US-Ukraine minerals deal reportedly agreed

Hello. After a war of words, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky look set to meet in Washington DC on Friday to sign what the US president has called a "very big" minerals deal. From Myanmar, we bring you the stories of people selling their kidneys out of financial desperation. We also report on the Australian radio host who's lost his job after making disparaging comments about women's football, a couple who spoke of their trauma after sitting next to a corpse on a plane, and take a look at CCTV that shows thieves stealing a solid gold toilet from an English stately home.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Trump says Zelensky to visit after Ukraine 'agrees minerals deal with US'

Zelensky first included the offer of an agreement on minerals in the so-called "victory plan" that he presented to Trump last September. Credit: Reuters

A deal has been agreed that would give the US access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals, a senior Kyiv official has said. In return, Donald Trump said Ukraine will get the "the right to fight on". A Ukrainian adviser told the BBC that the deal wasn't exactly what either side wanted, but it was "good enough for both for the negotiating process to move forward". Trump said he is expecting Volodymyr Zelensky to sign the deal in Washington on Friday. Under his administration, "aid for aid's sake" appears to be a thing of the past, writes North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher. Reports suggest there are none of the security commitments Kyiv wanted from Washington and it has not been confirmed whether the US will continue supplying military equipment. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has reportedly dropped initial demands for a right to $500bn (£395bn) in potential revenue from accessing the natural resources. "It's hoped this agreement will pave the way for more co-operation between Kyiv and its once biggest ally," writes Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse.

WORLD HEADLINES

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Myanmar villagers reveal 'desperate' illegal kidney sales

Zeya says the money he received was enough to pay off his debts and buy some land. Credit: BBC

"I just wanted to own a house and pay off my debts - that's why I decided to sell my kidney," says Zeya, a farm worker in Myanmar who could barely afford to feed his young family. Prices in the country soared after a military coup in 2021 triggered civil war, leaving half the population living in poverty. Zeya is one of eight people who told BBC Burmese they had sold a kidney by travelling to India. Another donor, Myo Win, said that like Zeya his surgery had been organised by a "broker" who supplied forged documents in order for the illegal operation to go ahead.

And finally...

A video showing the theft of a £4.8m ($6.1m) gold toilet from a famed English country estate where Winston Churchill was born, was played in court during the trial of the alleged thieves. The CCTV footage showed two vehicles driving across Blenheim Palace's Great Courtyard, before hooded individuals armed with sledgehammers and a large crowbar break into the palace. Take a look.