24 hours in pictures, 29 April 2025
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)
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4 hours ago
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Ukraine, Russia swap more captured soldiers after nighttime attacks
Russia and Ukraine swapped more captured soldiers Tuesday, hours after Moscow launched a wave of drone and missile strikes across Ukraine that targeted a maternity hospital and killed at least three people, Kyiv said. The deal to swap more than 1,000 prisoners of war, along with the handing over of dead soldiers' bodies, was the only concrete agreement to come out of peace talks between the two sides. Moscow has escalated its bombardments of Ukraine despite being urged by US President Donald Trump to end its three-year invasion, with Kyiv launching retaliatory attacks deep inside Russian territory. Talks in Turkey last week failed to yield a breakthrough towards ending the three-year war, with Russia rejecting calls for an unconditional ceasefire and outlining a string of hardline demands. After the overnight barrage of more than 300 drones and seven missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Kyiv's Western allies to respond with "concrete action". "Action from America, which has the power to force Russia into peace. Action from Europe, which has no alternative but to be strong," Zelensky wrote in a post on social media. "The exchanges are to continue. We are doing everything we can to find and return every single person who is in captivity," Zelensky said on social media. He published photos of smiling Ukrainian soldiers -- all with freshly shaved heads -- draped in national flags. Russia's defence ministry also confirmed the swap, though neither side said how many soldiers were freed. On Monday, Moscow and Kyiv swapped a group of captured soldiers. AFP | Tetiana DZHAFAROVA Russia's defence ministry said on Monday "the first group of Russian servicemen under 25 years of age" was exchanged. Kyiv said "injured and severely wounded" were swapped on Tuesday. The two sides had agreed to free all captured soldiers under the age of 25, as well as those wounded and sick. - Maternity hospital hit - Moscow earlier on Tuesday said it had targeted "Ukrainian aviation, missile, armoured vehicle and ship-building facilities in Kyiv" in an overnight "group strike". "The goal of the strikes was achieved. All designated targets were hit," the ministry said. But residential and hospital buildings were struck in Odesa, where two people were killed and at least nine others were wounded, Governor Oleg Kiper said. "The enemy massively attacked Odesa with strike drones," Kiper wrote on Telegram. "The Russians hit a maternity hospital, an emergency medical ward and residential buildings," he said, adding that the maternity hospital had been evacuated in time. In central Kyiv, an AFP journalist heard at least a dozen explosions, anti-aircraft fire and the buzzing of drones. AFP | Tetiana DZHAFAROVA City officials said one woman was killed and four people were wounded. Russia's 2022 invasion of its neighbour triggered the biggest European conflict since World War II, forcing millions to flee their homes and decimating much of eastern and southern Ukraine. Ukrainian cities are targeted by Russian air strikes almost daily. Kyiv has responded with attacks on Russian territory, targeting transport and weapons production infrastructure. In the city of Belgorod near the border with Ukraine, Russian emergency services said one person was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on a petrol station. Russia's defence ministry said it had intercepted 102 Ukrainian drones overnight. - 'Pointless' - Despite pressure from Trump to reach a ceasefire agreement, peace talks are at a standstill. While welcoming POW exchanges, Zelensky said last week it was "pointless" to hold further talks with the current Russian delegation -- whom he previously dismissed as "empty heads" -- since they could not agree to a ceasefire. No date has been set for future talks. Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected calls by Zelensky for a face-to-face summit to break the impasse. AFP | Tetiana DZHAFAROVA Over the weekend Moscow said it had pushed its offensive into the Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time, marking a significant territorial escalation. Ukraine said frontline shelling in the Kharkiv region had killed a 70-year-old man. As a condition for halting its invasion, Russia has demanded that Ukraine cede the territories Moscow says it has annexed and forswear joining NATO. It has also rejected a proposed 30-day unconditional ceasefire sought by Kyiv and the European Union, arguing that this would allow Ukrainian forces to rearm with Western deliveries. Ukraine is demanding a complete Russian withdrawal of from its territory and security guarantees from the West. By Stanislav Doshchitsyn
eNCA
4 hours ago
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Shooter kills nine people at Austrian school
An attack on a school in southeastern Austria by a former student has left nine people dead, authorities said Tuesday, in a rare case of deadly gun violence in the Alpine country. Heavily armed police, a helicopter and paramedics descended upon the school in Graz, where 10 people including the alleged lone shooter were killed, regional police said. Six of the victims were female and three male, authorities later confirmed without specifying their ages. Twelve people suffered severe injuries. Police said the situation was "secure" and support was being provided to witnesses and those affected. The suspect acted alone and took his own life in the school toilet, police said, adding his motive remained unknown. Later on Tuesday, Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker declared three days of national mourning to remember the victims, saying the country had witnessed "an act of unimaginable violence". According to the police, the alleged perpetrator is a 21-year-old Austrian from the wider Graz region. The perpetrator used two weapons he had owned legally to carry out the attack. The suspected shooter was a former student at the school, but had not finished his studies, Interior Minister Gerhard Karnert told reporters. "It's a disaster, simply terrible. After all, it's about children," Hasan Darsel, a restaurant owner in the area, told the newspaper Kronen Zeitung. - 'Deeply shocked' - After arriving in Graz, Stocker described the shooting as "a national tragedy", adding that it was "a dark day" for Austria. AFP | Alex HALADA Condolences poured in from across Europe. The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said she was "deeply shocked" when she heard about the shooting. "Every child should feel safe at school and be able to learn free from fear and violence," Kallas posted on X. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said "our thoughts are with our Austrian friends and neighbours and we mourn with them" after the school shooting he called "horrific". Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban offered his "deepest condolences to Chancellor @_CStocker and the people of Austria" via social media. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said "the news from Graz touches my heart" while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her sympathies to the families of the victims following the "tragic news". Attacks in public are rare in Austria, which is home to almost 9.2 million people and ranks among the 10 safest countries in the world, according to the Global Peace Index. School shootings are also much more uncommon in Europe than in the United States but in recent years Europe has been shaken by attacks at schools and universities, that were not connected to terrorism. In France on Tuesday, a teaching assistant was killed at a school in Nogent in the east following a knife attack. In January 2025, an 18-year-old man fatally stabbed a high school student and a teacher at a school in northeastern Slovakia. In December 2024, a 19-year-old man stabbed a seven-year-old student to death and injured several others at a primary school in Zagreb, Croatia. In December 2023, an attack by a student at a university in central Prague left 14 people dead and 25 injured. A few months earlier that year, a 13-year-old gunned down nine fellow classmates and a security guard at an elementary school in downtown Belgrade. By Julia Zappei With Kiyoko Metzler In Vienna
eNCA
7 hours ago
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Ukraine says Russian strikes hit Kyiv, Odesa, killing three
KYIV - Russia launched fresh drone and missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and port city of Odesa early on Tuesday, killing three people and hitting a maternity hospital, Ukrainian officials said. Moscow has escalated its bombardments of Ukraine and Kyiv has retaliated with strikes deep inside Russian territory. Talks in Turkey last week failed to yield a breakthrough towards ending the three-year war. Aside from an agreement to exchange prisoners, progress has stalled and Russia has repeatedly rejected calls for an unconditional ceasefire. After the overnight barrage of more than 300 drones and seven missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Kyiv's Western allies to respond with "concrete action". "Action from America, which has the power to force Russia into peace. Action from Europe, which has no alternative but to be strong," Zelensky wrote in a post on social media. He added that two of the missiles fired in the latest wave attacks were made in North Korea. AFP | Ihor SHVYDCHENKO Russia's defence ministry said it had targeted "Ukrainian aviation, missile, armoured vehicle and ship-building facilities in Kyiv" with a "group strike". "The goal of the strikes was achieved. All designated objects were hit," the ministry said. But residential and hospital buildings were struck in Odesa, where two people were killed and at least nine others were wounded, Governor Oleg Kiper said. "The enemy massively attacked Odesa with strike drones," Kiper wrote on Telegram. "The Russians hit a maternity hospital, an emergency medical ward and residential buildings," he said, adding that the maternity hospital had been evacuated in time. - Prisoner swap - In central Kyiv, an AFP journalist heard at least a dozen explosions, anti-aircraft fire and the buzzing of drones. City officials said one woman was killed and four people were wounded. The mayor said strikes hit at least seven districts, setting buildings and cars on fire. Russia's 2022 invasion of its neighbour triggered the biggest European conflict since World War II, forcing millions to flee their homes and decimating much of eastern and southern Ukraine. Ukrainian cities are targeted by Russian air strikes almost daily. AFP | Tetiana DZHAFAROVA Russia launched a record 479 explosive drones at Ukraine overnight into Monday morning, the Ukrainian Air Force said. Kyiv has responded with attacks on Russian territory, targeting transport and weapons production infrastructure. Russia's transport agency Rosaviatsia said on Tuesday that flight operations had been temporarily restricted at more than a dozen Russian airports -- standard procedure during Ukrainian drone attacks. In the city of Belgorod near the border with Ukraine, Russian emergency services said one person was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on a petrol station. Russia's defence ministry said it had intercepted 102 Ukrainian drones overnight. Despite pressure from US President Donald Trump to reach a ceasefire agreement, peace talks are at a standstill. The only concrete agreement reached at talks in Istanbul last week was a large-scale prisoner exchange and the repatriation of dead soldiers' bodies. - Demands - Russia and Ukraine swapped a first group of captured soldiers on Monday and Zelensky announced the exchange would "continue in several stages over the coming days". The deal should see the freeing of all captured soldiers under the age of 25, as well as those who are sick or severely wounded. But Zelensky said last week it was "pointless" to hold further talks with the current Russian delegation -- who he previously dismissed as "empty heads" -- since they could not agree to a ceasefire. Russian forces meanwhile are making steady advances across the front line. Over the weekend Moscow said it had pushed its offensive into the Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time, marking a significant territorial escalation. "Time for everyone to finally accept the fact that Russia understands only strikes, not rational words," Zelensky's top aide, Andriy Yermak, said on Tuesday, in a thinly veiled criticism of the Trump administration. AFP | Tetiana DZHAFAROVA It has also rejected a proposed 30-day unconditional ceasefire sought by Kyiv and the European Union, arguing that this would allow Ukrainian forces to rearm with Western deliveries. Ukraine is demanding a complete Russian withdrawal of from its territory and security guarantees from the West. bur-mmp/jbr/gil
