leader Anthony Albanese’s government has embraced decarbonisation, while Liberal leader Peter Dutton’s signature policy is a $200 billion scheme to build seven nuclear reactors.

San Salvador (AFP) – A delegation of Democratic US lawmakers has visited El Salvador in a new push to secure the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the US resident wrongly deported by the Trump administration. The 29-year-old was expelled along with nearly 300 other migrants who US authorities say are criminals and gang members, with the Trump administration paying El Salvador millions of dollars to lock them up.

Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Francis lies in an open coffin at his residence, the Vatican City’s Casa Santa Marta, following his death at the age of 88. The pontiff died on Monday 21 April, with his funeral set to be held later in the week.

Vatican City (AFP) – People gather at the Vatican following the news of Pope Francis’ death at the age of 88, the day after he appeared to crowds at St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday. “It was all a bit sudden, it’s a shame”, says one visitor from Apulia, Italy.

Paris (AFP) – Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris celebrates Easter mass for the first time since the April 2019 fire which nearly destroyed the beloved landmark. “It represents the spirit, the history, and I think the real spirit of France and also of Christianity too,” says Elena Soffini, an Italian tourist.

Hong Kong (AFP) – Catholics in Hong Kong, Kinshasa, Jerusalem, Buenos Aires and Madrid react to the news that Pope Francis has died at the age of 88. “He was a refreshing voice in our church, even in his sickness,” says one mourner in Jerusalem.

Rome (AFP) – “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father,” announces Cardinal Kevin Farrell, a spokesperson for the Vatican. “His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church.” The Argentine pontiff who led the Catholic Church since March 2013, passed away at the age of 88.

Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) (AFP) – “I’d probably become popular, go down in history,” says Balasaguyn Musayev, a 36-year-old composer and one of hundreds of Kyrgyz musicians who have submitted entries to create the new national anthem. Kyrgyzstan has launched an unprecedented public contest to find an alternative to its Soviet-inspired anthem.

Tsingoni (Mayotte) (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron pays homage to Pope Francis, who has died at the age of 88. “Throughout his pontificate, he stood alongside the most vulnerable and the most fragile,” says Macron, reacting to the news while on a visit to Mayotte.

Mirror (Canada) (AFP) – A small community in Canada’s conservative-leaning western province of Alberta welcomes US President Donald Trump’s talk of annexing Canada as its “51st State”, seeing as a path to getting their “freedoms back.” Trump is reviled across much of Canada but in Alberta — whose economy hinges on oil — 23 percent of people support the US president, according to a March survey from pollsters Leger.

Moscow (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a 30-hour Easter truce came as a surprise to many – but citizens in both Moscow and Kyiv express scepticism over whether it will make any lasting difference to the three-year conflict. Both sides have accused each other of violating the truce, although Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed extending it for 30 days beyond Sunday to “give peace a chance”.

Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Francis makes a surprise appearance in front of thousands of Catholics at St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, despite the 88-year-old pontiff’s frail health that has kept him from most Holy Week events.