World News: China, Brazil agree to defend free trade as leaders meet in Beijing

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In Beijing Chinese President Xi Jinping met his Brazilian counterpart on Tuesday, pledging to defend free trade and multilateralism amid global trade tensions.

During President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's four-day state visit to China, the two nations signed 20 bilateral agreements to enhance cooperation in agriculture, technology, finance and other sectors.

President Xi emphasized the importance of opposing unilateralism and protectionism, stating that such actions, which he described as "acts of bullying," lead to isolation.

President Lula highlighted the necessity of China-Brazil relations and said both countries are "determined to unite their voices against unilateralism and protectionism."

Also on Tuesday, President Lula attended a three-yearly ministerial forum between China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States where President Xi pledged to enhance China's trade and investment in the region.

In India's Kashmir region, the Indian Army has eliminated three militants. The encounter comes a few days after the recent ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan on Saturday.

On Tuesday, local time, Indian Army units launched "Operation Keller" in the Shopian district, as part of efforts to combat terrorism in the region.

The operation targeted three Pakistani militants, whom the army called "hardcore terrorists."

It follows the events of April 22 in Kashmir's Pahalgam, where 26 tourists, mostly Indian, were killed.

That attack has been attributed to Pakistani militants.

Meanwhile, in a move signaling a return to normal, schools and colleges in non-border districts of Kashmir reopened on Tuesday.

Uruguay's former President Jose "Pepe" Mujica died on Tuesday aged 89, following a battle with cancer.

Known globally for his humble lifestyle and progressive policies, Mujica served as Uruguay's president from 2010 to 2015.

A former guerrilla with the Tupamaros movement, Mujica spent nearly 15 years in prison during Uruguay's military dictatorship in the 1970s and 80s.

After release, when democracy was restored in the country, he returned to politics, eventually leading the country and implementing significant reforms such as the legalization of abortion, same-sex marriage, and the recreational use of marijuana.

Finally, in London, the Court of Appeal nullified the 1987 murder conviction of Peter Sullivan on Tuesday.

Sullivan, aged 68, spent 38 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.

Sullivan was convicted for the rape and murder of a 21-year-old victim; however, recent DNA testing revealed that biological evidence from the crime scene did not match him.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission, an institute investigating potential miscarriages of justice, reopened the case in 2021.

After the court overturned the conviction, Sullivan wept but expressed no bitterness, saying, "The truth shall set you free."

The case is considered the longest-known miscarriage of justice in British history.

Choi Chi-hee, Arirang News.