Real defenders Mendy and Alaba sidelined with injuries

Real Madrid have been hit by a wave of injury setbacks, with defenders Ferland Mendy and David Alaba both facing potential season-ending injuries, the Spanish club confirmed on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Mendy suffered a rupture in his right thigh during the Copa del Rey final loss to Barcelona, the Spanish club said on Tuesday.

Local media reports said Mendy could face up to a month on the sidelines in the latest setback for the France left back, who has already missed several weeks due to multiple injuries this season.

"Following tests carried out on our player Ferland Mendy... he has been diagnosed with a rupture of the proximal tendon of the anterior rectus in the right quadriceps," Real said in a statement, according to Reuters.

Three people killed in shooting in Sweden, police say

Three people were killed in a shooting in the Swedish city of Uppsala on Tuesday and a murder investigation has been launched, police said, Reuters reported.

Police said it was investigating the shooting as a homicide and that it had no information about the incident being a terror or hate crime at this point.

"We have information that a person left the scene on an electric scooter," a police spokesperson told Reuters. "Whether this person is a perpetrator or a witness, or someone who has some connection to the incident, it is unclear at this time."

Police said the victims were yet to be identified and declined to speculate on the motive for the killings, according to Reuters.

North Korea conducts first test firing of its new warship's weapons system

North Korea earlier this week conducted the first test-firing of the weapons system of the new "Choe Hyon-class" warship it recently unveiled, state media KCNA reported on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

Cruise and anti-air missiles were launched and artillery fired as part of the test-firing attended by leader Kim Jong Un and senior officials, the report said.

North Korean state media on Saturday revealed the 5,000-tonne warship equipped with the "most powerful weapons."

Kim, in a speech from the launch reported by KCNA, said the warship would be handed over to the navy and go into service early next year.

The "Choe Hyon-class" ship was named after anti-Japanese revolutionary fighter Choe Hyon, according to KCNA, according to Reuters.

Ukraine's mining heartlands tell Trump: Don't take advantage of us

As Kyiv and Washington work on a deal that will give the U.S. a share of Ukraine's mineral wealth, Ukrainians who live with seams of iron beneath their feet have a message for Donald Trump: don't take advantage of us, these resources are ours, Reuters reported.

The U.S. president has put pressure on Kyiv by threatening to stop the flow of military supplies to help it fight Russia's invasion unless the U.S. gets some payback for the billions of dollars the aid is costing.

But the deal is sensitive for Ukraine, which has a proud history of mining coal and iron ore and hopes to exploit seams of increasingly sought-after rare earths. Mineral revenues are a crucial pillar of the state budget.

In the city of Kryvyi Rih, on whose outskirts open-cast iron ore mines have gouged huge craters in the landscape, 71-year-old pensioner Oleksandr had little time for Trump: "You can't trust that ginger guy, he's not that kind of person," according to Reuters.

India shuts over half of Kashmir tourist spots in security review after attack

Over half of the tourist destinations in India's insurgency-torn Kashmir region were closed to the public from Tuesday, according to a government order reviewed by Reuters, in a move to tighten security after last week's attack on holiday-makers, Reuters reported.

The assailants segregated men, asked their names and targeted Hindus before shooting them at close range in the Pahalgam area, killing 26 people, officials and survivors said.

India has identified the three attackers, including two Pakistani nationals, as "terrorists" waging a violent revolt in Muslim-majority Kashmir. Pakistan has denied any role and called for a neutral investigation.

Hindu-majority India accuses Islamic Pakistan of funding and encouraging militancy in Kashmir, the Himalayan region both nations claim in full but rule in part. Islamabad says it only provides moral and diplomatic support to a Kashmiri demand for self-determination, according to Reuters.

Trump congratulates Canada's Carney as they agree to meet in 'near future'

US President Donald Trump has called Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to congratulate him on his victory in the country's general election and the two have agreed meet in the near future, BBC reported.

The two countries were expected to enter talks about a new economic and security relationship after Monday's vote.

Trump's trade tariffs and repeated comments undermining Canada's sovereignty overshadowed the race, which ended with Carney's Liberals projected to win a minority government, according to public broadcaster CBC. 

That result will make Carney's pressing tasks of negotiating with his US counterpart and tackling a range of domestic issues more of a challenge, as he'll need to wrangle support from other political parties, according to BBC.

President Paudel to present government’s policies and programs on May 2

President Ram Chandra Paudel will present the government's policies and programs for the upcoming fiscal year 2025-26 in the joint meeting of both Houses of the Federal Parliament at 3 pm on May 2.

In today's meeting of the House of Representatives, Speaker Devraj Ghimire informed about it by reading the letter received from the Office of the President in this regard. 

The Article 95 of the Constitution of Nepal has the provision where the President would present the government's policies and programs for the fiscal year in the joint meeting of both Houses of the Federal Parliament.

 

 

House passes 'Bill to amend and integrate customs related laws'

A meeting of the House of Representatives held on Tuesday passed the 'Bill to amend and integrate customs related laws, 2081' with majority.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel presented the proposal seeking endorsement to the bill.

During the discussion on the bill, lawmakers—Prabhu Sah, Hemraj Rai, Ganga Karki, Shiva Nepali, Ganesh Parajuli, Prem Suwal, Madhav Sapkota, Ranendra Barali and Kiran Kumar Sah put forth their views. 

Responding to queries raised by various lawmakers, Finance Minister Paudel shared that the bill was brought with amendment after sufficient discussion in the Finance Committee.

The Bill would help promote good governance and promote transparency in customs administration.