Russia and Ukraine agree to truce for Orthodox Easter
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a truce for Orthodox Easter, with Vladimir Putin saying he's ordered Russian troops to cease fire "in all directions" this weekend, BBC reported.
The declaration from Moscow came after Volodymyr Zelensky issued repeated calls for a ceasefire, all ignored by the Kremlin.
Now Putin has announced a truce from 16:00 local time (14:00 BST) on Saturday 11 April through Easter Sunday, adding that he expected Ukraine to "follow the example" of Russia. He ordered his forces to be ready to intercept "possible enemy provocations" and any "aggressive actions."
Pioneering wildlife cameraman Doug Allan dies in Nepal
The acclaimed wildlife cameraman and photographer Doug Allan has died while trekking in Nepal, BBC reported.
Allan, 74, was principal cameraman on a number of BBC programmes including The Blue Planet, Blue Planet II, Planet Earth and Frozen Planet, and spent much of his career working alongside Sir David Attenborough.
He won eight Emmy Awards for his work and was made an OBE for services to broadcast media and environmental awareness in 2024, according to BBC.
Allan's management company said he had died "immersed in nature and surrounded by friends".
Trump's abrupt Iran reversal exposes limits of his leverage
Donald Trump's dramatic climbdown from his chilling threat to wipe out Iran's civilization has exposed the limits — and the rising risks — of the U.S. president's typically unpredictable negotiating style, Reuters reported.
His decision on Tuesday to back down and agree to a two-week ceasefire — which critics mockingly called another example of "TACO,” or "Trump always chickens out” — marked the biggest step so far toward de-escalating a 40-day-old war that has shaken the Middle East and disrupted global energy markets.
But Trump’s claims of victory over Iran overlooked questions about the effectiveness of mixing maximalist demands, erratic rhetoric and increasingly extreme threats.
As Trump claims victory, Iran emerges bruised but powerful with leverage over Hormuz
Nearly six weeks of war in Iran have ended, for now, with President Donald Trump claiming victory, but the US-Iran ceasefire locks in a harsh reality: an entrenched, radical government with control over the Strait of Hormuz and a powerful lever over global energy markets and Gulf rivals, analysts say.
The shockwaves have rippled outward, contributing to global economic strains and bringing conflict to Gulf neighbors whose economies depend on stability.
“This war will be remembered as Trump’s grave strategic miscalculation. One whose consequences reshaped the region in unintended ways,” Middle East scholar Fawaz Gerges told Reuters.
