Havana (AFP) – Cuban authorities begin freeing prisoners after announcing it would pardon 2,010 inmates, the second release in less than a month, as it faces heightened US pressure. More than 20 inmates emerge from La Lima penitentiary in eastern Havana, holding their release papers, crying and hugging relatives who had been waiting for them all morning. IMAGES
Cakovec (Croatia) (AFP) – In northern Croatia, workshops are keeping alive the 19th century tradition of painting Easter eggs black. Traditionally exchanged on the Sunday after Easter to symbolise friendship and kinship, these black eggs are now listed as part of Croatia’s registered cultural heritage.
Altadena (United States) (AFP) – When wild fires raged around Los Angeles last year, Rene Amy’s home was razed to a pile of toxic ash contaminated by the burned remains of modern city life. But his plot now shimmers with delicate orange blooms — the California poppies he has sown throughout the wrecked town of Altadena as a symbol of hope.
(AFP) – The people of Burkina Faso must “forget” about democracy, says Captain Ibrahim Traore, the leader of the country’s ruling junta. “We have to tell the truth: democracy isn’t for us,” he says, during a press interview broadcast on national television.
Tehran (AFP) – Families gather in a Tehran park to share picnics and celebrate Nature Day, the 13th day after Nowruz, marking the end of the Persian New Year. Iran has been at war for more than a month and US President Donald Trump — who launched the conflict alongside Israel on February 28 — has vowed to strike the country hard for another “two or three weeks”.
In space (AFP) – A NASA operator thanks the four Artemis II crew members, with NASA astronaut Christina Koch floating upside down as they head to orbit the Moon for the first time in more than half a century. The spacecraft lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 18:35 EDT on April 1.
Utrecht (Netherlands) (AFP) – Lara Peters and her husband Mathijs Dordregter have chosen a “sustainable” wedding, with one of the busiest railway stations in The Netherlands as the venue. The couple and guests wear pre-owned outfits for the ceremony to promote eco-friendly fashion.
Agios Nikolaos (Greece) (AFP) – An African dust storm paints Crete’s skies orange and batters the coast of the southern Greek island, disrupting Easter weekend travel. Authorities in Athens and mainland Greece have issued warnings ahead of heavy rainfall and gale-force winds expected until 3 April.
Beirut (Lebanon) (AFP) – The small rescue team from NGO Animals Lebanon heads into Beirut’s southern suburbs, struck almost daily by Israeli aircraft, looking for trapped animals. The NGO says its teams have rescued 241 animals from south Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, areas under heavy bombardment since the start of the war in the Middle East. “These animals have nothing to do with the war,” says volunteer Issam Attar.
Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) – On a dusty field, coach Hida Ghaddar teaches more than football at her Breakthrough Soccer Academy in northern Nigeria’s largest city, Kano, which is currently gripped by a drug epidemic. “Playing football itself helps these players avoid all of this,” she says, adding that “drug abuse and playing football don’t go together.” Ghaddar combines sports drills with discipline, schooling and job support to help youths avoid drugs — all while nurturing their dreams of one day playing on the global stage.
Titusville (United States) (AFP) – “It was everything I expected,” says Ryan who, along with a crowd of fellow space enthusiasts gathered in Florida, watched the launch of NASA’s Artemis 2 mission around the Moon. Blasting off from the Space Kennedy Center, the rocket will conduct the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years and will see the first woman, first person of color and first non-American take part in a Moon mission.
(AFP) – Iran’s military vows to carry out “crushing” attacks against the United States and Israel, following US President Donald Trump’s threat to bomb the country “back to the Stone Ages.” Speaking the day after Trump’s remarks, Iranian military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari tells the US that the war — which has spread through the Middle East, rocking markets and impacting hundreds of millions worldwide — “will continue until your humiliation”.
