Cairo, Apr 12 (AP) Vice President JD Vance said negotiations between the United States and Iran ended early Sunday without a deal after the Iranians refused to accept US terms to not develop a nuclear weapon.
The high-stakes talks in Pakistan ended after 21 hours, Vance said, with the vice president in constant communication with President Donald Trump and others in the administration.
Here is the latest:
Beirut's Orthodox Christians mark somber Easter after last week's Israeli airstrikes
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Across the central Beirut neighbourhoods attacked last week in Israel's deadly bombardment of the city, Orthodox Christians in Lebanon found themselves grasping for solace in their faith and beloved Easter rituals.
Many worshippers said they were still reeling from Wednesday's Israeli airstrikes, which hit areas of Beirut previously considered safe and killed more than 350 people while wounding over 1,100 others.
“What happened was a crime,” said Ghada Chabo Markossian from Easter services at her Syriac Orthodox church in Msaitbeh, one of several residential neighborhoods devastated in the attack.
“God willing, during this feast, the Lord will set right … these evil things that are happening.”
The priest attributed the low attendance to a chilling fear that has grown more pervasive in the last few days of the Israel-Hezbollah war.
“Many members of the parish are afraid to come, due to the terror they experienced two or three days ago,” the Rev. Daniel Gawriya said.
Pope Leo XIV demands ceasefire in Lebanon and respect of international law
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Leo said Sunday he was “closer than ever” to the people of Lebanon at the end of his noontime prayers, and called on all sides to stop fighting and seek peace.
“The principle of humanity, inscribed in the conscience of every person and recognized in international law, entails the moral obligation to protect the civilian population from the atrocious effects of war,” Leo said.
Though Israel's strikes over Beirut have calmed in recent days, its attacks on southern Lebanon have intensified alongside a ground invasion it renewed after Hezbollah launched rockets toward Israel in the opening days of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
Leo wished Christians celebrating Orthodox Easter, and said he hoped especially that the international community doesn't turn its back on the “beloved people of Ukraine.”
He noted that Wednesday marks the third anniversary of the “fratricidal war” in Sudan, and appealed for talks to end what he called an “inhuman tragedy.”
Turkish politicians condemn Israel's criticism of Erdogan
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday criticised Turkish President Recep Tayyip in a post on X in which he wrote: “Israel under my leadership will continue to fight Iran's terror regime and its proxies, unlike Erdogan who accommodates them and massacred his own Kurdish citizens.”
In response, Omer Celik, spokesperson of the ruling Islamic-oriented Justice and Development Party, or AKP, said Sunday that Israel's comments aimed to sabotage the peace talks in Pakistan, foment unrest among the Kurdish minority and pit Turkey against Iran.
Numan Kurtulmus, the speaker of Turkey's parliament, called Netanyahu “the ringleader terrorist of the 21st century's massacre and terror network.”
“The audacity of someone whose hands are stained with children's blood — someone pursued by international law — to presume to lecture Turkey on morality is merely an indicator of his efforts to cover up his own crimes against humanity, and it holds no validity whatsoever,” Kurtulmus said.
Israeli strike kills 6 people in southern Lebanese town
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The strike on Sunday morning hit a home of seven people in the Lebanese town of Maaroub, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported.
The strike came without warning, and Israel did not immediately comment on it.
Israel's government has said its strikes target operatives or infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah militant group.
Israeli strikes over Beirut have decreased in recent days, but its attacks on southern Lebanon have intensified alongside a ground invasion.
Saudi Arabia says East-West oil pipeline restored to full capacity
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The East-West pipeline, used to send oil to the Red Sea for transport, was repaired after an attack, the Saudi Energy Ministry said in a statement Sunday. It said it has full capacity of about 7 million barrels a day.
The pumping station was attacked Thursday, affecting about 700,000 barrels of output through the pipeline, which has allowed Saudi Arabia to continue exporting a substantial portion of its oil.
Saudi Aramco operates the pipeline from the Aqaiq oil processing center near the Persian Gulf to the Yanbu port on the Red Sea, avoiding the Iranian chokepoint on the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. The ministry said the Manila oil field was also repaired, restoring a capacity of around 300,000 barrels a day.
It said work was still underway at another field, Kurais, to restore a capacity of another 300,000 barrels a day. (AP)
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