Our picture editors bring you the best images of the day
A masked dancer dressed up as a deity performs during the Nardevi Swetkali Parba dance festival in Kathmandu, Nepal. Xinhua/Shutterstock
A Highly Important Safavid Silk and Metal-thread ‘polonaise’ Carpet, Probably Isfahan, Central Persia, Early 17th Century, Estimate: GBP 1,000,000 – GBP 1,500,000 – Preview of the Art of the Islamic and Indian worlds sale at Christie’s, London. Guy Bell/Shutterstock
With the Qingming Festival approaching, Hangzhou West Lake Longjing has entered the peak of tea picking before Ming, and people have seized the time to pick and process new teas to meet market demand. Sipa Asia/Shutterstock
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock during the Oscars ceremony after a joke aimed at Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett-Smith. 94th Annual Academy Awards, Show, Los Angeles, USA. Rob Latour/Shutterstock
Special collections manager Dr Hannah Thomas cleans a True Cross relic at The Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre in York, as the convent marks Easter with the discovery of previously unseen authentication and provenance documents. This documentation, along with new research, shows a likely explanation as to how the relic eventually arrived at the convent in 1792 and has enabled the convent to trace elements of the history of the relic which have been a mystery since the 19th century. Danny Lawson/PA Wire
People add to the painted hearts at the national covid memorial wall to remember the victims of the coronavirus pandemic. There has been an increase in the number of cases according data from the Office for National Statistics in England caused by the Omicron BA.2 variant, a recombinant virus which contains elements of Delta and Omicron variants. Amer Ghazzal/Shutterstock
Indira Avila walks past Glenn Folco after going through her routine at Blackpool Tower Circus ahead of its return on Saturday after its annual hiatus. The circus is the oldest permanent circus arena in the world, having kept going during two world wars and only being forced to close during the COVID-19 lockdown. Peter Byrne/PA Wire
University graduates wearing hakama kimono under Tokyo’s famous cherry blossoms during their graduation ceremony. Masatoshi Okauchi/ Shutterstock
Billie Eilish, winner of Best Original Song “No Time To Die” from the latest Bond film “No Time To Die,” appears backstage with her Oscar during the 94th annual Academy Awards at Loews Hollywood Hotel in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles, California. John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock
Oscars drama and painted hearts: Monday’s news in pictures
