00:00The U.S. military has reportedly launched a rescue operation for a fighter jet pilot who
00:05ejected after his plane was claimed to be shot down by Iranian air defenses.
00:10Ukrainian officials say Russia fired a barrage of close to 500 missiles and drones targeting
00:16civilian areas in Kiev and its surrounding region. The U.S. military launched a rescue
00:22operation on Friday for a fighter jet pilot who ejected after his plane was reportedly shot down
00:28by Iranian air defenses, officials in the Trump administration told U.S. media.
00:34The announcement comes after an Iranian state-run TV said that the country's armed forces had shot
00:40down the U.S. aircraft. A separate Iranian announcement also offered a reward to citizens
00:46who helped locate and capture the U.S. pilot. An on-screen text on the original broadcast also
00:52urged the public to quote, shoot them if you see them. The channel is based in Kahkeluyeh,
00:58in Boyer Ahmed province, an intensely rural and mountainous region that spans over 15,000
01:04square kilometers. The incident is the first report of a U.S. fighter jet being downed in
01:10Iranian territory since the United States and Israel launched its war on the Islamic Republic
01:15on the 28th of February. The war, now entering its sixth week, is destabilizing economies around
01:23the world as Iran responds by targeting the Gulf region's energy infrastructure and tightening
01:28its grip on oil and gas exports through the Strait of Hormuz.
01:35Italian Prime Minister Georgia Maloney began a surprise visit to Saudi Arabia on Friday
01:41as part of a Gulf tour aimed at boosting national energy security. Maloney arrived at the Red Sea port
01:48city of Jeddah, where she met with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohamed bin Salman.
01:54She's also expected to meet with officials from neighboring Qatar and the United Arab Emirates,
01:59though it remains unclear whether she would visit the countries.
02:03An Italian official said her trip looks to quote, strengthen relations with these countries
02:08and repeat Italy's support against Iranian attacks. Maloney's the first EU, NATO and G20 leader
02:16to visit the Gulf since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which has spiraled in the wider
02:21region.
02:25Kyiv and its surrounding region were pummeled by Russian missiles and drones early on Friday
02:30in what officials say was the latest in an increasing number of daytime attacks.
02:35One person was killed in the strikes, according to regional governor Mikola Kalashnik.
02:40Ukrainian energy giant Ukranergo says the barrage prompted emergency power outages
02:45in several regions. The country's foreign minister Andriy Sabiha accused the Kremlin of firing almost
02:51500 projectiles in what he says were targeted strikes aimed at civilians. He denounced the attacks,
02:58which come on the heels of a Ukrainian ceasefire proposal to allow the people to celebrate the
03:03Easter holidays in peace. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says he informed U.S. negotiators of
03:10his truce proposal, but Moscow denied receiving such request. Kyiv said the repeated attacks represent
03:16Russia's true intentions and accused Moscow of not being genuinely interested in peace.
03:26For the first time in decades, a pope has carried the cross through a full Good Friday procession.
03:34Marking his first Holy Friday, Pope Leo XIV bore the wooden crucifix through all 14 stations of the
03:42Way of the Cross at the Colosseum in Rome. Earlier this week, the pontiff told reporters he wanted the
03:51moment to send a message, that he would carry the suffering of the world in a prayer and that Christ's
03:57voice is still heard through the Church today. During the event, references were made to the
04:05ongoing conflicts around the world. Every authority will have to answer before God for the way in which
04:12it exercises the power it has received, read one passage, referring, among other things, to the
04:19power to start or end the war. The pope leads an Easter vigil tomorrow night, marking Christ's resurrection,
04:28followed by an open-air Mass in St. Peter's Square on Sunday.
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