Putin declares Easter truce in Ukraine conflictRussian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday declared a unilateral Easter truce for the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.The truce will start from 6:00 p.m. local time (1500 GMT) on Saturday and last until midnight on Sunday into Monday (2100 GMT on Sunday)."I have ordered a complete cessation of hostilities during this period," Putin was quoted by the Kremlin's Telegram account as saying at a meeting with Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov.Putin also noted that Russia hopes Ukraine will follow suit and cease hostilities during the period.Iran, U.S. conclude 2nd round of indirect talks in RomeThe second round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States concluded on Saturday in Rome, capital of Italy, with Oman's mediation, according to Italian media.The atmosphere of the talks was described as "constructive," and the next round is expected to take place in the coming days, Italian Rai News reported.The talks took place at the Omani Embassy in Italy and lasted nearly four hours. The format of the dialogue remained "indirect," as in the first round, Rai News reported.Iran's FM says indirect talks with U.S. "constructive"ran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Saturday said the negotiations with U.S. delegations in Rome were held in a "constructive" atmosphere and are making progress, according to Iran's IRIB news agency.He made the remarks at the end of the second round of the Omani-mediated indirect talks between Iranian and U.S. delegations, headed by him and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff respectively, on Iran's nuclear program and removal of Washington's sanctions.Araghchi described the four-hour meeting as "good" and "forward-moving," adding that both sides had reached a better understanding of several key principles and objectives.He also noted that technical negotiations at the expert level are set to begin in Oman by Wednesday, where the details of the agreement's framework may be discussed.Israeli PM says Hamas rejects deal to return half of living hostagesIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday evening that Hamas had rejected a proposal for the return of half of the living hostages in Gaza by demanding the end of the war and an Israeli military retreat from Gaza."If we capitulate to the dictates of Hamas now, all the great achievements of the war ... will disappear," said Netanyahu in a recorded video statement.In the statement, the Israeli prime minister also dismissed the idea that Israel could deceive Hamas into freeing all the hostages and then resume the war, arguing that the international community would not accept such a move.Earlier in the day, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, released a new video showing an Israeli hostage held in Gaza.At least 41 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on GazaAt least 41 Palestinians were killed on Saturday and many others wounded amid ongoing Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip, according to civil defense authorities in Gaza.In a press statement, the civil defense reported that Israeli strikes targeted residential homes and tents sheltering displaced persons in the southern, northern, and central parts of the enclave.Local sources and eyewitnesses reported that Israeli artillery has been shelling the eastern and northern areas of Gaza City since early Saturday, targeting even previously evacuated homes.The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a Friday statement that their military operations targeting "terrorist organizations" were continuing in Gaza.U.S. airstrikes on Yemen's fuel port kill 80The death toll from U.S. airstrikes on Yemen's fuel port of Ras Isa has risen to 80, with 150 other people wounded, Houthi-run health authorities reported early Saturday.The strikes took place Thursday night, targeting the port and several concrete tanks used for storing imported fuel.The victims are workers of the port, including five paramedics.The port, northwest of Yemen's Red Sea city of Hodeidah, has been a main lifeline for importing fuel into the areas seized by the Houthi group. The group has controlled vast areas of northern Yemen since it started a civil war against the government in late 2014.The attack marks the deadliest since Washington resumed its airstrikes on Houthi targets in mid-March.U.S. to halve its troops in SyriaThe United States will roughly halve its troops in Syria to less than 1,000 in the coming months, said a U.S. military official on Friday."Today the secretary of defense directed the consolidation of U.S. forces in Syria," said Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell in a statement, "This deliberate and conditions-based process will bring the U.S. footprint in Syria down to less than 1,000 U.S. forces in the coming months."He added that the U.S. Central Command will "remain poised to continue strikes against the remnants of IS in Syria."Over 5,000 U.S. troops have been deployed in Iraq to support the Iraqi forces during the battles against the Islamic State (IS) militants since 2014.