World

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan's government hit back on Thursday with a string of tit-for-tat measures against its neighbour India, who accused Islamabad of supporting "cross-border terrorism" following a brutal attack on Indian tourists.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened a rare meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) with top military officials, including powerful Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, in the capital Islamabad in response to India's measures.

"Any threat to Pakistan's sovereignty and to the security of its people will be met with firm reciprocal measures in all domains," a statement released by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office said after the NSC meeting.

New Delhi suspended a water-sharing treaty, announced the closure of the main land border crossing with Pakistan, downgraded diplomatic ties and withdrew visas for Pakistanis on Wednesday night, just over 24 hours after gunmen killed 26 men in Indian-administered Kashmir.

The slew of measures announced by the Pakistan government in response on Thursday included expelling Indian diplomats and cancelling visas for Indian nationals with the exception of Sikh pilgrims.

Pakistan also warned that it would consider any attempt by India to stop the supply of water from the Indus River an "act of war and responded with full force across the complete spectrum of national power".

Islamabad said Indian military advisers were "persona non grata".

"They are directed to leave Pakistan immediately," the statement said.

Pakistan's airspace was also closed with immediate effect "for all Indian owned or Indian operated airlines", while the main Wagah border crossing in Punjab was also closed.

"All cross-border transit from India through this route shall be suspended, without exception," the statement said.

"All trade with India including to and from any third country through Pakistan is suspended forthwith."

VATICAN CITY — Huge crowds were expected at St Peter's Basilica on Thursday for a glimpse of Pope Francis's body on the second day of public tributes ahead of the Catholic leader's weekend burial.

Close to 20,000 people filtered past the Argentine's open, red-lined wooden coffin in the first few hours of the lying in state on Wednesday, the Vatican said. Many more were predicted ahead of Saturday's funeral.

Italy is preparing a massive security operation for the funeral in front of St Peter's, with world leaders including US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky due to join hundreds of thousands of mourners.

Francis died on Monday after 12 years as head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, during which time he made a name for himself as a pope of the marginalised.

Mourners queued for up to four hours on Wednesday to say their goodbyes to Francis, who was dressed in his papal vestments -- a red chasuble, white mitre and black shoes -- and with a rosary laced between his fingers.

But such was the demand that each mourner was ushered past the casket within seconds, many hurriedly catching the moment on their smartphones.

Argentine Federico Rueda, 46, said that despite the rush, he would not have missed the opportunity.

"It is worth missing out on other places to say goodbye to an Argentine: a very worthy pope," he said as he stood proudly wearing the jersey of Argentina's national football team, the current world champions.

Mexican Leobardo Guevara, 24 and draped in his country's flag, said he felt "a sense of peace" as he filed past the body of the first pope from the Americas.

Security operation 

Francis, an energetic reformer who took over in 2013, died on Monday aged 88 after suffering a stroke.

His death at his residence in the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican came less than a month after he was released from five weeks in hospital with double pneumonia.

Francis's casket was initially put on display for Vatican officials and clergy in the Santa Marta chapel, before being transferred to St Peter's Wednesday in a procession including cardinals, clergy and Swiss Guards.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was among those who paid respects on Wednesday, and scores of world leaders and dignitaries will attend the funeral.

They include Argentine President Javier Milei and Britain's Prince William, although Russia -- which has for centuries had icy ties with the Vatican -- said it would send its culture minister.

Authorities expect up to 170 foreign delegations and have ramped up security for the funeral.

Italy's civil protection agency estimates that "several hundred thousand" people will descend on Rome on what was already set to be a busy weekend due to a public holiday.

No conclave date yet 

After the funeral, Francis's coffin will be taken to his favouritechurch, Rome's papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

His will requested that he be interred in the ground, his simple tomb marked with just one word: Franciscus.

Following that, all eyes will turn to the process to choose Francis's successor.

Cardinals from around the world are returning to Rome for the conclave, which will begin no fewer than 15 days and no more than 20 days after a pope's death.

Only those under the age of 80 -- currently some 135 cardinals -- are eligible to vote.

Cardinals have agreed that the traditional nine days of mourning for the pope, the so-called "novemdiales", will begin on Saturday and conclude on May 4.

Another meeting of cardinals of all ages was set for Thursday at 9:00am (0700 GMT).

However, the Vatican brushed aside hopes of an announcement of the conclave date, insisting the focus is on the funeral.

At the time of his death, Francis was under doctors' orders to rest for two months.

But the headstrong pope continued to make public appearances despite appearing tired and short of breath.

On Easter Sunday, one day before he died, he circled St Peter's Square in his popemobile to greet the crowds, stopping to kiss babies along the way.

WASHINGTON — More than 100 US universities and colleges, including Ivy League institutions Princeton and Brown, issued a joint letter on Tuesday condemning President Donald Trump's "political interference" in the education system.

The move comes a day after Harvard University sued the Trump administration, which has threatened to cut funding and impose outside political supervision.

"We speak with one voice against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education," the letter read.

"We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight. However, we must oppose undue government intrusion," it said, adding: "We must reject the coercive use of public research funding."

Trump has sought to bring several prestigious universities to heel over claims they tolerated campus anti-Semitism, threatening their budgets, tax-exempt status and the enrolment of foreign students.

The letter said the universities and colleges were committed to serving as centres where "faculty, students, and staff are free to exchange ideas and opinions across a full range of viewpoints without fear of retribution, censorship, or deportation."

Trump's war against universities has seen him threaten to cut federal funding over policies meant to encourage diversity among students and staff.

The Republican president has also pursued a wide-ranging immigration crackdown that has expanded to foreign students, revoking their visas, often for little or no reason.

The White House has publicly justified its campaign against universities as a reaction to uncontrolled "anti-Semitism" and the desire to reverse diversity programs aimed at addressing historical oppression of minorities.

The administration claims protests against Israel's war in Gaza that swept across US college campuses last year were rife with anti-Semitism.

Harvard lawsuit 

Many US universities, including Harvard, cracked down on the protests over the allegations at the time.

Several top institutions, including Columbia University, have also bowed to demands from the Trump administration, which claims that the educational elite is too left-wing.

In the case of Harvard, the White House is seeking unprecedented levels of government control over admissions and hiring practices at the country's oldest and wealthiest university.

But Harvard rejected the government's demands, prompting the Trump administration last week to order the freezing of $2.2 billion in federal funding to the institution.

In its lawsuit, Harvard calls for the freezing of funds and conditions imposed on federal grants to be declared unlawful, as well as for the Trump administration to pay the institution's costs.

The Department of Homeland Security has also threatened Harvard's ability to enroll international students unless it turns over records on visa holders' "illegal and violent activities."

International students made up 27.2 per cent of Harvard's enrollment this academic year, according to its website.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis's funeral will be held on Saturday, the Vatican announced Tuesday, as world leaders from US President Donald Trump to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskysaid they would attend to honour the Catholic leader.

The Argentine pontiff, 88, died on Monday from a stroke, less than a month after returning home from five weeks in hospital battling double pneumonia.

His funeral, which is expected to draw huge crowds, will take place at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) on Saturday in the square in front of St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.

Francis's coffin -- which he previously ordered should be of wood and zinc -- will then be taken inside the church and from there to the Rome basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for burial.

The date was set by the first so-called "general congregation" of cardinals on Tuesday morning, which kicked off a centuries-old process that culminates in the election of a new pontiff within three weeks.

Earlier, the Vatican published the first images of the pontiff in his open coffin, ahead of its transfer to St Peter's Basilica on Wednesday at 9:00 am (0700 GMT), to lie in state.

The pope's body was photographed during a service Monday evening in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican residence where he lived during his 12-year papacy, and where he died.

Francis was wearing his red papal vestments, a mitre on his head and had a rosary between his fingers.

Tributes have poured in from around the globe for Francis, a liberal reformer who took over following the resignation of German theologian Benedict XVI in 2013.

His home country, Argentina, prepared for a week of national mourning while India began three days of state mourning on Tuesday -- a rare honour for a foreign religious leader in the world's most populous nation.

Heads of state and royalty are expected for his funeral, with Trump and France's Emmanuel Macron the first to announce they would attend even before a date was confirmed.

On Tuesday, a source at the Ukrainian presidency told AFP that Zelensky, too, would come to Rome.

Cardinals of all ages are invited to the congregations, although only those under the age of 80 are eligible to vote for a new pope in the conclave.

The conclave should begin no less than 15 and no more than 20 days after the death of the pope.

Simple tomb 

The pope's body was moved into the Santa Marta chapel on Monday evening, and his apartment formally sealed, the Vatican said.

Francis, who wore plain robes and eschewed the luxury of his predecessors, has opted for a simple tomb, unadorned except for his name in Latin, Franciscus, according to his will released Monday.

In chosing to be buried in Rome's Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, he will become the first pope in more than 100 years to be laid to rest outside the Vatican.

His death certificate released by the Vatican said Francis died of a stroke, causing a coma and "irreversible" heart failure.

He had been discharged from Rome's Gemelli hospital on March 23 and ordered to spend at least two months resting.

But Francis, who never took a holiday and delighted in being among his flock, made numerous public appearances in recent days.

He appeared exhausted on Sunday during the Easter celebrations, but nevertheless greeted the crowds in his popemobile in St Peter's Square.

Argentine football great Lionel Messi hailed his compatriot -- himself a huge fan of the beautiful game -- for "making the world a better place".

Eyes of God 

On Monday evening, thousands of faithful, some bringing flowers or candles, flocked to St. Peter's Square at sunset to pray for Francis.

He "tried to get people to understand it doesn't matter your sexual orientation, your race, it doesn't matter in the eyes of God", Mateo Rey, 22, a Mexican student, told AFP.

"I think that's the closest to what Jesus intended."

Born Jorge Bergoglio, Francis was the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit to lead the worldwide Catholic Church.

An energetic reformer, he sought to open the Church to everyone and was hugely popular -- but his views also sparked fierce internal opposition.

In 12 years as pope, Francis advocated tirelessly for the defenceof migrants, the environment, and social justice without questioning the Church's positions on abortion or priestly celibacy.

VATICAN CITY — The April 21 death of Pope Francis triggered a period of mourning in the Catholic Church, but also kick-started the race for his successor.

Whether diplomats, theologians, mediators or Vatican insiders, here are 15 cardinals who are among the potential favourites to become the next pope, known as the "papabili", divided by region.

This list however is by no means exhaustive and Francis's successor could well be someone else.

EUROPE

Pietro Parolin (Italy), 70, Vatican Secretary of State

The Vatican's chief diplomat, Parolin has been the number two at the Vatican during nearly all of Francis's papacy.

He is known to many world leaders, having travelled the globe, but also to many inside the Roman Curia, the government of the Holy See.

A member of Francis's Council of Cardinals, an advisory body, Parolin played a key role in the historic 2018 deal between the Holy See and China on the appointment of bishops.

Pierbattista Pizzaballa (Italy), 60, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

Pizzaballa is the top Catholic in the Middle East with an archdiocese encompassing Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Cyprus.

He was made a cardinal in September 2023, shortly before the war broke out between Israel and Hamas.

The Franciscan has appealed for peace from both sides, and at Christmas in 2024 led mass both in Gaza and in Jerusalem.

Matteo Maria Zuppi (Italy), 69, Archbishop of Bologna

Zuppi, a member of the Roman community of Sant'Egidio, has for more than three decades acted as a discreet diplomat for the Vatican including serving as Pope Francis's special peace envoy for Ukraine.

Known for riding his bicycle around Bologna, Zuppi is a popular figure for his decades of work on behalf of the needy. He also advocates for welcoming migrants and gay Catholics into the Church.

He has been president of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) since 2022.

Claudio Gugerotti (Italy), 69

A diplomat and polyglot from the Italian city of Verona, Gugerotti is an expert on the Slavic world.

He served as nuncio -- or ambassador of the Holy See -- in several countries including Britain, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Ukraine.

Consulted by Pope Francis on the war between Ukraine and Russia, Gugerotti was named Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches in 2022.

Jean-Marc Aveline (France), Archbishop of Marseille, 66

Born in Algeria, Aveline has spent most of his life in Marseille and is an emblematic figure of the southern French port city.

Considered a close friend of Pope Francis, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Marseille in 2013 and elevated to cardinal in 2022.

The smiling, affable Aveline has advocated for dialogue between religions and cultures, and the defence of migrants -- both central tenets of Pope Francis's papacy.

Anders Arborelius (Sweden), 75, Bishop of Stockholm

Appointed in 2017 as Sweden's first cardinal, Arborelius is a convert to Catholicism in the overwhelmingly Protestant Scandinavian country, home to one of the world's most secularised societies.

He is the first Swedish Catholic bishop since the Protestant Reformation and a staunch defender of Church doctrine, notably opposed to allowing women to be deacons or blessing same-sex couples.

Like Pope Francis, Arborelius advocates welcoming migrants to Europe, including Christians, Catholics and potential converts.

Mario Grech (Malta), 68, Bishop emeritus of Gozo

Grech is the secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, a body that gathers information from local churches on crucial issues for the Church -- whether the place of women or remarried divorced people -- and passes it along to the pope.

He has had to perform a delicate balancing act, following Pope Francis's lead on creating an open, attentive Church while acknowledging the concerns of conservatives.

He has acknowledged the "fraternal dialogue" between Catholics of all levels while assuring traditionalists that the Church is "not a democracy, the Church is hierarchical".

Peter Erdo, 72, Metropolitan Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest

An intellectual and respected expert in canon law, Erdo speaks seven languages, has published more than 25 books, and is recognised for his openness to other religions.

But his ties with the government of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban -- whose hardline anti-migrant views clash with those of Pope Francis -- have been under scrutiny in the past.

Known for his enthusiasm for evangelism, the cardinal who grew up under Communism is a conservative on such issues as gay marriage and divorcees who remarry.

Jean-Claude Hollerich, 67, Archbishop of Luxembourg

A Jesuit like Pope Francis, Hollerich spent over 20 years in Japan, and is a specialist in European-Asian cultural relations as well as German literature.

Firm on dogma, the theologian is still open to the need for the Church to adapt to societal changes, much like the Argentine pope he was close to and for whom he served as an adviser on the Council of Cardinals.

Hollerich has advocated for the environment and has pushed for laypeople, especially young people, to have more involvement in the Church.

ASIA

Luis Antonio Tagle (Philippines), 67, Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of Manila

Tagle, Asia's frontrunner for the papacy, is a charismatic moderate who has not been afraid to criticise the Church for its shortcomings, including over sexual abuse of minors.

Fluent in English, he is an eloquent speaker with self-deprecating humour and, like Francis, is a leading advocate for the poor, migrants and marginalised people.

Nicknamed "Chito", he was made a cardinal by Benedict XVI in 2012 and had already been considered a candidate for pope in the 2013 conclave in which Francis was elected.

Charles Maung Bo (Myanmar), 76, Archbishop of Yangon

President of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences, Maung Bo was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2015, his country's first and only cardinal.

Bo has called for dialogue and reconciliation in conflict-ridden Myanmar, and after the military coup of 2021 appealed to opposition protesters to remain non-violent.

He has defended the persecuted mainly Muslim Rohingya, calling them victims of "ethnic cleansing", and spoken out against human trafficking uprooting the lives of many young Burmese.

AFRICA

Peter Turkson (Ghana), 76, Archbishop emeritus of Cape Coast

One of the Church's most influential cardinals from Africa, Turkson is often mentioned as a possible first black pope -- although he said in a 2010 he didn't want the job, insisting any such pope would "have a rough time".

He serves as the Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

Born into a humble family of 10 children, Turkson speaks six languages and has visited the World Economic Forum in Davos multiple times to convince business leaders of the perils of trickle-down economics.

Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (Democratic Republic of Congo), 65, Archbishop of Kinshasa

Ambongo is the only cardinal from Africa on Pope Francis's Council of Cardinals, the advisory committee to the pontiff.

As president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, he signed a letter in January 2024 voicing opposition to the Vatican's declaration allowing priests to carry out non-liturgical blessings of same-sex unions.

In a 2023 interview, Ambongo proclaimed that "Africa is the future of the Church, it's obvious".

AMERICAS

Robert Francis Prevost (United States), 69, Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Chiclayo

A native of Chicago, Prevost is the prefect of the powerful Dicastery for Bishops, which is charged with advsing the pope on appointments of new bishops.

He spent years as a missionary in Peru and is the Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Chiclayo in that South American country.

Made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023, he is also the president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

Timothy Dolan (United States), 75, Archbishop of New York

A jovial, ruddy-faced extrovert with Irish-American roots, Dolan is a theological conservative, fiercely opposed to abortion.

The former archbishop of Milwaukee, he oversaw the fallout from a major sexual abuse scandal in the diocese.

In New York, amid shrinking Church membership, Dolan has reached out to embrace the growing Hispanic population, which is predominantly Catholic.

KYIV — Russia launched a wave of aerial attacks at Ukraine on Monday in an abrupt end to a fragile 30-hour Easter truce between the two sides.

The renewed strikes, confirmed by both Moscow and Kyiv, cast doubt on Donald Trump's hopes for a broader ceasefire between the two sides, hours after the US President said he hoped a "deal" could be struck this week.

"With the end of the ceasefire, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continued to conduct the special military operation," the Russian army said in a statement, using its term for the military offensive.

Both sides had accused the other of thousands of instances of violating the supposed ceasefire, announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.

Just hours after the truce ended at midnight local time Sunday, Ukrainian officials reported renewed drone and missile strikes on the Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions.

Sergiy Lysak, the governor of Dnipropetrovsk, said Russia "launched drones" at the eastern region.

One home was damaged and a fire broke out at a food establishment, but no injuries have been reported, he said on Telegram.

Ukraine's air force said it downed 42 Russian attack drones in an overnight attack starting at 2:00 am on Monday.

 Shaky truce 

The surprise 30-hour ceasefire was declared by Putin on Saturday, who said it was motivated by "humanitarian reasons".

Both sides accused each other of numerous violations, but also reported a fall in the intensity the fighting.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday the ceasefire had seen a halt to air attacks, but accused Moscow of carrying out hundreds of front line raids.

Russia's defence ministry in turn said it had "repelled" Ukrainian assaults and accused Kyiv of launching hundreds of drones and shells, causing civilian casualties.

But it too said the intensity of fire from the Ukrainian side had been "considerably reduced" across the entire front line during the truce.

AFP journalists in eastern Ukraine on Sunday heard fewer explosions than usual and saw no smoke on the horizon.

Putin's ceasefire declaration came after US President Donald Trump said Friday he would end Washington's efforts to halt the war unless the two sides moved towards an accord.

On Sunday he expressed hopes the two sides could strike an agreement in the coming days, though did not elaborate on what he had in mind.

"Hopefully Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week," he said on his Truth Social platform.

Trump had earlier tabled a ceasefire proposal, which was accepted by Ukraine but rebuffed by Russia.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, an energetic reformer who inspired widespread devotion from Catholics but riled traditionalists, died on Monday aged 88.

The Argentine pontiff, leader of the Catholic Church since March 2013, spent 38 days being treated for double pneumonia at Rome's Gemelli hospital before seeming to recover and leaving the facility on March 23.

His death came just a day after he delighted the crowds of worshippers at the Vatican on Easter Sunday with an appearance on the balcony at Saint Peter's Basilica.

"Dearest brothers and sisters, it is with deep sorrow that I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis," said Cardinal Kevin Farrell in the statement published by the Vatican on its Telegram channel.

"This morning at 7:35 am (0535 GMT) the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father.
"His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His church."

His death sets in motion centuries-old traditions that will culminate in the gathering of a conclave of cardinals to choose a successor.
In the meantime, the day-to-day running of the tiny Vatican City state will be handled by the camerlengo, a senior cardinal, currently Dublin-born Kevin Farrell.

'Humble pastor'

Francis, whose real name was Jorge Bergoglio, was the first Jesuit to lead the world's almost 1.4 billion Catholics and the first from the Americas.

He took over after Benedict XVI became the first pontiff since the Middle Ages to step down -- and cut a sharply different figure from the German theologian.

A football-loving former archbishop of Buenos Aires who was often happiest among his flock, Francis sought to forge a more open and compassionate church.

He strongly defended social justice, the rights of migrants and the environment, while also pushing through governance reforms and tackling the scourge of clerical sex abuse of children.

But critics accused him of creating doctrinal confusion and failing to defend traditional Catholic beliefs on key issues such as abortion and divorce.

Francis's desire to chart a different path was evident right to the end, with his decision to be buried not in St Peter's Basilica but in Rome's Santa Maria Maggiore basilica.
He will become the first pope in more than 100 years to be laid to rest outside the Vatican.

Francis also rejected the tradition of popes having three coffins, instead choosing to buried in just one, made of wood and zinc, to reflect his role as a humble pastor.

Health issues

Francis had left open the possibility of stepping down if he felt unable to do his job, following the example of Benedict, who quit citing his ailing health.

But he insisted for years that time had not yet come, and maintained a busy schedule, right up to hosting the prime minister of Slovakia shortly before his hospital admission.

NEW YORK — Thousands of protesters rallied Saturday in New York, Washington and other cities across the United States for a second major round of demonstrations against Donald Trump and his hard-line policies.

In New York, people gathered outside the city's main library carrying signs targeting the US president with slogans like "No Kings in America" and "Resist Tyranny."

Many took aim at Trump's deportations of undocumented migrants, chanting "No ICE, no fear, immigrants are welcome here," a reference to the role of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in rounding up migrants.

In Washington, protesters voiced concern that Trump was threatening long-respected constitutional norms, including the right to due process.

The administration is carrying out "a direct assault on the idea of the rule of law and the idea that the government should be restrained from abusing the people who live here in the United States," Benjamin Douglas, 41, told AFP outside the White House.

Wearing a keffiyeh and carrying a sign calling for the freeing of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian student protester arrested last month, Douglas said individuals were being singled out as "test cases to rile up xenophobia and erode long-standing legal protections."

"We are in a great danger," said 73-year-old New York protester Kathy Valy, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, adding that their stories of how Nazi leader Adolf Hitler rose to power "are what's happening here."

"The one thing is that Trump is a lot more stupid than Hitler or than the other fascists," she said. "He's being played... and his own team is divided."

 'Science ignored' 

Daniella Butler, 26, said she wanted to "call attention specifically to the defunding of science and health work" by the government.

Studying for a PhD in immunology at Johns Hopkins University, she was carrying a map of Texas covered with spots in reference to the ongoing measles outbreak there.

Trump's health chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a noted vaccine skeptic, spent decades falsely linking the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) jab to autism.

"When science is ignored, people die," Butler said.

In deeply conservative Texas, the coastal city of Galveston saw a small gathering of anti-Trump demonstrators.

"This is my fourth protest and typically I would sit back and wait for the next election," said 63-year-old writer Patsy Oliver. "We cannot do that right now. We've lost too much already."

On the West Coast, several hundred people gathered on a beach in San Francisco to spell out the words "IMPEACH + REMOVE," the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Others nearby held an upside-down US flag, traditionally a symbol of distress.

Organizers hope to use building resentment over Trump's immigration crackdown, his drastic cuts to government agencies and his pressuring of universities, news media and law firms, to forge a lasting movement.

The chief organiser of Saturday's protests -- the group 50501, a number representing 50 protests in 50 states and one movement -- said some 400 demonstrations were planned.

Its website said the protests are "a decentralized rapid response to the anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration and its plutocratic allies" -- and it insisted on all protests being non-violent.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis called for freedom of thought and tolerance in his Easter Sunday address, as the weakened pontiff delighted the crowds of Catholic faithful by making a much hoped-for holiday appearance, even circling St Peter's Square in his popemobile.

"Happy Easter," said the 88-year-old Argentine pope in a weak voice from his wheelchair on the balcony of St Peter's Basilica, to the great joy of the crowd in the flower-filled square below.

The pope's convalescence from pneumonia has kept him away from most Holy Week events but Francis made a major effort on Sunday, waving at the crowd and blessing babies from his popemobile for nearly 15 minutes despite appearing listless.

After giving his Easter greetings to the crowd, estimated at more than 35,000 people, from the basilica's balcony, Francis delegated the reading of his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" ("To the City and the World") benediction to an associate.

"There can be no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression and respect for the views of others," read his speech, which also condemned "worrisome" anti-Semitism, and the "dramatic and deplorable" situation in Gaza.

With his health still delicate following five weeks in hospital for pneumonia in both lungs, it had not been certain whether the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics would be present, or if so, in what capacity.

Among the believers on Sunday was fellow Argentine Maria Repezza, 58, who was holding back tears.

"I'm moved by the strength he puts out, because he is sick and very old. He is an Argentine like us, he's ours. We feel blessed," she told AFP.

'Not targets but people'

Just ahead of the pope's appearance at St Peter's, he held a brief private meeting with US Vice President JD Vance, who was visiting Rome with his family.

Vance did not stay for the Easter mass and after just a quarter of an hour he left the Vatican and headed with his wife and children to attend mass at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, one of the four Vatican-owned papal basilicas in Rome.

Video footage showed Francis in his wheelchair shaking hands with the vice president and his wife, with the Vatican writing later in a brief statement that the meeting "gave the opportunity to exchange greetings on Easter Sunday".

Their encounter came months after a spat between Francis and the administration of US President Donald Trump over its anti-migrant policies.

The pope's Easter message was one of tolerance towards others and respect for diversity -- themes he has hammered throughout his 12-year papacy.

But they are especially topical given the myriad conflicts around the globe, most of which were mentioned by the pontiff, including Sudan, Yemen and Ukraine.

"On this day, I would like all of us to hope anew and to revive our trust in others, including those who are different than ourselves, or who come from distant lands, bringing unfamiliar customs, ways of life and ideas!" read the speech.

He appealed to the world's leaders "not to yield to the logic of fear which only leads to isolation from others".

Citing "defenceless civilians" and attacks on "schools, hospitals and humanitarian workers", the pope said "we cannot allow ourselves to forget that it is not targets that are struck, but persons, each possessed of a soul and human dignity".

While citing a "growing climate of anti-Semitism" around the world as "worrying", the pope said his thoughts were with the people of Gaza and repeated his calls for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

"The terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation," he wrote in the address.

Improving, but still weak

Francis was released from hospital on March 23, after five weeks of treatment for pneumonia, from which he nearly died.

Despite improvements in his breathing, his voice remains weak, although in recent appearances, including on Sunday, he has not worn a nasal cannula through which he has been receiving oxygen.

For the first time since becoming pope in 2013, Francis missed most Holy Week events, such as Friday's Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum and Saturday's Easter vigil at Saint Peter's Basilica, where he delegated his duties to cardinals.

He did, however, make a brief appearance inside the basilica on Saturday, where he prayed and gave candies to children.

Some 300 cardinals, bishops and priests attended Sunday's Easter mass, while the crowd was larger than usual, organisers said, due to the Jubilee, a holy year designated by the pope that attracts thousands of pilgrims to the Eternal City.

In his one official engagement this week, Francis visited inmates in a Rome jail, after which he told a journalist he was getting through the Easter week "as best I can".

This year's Easter is unusual as it falls on the same weekend in both the Catholic and Protestant branches of Christianity, which follow the Gregorian calendar, and the Orthodox branch, which uses the Julian calendar.

MOSCOW — Russia said Sunday that its forces had retaliated after Ukraine attempted attacks overnight despite an Easter truce announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The defence ministry said in a briefing that "despite the announcement of the Easter truce, Ukrainian units at night made attempts to attack Russian positions in the areas of Sukhaya Balka and Bogatyr in the Donetsk People's Republic, which were repelled."

The ministry was referring to the villages of Sukha Balka and Bagatyr in the Russian-held part of the eastern Donetsk region.

Moscow said Ukraine also attacked the Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod border regions of Russia, saying that "as a result there are dead and wounded civilians".

When announcing the truce Saturday, Putin told troops to respond militarily to any violation of the truce.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would comply with the truce but that troops would also respond "symmetrically" to any attacks.

On Sunday Zelensky said Russian attacks were ongoing.

The Russian ministry said its own troops had from 1500 GMT on Saturday "strictly observed the ceasefire and stayed at the front lines and positions they previously occupied".

The Russian defence ministry accused Ukraine of launching "48 drones including one in Crimea", annexed by Russia in 2014.

Ukrainian units "444 times shelled... the positions of our troops and carried out 900 strikes with drones", the ministry added.