UKRAINE: Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating a Kremlin-declared Easter ceasefire today.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire over the Orthodox Easter weekend until the end of Sunday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised to abide by the ceasefire.

The General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said today that it had recorded 2,299 ceasefire violations. Russia’s Defence Ministry also said Sunday it had recorded 1,971 ceasefire violations by Ukrainian forces.

IRAQ: Iraq’s parliament voted Saturday to elect Nizar Amidi as president, five months after a parliamentary election that didn’t produce a bloc with a decisive majority.

His election comes as Iraq is reeling from the fallout of the illegal and unprovoked US-Israeli war on Iran as local militias launched attacks on US bases and diplomatic facilities as well as on critical energy infrastructure. 

DJIBOUTI: Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh was reelected for a sixth term after official results showed him winning 97.81 per cent of the vote in Friday’s election, it was announced on Saturday.

President Guelleh faced a single challenger, Mohamed Farah Samatar in a race analysts say offered little genuine competition. Opposition groups frequently boycott elections, citing restrictions on political freedoms.

HAITI: At least 30 people are feared dead after a stampede at a popular tourist site in Haiti on Saturday.

The incident took place during an annual Easter gathering at the Laferriere Citadel, a Unesco World Heritage site, Jean Henri Petit, head of civil protection for Haiti’s Nord department, said, warning the death toll could yet rise.