Our picture editors bring you the best images of the day.
The dismantling of the People’s Friendship Arch monument in Kyiv, Ukraine, has taken place. The 40-year-old monument, which commemorated the 60th anniversary of the USSR and the 1,500th anniversary of Kyiv, has been partially dismantled, removing the statue of two men holding up the Soviet Order of Friendship of Peoples. The remaining titanium arch will be renamed and illuminated in the colours of the Ukrainian flag. Jakub Kaminski/East News/Shutterstock.</p>
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A boy jumps into the Ganga river to cool off as the temperature in Kolkata is likely to reach 40 degrees. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued a heatwave warning over several districts of West Bengal from April 25 to April 28 and asked the residents of the state to avoid prolonged heat exposure. Debajyoti Chakraborty/NurPhoto/Shutterstock.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima with their daughters Princess Amalia, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane of the Netherlands celebrating the king’s 55th birthday during King’s Day (Koningsdag) 2022 in Maastricht, The Netherlands. Shutterstock.
The SpaceX Falcon rocket launches from pad 39A at Kennedy Space Centre to the ISS. Nasa astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins were joined by European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. Malcolm Denemark/Florida Today via AP.
Ray Mears stands in a ‘wild’ Trafalgar Square, as it is covered in plants and flowers to launch innocent Drinks’ ‘The Big Rewild’ campaign, an initiative to rewild and protect two million hectares of land. The temporary installation, which is made up of over 6,000 plants, flowers, and trees, aims to raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity in urban spaces. As part of the campaign, innocent is partnering with the Orchard Project to give away three million seeds via plantable seed papers on the day and educate on the importance of nature in tackling climate change. Visitors to the site are also invited to pick up and rehome one of the plants. David Parry/PA Wire.
A visitor looks at the exhibit Gems from Lee Kun-hee Collection for the first anniversary of the late tycoon’s landmark bequest at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, South Korea. The four-month exhibition, called A Collector’s Invitation, is a joint remembrance organised by the National Museum of Korea and Contemporary Art, Korea, and five regional art museums. Seokyong Lee/Penta Press/Shutterstock.
Pope Francis kisses a Ukrainian flag during his weekly General Audience in Saint Peter’s Square, Vatican City. Ansa/Press Office Vatican Media/Shutterstock.
A man running outside a school damaged by Russian air raids, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Daniel Ceng Shou-Yi/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock.
The Milky Way shines during its peak at 2.30am above boats moored on Ullswater in the Lake District, Cumbria. Owen Humphreys/PA Wire.
Bluebells bloom on Eype Down in the Dorset countryside as the warm, dry weather continues. Tom Corban/Shutterstock.
Rocket launches and rewilding the land: Wednesday’s news in pictures
