Morning News Brief: US-Ukraine mineral deal; Marco Rubio urges Pak to cooperate with probe into Pahalgam attack, and more

The United States and Ukraine have signed a landmark agreement to split profits from Ukraine's rare earths and mineral resources, a deal hailed by Kyiv as "good, equal, and beneficial".

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke separately with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, urging Islamabad to condemn and cooperate in the probe of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.

In other news, a Mumbai court has issued a non-bailable warrant against fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi in a ₹55.27 crore bank fraud case. 

Amid rising India-Pakistan tensions, several Pakistani celebrities have had their social media accounts restricted in India, however, profiles of stars like Atif Aslam and Fawad Khan remain accessible. 

The US and Ukraine signed a "historic" economic partnership deal, agreeing to split profits from the sale of Ukrainian minerals and rare earths in the future. President Donald Trump had hinted that the deal would provide financial motivation for America to continue to invest in Kyiv's defence and its reconstruction after a future peace deal with Russia. The deal has been signed after weeks of intense negotiation to allow Washington access to Kyiv's rare minerals deposits, both countries said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dialled Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif separately on Wednesday and spoke about the rising tension in the wake of recent terrorist attact in Jammu and Kashmir, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said. Rubio asked Islamabad to cooperate in probing the "unconscionable" terror attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were brutally killed. 

Mehul Choksi, the fugitive diamantaire, now has a non-bailable warrant against him. A metropolitan magistrate court at Esplanade has issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Choksi in connection with a ₹55.27 crore ($6.5 million) bank fraud case involving a consortium of Canara Bank and Bank of Maharashtra.

As things continue to sour between India and Pakistan following a terrorist attack in the Pahalgam area of Kashmir, the Indian government has blocked access of several Pakistani artists in India. These include celebrities like Hania Aamir and Mahira Khan, who enjoy a lot of followers from India. Their accounts have been restricted in India. However, artists like Atif Aslam and Fawad Khan can still be accessed in India.