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Russia's Putin declares unilateral Easter ceasefire in Ukraine

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Russia's Putin declares unilateral Easter ceasefire in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a unilateral Easter ceasefire in Ukraine, ordering his forces to end hostilities at 6 p.m. Moscow time (1500 GMT) on Saturday until the end of Sunday.

“The Russian side will cease all hostilities from April 19 at 6 p.m. to midnight on April 21,” the Kremlin said. “We assume the Ukrainian side will follow our example.”

The Kremlin also said that Russian forces are prepared to “repel possible violations of the truce and provocations by Ukraine.”

“Ukraine’s actions during the ceasefire will show their readiness for a peaceful settlement,” Russian news agency Interfax quoted Putin as saying.

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TASS then quoted the Russian leader claiming that Russia “has always been ready for negotiations and welcomes the desire of the United States, China, and other countries for a fair settlement on Ukraine.

Ukrainian police officers seen in the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk, Ukraine, April 12, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/ANATOLII STEPANOV)

Meeting with the military chief

Putin also met with the Russian Armed Force chief Valery Gerasimov at the Kremlin, according to Russian state media. The Russian leader told Gerasimov to be “ready to respond to Ukraine’s aggressive actions, in case they take place during the ceasefire period,” Interfax quoted him as saying.

Putin also stated that Ukraine violated the moratorium on strikes on energy infrastructure more than 100 times, Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reported.

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RIA also quoted the Russian Defense Ministry saying that the ceasefire “will be imposed for humanitarian purposes and will be respected by the Russian military on the condition that it is mutually observed by Ukraine.”

Ukrainian official says Russian forces still open fire despite ceasefire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that, according to his top commander, Russian artillery fire had not subsided despite the Kremlin’s proclamation of an Easter ceasefire.

“As of now, according to the Commander-in-Chief reports, Russian assault operations continue on several frontline sectors, and Russian artillery fire has not subsided,” Zelensky wrote on the social media platform X.

“Therefore, there is no trust in words coming from Moscow.”

He recalled that Russia had last month rejected a US-proposed full 30-day ceasefire and said that if Moscow agreed to “truly engage in a format of full and unconditional silence, Ukraine will act accordingly — mirroring Russia’s actions.”

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“If a complete ceasefire truly takes hold, Ukraine proposes extending it beyond the Easter day of April 20,” Zelensky wrote.

A Ukrainian official said on Saturday that Russian forces were continuing to open fire on Ukrainian positions despite Putin’s proclamation of an Easter ceasefire.

“The Russians are trying to pretend that they are ‘peacekeepers’, but they already refused an unconditional ceasefire on March 11 and now are conducting an information operation, talking about a ‘truce’ but continuing to shoot without stopping,” Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation, wrote on Telegram.

“This is all with the aim of blaming Ukraine,” wrote Kovalenko, whose center is a body within the National Security and Defense Council.

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Britain has urged Russia to commit to a full ceasefire in Ukraine, “not just a one-day pause,” its foreign ministry said in a statement.

The European Union reacted cautiously to Putin’s declaration of a unilateral 30-hour Easter ceasefire, saying Moscow could stop the war immediately if it wanted to.

“Russia has a track record as an aggressor, so first we need to see any actual halt of the aggression and clear deeds for a lasting ceasefire,” said Anitta Hipper, the European Commission’s lead spokesperson for foreign affairs and security.

Hipper added that it had been more than a month since Ukraine agreed to an unconditional ceasefire.

“Russia could stop this war at any moment if it really wanted to… We continue to support Ukraine for a long, just and comprehensive peace.”

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Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.



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Abuse allegations against lead Democrat shake race for California governor

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Abuse allegations against lead Democrat shake race for California governor

Media reports detailing sexual assault allegations against US Representative Eric Swalwell prompt resignation calls.

Reports detailing sexual assault allegations against US Congressman Eric Swalwell have shaken the California state gubernatorial race, where polls have shown him leading a crowded field of Democratic candidates seeking to replace Governor Gavin Newsom.

A number of influential Democratic Party lawmakers called on Swalwell to drop out of the race and resign from the United States Congress during TV interviews on Sunday, days after reports from CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle detailed alleged accounts of sexual assault from a former staffer and misconduct allegations from several other women.

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“What he did is sick and disgusting,” Congressman Ro Khanna told the news programme Fox News Sunday, calling for investigations into the allegations by law enforcement and the US House of Representatives.

Swalwell has denied the allegations as “absolutely false” and has not given any indication that he plans to exit the race for the governorship of the country’s most populous state. A March poll from Emerson College had shown Swalwell ahead of Democratic and Republican challengers by several points.

But the reports have shaken his campaign, with powerful figures and organisations revoking their endorsements and calling for him to drop out over the weekend. The Manhattan district attorney’s office confirmed on Saturday that it was investigating the allegations.

California gubernatorial candidate, US Representative Eric Swalwell, appears at a town hall meeting in Sacramento, California, on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 [Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo]

Republican US Representative Anna Paulina Luna has said she will submit a motion to begin the process of expelling Swalwell, a move some Democrats in Congress have said they could support.

“This is not a partisan issue,” Representative Pramila Jayapal said Sunday. “This cuts across party lines. And it is the depravity of the way that women have been treated.”

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Democrats have also called for the expulsion of Representative Tony Gonzales, a Republican from Texas who is also facing sexual misconduct allegations.

Khanna and Republican Representative Byron Donalds have said that they could support a bid to eject both Gonzales and Swalwell from Congress.

“As far as I’m concerned, both gentlemen need to go home,” Donalds said.

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Anyma Says He’s ‘Truly Devastated and Deeply Sorry’ Following Canceled Coachella Set: ‘I’m Working on a Solution’

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Anyma Says He’s ‘Truly Devastated and Deeply Sorry’ Following Canceled Coachella Set: ‘I’m Working on a Solution’

Electronic musician Anyma is speaking out after his Coachella set was canceled due to severe weather condititions early Saturday morning. 

“I’m heartbroken,” the DJ, whose real name is Matteo Milleri, wrote in a statement shared to his X account Saturday evening. “I don’t have many words other than to say I’m truly devastated and deeply sorry to everyone who showed up to the main stage, and to those watching the livestream at home. Having the opportunity to perform the new ÆDEN show and share all the new music and art means more to me than I can express. It’s incredibly painful, especially after working day and night for the past year, not just me, but my team and the @coachella crew, who poured everything into this.”

The statement continued: “Safety was and always will be our biggest concern. The dangerous winds not only prevented us and Coachella from building our stage, but also made it impossible for my entire live setup and performance to operate safely.”

While he noted there are no other slots available for him to perform during Coachella weekend 1, Milleri wrote that he is “working on a solution to bring you some music at least,” but doesn’t want to “impose on the other artists’ slots.” “Updates soon,” he concluded. 

Anyma was set to perform following Sabrina Carpenter’s headlining set on Day 1 of the festival, but the weather made it unfeasible. Attendees were notified at 12:17 a.m. of this “schedule update” with a statement posted online and sent as a push notification via the Coachella app. 

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“Due to strong wind conditions affecting Anyma’s stage build, he is unable to perform,” the statement read. “Coachella & Anyma have made this decision together with your safety as the priority. Further updates to come.”

Winds had gusted as high as 35-40 mph in Indio during the day Friday, and there were reports of tents being toppled in the campground area at Coachella. Weather reports for the area on Sunday, the closing day of the festival, show winds predicted at 10-20 mph, although the possibility for gusts again exists.

Even if Anyma is shut out of appearing at Coachella this weekend, he is still on the agenda for the same slot during weekend 2, this coming Friday night.

Anyma first gained popularity as one-half of the EDM duo Tale of Us.

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Pope Leo calls out ‘delusion of omnipotence’ fueling Iran war in vigil for peace at St. Peter’s Basilica

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Pope Leo calls out ‘delusion of omnipotence’ fueling Iran war in vigil for peace at St. Peter’s Basilica

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Pope Leo in a Saturday vigil for peace, called out the “delusion of omnipotence” he claimed is fueling war.

“In prayer, our limited human possibilities are joined to the infinite possibilities of God. Thoughts, words and deeds then break the demonic cycle of evil and are placed at the service of the Kingdom of God,” he said in a prayer service at St. Peter’s Basilica.

He continued, “A Kingdom in which there is no sword, no drone, no vengeance, no trivialization of evil, no unjust profit, but only dignity, understanding and forgiveness. It is here that we find a bulwark against that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive.”

In posts on X and during the prayer vigil, the pontiff also warned that war “divides” while hope and faith unite humanity.

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TRUMP’S LAST-MINUTE DELAY: WHY HE WAS NEVER GOING TO OBLITERATE IRAN IN THE FIRST PLACE

Pope Leo XIV leads a vigil for peace inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Saturday. (Gregorio Borgia/AP Photo)

“Enough of the idolatry of self and money. Enough of the display of power. Enough of war,” he wrote. “True strength is shown in serving life.”

The archbishop of Tehran, Belgian Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, was among those in the pews.

Leo’s words came on the same day Vice President JD Vance and a U.S. delegation began face-to-face talks with Iran amid an uneasy ceasefire.

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MIKE PENCE WARNS JD VANCE TO AVOID OBAMA-STYLE IRAN DEAL AS NUCLEAR TALKS SET TO BEGIN IN PAKISTAN

They were some of the first American pontiff’s strongest words yet after he called President Donald Trump’s threat against Iran on Tuesday “truly unacceptable.”  

“Today, as we all know, there has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable,” the pope said earlier this week. “There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more so a moral issue for the good of the whole entire population.”

Pope Leo XIV speaks to the media on the U.S.–Israeli conflict with Iran, as he leaves the papal residence to head back to the Vatican, April 7, in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters)

Trump had written on Truth Social “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will… God Bless the Great People of Iran!”

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Hours later, the president announced a two-week ceasefire subject to Iran agreeing to “the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz,” the president wrote in another post.

As the high-stakes talks began on Saturday in Islamabad, Trump told reporters outside the White House: “We win regardless of what happens. Maybe they make a deal, maybe they don’t.”

Islamabad hosted peace talks between Iran and the U.S. on Saturday. (Farooq Naeem/AFP via Getty Images)

For more than a month, the pope limited his remarks to muted appeals for peace, but in his Easter blessing last Sunday, he urged “those with weapons lay them down. Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace.”

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Leo also invoked what he said were the final words that Pope Francis issued to the world from the same balcony one year ago, during which the late pontiff warned of a “globalization of indifference.”

“What a great thirst for death, for killing we witness each day in the many conflicts raging in different parts of the world,” Leo said, quoting Francis.

Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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