In pictures: Eyewitness April 2009

Washington, US, 20 January 2009: Barack Obama having a moment alone just before he is sworn in as America's 44th president Photograph: Charles Ommanney/Getty Images

Tokyo, Japan, 28 March 2009: All traffic halts as people cross in every direction at Tokyo’s Shibuya ‘scramble’, one of the world’s busiest crossings, featured in the film Lost in Translation. The effect of the photograph was achieved by moving the front element – the lens plane – to shift the line of focus. The lens used was developed for close-up photography, where depth of field can be critical. Here it has been used in the exact opposite way Photograph: David Levene/David Levene

London, UK, 26 April 2009: Helpers hold out water bottles in Upper Thames Street as some of the 35,000 runners in the London marathon near the 24-mile mark Photograph: David Levene

Berck-sur-Mer, France, 19 April 2009: A kite flier sends cartoon character Sylvester into the air during Europe's biggest kite festival, which attracts enthusiasts to northern France from around the world Photograph: Philippe Huguen/AFP

Okinawa, Japan, 12 April 2009: Asia’s largest aquarium window affords visitors a stunning view of the world’s biggest fish – the whale shark – as well as many manta rays, at Okinawa’s Churaumi aquarium Photograph: David Levene

Tynemouth, UK, 12 April 2009: Clear skies and warm temperatures lure holidaymakers to Tynemouth beach in Tyne and Wear on Easter Sunday Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

Jerusalem, Israel, 9 April 2009: Catholic clergy in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City for the Maundy Thursday procession. The church is said to have been built on the sites where Jesus was crucified and buried Photograph: Bernat Armangue/AP

Beppu, Japan, 3 April 2009: The annual Mount Ogiyama No-Yaki fire festival in Kyushu, southern Japan, which is famed for its hot springs. Residents set alight the side of the mountain to burn off last year’s old grass. It coincides with the springtime Onsen (hot springs) festival. This picture is a composite of more than 300 exposures over 90 minutes, as the line of fire crossed Mount Oyigama Photograph: David Levene/Freelance

Ahmedabad, India, 5 April 2009: Muslim brides display their hands intricately painted in henna during a one-day mass wedding ceremony. Up to 125 couples drawn from the city’s poorer quarters took part in the event Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters

Seville, Spain, 5 April 2009: Hooded penitents from the La Paz religious brotherhood, one of more than 50 in Seville, parade for Palm Sunday. Their hoods, called capirotes and symbolising repentence, were first worn hundreds of years ago to ensure that the only person who knew the identity of the penitent was God. They were later adopted by the anti- Catholic Ku Klux Klan Photograph: Miguel Angel Morenatti/AP

Lahore, Pakistan, 31 March 2009: Relatives of Raheel Fayz, one of the policemen killed in Monday’s assault on a police academy, attend his funeral. A Pakistani Taliban faction has claimed responsibility Photograph: Emilio Morenatti/AP