Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world.
An aerial image shows hot air balloons, mostly made from recycled paper and tied with ropes, floating in the air during the annual hot air balloon festival, held since 1950 to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the Islamic holiday marking the end of Ramadan, in Wonosobo, Central Java, on April 2, 2025. (Photo by DEVI RAHMAN / AFP)
People bathe in the Irrawaddy River in front of the collapsed Ava Bridge, also known as the Inwa Bridge, in Sagaing on April 2, 2025, as residential areas remain without electricity or running water five days after a major earthquake struck central Myanmar. The shallow 7.7-magnitude earthquake on March 28 flattened buildings across Myanmar, killing more than 2,700 people and making thousands more homeless. (Photo by Sai Aung MAIN / AFP)A visitor to the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens in Roodepoort examines a sculpture by Boksburg-born artist Anton Smit, 2 March 2025. A number of Smit sculptures are on display at the botanical gardens as part of the his Art Meets Nature exhibition. Picture: Michel Bega/The CitizenWorkers clean the cracks in the Western Wall, one of Judaism’s holiest sites, as they remove prayer notes left by faithfuls and visitors, ahead of the Passover holiday, in Jerusalem’s Old City, 02 April 2025. The cleaning operation is carried out annually in preparation for Passover, which in 2025 falls on 12-20 April. Picture: EPA-EFE/ABIR SULTANA member of the royal guard rides during the Durbar horse procession in Dutse on April 1, 2025. Durbar is a colourful procession of horses dating back to the 15th century in which the emir and thousands of horse riders accompanied musicians match through the streets in predominantly Muslim northern Nigeria. Although the festival originated in North’s largest city of Kano, it is conducted by emirs in several cities across the north. The Durbar takes place twice a year on the Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha holidays (Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP)Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a shock drone strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 02 April 2025, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. At least eight people were injured, including three children, according to the State Emergency Service. Picture: EPA-EFE/SERGEY KOZLOVEsperance Sportive de Tunis supporters fight with Mamelodi Sundowns supporters following the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League quarter final between Mamelodi Sundowns and Esperance Sportive de Tunis at Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria on April 1, 2025. (Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE / AFP)German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) shakes the prosthetic hand of an Ottobock company staff member during the Global Disability Summit (GDS) 2025 in Berlin, Germany, 02 April 2025. The event aims to advance disability rights and promote inclusion worldwide and gathers governments, organizations, and advocates to discuss policies, commitments, and actions that enhance the lives of people with disabilities. Picture: EPA-EFE/FILIP SINGERSouth Korean monks perform the Buddhist praying act of Dharna – walking three steps and making one bow – toward the Constitutional Court to demand removal of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, 02 April 2025. The Constitutional Court is set to rule on 04 April on whether to reinstate or remove President Yoon from office by upholding his impeachment over a brief declaration of martial law on 03 December 2024. Picture: EPA-EFE/JEON HEON-KYUNA masked protester performs during a demonstration against impeached South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on April 2, 2025. South Korea’s Constitutional Court will issue its long-awaited ruling on President Yoon’s impeachment on April 4, months after he was suspended for declaring martial law. (Photo by Pedro PARDO / AFP)A worker examines part of a near life-size funerary relief depicting a couple, believed to be newlyweds, which was unearthed during the excavations of the Porta Sarno necropolis in Pompeii, near Naples, Italy, 02 April 2025. The monument, dating back to the late Republican period, features a large wall with niches, surmounted by the two figures. The woman’s accessories suggest a possible priestly role linked to Ceres. Picture: EPA-EFE/CESARE ABBATEInternally displaced Palestinians walk along a street near the rubble of destroyed buidlings after fleeing northern Gaza following an Israeli army evacuation order, in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 01 April 2025. More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, since Israel launched a military campaign in the strip in response to a cross-border attack led by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on 07 October 2023, in which about 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 250 taken hostage. Picture: EPA-EFE/MOHAMMED SABERA jockey rides Tuz from the USA during preparations for the Dubai World Cup 2025 at the Meydan racecourse in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 02 April 2025. The 29th edition of the Dubai World Cup horse race will take place on 05 April 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/ALI HAIDERA drone photo shows a dead humpback whale at Foelle Strand in Loegten Bay, Djursland, Denmark, 02 April 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/MIKKEL BERG PEDERSENA sheep roams freely through the landscape of Dartmoor, Britain, 25 March 2025 (issued 02 April 2025). The South West Peatland Partnership is working to restore degraded peatland across large areas of the UK. Since Roman times, peat has been used as fuel and for fertiliser in agricultural use. In Dartmoor, which is common land, people were able to cut peat on a large scale by draining the land and digging long gullies, which reduced the water table and damaged the remaining peat. The practice was industrialised until the 1950s. Currently, the UK government has set targets to phase out peat use in horticulture by 2030. Peat bogs are environmentally vital as they store huge amounts of carbon, twice as much as the world’s forests. The degradation of peatland leads to carbon being released into the atmosphere, which adds to global warming. Justine Reed from South West Water notes: ‘In the UK, the health of peatlands acts like a canary in a coal mine. When this ecosystem becomes damaged, then it means a catastrophic environmental disaster will follow. Currently we are on the edge but can’t afford to let things get worse.’ Picture: EPA-EFE/NEIL HALLPeople enjoy a Camel ride during Eid al-Fitr celebrations in Karachi, Pakistan, 01 April 2025. Muslims all over the world are celebrating their biggest religious festival Eid al-Fitr which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Picture: EPA-EFE/SHAHZAIB AKBERA person looks into a telescopic sight mounted on a weapon during the first day of the Latin America Aerospace and Defence(LAAD) fair, the country’s most important trade fair for the Latin American military industry in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 01 April 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/Andre Coelho
