Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world.
An aerial picture shows Santa Cruz Cemetery in Dili, East Timor, on April 28, 2025. On November 12, 1991, Indonesian troops opened fire on peaceful East Timorese demonstrators marching to Santa Cruz Cemetery for a memorial for Sebastiao Gomes, a pro-independence activist shot dead outside Motael Church two weeks earlier. The shooting began on the street outside the cemetery and continued inside, killing an estimated 200 civilians in what became known as the Santa Cruz Massacre, a turning point in East Timor’s independence struggle. (Photo by VALENTINO DARIELL DE SOUSA / AFP)
English actor Florence Pugh arrives to the premiere of Marvel Studios’ ‘Thunderbolts’ at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, 28 April 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/ALLISON DINNERGold bars are placed on a tray during the handover ceremony to the Bank of Thailand in Bangkok, Thailand, 29 April 2025. The Bank of Thailand received 10 kilograms of gold bar donated from followers of Buddhist monk Luangta Maha Bua to support national reserves. Picture: EPA-EFE/NARONG SANGNAKRomanian retired Brigadier General and WWII veteran Andrei Georgescu-Ionescu, 101, rests on a chair at the end of a ceremony for War Veterans Day at the Military Academy WWII Heroes Memorial (background) in Bucharest, Romania, 29 April 2025. Approximately 437 WWII veterans are still alive in Romania today. War Veterans Day is celebrated annually on 29 April to honor Romanian troops who fought in both world wars. Picture: EPA-EFE/ROBERT GHEMENT‘Yunarmiya’ (Young Army) All-Russia National Military Patriotic Social Movement Association members compete during the 7th military-patriotic game ‘Yunarmiya, forward!’ dedicated to Victory Day at the Museum-reserve ‘Gorki Leninskie’ in Gorki Leninskie, Russia, 29 April 2025. A total of 160 teams of Yunarmiya and military-patriotic detachments attended the games, each team consisting of seven people aged between 12 and 17 years old. The games are a continuation of the Soviet military-sports competitions for children and teenagers, “Zarnitsa” (since 1967) and “Orlyonok (Eaglet)” (since 1972). Picture: EPA-EFE/SERGEI ILNITSKYA local police officer stands guard at Puerta del Sol square a day after the massive power outage, in downtown Madrid, Spain, 29 April 2025. A power blackout hit large parts of Spain and spread to neighboring Portugal and France on 28 April, disrupting transport systems, internet connections, and daily life, according to authorities. The exact cause of the outage is unknown. Picture: EPA-EFE/MARISCALAn Indian folk artist performs the classical dance ‘Bharatanatyam’ during World Dance Day celebrations in Bangalore, India, 29 April 2025. International Dance Day is celebrated every year on 29 April. Picture: EPA-EFE/JAGADEESH NVPeople pass by Ravinere (C), a 38 year-old vegan from India reacting inside an animal cage during a worldwide campaign organised by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 29 April 2025. PETA offered 10 MYR (Malaysia Ringgit) (or 2 euro) to be caged like an animal for one minute to encourage empathy for animals caged in the meat, dairy, and egg industries. Picture: EPA-EFE/FAZRY ISMAILA wildfire rages near a residential neighborhood following its outbreak the previous day on Mount Hamji in the southeastern city of Daegu, South Korea, 29 April 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/YONHAPMembers of the Phoenix Tenants and Residents Association alligned United Hindu Front, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (SA) and other Hindu organisations held a placard demonstration, 28 April 2025, to pay their respects and to support the 28 tourists who were brutally executed in the Phahalgam massacre in Kashmir on the 22 April 2025. The protest was held in Phoenix north of Durban. The protesters called for a swift action by the Narandra Modi government in rooting out these terrorists suspected to be supported by Pakistani elements. Picture: Rajesh JantilalTazmin Brits of South Africa reacts to her century during the Women’s ODI Tri-Series match between India and South Africa at R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium on April 29, 2025 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (Photo by Isuru Sameera/Gallo Images)A man prepares a camel for camel rides on a beach during a hot weather day in Karachi, Pakistan, 28 April 2025. The Pakistani Meteorological Department has advised the public, particularly vulnerable groups like children, women, and the elderly, to take precautions by avoiding direct sunlight and staying hydrated due to the heatwave affecting the country till 30 April with temperatures predicted to reach 41 degrees Celsius. Picture: EPA-EFE/SHAHZAIB AKBERSouth Africa’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ronald Lamola (R) shakes hands with Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira upon his arrival at Rio de Janeiro’s Itamaraty palace to attend the first meeting of BRICS Foreign Ministers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 28, 2025. Senior diplomats from BRICS countries met on Monday in Brazil to present a united front in the face of threats emerging from US President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade policies. (Photo by Pablo PORCIUNCULA / AFP)
