Reuters World News Summary

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said in a statement that the South Korean defence minister's remarks "further worsened the inter-Korean relations and military tension on the Korean peninsula," according to state news agency KCNA. Ukrainian president says retreating Russian troops are leaving mines Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has accused Russian soldiers of deliberately mining areas in northern Ukraine as they withdraw or are pushed out by Ukrainian forces.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Ukrainian photographer and Reuters contributor, Maksim Levin, killed covering war

Maksim Levin, a photographer and videographer who was working for a Ukrainian news website and was a long-time contributor to Reuters, was killed while covering Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He leaves behind his wife and four children. His body was found in a village north of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on April 1, the news website LB.ua where he worked said on Saturday.

Truce offers glimmer of hope to Yemenis battered by seven-year war

Yemenis welcomed a nationwide U.N.-brokered ceasefire due to come into effect on Saturday evening as a glimmer of hope in a country ravaged by a seven-year conflict that has forced millions into hunger, poverty and homelessness. But after numerous failed attempts at peace and more than a year of escalating violence, Yemenis have greeted the news cautiously.

Russian retreat leaves trail of slain civilians in town near Kyiv

Dead civilians still lay scattered over the streets of the Ukrainian country town of Bucha on Saturday, three days after the invading Russian army pulled back from its abortive advance on Kyiv to the southeast. The smell of explosives still hung in the cold, dank air, mingling with the stench of death.

Sri Lanka imposes curfew after president declares state of emergency

Sri Lanka's government imposed a weekend curfew on Saturday, even as hundreds of lawyers urged President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to revoke a state of emergency introduced following unrest over fuel and other shortages in a deep economic crisis. The government's information department said a countrywide curfew would run from 6 p.m. (1230 GMT) on Saturday to 6 a.m. (0030 GMT) on Monday.

Ukraine claims control over Kyiv region as Russia looks east

Ukraine said on Saturday its forces had seized back all areas around Kyiv, claiming complete control of the capital region for the first time since Russia launched the invasion. As Russian troops regrouped for battles in east Ukraine, towns surrounding Kyiv bore scars of five weeks of fighting. Dead bodies laid scattered over streets, and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russian forces of leaving behind mines.

N.Korea condemns S.Korea's remarks on military ability, warns of destructive action

North Korea on Sunday condemned the South Korean defence minister's remarks about its ability to strike against the North and warned it would destroy major targets in Seoul if the South takes any "dangerous military action" such as a preemptive strike. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said in a statement that the South Korean defence minister's remarks "further worsened the inter-Korean relations and military tension on the Korean peninsula," according to state news agency KCNA.

Ukrainian president says retreating Russian troops are leaving mines

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has accused Russian soldiers of deliberately mining areas in northern Ukraine as they withdraw or are pushed out by Ukrainian forces. Ukraine says its troops have retaken control of more than 30 towns and villages in the Kyiv region since Russia announced this week it would scale down its operations around the capital and in the neighbouring northern region of Chernihiv to focus on battles in the east.

Macron warns against Brexit-like election upset at mass campaign rally

French President Emmanuel Macron warned of the risk of a Brexit-style election upset in his only campaign rally before the first round of the presidential election, in a bid to convince dispirited voters and re-energise a lacklustre campaign. A week or so before the April 10 vote, Macron finds himself on the defensive, with far-right leader Marine Le Pen staging a comeback in the polls and the race tightening between the two frontrunners for the crucial April 24 runoff.

Mudslides kill 8 in heavy rains in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state

Heavy rains caused mudslides that killed at least eight people, including six from the same family, in the south of Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state, local authorities and the fire department said on Saturday. "We were expecting the rain, we put out alerts, but unfortunately this house collapsed in the Ponta Negra neighborhood. Only one of the children was saved," Luciano Vidal, mayor of Paraty, told Reuters.

Far-right UK activist Tommy Robinson says he was detained in Mexico

British far-right activist Tommy Robinson said he was detained upon arrival with his children at Mexico's Cancun airport and will be deported, according to a video he posted Saturday. Robinson, co-founder of the English Defence League (EDL) which has staged violent demonstrations against Islam, said he was arrested and separated from his three children. He had been detained for a couple of days, he said, without noting when he landed.