Rome pastry chef sculpts Easter eggs into artworks

The first anniversary of Sri Lanka's 2019 Easter Sunday bombings has been marked with silence and bells amid its coronavirus curfew. Suspected Islamist attackers killed 268 people, Catholic and Protestant, and tourists.

Berlin authorities have banned a rally of the coronavirus conspiracy theorist Attila Hildmann. The vegan chef claims Adolf Hitler was a "blessing" compared to Angela Merkel, accusing her of preparing a global genocide.

Staff at Saint Louis Zoo, Missouri, say a female ball python has produced seven eggs despite having no contact with a male in over 15 years. The snake, identified by the number 361003 is over 50 years old, and the oldest ever documented in a zoo. Herpetologists are carrying out genetic sampling to find out if the python reproduced sexually or asexually, as snakes can store sperm for delayed fertilization.

The global health crisis has triggered a major shift away from restaurant dining, leaving many in the culinary sector out of work. But one chef, Joudie Kalla, has pressed on and transformed her career into something entirely new. The author of "Palestine on a Plate" and "Baladi" joins us from London to talk about cooking as therapy.

The budget airline has responded to an influx of bookings by expanding its services. On Friday, German health authorities eased travel warnings for some parts of Spain.

"We are in a new pandemic" due to the spread of coronavirus variants, Chancellor Angela Merkel has said. German federal and state leaders have agreed on a radical shutdown over the Easter holidays.

Hildmann first became a celebrity as a TV chef and author of best-selling cookbooks. Now he is one of Germany's most radical coronavirus deniers and conspiracy theorists. Fearing arrest, he is has left the country.

Pastry chef Walter Musco turns his shop in Rome's working-class Tor Marancia district into an art gallery displaying Easter eggs sculpted in hommage to great names from the worlds of art and literature. The creations of the self-taught "pasticciere" are fully edible, although can also be stored uneaten for years, Musco says, provided they are kept cool and out of the sun.

Nine veteran Hong Kong activist face jail after they were convicted for their roles in organising one of the biggest democracy protests in the city in 2019. Six of the group have been granted bail pending sentencing. Among the Hong Kong activists facing jail is Martin Lee, an octogenarian barrister dubbed the "Father of Democracy" who Beijing once asked to help draft the city's mini-constitution and was often dismissed by younger activists for being too moderate.

One Protestant pastor has watched, powerless, as over half of the residents of the Berlin nursing home in his parish lost their lives during the pandemic. This Good Friday, there will be no sermon.

A koala leads the way as a number of Australian animals play among Easter eggs ahead of this Easter weekend. The images are released by the Australian Reptile Park in Somersby, New South Wales.

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