2 Explosive Devices Disarmed at a Market in Kiev, Mayor Says

A general view of Kiev, Ukraine. (AFP)
A general view of Kiev, Ukraine. (AFP)
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2 Explosive Devices Disarmed at a Market in Kiev, Mayor Says

A general view of Kiev, Ukraine. (AFP)
A general view of Kiev, Ukraine. (AFP)

Two explosive devices were disarmed at a Kiev market on Tuesday following an anonymous tip to the police, the Ukrainian capital's mayor said.

Local police received a call Tuesday saying bombs were planted under two mobile kiosks at the site in northern Kiev, Vitali Klitschko said on his Facebook page.

"Law enforcement officers and bomb specialists verified the information and found the dangerous objects. People were immediately evacuated. The perimeter around the kiosks was sealed by law enforcement and rescuers," Klitschko said, adding that the devices, placed between a car and the mobile kiosks, were disarmed.

Police in Kiev said they were also checking information about possible explosives planted on a square near the Minska metro station, which is in close proximity to the market.

Earlier on Tuesday an armed man seized a long-distance bus and took about 10 people hostage in the city of Lutsk 250 miles west of Kiev, prompting an hours-long standoff with the police.



Pope Francis, Trump Critic, Meets US VP Vance on Easter Morning

From left, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin meets with US Vice President JD Vance, his daughter Mirabel, his wife Usha, and their sons Ewan and Vivek at the Vatican, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP, Handout)
From left, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin meets with US Vice President JD Vance, his daughter Mirabel, his wife Usha, and their sons Ewan and Vivek at the Vatican, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP, Handout)
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Pope Francis, Trump Critic, Meets US VP Vance on Easter Morning

From left, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin meets with US Vice President JD Vance, his daughter Mirabel, his wife Usha, and their sons Ewan and Vivek at the Vatican, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP, Handout)
From left, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin meets with US Vice President JD Vance, his daughter Mirabel, his wife Usha, and their sons Ewan and Vivek at the Vatican, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP, Handout)

Pope Francis held a private meeting at the Vatican on Sunday morning with US Vice President JD Vance, the Vatican said in a statement.

Vance, a Catholic who has clashed with the pontiff over the Trump administration's immigration policies, met Francis at his Vatican residence to exchange Easter greetings, the statement said.

"Pope Francis had a brief private encounter ... lasting a few minutes, in order to exchanges good wishes on Easter day," said the statement.

Vance, who has been visiting Italy with his family this weekend, met senior Vatican officials for more formal talks on Saturday. The pope, who is recovering from double pneumonia, did not take part in those discussions.

The pope and Vatican officials have criticized several of the policies of President Donald Trump's administration, including his plans to deport millions of migrants from the US and his widespread cuts to foreign aid and domestic welfare programs.

Francis has called the immigration crackdown a "disgrace". Vance, who became Catholic in 2019, has cited medieval-era Catholic teaching to justify the policy.

The pope rebutted the theological concept Vance used to defend the crackdown in an unusual open letter to the US Catholic bishops about the Trump administration in February, and called Trump's plan a "major crisis" for the United States.