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Earth News

Your chocolate Easter egg could be fuelling deforestation

Is palm oil in all kinds of chocolate? And why is it so bad for the environment?

Vatican

Watch: Pope Francis delivers Palm Sunday Angelus

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the Holy Week before Easter.

Indonesia

Suicide bomb targets Mass in Indonesia, 20 wounded

The attack took place at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province.

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Easter Mass: All churches in Moscow are closed to the public

Russian Patriarch Kirill celebrates the Orthodox Easter Mass at an empty Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow amid the coronavirus pandemic. In Sofia, people attend the Easter mass despite the virus fears.

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World News

Orthodox Easter: churches largely empty amid coronavirus pandemic

More than 260 million Orthodox Christians are celebrating #Easter under exceptional conditions due to coronavirus restrictions.

West Bank

Sacred rite for Orthodox Christians in Bethlehem marred by coronavirus

One of the most sacred Easter symbols of the Christian Orthodox faith - the Holy Fire - arrived in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Saturday.

World News

Orthodox Churches disagree on how to worship safely over Easter

Orthodox churches in Russia and Ukraine have sent mixed signals to congregations over whether or not they can attend Easter services this weekend.

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Mask-wearing chocolate bunnies bring rare bit of joy amid lockdown

Chocolate bunnies wearing protective masks are hopping off the shelves at an Athens pastry shop.

Italy

Easter: Andrea Bocelli performs in empty Duomo di Milano cathedral

Andrea Bocelli sang "Amazing Grace" at an empty Duomo di Milano cathedral on Easter. Milan is the capital of the Italian region most heavily impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.

Vatican

Coronavirus: Pope Francis calls for debt relief and end to sanctions

Pope Francis called for international sanctions to be "relaxed" and for a "reduction, if not the forgiveness" of debt for poor countries during his Easter Sunday benediction.

United Kingdom

'Coronavirus will not overcome us': Queen gives first Easter address

"We know that Coronavirus will not overcome us," Queen Elizabeth II said in her first Easter address.

Spain

In Spain and beyond, Christians prepare to mark Easter in lockdown

In a world locked down by the coronavirus pandemic, Christians are commemorating the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus without traditional church services and processions.

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Orthodox Christians in Moscow prepare for Easter celebrations

Russian Orthodox believers came to Vysokopetrovsky Monastery in Moscow on Saturday on the eve of Easter to prepare for the holiest day in the Orthodox church calendar.

Greece

Watch: Greeks 'burn Judas' in ancient Orthodox Easter tradition

Boats circle a straw figure of the Biblical traitor before setting it alight. The tradition dates back several centuries but in some places has only been brought back in the last few decades.

Sri Lanka

15 dead in Sri Lanka gun battle linked to Easter bombings

The bodies of 15 people, including six children, were found in Sri Lank after a police raid on a militant hideout triggered a fierce gun battle.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka attack death toll between 250-260, not 359

The death toll in Sri Lanka's Easter Day attack is around 100 fewer than the 359 originally thought, top government officials said on Thursday.

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Ready to coal-lapse? Competitors race with heavy sacks of charcoal

Competitors raced uphill with heavy sacks of charcoal at a quirky contest in the UK.

Sri Lanka

'Moaning children saved us from Sri Lanka hotel blast'

Clare Harvey's children persuaded her to leave their table at the Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo just seconds before a suicide bomber struck.

Spain

Locals in Spanish town shoot and burn Carles Puigdemont effigy

Locals in a Spanish town set alight and shot at a puppet made to resemble Carles Puigdemont, the ex-president of the Spanish region of Catalonia.

Hungary

Young women 'watered like plants' in ancient Easter tradition

The so-called "watering" of the women on Easter Monday is an old fertility rite that dates back to pre-Christian times.