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Thousands of Christian worshippers, pilgrims and members of the clergy take part in the traditional Catholic Palm Sunday procession from Mount of Olives to Jerusalem’s Old City.

Finland’s centre-right leader claimed victory in Sunday’s tight general election that saw the far-right post a record score to come in second, as Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Social Democrats finished third.

Paris (AFP) – “We’ve got two Eiffel Towers for the price of one,” a Parisian jokes in front of “Eiffela”, a copy one-tenth the size of the original installed on April Fool’s Day on the Champ-de-Mars in the French capital.

Dohuk (Iraq) (AFP) – Assyrian Christian revellers, dressed in traditional clothing, march and dance during the “Aketo” Assyrian New Year celebrations in Dohuk, in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.

The cast and crew of The Super Mario Bros Movie hit up the red carpet of the film’s world premiere in Los Angeles. The famous video game gets the Hollywood treatment, with Chris Pratt lending his voice to the famous mustachioed plumber and Jack Black portraying his arch-antagonist Bowser.

Tel Aviv (AFP) – Thousands of demonstrators take to the streets of Tel Aviv for the 13th consecutive week, some blocking one of the major highways in the coastal city, to protest against Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to overhaul the justice system, even after the prime minister paused the process for a month. Critics say the proposed reforms, which would limit the power of the supreme court, threaten Israel’s democracy.

Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Francis thanks those who prayed for him during his illness, as he kicks off the holiest week in the Christian calendar just a day after leaving hospital following a bout of bronchitis. “I thank you for your participation and also for your prayers… Thank you!”, he tells the throng gathered for Palm Sunday in St Peter’s Square.

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti says the rumour that the Brazilian national team is interested in him “excites him”. Speaking ahead of Madrid’s La Liga tie against Valladolid, Ancelotti says “I love that” before adding he has a “contract that I want to respect.”

Guatemala City (AFP) – Guatemalan President, Alejandro Giammattei, describes Taiwan as “the only true China” during a visit by the island nation’s President Tsai Ing-wen to Guatemala City. Giammattei calls Taiwan “an independent nation” with which his country shares the “democratic values of mutual respect and historic brotherhood.”

Rome (AFP) – Pope Francis leaves Gemelli hospital in Rome following a three-night stay for bronchitis, greeting and blessing well-wishers gathered outside. The 86-year-old was admitted on Wednesday after suffering breathing difficulties for his second hospitalisation since 2021. Increasingly frequent health issues over the past year have raised widespread concerns for the pontiff and led to speculation that he could retire from the post rather than hold it for life.