Breaking News Live Updates: Ukraine to send team to US next week for talks on new draft mineral deal

The Punjab Police on Sunday apprehended a drug smuggler and recovered two kilograms of heroin along with other items after an encounter with the CIA Fazilka team near Ladhuka Bridge, officials said.

In a post on X, the Director General of Punjab Police, Gaurav Yadav, said, "In a major breakthrough, Fazilka Police recovers 2 Kg Heroin from a drug smuggler after a brief encounter with CIA Fazilka team near Ladhuka Bridge."

Fire breaks out in a vacant plot in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh area. Several fire tenders have reached the spot. Firefighting work is underway.

Ukraine will send a team to Washington next week to begin negotiations on a new draft of a deal that would give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s valuable mineral resources, according to Ukraine's economy minister Yuliia Svyrydenko.

“The new draft agreement from the US shows that the intention to create a fund or jointly invest remains,” Svyrydenko said Saturday, during a trip to northern Ukraine.

The delegation from Kyiv will include representatives from the Ministries of Economy, Foreign Affairs, Justice and Finance. (AP)

Union home minister Amit Shah reached Jammu in Sunday evening to commence his three-day tour of Jammu and Kashmir, his first after the formation of chief minister Omar Abdullah-led National Conference government in the Union Territory in October last year. Shah was received at the technical airport by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and some senior BJP leaders, officials said, adding the home minister will visit a forward post along the India-Pakistan border and review the security situation and development initiatives during his tour.

He is scheduled to visit the BJP headquarters at Trikuta Nagar at night for a meeting of BJP MLAs and other office bearers. (PTI)

A woman was sexually assaulted on the street near Sadduguntepalya. The incident was recorded on a CCTV camera. A probe has been launched into the matter and an FIR has been registered u/s 74, 75, 78 of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita: Sarah Fathima, DCP South East Bengaluru

The BJP in Karnataka will launch a 16 days' movement from Monday against price rise and four per cent reservation for Muslims in government contracts. Addressing reporters on Sunday, the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka said the 'people's movement' will take place all over the state.

"This movement will take place in four phases," he said. (PTI)

Pope Francis made his first public appearance at the Vatican since his discharge from a hospital two weeks ago, as he sat on a wheelchair and was brought to St Peter's Square during a special Jubilee Mass for the sick on Sunday. The pontiff lifted his hands to wave at the crowd, who stood and applauded, as he was rolled to the front of the altar in the square.

"Good Sunday to everyone. Thank you very much,'' he told the crowd.

Zimbabwe's President said Saturday he would suspend all tariffs on goods imported from the United States, days after US President Donald Trump levied 18 percent tariffs against the southern African nation.
The mineral-rich country's main trading partners are the United Arab Emirates, South Africa and China, and its limited exports to the US comprise mainly of tobacco and sugar.

"I will direct the Zimbabwean government to implement a suspension of all tariffs levied on goods originating from the United States," President Emmerson Mnangagwa said in a post on X.

This announcement was "intended to facilitate the expansion of American imports within the Zimbabwean market, while simultaneously promoting the growth of Zimbabwean exports destined for the United States," he said.

The total goods trade between the two countries amounted to $111.6 million in 2024, according to US government data.

The relationship between Zimbabwe and the US has been marked by decades-long pressure campaigns against former ruler Robert Mugabe since the early 2000s.

Harare has regularly blamed US sanctions for the disastrous economic crisis that has afflicted the country for more than two decades, and has moved away from the West, strengthening economic ties with the UAE and China.

Washington last year abolished the former sanctions programme but imposed targeted sanctions on Mnangagwa and other senior leaders in Zimbabwe's government and ZANU-PF ruling party, citing rights abuses and corruption.

Mnangagwa at the time said the sanctions imposed by then President Joe Biden were "illegal and unjustified".

Prominent journalist and activist Hopewell Chin'ono said Saturday's announcement of the suspension of tariffs on US goods was a "knee-jerk reaction", suggesting it could be an effort by Mnangagwa to get the sanctions removed.

"Acting unilaterally contradicts the principles of regional economic cooperation," especially with the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and risked "sidelining the interests" of Zimbabwe's main trade partners, Chin'ono wrote on X.

"Does Zimbabwe even export enough to the US to justify trying to appease Trump’s administration in this way?," he asked.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday said direct negotiations with the United States would be "meaningless", after US President Donald Trump said he would prefer direct talks with the Islamic republic. "Direct negotiations would be meaningless with a party that constantly threatens to resort to force in violation of the UN Charter and that expresses contradictory positions from its various officials," Araghchi said in a foreign ministry statement.

Paramedics were deployed to two districts in Ukraine's capital on Sunday after explosions rang out amid what Mayor Vitali Klitschko called an ongoing “missile attack.” “Explosions in the capital. Air defence is in operation. Stay in shelters!” Klitschko posted on Telegram. He added: “The missile attack on Kyiv continues.” The fresh assault comes just days after a Russian missile hit near a playground in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rig, killing 18 people, including nine children. Klitschko urges residents to stay in shelters as air defence responds.

Torrential rain and flash flooding hit the South and Midwest again Saturday, worsening waterlogged areas. Rivers are expected to rise for days, with at least 16 weather-related deaths reported.

The U.S. Department of State has announced immediate measures to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and halt the issuance of new visas due to South Sudan's failure to cooperate in the return of its citizens. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized the importance of enforcing immigration laws for national security and public safety, stating that every country must accept the return of its citizens. The US will review these actions once South Sudan fully cooperates. In March, the US also imposed visa restrictions on officials complicit in deporting persecuted groups to China.

A group of 300 Pakistani citizens of Indian origin, residing in Sindh, visited the Dwarkadhish Temple in Gujarat to offer prayers. They expressed their happiness, highlighting the brotherhood between both nations. The group, on a 60-day visa, also plans to visit Bet Dwarka and other religious sites during their tour.

Ukrainian President Zelensky criticized the US embassy for issuing a "weak" statement on a Russian missile strike that killed 18 people, including nine children, in his hometown of Kryvyi Rih. Zelensky accused the US of avoiding directly blaming Russia, urging stronger action and clearer condemnation of Moscow’s aggression.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy met with British and French military leaders in Kyiv to discuss a potential multinational peacekeeping force for Ukraine, despite US reluctance. Talks focused on the force’s structure, with the UK aiming to strengthen Ukraine's army. Meanwhile, a Russian missile strike in Kryvyi Rih killed 18, including nine children.

Delhi Police arrested Nirmal Malik, a domestic helper, for stealing gold jewellery and cash worth Rs 86 lakh from his employer’s house in December 2024. Malik planned the theft during his employer’s vacation in Goa, with help from accomplice Dharmendra Dass. Police traced Malik to Odisha and Bengaluru, recovering stolen items.

On Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he would host a trilateral summit to discuss the situation in Gaza, alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II. "In response to the Gaza emergency, and during my visit to Egypt at President al-Sisi's invitation, we will hold a trilateral summit with the Egyptian president and the King of Jordan," Macron wrote on X, ahead of his trip to Egypt on Monday and Tuesday.