<a href="http://wionews.com/world/terrorist-attacker-kills-three-in-belgiums-liege-gunman-dead-140693">'Terrorist' attacker kills three in Belgium's Liege, gunman dead</a>

A man killed two policewomen and a bystander in the Belgian city of Liege on Tuesday before being shot dead in a gunbattle at a school in what prosecutors are treating as a terrorist attack.

<a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/what-is-the-s-400-missile-defence-system-that-india-is-eyeing-to-buy-140653">What is the S-400 missile defence system that India is eyeing to buy</a>

India has concluded price negotiations with Russia for a nearly Rs 40,000 crore deal to procure S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems for the Indian Air Force. S-400 is known as Russia's most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system.

<a href="http://wionews.com/world/gaza-militants-launch-heavy-barrage-into-israel-israel-responds-with-air-strikes-140675">Gaza militants launch heavy barrage into Israel, Israel responds with air strikes</a>

Palestinian militants on Tuesday launched their heaviest mortar bomb barrage against Israel since a 2014 Gaza war and Israeli aircraft struck Islamic Jihad camps in the enclave in response.

<a href="http://wionews.com/world/trump-says-meetings-taking-place-on-us-north-korea-summit-140683">Trump says meetings taking place on US-North Korea summit</a>

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that several meetings were being carried out between the US and North Korea ahead of the historic summit and confirmed that a top North Korean official was en route to New York.

<a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/up-bypolls-re-polling-to-take-place-at-73-booths-in-kairana-140707">UP </a><a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/up-bypolls-re-polling-to-take-place-at-73-booths-in-kairana-140707">bypolls</a><a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/up-bypolls-re-polling-to-take-place-at-73-booths-in-kairana-140707">: Re-polling to take place at 73 booths in Kairana</a>

73 polling stations in Uttar Pradesh's Kairana Lok Sabha constituency will see repolling on Wednesday, the Election Commission has said.

&nbsp

&nbsp

'Terrorist' attacker kills three in Belgium's Liege, gunman dead A man killed two policewomen and a bystander in the Belgian city of Liege on Tuesday before being shot dead in a gunbattle at a school in what prosecutors are treating as a terrorist attack. What is the S-400 missile defence system that India is eyeing to buy India has concluded price negotiations with Russia for a nearly Rs 40,000 crore deal to procure S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems for the Indian Air Force. S-400 is known as Russia's most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system. Gaza militants launch heavy barrage into Israel, Israel responds with air strikes Palestinian militants on Tuesday launched their heaviest mortar bomb barrage against Israel since a 2014 Gaza war and Israeli aircraft struck Islamic Jihad camps in the enclave in response. Trump says meetings taking place on US-North Korea summit US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that several meetings were being carried out between the US and North Korea ahead of the historic summit and confirmed that a top North Korean official was en route to New York. UP bypolls: Re-polling to take place at 73 booths in Kairana 73 polling stations in Uttar Pradesh's Kairana Lok Sabha constituency will see repolling on Wednesday, the Election Commission has said.

News brief: Big stories of the day

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that several meetings were being carried out between the US and North Korea ahead of the historic summit and confirmed that a top North Korean official was en route to New York.

"We have put a great team together for our talks with North Korea. Meetings are currently taking place concerning Summit, and more. Kim Young Chol, the Vice Chairman of North Korea, heading now to New York. Solid response to my letter, thank you!" Trump said in a Twitter post.

Earlier, US and North Korean officials met Sunday at a border truce village as preparations resumed for a high-stakes, high-drama summit that President Donald Trump said held "brilliant potential" for the North.

"I truly believe North Korea has brilliant potential and will be a great economic and financial Nation one day," Trump said on Twitter.&nbsp

"Kim Jong Un agrees with me on this. It will happen!," the president said, confirming that a US team "has arrived in North Korea to make arrangements for the summit" between himself and North Korean leader Kim.&nbsp

Meanwhile, already been playing the role of mediator between the US and North Korea, South Korean president Moon Jae-in could be present in high-drama summit between the US and North Korea in June media reports said.

According to a report by BBC, South Korean officials have said that South Korean president could attend the summit. However, his attendance would depend on the progress of pre-summit talks between the US and North Korean leaders.

Earlier, US and North Korean officials met Sunday at a border truce village as preparations resumed for a high-stakes, high-drama summit that President Donald Trump said held "brilliant potential" for the North.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that several meetings were being carried out between the US and North Korea ahead of the historic summit and confirmed that a top North Korean official was en route to New York. "We have put a great team together for our talks with North Korea. Meetings are currently taking place concerning Summit, and more. Kim Young Chol, the Vice Chairman of North Korea, heading now to New York. Solid response to my letter, thank you!" Trump said in a Twitter post. Earlier, US and North Korean officials met Sunday at a border truce village as preparations resumed for a high-stakes, high-drama summit that President Donald Trump said held "brilliant potential" for the North. "I truly believe North Korea has brilliant potential and will be a great economic and financial Nation one day," Trump said on Twitter. "Kim Jong Un agrees with me on this. It will happen!," the president said, confirming that a US team "has arrived in North Korea to make arrangements for the summit" between himself and North Korean leader Kim. Meanwhile, already been playing the role of mediator between the US and North Korea, South Korean president Moon Jae-in could be present in high-drama summit between the US and North Korea in June media reports said. According to a report by BBC, South Korean officials have said that South Korean president could attend the summit. However, his attendance would depend on the progress of pre-summit talks between the US and North Korean leaders.

Trump says meetings taking place on US-North Korea summit

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/90000-foreigners-rescued-by-india-in-4-years-proof-of-our-humane-foreign-policy-sushma-swaraj-140366">When people are dying on the border, </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/90000-foreigners-rescued-by-india-in-4-years-proof-of-our-humane-foreign-policy-sushma-swaraj-140366">dialogue</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/90000-foreigners-rescued-by-india-in-4-years-proof-of-our-humane-foreign-policy-sushma-swaraj-140366"> is not appropriate: Sushma Swaraj on Pakistan</a>

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj addressed an annual press conference on Monday in which she highlighted the achievements made by the Modi government over the past 4 years.&nbsp

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/this-retired-english-teacher-made-corrections-to-a-letter-sent-by-trump-and-mailed-it-back--140397">This retired English teacher made corrections to a letter sent by Trump and mailed it back</a>

A retired English teacher from the United States did not give any consideration to the fact that the letter she had received, had come from the White House and after being astounded by the grammatical mistakes made the rightful changes and sent it back.&nbsp

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/ireland-abortion-law-may-be-termed-as-the-savitas-law-140367">Ireland abortion law may be termed as 'Savita's law'</a>

After Ireland welcomed the abortion vote, campaigners have said that they will be in full support if the new law will be named after the woman who died after miscarriage - Savita Halappanavar.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/iran-foreign-minister-urges-on-strengthening-relations-with-india-140375">Iran Foreign Minister urges on strengthening relations with India</a>

Iranian Foreign Minister Dr Mohammad Javad Zarif, who arrived here on Monday on a one-day visit, stressed upon the idea of strengthening relations shared by the two countries.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-military-says-ex-spy-chief-will-not-be-allowed-to-leave-country-140413">Pakistan military says ex-spy chief will not be allowed to leave </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-military-says-ex-spy-chief-will-not-be-allowed-to-leave-country-140413">country</a>

Pakistan's military Monday took the unprecedented step of preventing a former spy chief from leaving the country, after he ignited a storm by co-authoring a book that touches on Pakistan's alleged roles in Afghanistan and Kashmir.

When people are dying on the border, dialogue is not appropriate: Sushma Swaraj on Pakistan External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj addressed an annual press conference on Monday in which she highlighted the achievements made by the Modi government over the past 4 years. This retired English teacher made corrections to a letter sent by Trump and mailed it back A retired English teacher from the United States did not give any consideration to the fact that the letter she had received, had come from the White House and after being astounded by the grammatical mistakes made the rightful changes and sent it back. Ireland abortion law may be termed as 'Savita's law' After Ireland welcomed the abortion vote, campaigners have said that they will be in full support if the new law will be named after the woman who died after miscarriage - Savita Halappanavar. Iran Foreign Minister urges on strengthening relations with India Iranian Foreign Minister Dr Mohammad Javad Zarif, who arrived here on Monday on a one-day visit, stressed upon the idea of strengthening relations shared by the two countries. Pakistan military says ex-spy chief will not be allowed to leave country Pakistan's military Monday took the unprecedented step of preventing a former spy chief from leaving the country, after he ignited a storm by co-authoring a book that touches on Pakistan's alleged roles in Afghanistan and Kashmir.

A retired English teacher from the United States did not give any consideration to the fact that the letter she had received, had come from the White House and after being astounded by the grammatical mistakes made the rightful changes and sent it back.&nbsp;

Yvonne Mason, 61,&nbsp;a former high school English teacher at Mauldin High School, had received the letter from Donald Trump on May 3.

Mason, a Democrat who lives in Atlanta, had written to Trump to ask that he visit each family of those who died in the shooting that killed 17 people at a school in Parkland, Florida, in February.

She received the letter in the mail and was shocked by the number of mistakes and soon after started making corrections. She said that the letter was poorly worded, had several mechanical and grammatical error and further went on to say that she had never received a letter with this many 'silly mistakes.'

Mason also wrote some comments on the paper - "Have y’all tried grammar & style check?” , “OMG this is WRONG!”

There was more, but she didn’t correct everything, saying that her main focus was on correcting 'mechanics.'

“Nation” was capitalized, so was “states.” Mason circled both.

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With reference to the question she had asked in the letter- whether Trump had visited the homes of the victims - there was no answer. Instead, it mentioned the measures taken following the incident such as listening sessions, meeting with lawmakers and the STOP School Violence Act, a bill that would authorize $500 million over 10 years for safety improvements at schools but had no such mention about gun violence and measures to control it.&nbsp;

Mason, who taught English at Hughes Middle School and Mauldin High School for 17 years before retiring last year, is a devoted rhetorical activist, writing letters, emails and faxes to state, local and federal officials. 
&nbsp;

Yvonne Mason, 61, was a former high school English teacher at Mauldin High School had received the letter from Donald Trump on May 3

A retired English teacher from the United States did not give any consideration to the fact that the letter she had received, had come from the White House and after being astounded by the grammatical mistakes made the rightful changes and sent it back. Yvonne Mason, 61, a former high school English teacher at Mauldin High School, had received the letter from Donald Trump on May 3. Mason, a Democrat who lives in Atlanta, had written to Trump to ask that he visit each family of those who died in the shooting that killed 17 people at a school in Parkland, Florida, in February. She received the letter in the mail and was shocked by the number of mistakes and soon after started making corrections. She said that the letter was poorly worded, had several mechanical and grammatical error and further went on to say that she had never received a letter with this many 'silly mistakes.' Mason also wrote some comments on the paper - "Have y’all tried grammar & style check?” , “OMG this is WRONG!” There was more, but she didn’t correct everything, saying that her main focus was on correcting 'mechanics.' “Nation” was capitalized, so was “states.” Mason circled both. × With reference to the question she had asked in the letter- whether Trump had visited the homes of the victims - there was no answer. Instead, it mentioned the measures taken following the incident such as listening sessions, meeting with lawmakers and the STOP School Violence Act, a bill that would authorize $500 million over 10 years for safety improvements at schools but had no such mention about gun violence and measures to control it. Mason, who taught English at Hughes Middle School and Mauldin High School for 17 years before retiring last year, is a devoted rhetorical activist, writing letters, emails and faxes to state, local and federal officials.

This retired English teacher made corrections to a letter sent by Trump and mailed it back

US President Donald Trump announced Saturday that Venezuela has released an American from detention and said he would be welcomed at the White House with his family in the evening. 
 
Trump, in a tweet, did not identify the American by name but he appeared to be referring to Joshua Holt, who was arrested shortly after arriving in Venezuela nearly two years.&nbsp;

The Venezuelan government on Saturday released an American, Josh Holt, who it has held since 2016 on weapons charges.

Holt, a Utah citizen, and his wife Thamy, were returning to the United States and were expected to arrive in Washington on Saturday evening, Trump tweeted. Hatch posted a statement saying the release was the culmination of two years of hard work.

Yesterday,&nbsp;Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro met with US&nbsp;Senator Bob Corker on Friday, the socialist-led government said, less than a week after Maduro was re-elected to a six-year term in a vote the United States did not recognise.

The election prompted a further deterioration in relations between the two countries. The United States responded to the vote, which it called undemocratic, with additional sanctions, prompting Venezuela to expel the top two US&nbsp;diplomats posted in Caracas. The United States responded with a similar move.

“It was a very good meeting, it is good news for the Venezuelan people,” Venezuelan Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez told reporters, without providing details of what the officials discussed.

US&nbsp;lawmakers have previously held discussions with Venezuelan officials on the release of Josh Holt, a US&nbsp;citizen and Mormon missionary from Utah imprisoned in the South American country since 2016 on weapons charges. US&nbsp;officials say Venezuela is using Holt as a bargaining chip in sanctions talks.

&nbsp;

Trump, in a tweet, did not identify the American by name but he appeared to be referring to Joshua Holt, who was arrested shortly after arriving in Venezuela nearly two years

US President Donald Trump announced Saturday that Venezuela has released an American from detention and said he would be welcomed at the White House with his family in the evening. Trump, in a tweet, did not identify the American by name but he appeared to be referring to Joshua Holt, who was arrested shortly after arriving in Venezuela nearly two years. The Venezuelan government on Saturday released an American, Josh Holt, who it has held since 2016 on weapons charges. Holt, a Utah citizen, and his wife Thamy, were returning to the United States and were expected to arrive in Washington on Saturday evening, Trump tweeted. Hatch posted a statement saying the release was the culmination of two years of hard work. Yesterday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro met with US Senator Bob Corker on Friday, the socialist-led government said, less than a week after Maduro was re-elected to a six-year term in a vote the United States did not recognise. The election prompted a further deterioration in relations between the two countries. The United States responded to the vote, which it called undemocratic, with additional sanctions, prompting Venezuela to expel the top two US diplomats posted in Caracas. The United States responded with a similar move. “It was a very good meeting, it is good news for the Venezuelan people,” Venezuelan Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez told reporters, without providing details of what the officials discussed. US lawmakers have previously held discussions with Venezuelan officials on the release of Josh Holt, a US citizen and Mormon missionary from Utah imprisoned in the South American country since 2016 on weapons charges. US officials say Venezuela is using Holt as a bargaining chip in sanctions talks.

Trump says detained American released in Venezuela

After North Korea reiterated its commitment to talks, US President Donald Trump said that a possible North Korea summit "could even be on the 12th" of June.

"We're going to see what happens. We're talking to them now," Trump told reporters, one day after he cancelled the highly anticipated meeting. "It could even be the 12th ... We'd like to do it." 
 
Asked whether the North Koreans were playing games, Trump acknowledged they were -- and suggested he was too.

"Everybody plays games. You know that," he told reporters when asked about the ongoing talks. "You know that better than anybody." 
 
The US President Donald Trump earlier wrote on Twitter that it was "very good news".

Hinting at a U-turn after calling off a historic summit with North Korea, the US President had written," we will soon see where it will lead".

"Very good news to receive the warm and productive statement from North Korea. We will soon see where it will lead, hopefully to long and enduring prosperity and peace. Only time (and talent) will tell!," the US President shared on Twitter.

US Defense Secretary James Mattis also said on Friday that a recently scrapped summit between the leaders of the United States and North Korea may still take place if diplomats can pull it off.

"We have got some possibly some good news on the Korea summit, where it may, if our diplomats can pull it off, may have it back on," Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon before a meeting with the Danish defense minister.&nbsp; 
 
North Korea responded on Friday with measured tones to US&nbsp;President Donald Trump's decision to call off the summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un scheduled for next month, saying Pyongyang hoped for a "Trump-style solution" to resolve the standoff over its nuclear weapons programme.

On Thursday, Trump wrote a letter to Kim to announce his withdrawal from what would have been the first-ever meeting between a serving US&nbsp;president and a North Korean leader in Singapore on June 12.

"Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it would be inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting," Trump wrote. 
 
In a statement, North Korea regretted the cancellation of the summit and said that it was willing to meet anytime in any way.&nbsp; 
 
(With inputs from Reuters)

After North Korea reiterated its commitment to talks, US President Donald Trump said he was pleased with the news

After North Korea reiterated its commitment to talks, US President Donald Trump said that a possible North Korea summit "could even be on the 12th" of June. "We're going to see what happens. We're talking to them now," Trump told reporters, one day after he cancelled the highly anticipated meeting. "It could even be the 12th ... We'd like to do it." Asked whether the North Koreans were playing games, Trump acknowledged they were -- and suggested he was too. "Everybody plays games. You know that," he told reporters when asked about the ongoing talks. "You know that better than anybody." The US President Donald Trump earlier wrote on Twitter that it was "very good news". Hinting at a U-turn after calling off a historic summit with North Korea, the US President had written," we will soon see where it will lead". "Very good news to receive the warm and productive statement from North Korea. We will soon see where it will lead, hopefully to long and enduring prosperity and peace. Only time (and talent) will tell!," the US President shared on Twitter. US Defense Secretary James Mattis also said on Friday that a recently scrapped summit between the leaders of the United States and North Korea may still take place if diplomats can pull it off. "We have got some possibly some good news on the Korea summit, where it may, if our diplomats can pull it off, may have it back on," Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon before a meeting with the Danish defense minister. North Korea responded on Friday with measured tones to US President Donald Trump's decision to call off the summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un scheduled for next month, saying Pyongyang hoped for a "Trump-style solution" to resolve the standoff over its nuclear weapons programme. On Thursday, Trump wrote a letter to Kim to announce his withdrawal from what would have been the first-ever meeting between a serving US president and a North Korean leader in Singapore on June 12. "Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it would be inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting," Trump wrote. In a statement, North Korea regretted the cancellation of the summit and said that it was willing to meet anytime in any way. (With inputs from Reuters)

North Korea summit could even be on June 12: President Trump's U-turn

President Donald Trump on Thursday <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/president-trump-cancels-summit-with-north-korean-leader-kim-139490">cancelled the June 12 summit talks with North Korean President</a> Kim Jong Un.

In a letter to Kim, Trump said the meeting requested by North Korea was "totally irrelevant".&nbsp;

The development comes even as North Korea dismantled its nuclear site at Punggye-ri.

Here is the full text of the letter by President Trump.

Dear Mr Chairman:

We greatly appreciate your time, patience and effort with respect to our recent negotiations and discussions relative to a summit long sought by both parties, which was scheduled to take place on June 12 in Singapore. We were informed that the meeting was requested by North Korea, but that to us is totally irrelevant. I was very much looking forward to being there with you. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting. Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place. You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.

I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters. Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you. In the meantime, I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated.

If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write. The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history.

Sincerely yours,

Donald J. Trump

President of the United States of America

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Sadly, I was forced to cancel the Summit Meeting in Singapore with Kim Jung Un. <a href="https://t.co/qEoi9ymUEz">pic.twitter.com/qEoi9ymUEz</a>
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/999667181083295744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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In a letter to Kim, Trump said the meeting requested by North Korea was 'totally irrelevant'

President Donald Trump on Thursday cancelled the June 12 summit talks with North Korean President Kim Jong Un. In a letter to Kim, Trump said the meeting requested by North Korea was "totally irrelevant". The development comes even as North Korea dismantled its nuclear site at Punggye-ri. Here is the full text of the letter by President Trump. Dear Mr Chairman: We greatly appreciate your time, patience and effort with respect to our recent negotiations and discussions relative to a summit long sought by both parties, which was scheduled to take place on June 12 in Singapore. We were informed that the meeting was requested by North Korea, but that to us is totally irrelevant. I was very much looking forward to being there with you. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting. Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place. You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used. I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters. Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you. In the meantime, I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated. If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write. The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history. Sincerely yours, Donald J. Trump President of the United States of America Sadly, I was forced to cancel the Summit Meeting in Singapore with Kim Jung Un. pic.twitter.com/qEoi9ymUEz — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 24, 2018 ×

Read letter from President Trump to Kim Jong Un cancelling Singapore summit

In a bid to soften his stand, US president Donald Trump said today that different &nbspstructure was needed for trade deals with China as the present one was "too hard to get done."

Chinese and US officials had met last week to discuss import of agricultural goods in Beijing after the US president had turned the heat on President Xi's regime over Chinese goods entering the US.

Deputy Commissioner of Customs Zhang Jiwen and US Under Secretary of Agriculture Ted McKinney discussed access to &nbspChinese cooked poultry products, citrus fruits and date exports and US exports to China of poultry, rice, feed additives and other products.

"Our Trade Deal with China is moving along nicely, but in the end we will probably have to use a different structure in that this will be too hard to get done and to verify results after completion," Trump said in his Twitter post.

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Our Trade Deal with China is moving along nicely, but in the end we will probably have to use a different structure in that this will be too hard to get done and to verify results after completion.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/999257533327073281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The US president's move comes amid softening of stand between China and the US over trade issues which has riled US officials including Trump. Chinese state media recently said the two countries had huge potential for "win-win business cooperation".

The US has been putting pressure on China to narrow its trade deficit with China which currently stands at &nbsp$335 billion annually. In the early rounds the US had insisted that China reduce its trade surplus by $200 billion, but toned down later.

The US has been putting pressure on China to narrow its trade deficit with China which currently stands at $335 billion annually.

In a bid to soften his stand, US president Donald Trump said today that different &nbspstructure was needed for trade deals with China as the present one was "too hard to get done." Chinese and US officials had met last week to discuss import of agricultural goods in Beijing after the US president had turned the heat on President Xi's regime over Chinese goods entering the US. Deputy Commissioner of Customs Zhang Jiwen and US Under Secretary of Agriculture Ted McKinney discussed access to &nbspChinese cooked poultry products, citrus fruits and date exports and US exports to China of poultry, rice, feed additives and other products. "Our Trade Deal with China is moving along nicely, but in the end we will probably have to use a different structure in that this will be too hard to get done and to verify results after completion," Trump said in his Twitter post. Our Trade Deal with China is moving along nicely, but in the end we will probably have to use a different structure in that this will be too hard to get done and to verify results after completion. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2018 × The US president's move comes amid softening of stand between China and the US over trade issues which has riled US officials including Trump. Chinese state media recently said the two countries had huge potential for "win-win business cooperation". The US has been putting pressure on China to narrow its trade deficit with China which currently stands at $335 billion annually. In the early rounds the US had insisted that China reduce its trade surplus by $200 billion, but toned down later.

Different structure needed for trade deal with China, declares Trump

Three weeks before an unprecedented US-North Korea summit is supposed to take place, President Donald Trump will meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday as US&nbspofficials try to figure out whether Pyongyang is serious about negotiating a deal on denuclearisation.

Moon’s White House visit was originally arranged as a meeting to fine-tune a joint strategy for dealing with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un but has instead become more of a crisis session after Pyongyang last week threatened to pull out of the planned June 12 summit in Singapore.

Moon’s government-led efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea and gave enthusiastic accounts of its encounters with Kim, spurring Trump to accept an offer of the first-ever meeting between US&nbspand North Korean presidents.

But the White House was caught off-guard when, in a dramatic change of tone, North Korea last week condemned the latest US-South Korean air combat drills, suspended North-South talks and threw into doubt the summit with Trump if Pyongyang was pushed toward "unilateral nuclear abandonment."

Trump has insisted he remains committed to the summit, but Vice President Mike Pence warned on Monday that the president was still willing to walk away from the meeting, telling Fox News that North Korea should not attempt to seek concessions for promises it did not intend to keep.

Trump has warned in the past that the summit might not take place or that he could walk out if it looked like a deal was not possible. His aides are now looking to Moon to help determine whether Kim is taking a harder line against denuclearisation than South Korea had previously communicated to them, a US&nbspofficial said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Other US&nbspofficials have privately expressed concern that Moon, eager to make progress with the North, may have overstated Kim’s willingness to negotiate in good faith over the dismantling of his nuclear arsenal.

Two visits by US&nbspSecretary of State Mike Pompeo over the past two months have apparently failed to yield much clarity on Kim’s intentions.

Some in the US&nbspgovernment worries that Moon may be prepared to accept a less-stringent version of North Korean denuclearisation than Washington wants and could be open to faster sanctions relief for Pyongyang, the officials said.

Most analysts say it is unrealistic to believe North Korea will agree to complete abandonment of its nuclear program, which has focused on developing a missile capable of hitting the United States and which Kim sees as crucial to his survival in power.

If the summit is cancelled or fails, it would be a major blow to what Trump supporters hope will be the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency.

The uncertainty comes at a time when Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal has drawn criticism internationally, his moving of the US&nbspembassy to Jerusalem has fueled violence on the Israel-Gaza border and he is on the defensive over an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Treating Trump

North Korea's warning of a possible withdrawal from the summit is seen as an effort to test Trump’s willingness to make concessions on his demands for Pyongyang's denuclearisation, the US&nbspofficial said.

"It’s straight out of North Korea’s playbook," the official said.

North Korea’s condemnation of Trump’s hawkish national security adviser, John Bolton, for proposing that North Korea should emulate Libya by abandoning its program of weapons of mass destruction was believed meant to sow divisions within the administration.

Despite Trump having contradicted Bolton on the Libya point, there has been no sign of Bolton losing influence.

Seoul has been hoping to ensure a successful summit after a historic meeting last month between Moon and Kim produced a declaration of goodwill.

But South Korea’s role has been brought into question since last week when North Korea's chief negotiator derided Seoul as "ignorant and incompetent."

Seoul has refrained from responding.

"The heads of South Korea and the United States are expected to discuss measures to guarantee a bright future for North Korea in the case it truly goes through complete denuclearisation," said Nam Gwan-pyo, an official at the presidential Blue House.

Trump has sought to placate Kim by holding out the possibility of economic development, and he pledged on Thursday that Kim’s security would be guaranteed in any deal.

But Trump has insisted on concrete steps before any easing of sanctions and warned that failure to reach a denuclearisation agreement could lead to "decimation" of Kim's rule.

"They are locked into not giving much to the North Koreans early...whereas South Korea probably has a bit more interest in economic incentivization," said Christopher Green, an analyst with the International Crisis Group. "So they need to calibrate between the two of them."

China could also be on the agenda. Trump suggested last week that Beijing, which Washington is at odds with over trade, may be influencing North Korea's hardened stance.

Beijing responded on Friday that it stands for stability on the Korean peninsula and for settlement through diplomacy.

However, Trump on Monday urged China, North Korea's main trading partner, to maintain tight sanctions, tweeting that "the word is that recently the Border has become much more porous."

Trump has insisted he remains committed to the summit, but Vice President Mike Pence warned on Monday that the president was still willing to walk away from the meeting

Three weeks before an unprecedented US-North Korea summit is supposed to take place, President Donald Trump will meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday as US&nbspofficials try to figure out whether Pyongyang is serious about negotiating a deal on denuclearisation. Moon’s White House visit was originally arranged as a meeting to fine-tune a joint strategy for dealing with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un but has instead become more of a crisis session after Pyongyang last week threatened to pull out of the planned June 12 summit in Singapore. Moon’s government-led efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea and gave enthusiastic accounts of its encounters with Kim, spurring Trump to accept an offer of the first-ever meeting between US&nbspand North Korean presidents. But the White House was caught off-guard when, in a dramatic change of tone, North Korea last week condemned the latest US-South Korean air combat drills, suspended North-South talks and threw into doubt the summit with Trump if Pyongyang was pushed toward "unilateral nuclear abandonment." Trump has insisted he remains committed to the summit, but Vice President Mike Pence warned on Monday that the president was still willing to walk away from the meeting, telling Fox News that North Korea should not attempt to seek concessions for promises it did not intend to keep. Trump has warned in the past that the summit might not take place or that he could walk out if it looked like a deal was not possible. His aides are now looking to Moon to help determine whether Kim is taking a harder line against denuclearisation than South Korea had previously communicated to them, a US&nbspofficial said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Other US&nbspofficials have privately expressed concern that Moon, eager to make progress with the North, may have overstated Kim’s willingness to negotiate in good faith over the dismantling of his nuclear arsenal. Two visits by US&nbspSecretary of State Mike Pompeo over the past two months have apparently failed to yield much clarity on Kim’s intentions. Some in the US&nbspgovernment worries that Moon may be prepared to accept a less-stringent version of North Korean denuclearisation than Washington wants and could be open to faster sanctions relief for Pyongyang, the officials said. Most analysts say it is unrealistic to believe North Korea will agree to complete abandonment of its nuclear program, which has focused on developing a missile capable of hitting the United States and which Kim sees as crucial to his survival in power. If the summit is cancelled or fails, it would be a major blow to what Trump supporters hope will be the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency. The uncertainty comes at a time when Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal has drawn criticism internationally, his moving of the US&nbspembassy to Jerusalem has fueled violence on the Israel-Gaza border and he is on the defensive over an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Treating Trump North Korea's warning of a possible withdrawal from the summit is seen as an effort to test Trump’s willingness to make concessions on his demands for Pyongyang's denuclearisation, the US&nbspofficial said. "It’s straight out of North Korea’s playbook," the official said. North Korea’s condemnation of Trump’s hawkish national security adviser, John Bolton, for proposing that North Korea should emulate Libya by abandoning its program of weapons of mass destruction was believed meant to sow divisions within the administration. Despite Trump having contradicted Bolton on the Libya point, there has been no sign of Bolton losing influence. Seoul has been hoping to ensure a successful summit after a historic meeting last month between Moon and Kim produced a declaration of goodwill. But South Korea’s role has been brought into question since last week when North Korea's chief negotiator derided Seoul as "ignorant and incompetent." Seoul has refrained from responding. "The heads of South Korea and the United States are expected to discuss measures to guarantee a bright future for North Korea in the case it truly goes through complete denuclearisation," said Nam Gwan-pyo, an official at the presidential Blue House. Trump has sought to placate Kim by holding out the possibility of economic development, and he pledged on Thursday that Kim’s security would be guaranteed in any deal. But Trump has insisted on concrete steps before any easing of sanctions and warned that failure to reach a denuclearisation agreement could lead to "decimation" of Kim's rule. "They are locked into not giving much to the North Koreans early...whereas South Korea probably has a bit more interest in economic incentivization," said Christopher Green, an analyst with the International Crisis Group. "So they need to calibrate between the two of them." China could also be on the agenda. Trump suggested last week that Beijing, which Washington is at odds with over trade, may be influencing North Korea's hardened stance. Beijing responded on Friday that it stands for stability on the Korean peninsula and for settlement through diplomacy. However, Trump on Monday urged China, North Korea's main trading partner, to maintain tight sanctions, tweeting that "the word is that recently the Border has become much more porous."

With North Korea summit on shaky ground, Trump to press South Korean leader

Amid growing speculations over North Korea cancelling the upcoming summit with the United States, the White House has released a commemorative coin for the meet.&nbsp;

In a bid to mint strong ties with the Kim Jong-Un regime, the Trump administration has released the 'Trip Coin' ahead of the meeting that is scheduled to take place in Singapore on June 12.

The coin has 'Peace Talks' inscribed on it along with the image of both the leaders, facing each other, against the backdrop of the US and the North Korean flag.&nbsp;

The release of the commemorative coin comes shortly after the US President threatened that North Korea could end up like Libya if it fails to fall in line with America's expectations.

"There was some talk about the Libyan model last week, and you know, as the President made clear, this will only end like the Libyan model ended if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal," Vice President Mike Pence said in a television interview on Monday. 
&nbsp;

In a bid to mint strong ties with the Kim Jong-Un regime, the Trump administration has released the 'trip coin' ahead of the meeting

Amid growing speculations over North Korea cancelling the upcoming summit with the United States, the White House has released a commemorative coin for the meet. In a bid to mint strong ties with the Kim Jong-Un regime, the Trump administration has released the 'Trip Coin' ahead of the meeting that is scheduled to take place in Singapore on June 12. The coin has 'Peace Talks' inscribed on it along with the image of both the leaders, facing each other, against the backdrop of the US and the North Korean flag. The release of the commemorative coin comes shortly after the US President threatened that North Korea could end up like Libya if it fails to fall in line with America's expectations. "There was some talk about the Libyan model last week, and you know, as the President made clear, this will only end like the Libyan model ended if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal," Vice President Mike Pence said in a television interview on Monday.

Watch: White House releases 'trip coin' ahead of US-N. Korea summit

Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani says the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with Trump's campaign could end by September 1.

Giuliani said the office of Robert Mueller -- the special counsel who is leading the investigation -- plans to end the investigation by then, and had shared the timeline some two weeks ago, The New York Times reported Sunday.

Fox News quoted Giuliani as saying that Mueller told Trump's legal team the investigation could be over by September 1, although the timeline was contingent upon the special counsel interviewing the president by mid-July.

Giuliani said he wants the investigation over by that time so it does not affect Republicans' chances in congressional mid-term elections in November, Fox reported.

"You don't want another repeat of the 2016 election where you get contrary reports at the end and you don't know how it affected the election," Giuliani told the Times.

Former FBI director James Comey -- fired by Trump last year -- announced that the bureau would reopen an investigation into Hillary Clinton's misuse of a private email server just 11 days before the 2016 presidential vote, a move that may have helped cost her the election.

Trump, who has repeatedly described the investigation as a "witch hunt," views it as a stain on his presidency and wants it over.

His former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, his first national security advisor Michael Flynn and an assortment of campaign aides have all been caught in Mueller's investigation, variously pleading guilty, cutting a plea deal or fighting the case in court.

But a year after the probe began, the big questions remain unanswered: Did Trump's campaign collude with the Kremlin to skew the 2016 election? What did the president know and when did he know it? Did he obstruct justice? Can a sitting president be indicted?

Giuliani said he wants the investigation over by that time so it does not affect Republicans' chances in congressional mid-term elections in November

Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani says the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with Trump's campaign could end by September 1. Giuliani said the office of Robert Mueller -- the special counsel who is leading the investigation -- plans to end the investigation by then, and had shared the timeline some two weeks ago, The New York Times reported Sunday. Fox News quoted Giuliani as saying that Mueller told Trump's legal team the investigation could be over by September 1, although the timeline was contingent upon the special counsel interviewing the president by mid-July. Giuliani said he wants the investigation over by that time so it does not affect Republicans' chances in congressional mid-term elections in November, Fox reported. "You don't want another repeat of the 2016 election where you get contrary reports at the end and you don't know how it affected the election," Giuliani told the Times. Former FBI director James Comey -- fired by Trump last year -- announced that the bureau would reopen an investigation into Hillary Clinton's misuse of a private email server just 11 days before the 2016 presidential vote, a move that may have helped cost her the election. Trump, who has repeatedly described the investigation as a "witch hunt," views it as a stain on his presidency and wants it over. His former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, his first national security advisor Michael Flynn and an assortment of campaign aides have all been caught in Mueller's investigation, variously pleading guilty, cutting a plea deal or fighting the case in court. But a year after the probe began, the big questions remain unanswered: Did Trump's campaign collude with the Kremlin to skew the 2016 election? What did the president know and when did he know it? Did he obstruct justice? Can a sitting president be indicted?

Russia election-meddling probe may end by September 1: Giuliani

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/kumaraswamy-to-meet-sonia-rahul-today-in-delhi-congress-may-get-20-seats-in-karnatakas-33-member-cabinet-138488">Kumaraswamy to meet Sonia, Rahul today in Delhi Cong may get 20 seats in Karnataka cabinet, JD(S) 13</a>

HD Kumaraswamy, who will be sworn in as Chief Minister of Karnataka on Wednesday, will be in Delhi today to meet Sonia Gandhi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-demands-probe-of-alleged-spying-on-his-campaign-138487">Trump says his presidential campaign was spied on, demands probe</a>

US President Donald Trump demanded Sunday that the Justice Department investigate whether his presidential campaign was "infiltrated" or spied on for political purposes, prompting it to announce it would look into those issues.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-installing-viewing-stands-for-audience-to-watch-dismantling-nuclear-site--138481">North Korea installing viewing stands for </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-installing-viewing-stands-for-audience-to-watch-dismantling-nuclear-site--138481">audience</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-installing-viewing-stands-for-audience-to-watch-dismantling-nuclear-site--138481"> to watch </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-installing-viewing-stands-for-audience-to-watch-dismantling-nuclear-site--138481">dismantling</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-installing-viewing-stands-for-audience-to-watch-dismantling-nuclear-site--138481"> of </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-installing-viewing-stands-for-audience-to-watch-dismantling-nuclear-site--138481">nuclear</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-installing-viewing-stands-for-audience-to-watch-dismantling-nuclear-site--138481"> test site</a>

North Korea has now decided to set up stands for viewers to watch the dismantling of its nuclear test site through satellite imagery between Wednesday (May 23) and Friday (May 25).

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-teen-domestic-help-asks-for-salary-is-chopped-into-pieces-138502">Delhi: Teen domestic help asks for salary, is chopped into pieces</a>

A 16-year-old girl was killed and her body was chopped into three pieces by the person who had brought her from Jharkhand to get her employed as a domestic help in Delhi, after she demanded her salary, police said on Sunday.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-brazilian-woman-swallows-106-cocaine-pills-in-smuggling-bid--138484">Delhi: Brazil woman who swallowed 106 cocaine pills caught at </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-brazilian-woman-swallows-106-cocaine-pills-in-smuggling-bid--138484">airport</a>

A 25-year-old Brazilian woman was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau from Indira Gandhi International Airport after she was caught smuggling cocaine that she had swallowed

Kumaraswamy to meet Sonia, Rahul today in Delhi Cong may get 20 seats in Karnataka cabinet, JD(S) 13 HD Kumaraswamy, who will be sworn in as Chief Minister of Karnataka on Wednesday, will be in Delhi today to meet Sonia Gandhi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Trump says his presidential campaign was spied on, demands probe US President Donald Trump demanded Sunday that the Justice Department investigate whether his presidential campaign was "infiltrated" or spied on for political purposes, prompting it to announce it would look into those issues. North Korea installing viewing stands for audience to watch dismantling of nuclear test site North Korea has now decided to set up stands for viewers to watch the dismantling of its nuclear test site through satellite imagery between Wednesday (May 23) and Friday (May 25). Delhi: Teen domestic help asks for salary, is chopped into pieces A 16-year-old girl was killed and her body was chopped into three pieces by the person who had brought her from Jharkhand to get her employed as a domestic help in Delhi, after she demanded her salary, police said on Sunday. Delhi: Brazil woman who swallowed 106 cocaine pills caught at airport A 25-year-old Brazilian woman was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau from Indira Gandhi International Airport after she was caught smuggling cocaine that she had swallowed

US President Donald Trump demanded Sunday that the Justice Department investigate whether his presidential campaign was "infiltrated" or spied on for political purposes, prompting it to announce it would look into those issues.

Trump has described the infiltration allegations as being potentially "bigger than Watergate", but Democrats say he is attempting to undermine the year-old investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with his campaign, headed by special counsel Robert Mueller.

"I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes - and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!" Trump tweeted.

Trump's angry order came amid building pressure from the year-old Russia meddling investigation, and as US media reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigations sent a Britain-based American professor to speak separately with Trump campaign advisers in 2016.

A New York Times report described the professor as "an informant," saying the federal agency was looking into evidence that Carter Page and George Papadopoulos had suspicious contacts with Russia.

The Washington Post called him "a longtime US intelligence source," and said he met with a third campaign adviser -- Sam Clovis -- as well as Page and Papadopoulos.

Trump and his supporters have cast the man as a mole possibly sent by the Obama administration to burrow into his campaign.

The Justice Department tasked its internal watchdog with looking into the issues raised by Trump.

But it paired that inquiry with an existing "review" of the application process for FISA national security warrants, which Republicans allege was abused in connection with the surveillance of Page.

Expanding an 'ongoing review'

"The department has asked the inspector general to expand the ongoing review of the FISA application process to include determining whether there was any impropriety or political motivation in how the FBI conducted its counterintelligence investigation of persons suspected of involvement with the Russian agents who interfered in the 2016 presidential election," spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said in a statement.

Deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the Russia investigation, said: "If anyone did infiltrate or surveil participants in a presidential campaign for inappropriate purposes, we need to know about it and take appropriate action."

While Trump allies in Congress have demanded more information about the informant, law enforcement officials have refused, saying the source -- not yet officially identified -- could be in danger if named.

Efforts to identify the FBI informant -- and Trump's claims -- have drawn fire from Democratic lawmakers.

"It would be at best irresponsible, and at worst potentially illegal, for members of Congress to use their positions to learn the identity of an FBI source for the purpose of undermining the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in our election," said Senator Mark Warner, the Senate Intelligence Committee's top Democrat.

"Trump's claim of an embedded 'spy' is nonsense. His 'demand' DOJ investigate something they know to be untrue is an abuse of power, and an effort to distract from his growing legal problems," tweeted Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.

Joaquin Castro, another House Democrat, responded to Trump's demand for Justice Department action by tweeting: "@realDonaldTrump - Let Mueller do his job. Stay out of it. You need to be subpoenaed for obstruction of justice/conspiracy/money laundering."

"Obstruction in broad daylight," Democratic lawmaker Eric Swalwell wrote.

Trump lawyer Rudolph Giuliani, a former Justice Department prosecutor and assistant attorney general, told CNN on Friday that it was unclear whether an FBI informant had been embedded in the campaign, while adding that the agency "should tell us if there was."

Trump has described the infiltration allegations as being potentially 'bigger than Watergate'. Democrats say he is attempting to undermine the year-old investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with his campaign

US President Donald Trump demanded Sunday that the Justice Department investigate whether his presidential campaign was "infiltrated" or spied on for political purposes, prompting it to announce it would look into those issues. Trump has described the infiltration allegations as being potentially "bigger than Watergate", but Democrats say he is attempting to undermine the year-old investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with his campaign, headed by special counsel Robert Mueller. "I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes - and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!" Trump tweeted. Trump's angry order came amid building pressure from the year-old Russia meddling investigation, and as US media reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigations sent a Britain-based American professor to speak separately with Trump campaign advisers in 2016. A New York Times report described the professor as "an informant," saying the federal agency was looking into evidence that Carter Page and George Papadopoulos had suspicious contacts with Russia. The Washington Post called him "a longtime US intelligence source," and said he met with a third campaign adviser -- Sam Clovis -- as well as Page and Papadopoulos. Trump and his supporters have cast the man as a mole possibly sent by the Obama administration to burrow into his campaign. The Justice Department tasked its internal watchdog with looking into the issues raised by Trump. But it paired that inquiry with an existing "review" of the application process for FISA national security warrants, which Republicans allege was abused in connection with the surveillance of Page. Expanding an 'ongoing review' "The department has asked the inspector general to expand the ongoing review of the FISA application process to include determining whether there was any impropriety or political motivation in how the FBI conducted its counterintelligence investigation of persons suspected of involvement with the Russian agents who interfered in the 2016 presidential election," spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said in a statement. Deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the Russia investigation, said: "If anyone did infiltrate or surveil participants in a presidential campaign for inappropriate purposes, we need to know about it and take appropriate action." While Trump allies in Congress have demanded more information about the informant, law enforcement officials have refused, saying the source -- not yet officially identified -- could be in danger if named. Efforts to identify the FBI informant -- and Trump's claims -- have drawn fire from Democratic lawmakers. "It would be at best irresponsible, and at worst potentially illegal, for members of Congress to use their positions to learn the identity of an FBI source for the purpose of undermining the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in our election," said Senator Mark Warner, the Senate Intelligence Committee's top Democrat. "Trump's claim of an embedded 'spy' is nonsense. His 'demand' DOJ investigate something they know to be untrue is an abuse of power, and an effort to distract from his growing legal problems," tweeted Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. Joaquin Castro, another House Democrat, responded to Trump's demand for Justice Department action by tweeting: "@realDonaldTrump - Let Mueller do his job. Stay out of it. You need to be subpoenaed for obstruction of justice/conspiracy/money laundering." "Obstruction in broad daylight," Democratic lawmaker Eric Swalwell wrote. Trump lawyer Rudolph Giuliani, a former Justice Department prosecutor and assistant attorney general, told CNN on Friday that it was unclear whether an FBI informant had been embedded in the campaign, while adding that the agency "should tell us if there was."

Trump says FBI or Justice Department may have spied on presidential campaign

US President Donald Trump`s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear accord and re-impose sanctions on Tehran threatens to derail a project to help build Afghanistan`s economy, endangering a key goal of the US strategy to end America`s longest war.

The Indian-backed Chabahar port complex in Iran is being developed as part of a new transportation corridor for land-locked Afghanistan that could potentially open the way for millions of dollars in trade and cut its dependence on Pakistan, its sometimes-hostile neighbour.

Building Afghanistan`s economy would also slash Kabul`s dependence on foreign aid and put a major dent in the illicit opium trade, the Taliban`s main revenue source.

But Trump`s decision to re-impose sanctions on Iran and penalize financial institutions for doing business with Tehran is clouding Chabahar`s viability as banks, nervous they could be hit with crippling penalties, pull back from financing.

"President Trump`s decision has brought us back to the drawing board and we will have to renegotiate terms and conditions on using Chabahar," a senior Indian diplomat said. "It is a route that can change the way India-Iran-Afghanistan do business, but for now everything is in a state of uncertainty."

The White House did not respond to requests for comment.

Launched in 2016, the joint Iran-India-Afghanistan Chabahar project already was facing holdups. It has yet to see significant traffic apart from some containers of donated wheat from India, and the first shipments of Afghan dried fruit to India are not expected before July.

At least three contracts to build infrastructure at the port now have been delayed, with two Chinese companies and a Finnish group left hanging while bankers seek clarity from Washington before approving guarantees, a person close to the project said.

In addition, Afghan traders, who were hoping for an alternative to Pakistan`s port of Karachi, now find themselves cut off from funding and forced to rely on the traditional hawala money transfer system, which is insufficient on its own to transform an economy. Hawala is a trust-based system commonly used in Afghanistan that involves the movement of funds between agents in different countries.&nbsp

"We know our correspondent banks would not let us pay for imports coming through that port," said a senior executive at one major Afghan lender.

Chabahar is among a number of projects of transport and energy networks projects designed to boost Afghanistan`s trade and lay the foundations for a mining industry capable of exploiting its billions of dollars in untapped mineral reserves.

Bypassing the border with Pakistan, which last year was closed for some 50 days over various disputes, Chabahar is seen as a way for Afghanistan to consolidate its relationships with India and other regional powers.

"The only way to get India more involved" in Afghanistan`s economic development "is through Chabahar," said Barnett Rubin, an expert with New York University`s Center for International Cooperation and a former adviser to the State Department and the United Nations. "Our Iran policy is headed for a train wreck with our Afghanistan policy."

Foreign aid

Some 17 years after the US-led invasion to oust the Taliban from power, Afghanistan remains one of the world`s poorest countries, highly dependent on foreign aid.

Apart from illegal opium exports estimated at some $2 billion by the International Monetary Fund, its main products are dried and fresh fruits, and carpets, none of which amount to more than a fraction of the value of the drugs trade.

Initially, Afghanistan would export agricultural produce – such as pomegranates and grapes - through Chabahar, utilizing a section of a road India paid for and then an extension to the Iranian border that New Delhi built, experts said.

Eventually, those exports could expand to mineral resources, something Trump has expressed an interest in gaining for US firms. For India, this would mean using a planned railroad to Chabahar to export iron ore from two tracts at the Hajigak iron mine in central Afghanistan that it won the rights to exploit, the experts said.

"The economic piece is really important to get a glimmer of hope for Afghanistan to move beyond a land-locked, poppy-based economy. We are now shooting that in the head," said Thomas Lynch, a National Defense University expert and a former US&nbspArmy officer who advised the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on South Asia policy.

&nbsp"There is no other legitimate and reliable way to do that. You can`t do it by air, you can`t do it through Pakistan because they just extort for everything they do," said Lynch. "The lifeline runs through Chabahar."

In addition, by hindering the development of Chabahar, the United States will leave Afghanistan dependent on Pakistan, historically its main trade partner and outlet to the world.

That would undermine another Trump goal of pressuring Islamabad to shutter Afghan insurgent sanctuaries on its side of the border and force the militants into peace talks.

Afghan officials have lobbied hard for exemptions to the sanctions for Afghan companies operating through Chabahar without success and are waiting for clarity from Washington.

"Now the uncertainty is that we don`t know what`s going to happen with Chabahar," said Atiqullah Nusrat, Chief Executive of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "We haven`t heard anything so we have to wait and see what happens."

 
&nbsp

US President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear accord and re-impose sanctions on Tehran threatens to derail a project to help build Afghanistan`s economy, endangering a key goal of the US strategy to end America`s longest war

US President Donald Trump`s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear accord and re-impose sanctions on Tehran threatens to derail a project to help build Afghanistan`s economy, endangering a key goal of the US strategy to end America`s longest war. The Indian-backed Chabahar port complex in Iran is being developed as part of a new transportation corridor for land-locked Afghanistan that could potentially open the way for millions of dollars in trade and cut its dependence on Pakistan, its sometimes-hostile neighbour. Building Afghanistan`s economy would also slash Kabul`s dependence on foreign aid and put a major dent in the illicit opium trade, the Taliban`s main revenue source. But Trump`s decision to re-impose sanctions on Iran and penalize financial institutions for doing business with Tehran is clouding Chabahar`s viability as banks, nervous they could be hit with crippling penalties, pull back from financing. "President Trump`s decision has brought us back to the drawing board and we will have to renegotiate terms and conditions on using Chabahar," a senior Indian diplomat said. "It is a route that can change the way India-Iran-Afghanistan do business, but for now everything is in a state of uncertainty." The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Launched in 2016, the joint Iran-India-Afghanistan Chabahar project already was facing holdups. It has yet to see significant traffic apart from some containers of donated wheat from India, and the first shipments of Afghan dried fruit to India are not expected before July. At least three contracts to build infrastructure at the port now have been delayed, with two Chinese companies and a Finnish group left hanging while bankers seek clarity from Washington before approving guarantees, a person close to the project said. In addition, Afghan traders, who were hoping for an alternative to Pakistan`s port of Karachi, now find themselves cut off from funding and forced to rely on the traditional hawala money transfer system, which is insufficient on its own to transform an economy. Hawala is a trust-based system commonly used in Afghanistan that involves the movement of funds between agents in different countries. "We know our correspondent banks would not let us pay for imports coming through that port," said a senior executive at one major Afghan lender. Chabahar is among a number of projects of transport and energy networks projects designed to boost Afghanistan`s trade and lay the foundations for a mining industry capable of exploiting its billions of dollars in untapped mineral reserves. Bypassing the border with Pakistan, which last year was closed for some 50 days over various disputes, Chabahar is seen as a way for Afghanistan to consolidate its relationships with India and other regional powers. "The only way to get India more involved" in Afghanistan`s economic development "is through Chabahar," said Barnett Rubin, an expert with New York University`s Center for International Cooperation and a former adviser to the State Department and the United Nations. "Our Iran policy is headed for a train wreck with our Afghanistan policy." Foreign aid Some 17 years after the US-led invasion to oust the Taliban from power, Afghanistan remains one of the world`s poorest countries, highly dependent on foreign aid. Apart from illegal opium exports estimated at some $2 billion by the International Monetary Fund, its main products are dried and fresh fruits, and carpets, none of which amount to more than a fraction of the value of the drugs trade. Initially, Afghanistan would export agricultural produce – such as pomegranates and grapes - through Chabahar, utilizing a section of a road India paid for and then an extension to the Iranian border that New Delhi built, experts said. Eventually, those exports could expand to mineral resources, something Trump has expressed an interest in gaining for US firms. For India, this would mean using a planned railroad to Chabahar to export iron ore from two tracts at the Hajigak iron mine in central Afghanistan that it won the rights to exploit, the experts said. "The economic piece is really important to get a glimmer of hope for Afghanistan to move beyond a land-locked, poppy-based economy. We are now shooting that in the head," said Thomas Lynch, a National Defense University expert and a former US&nbspArmy officer who advised the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on South Asia policy. "There is no other legitimate and reliable way to do that. You can`t do it by air, you can`t do it through Pakistan because they just extort for everything they do," said Lynch. "The lifeline runs through Chabahar." In addition, by hindering the development of Chabahar, the United States will leave Afghanistan dependent on Pakistan, historically its main trade partner and outlet to the world. That would undermine another Trump goal of pressuring Islamabad to shutter Afghan insurgent sanctuaries on its side of the border and force the militants into peace talks. Afghan officials have lobbied hard for exemptions to the sanctions for Afghan companies operating through Chabahar without success and are waiting for clarity from Washington. "Now the uncertainty is that we don`t know what`s going to happen with Chabahar," said Atiqullah Nusrat, Chief Executive of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "We haven`t heard anything so we have to wait and see what happens."

US sanctions on Iran threaten vital Afghanistan trade project

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/it-is-true-i-had-spoken-to-a-few-of-them-yeddyurappa-admits-he-asked-opposition-mlas-to-cross-vote-138302">It is true I had spoken to a few of them: Yeddyurappa admits he asked opposition MLAs to cross-vote</a>

In an emotional speech before stepping down as Chief Minister, B S Yeddyurappa today accused the Congress-JDS combine of forming an "opportunistic" alliance and said the popular mandate had been subverted due to their "conspiracy".

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/congress-jds-win-in-karnataka-encouraging-formation-of-federal-front-against-bjp-138306">Congress-JD(S) win in Karnataka encouraging formation of </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/congress-jds-win-in-karnataka-encouraging-formation-of-federal-front-against-bjp-138306">federal</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/congress-jds-win-in-karnataka-encouraging-formation-of-federal-front-against-bjp-138306"> front against BJP</a>

The JD(S)-Congress win&nbspin Karnataka has encouraged the formation of a "federal front" against the BJP, news reports said Sunday.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/melania-trump-returns-to-white-house-after-successful-surgery-trump-wishes-her-by-misspelling-her-name-138320">Trump welcomes Melania home after kidney procedure, misspells her name</a>

United States First Lady Melania Trump on Saturday returned to the White House after a successful kidney procedure, the office announced in a statement.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ill-never-change-chelseas-conte-says-after-winning-fa-cup-138308">'I'll never change,' Chelsea's Conte says after winning FA cup</a>

Antonio Conte has warned Chelsea he will never change his demanding ways as the FA Cup winning boss waits to discover if he will be sacked.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/features/priyanka-chopras-heartfelt-note-for-friend-meghan-markle-138303">When time stands still: Priyanka Chopra writes </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/features/priyanka-chopras-heartfelt-note-for-friend-meghan-markle-138303">heartfelt</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/features/priyanka-chopras-heartfelt-note-for-friend-meghan-markle-138303"> note to friend Meghan Markle</a>

Priyanka Chopra, who was one of the guests invited for the&nbsp<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/royal-wedding-live-updates-prince-harry-and-meghan-markle-to-wed-at-windsor-castle-today-138144">royal wedding</a>&nbspyesterday said that she teared up after seeing the ceremony and has left a heartfelt note to the close friend and bride Meghan Markle.

It is true I had spoken to a few of them: Yeddyurappa admits he asked opposition MLAs to cross-vote In an emotional speech before stepping down as Chief Minister, B S Yeddyurappa today accused the Congress-JDS combine of forming an "opportunistic" alliance and said the popular mandate had been subverted due to their "conspiracy". Congress-JD(S) win in Karnataka encouraging formation of federal front against BJP The JD(S)-Congress win&nbspin Karnataka has encouraged the formation of a "federal front" against the BJP, news reports said Sunday. Trump welcomes Melania home after kidney procedure, misspells her name United States First Lady Melania Trump on Saturday returned to the White House after a successful kidney procedure, the office announced in a statement. 'I'll never change,' Chelsea's Conte says after winning FA cup Antonio Conte has warned Chelsea he will never change his demanding ways as the FA Cup winning boss waits to discover if he will be sacked. When time stands still: Priyanka Chopra writes heartfelt note to friend Meghan Markle Priyanka Chopra, who was one of the guests invited for the royal wedding&nbspyesterday said that she teared up after seeing the ceremony and has left a heartfelt note to the close friend and bride Meghan Markle.

&nbspIran's nuclear chief said on Saturday that the European Union had promised to save the nuclear deal with major powers despite U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to exit the accord and reimpose sanctions on Tehran.

"We hope their efforts materialise ... America's actions ... show that it is not a trustworthy country in international dealings," Ali Akbar Salehi told a joint news conference in Tehran with the European Commissioner for Energy and Climate, Miguel Arias Canete.

Under the 2015 deal with major powers, Iran curbed its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of most Western sanctions on the country. The sanctions were lifted in 2016.

Canete, who arrived in Tehran late on Friday for a two-day visit, aims to reassure Iran that the 28-nation EU wants to keep trade open despite the U.S. withdrawal from the pact, announced by Trump on May 8.

"We have sent a message to our Iranian friends that as long as they are sticking to the agreement the Europeans will... fulfil their commitment. And they said the same thing on the other side," Canete said.

"We will try to intensify our flows of trade that have been very positive for the Iranian economy."

The EU was once the biggest importer of Iranian oil.

Under the 2015 deal with major powers, Iran curbed its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of most Western sanctions on the country. The sanctions were lifted in 2016

&nbspIran's nuclear chief said on Saturday that the European Union had promised to save the nuclear deal with major powers despite U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to exit the accord and reimpose sanctions on Tehran. "We hope their efforts materialise ... America's actions ... show that it is not a trustworthy country in international dealings," Ali Akbar Salehi told a joint news conference in Tehran with the European Commissioner for Energy and Climate, Miguel Arias Canete. Under the 2015 deal with major powers, Iran curbed its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of most Western sanctions on the country. The sanctions were lifted in 2016. Canete, who arrived in Tehran late on Friday for a two-day visit, aims to reassure Iran that the 28-nation EU wants to keep trade open despite the U.S. withdrawal from the pact, announced by Trump on May 8. "We have sent a message to our Iranian friends that as long as they are sticking to the agreement the Europeans will... fulfil their commitment. And they said the same thing on the other side," Canete said. "We will try to intensify our flows of trade that have been very positive for the Iranian economy." The EU was once the biggest importer of Iranian oil.

Iran says EU promising to salvage nuclear deal despite Trump move

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday escalated his attacks on the Justice Department, suggesting that the FBI may have planted or recruited an informant in his 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump stopped short of accusing the FBI of spying on his campaign, instead citing unnamed reports that at least one FBI representative was "implanted" for political purposes into his campaign.

"If true - all time biggest political scandal!" Trump said in a tweet.

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, now one of Trump's personal attorneys, almost immediately undercut Trump's speculation about an informant. "I don't know for sure, nor does the president, if there really was one," he told CNN.

"For a long time we've been told there was some kind of infiltration," Giuliani said. "At one time, the president thought it was a wiretap."

Neither Trump nor Giuliani provided any evidence of government infiltration into Trump's presidential campaign.

With Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigating possible collusion between Trump's election campaign team and Russia, Trump and some of his allies have alleged that elements inside the Justice Department are seeking to undermine his administration.

Trump has denied any collusion with Russia and repeatedly called Mueller's investigation a "witch hunt." Russia has denied meddling in the U.S. presidential election.

Glenn Simpson, who heads a consulting firm in Washington and hired former British spy Christopher Steele to investigate Trump's dealings with Russia prior to the campaign, testified last August to the Senate Judiciary Committee that some of what he collected was "human source intelligence."

Simpson, however, did not tell the committee anything that could substantiate suggestions that U.S. authorities might have inserted an informant into the Trump campaign.

The FBI declined to comment on Friday.

CNN reported that U.S. officials said, "The confidential intelligence source was not planted inside the campaign to provide information to investigators."

Nevertheless, some Republicans are demanding classified documents related to the alleged informant. The Justice Department has refused to provide them.

The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mark Warner, warned members of Congress against publicly outing FBI sources.

"It would be at best irresponsible, and at worst potentially illegal, for members of Congress to use their positions to learn the identity of an FBI source for the purpose of undermining the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in our election," Warner said in a statement.

FBI Director Christopher Wray, a Trump appointee, on Wednesday cited the need to protect people who cooperate with law enforcement or intelligence officials.Trump's allies also charge that Mueller has exceeded the bounds of his authority by investigating the financial dealings of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort.

Mueller so far remains undeterred by attempts to discredit the investigation or distract attention from it, according to one source familiar with the probe.

His office has negotiated a plea agreement with Manafort's former son-in-law, Jeffrey Yohai, that requires him to cooperate with other probes, Reuters reported on Thursday.

Trump stopped short of accusing the FBI of spying on his campaign, instead citing unnamed reports that at least one FBI representative was 'implanted' for political purposes into his campaign

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday escalated his attacks on the Justice Department, suggesting that the FBI may have planted or recruited an informant in his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump stopped short of accusing the FBI of spying on his campaign, instead citing unnamed reports that at least one FBI representative was "implanted" for political purposes into his campaign. "If true - all time biggest political scandal!" Trump said in a tweet. Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, now one of Trump's personal attorneys, almost immediately undercut Trump's speculation about an informant. "I don't know for sure, nor does the president, if there really was one," he told CNN. "For a long time we've been told there was some kind of infiltration," Giuliani said. "At one time, the president thought it was a wiretap." Neither Trump nor Giuliani provided any evidence of government infiltration into Trump's presidential campaign. With Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigating possible collusion between Trump's election campaign team and Russia, Trump and some of his allies have alleged that elements inside the Justice Department are seeking to undermine his administration. Trump has denied any collusion with Russia and repeatedly called Mueller's investigation a "witch hunt." Russia has denied meddling in the U.S. presidential election. Glenn Simpson, who heads a consulting firm in Washington and hired former British spy Christopher Steele to investigate Trump's dealings with Russia prior to the campaign, testified last August to the Senate Judiciary Committee that some of what he collected was "human source intelligence." Simpson, however, did not tell the committee anything that could substantiate suggestions that U.S. authorities might have inserted an informant into the Trump campaign. The FBI declined to comment on Friday. CNN reported that U.S. officials said, "The confidential intelligence source was not planted inside the campaign to provide information to investigators." Nevertheless, some Republicans are demanding classified documents related to the alleged informant. The Justice Department has refused to provide them. The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mark Warner, warned members of Congress against publicly outing FBI sources. "It would be at best irresponsible, and at worst potentially illegal, for members of Congress to use their positions to learn the identity of an FBI source for the purpose of undermining the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in our election," Warner said in a statement. FBI Director Christopher Wray, a Trump appointee, on Wednesday cited the need to protect people who cooperate with law enforcement or intelligence officials.Trump's allies also charge that Mueller has exceeded the bounds of his authority by investigating the financial dealings of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mueller so far remains undeterred by attempts to discredit the investigation or distract attention from it, according to one source familiar with the probe. His office has negotiated a plea agreement with Manafort's former son-in-law, Jeffrey Yohai, that requires him to cooperate with other probes, Reuters reported on Thursday.

Trump suggests FBI may have infiltrated his campaign

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday barred immigration judges from a once-common practice of shelving deportation cases involving some immigrants with deep ties to the United States.&nbsp

The practice known as administrative closure allowed judges to clear low-priority cases off their dockets, effectively letting some immigrants remain indefinitely in the United States despite their lack of legal status.&nbsp

Under President Barack Obama there had been an effort to administratively close certain cases as a way of allowing judges to focus on higher-priority matters and reduce the immigration court backlog. More than 200,000 cases were closed during the last six years of his presidency.&nbsp

The closures were routinely used for people without criminal backgrounds who had lived for many years in the United States, often with US citizen children or spouses. In many cases, the immigrants became eligible for work permits.&nbsp

The administration of President Donald Trump has taken a sharply different tack on immigration, declaring that all those in the country illegally, whether or not they pose a threat to public safety, are subject to deportation.&nbsp

Since immigration courts fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice, the attorney general can issue opinions in immigration cases to establish legal precedent for judges across the country and the Board of Immigration Appeals.

On Thursday, Sessions issued such an order in a case in which a judge had granted administrative closure for an unaccompanied minor from Guatemala.&nbsp

Before Sessions` ruling, the government or an immigrant could ask a judge to close a case. The attorney general ruled that judges "do not have the general authority to suspend indefinitely immigration proceedings by administrative closure." He said exceptions could be made in some cases, including when an immigrant has certain forms of legal status pending.&nbsp

Sessions had already quietly been instituting the policy even before this announcement. Reuters reported last June that government prosecutors were moving to put cases that had been previously closed back on the court calendar.

Sessions acknowledged in the order, however, that recalendaring all cases that had been closed "would likely overwhelm the immigration courts."

Immigration attorneys and advocates quickly criticized Sessions` decision. The ruling was intended "to reduce immigration judges to deportation machines," said Chuck Roth of the National Immigrant Justice Center.

The practice known as administrative closure allowed judges to clear low-priority cases off their dockets, effectively letting some immigrants remain indefinitely in the United States despite their lack of legal status

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday barred immigration judges from a once-common practice of shelving deportation cases involving some immigrants with deep ties to the United States. The practice known as administrative closure allowed judges to clear low-priority cases off their dockets, effectively letting some immigrants remain indefinitely in the United States despite their lack of legal status. Under President Barack Obama there had been an effort to administratively close certain cases as a way of allowing judges to focus on higher-priority matters and reduce the immigration court backlog. More than 200,000 cases were closed during the last six years of his presidency. The closures were routinely used for people without criminal backgrounds who had lived for many years in the United States, often with US citizen children or spouses. In many cases, the immigrants became eligible for work permits. The administration of President Donald Trump has taken a sharply different tack on immigration, declaring that all those in the country illegally, whether or not they pose a threat to public safety, are subject to deportation. Since immigration courts fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice, the attorney general can issue opinions in immigration cases to establish legal precedent for judges across the country and the Board of Immigration Appeals. On Thursday, Sessions issued such an order in a case in which a judge had granted administrative closure for an unaccompanied minor from Guatemala. Before Sessions` ruling, the government or an immigrant could ask a judge to close a case. The attorney general ruled that judges "do not have the general authority to suspend indefinitely immigration proceedings by administrative closure." He said exceptions could be made in some cases, including when an immigrant has certain forms of legal status pending. Sessions had already quietly been instituting the policy even before this announcement. Reuters reported last June that government prosecutors were moving to put cases that had been previously closed back on the court calendar. Sessions acknowledged in the order, however, that recalendaring all cases that had been closed "would likely overwhelm the immigration courts." Immigration attorneys and advocates quickly criticized Sessions` decision. The ruling was intended "to reduce immigration judges to deportation machines," said Chuck Roth of the National Immigrant Justice Center.

US ends practice that gave some immigrants reprieves from deportation

According to reports, a man was shot by the police at the Trump National Doral Golf Club, on Friday as officers responded to a call about shots being fired.

The man has not been identified but was rushed to a local hospital. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting at present.

Trump National Doral Golf Club, an 800-acre resort outside of Miami, is home to four championship golf courses, including the Blue Monster, which plays host to a PGA Tour event each year. Trump bought the property for $150 million in 2012.

(With inputs from Reuters)&nbsp

The man has not been identified but was rushed to a local hospital

According to reports, a man was shot by the police at the Trump National Doral Golf Club, on Friday as officers responded to a call about shots being fired. The man has not been identified but was rushed to a local hospital. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting at present. Trump National Doral Golf Club, an 800-acre resort outside of Miami, is home to four championship golf courses, including the Blue Monster, which plays host to a PGA Tour event each year. Trump bought the property for $150 million in 2012. (With inputs from Reuters)

Shots fired at Trump's golf resort in Florida, police shoots down one

President Donald Trump has formally disclosed that he reimbursed his personal attorney more than $100,000 last year, apparently in connection with the payment of hush money to a porn star, government records show.

The disclosure caps a series of contradictory statements from Trump and his representatives on the scandal swirling around lawyer Michael Cohen -- which has widened to ensnare major corporations and a Russian oligarch.

The documents released Wednesday by a US government ethics body, do not specify the reason for the payments to Cohen, who paid $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 election.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claims she had a tryst with Trump in 2006 while he was married. The president denies the affair, and initially denied all knowledge of the payment, which Cohen has acknowledged was intended to stop her from going public with the allegations.

Trump's claim began to unravel early this month, however, after Rudy Giuliani, a new member of the president's legal team, said Trump had reimbursed Cohen for the sum paid to Daniels -- and the president himself subsequently acknowledged the repayment.

A footnote to disclosures submitted Tuesday to the Office of Government Ethics said Cohen had incurred "expenses" on Trump's behalf in 2016 of between $100,001 and $250,000.&nbsp;

"Mr&nbsp;Cohen sought reimbursement of those expenses and Mr&nbsp;Trump fully reimbursed Mr&nbsp;Cohen in 2017," it said.

Trump's filing states that the president was not required to disclose Cohen's expenses, but was doing so in the interest of transparency.&nbsp;

But an accompanying letter to the Justice Department from David Apol, the acting head of the Office of Government Ethics, said the payments by Cohen were indeed required to be reported, as also argued by an outside government ethics group which had lodged official complaints in March.

Apol told Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that he was providing both Trump's 2017 and 2018 disclosures, as potentially "relevant to any inquiry" the Justice Department may be pursuing into the president's filings from last year.

Cashing in on access to Trump 
 
Stormy Daniels is suing to be released from the hush agreement reached with Cohen, claiming it is invalid because Trump never signed it.

The president's lawyer, meanwhile, finds himself under investigation by federal prosecutors who seized reams of evidence in raids on his home and office last month but have not revealed what crimes he may have committed.

Cohen also stands accused of seeking to cash in on his proximity to the president, after it emerged he received millions of dollars from a Russian oligarch and major corporations seeking access to the administration.

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis Wednesday announced the retirement of its top legal expert over the $1.2 million in payments to Cohen, while AT&T has said it made a "big mistake" by paying the lawyer some $600,000.

The scandal engulfing Cohen has opened a new front in the legal challenges dogging Trump, grabbing headlines from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's ominous investigation into possible collusion between the president's 2016 campaign and Russia.

The disclosure of Trump's payments to his lawyer came the same day a Senate intelligence panel released thousands of pages of testimony from its probe into a meeting between the president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, and a Russian lawyer who offered to provide damaging information about Hillary Clinton.

In his testimony released Wednesday, Trump Jr said he did not tell his father ahead of time about the 2016 meeting at Trump Tower, also attended by the Republican candidate's campaign manager Paul Manafort and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The newly-released financial documents also offered a glimpse of the performance of two of Trump's flagship hotels: the Trump International Hotel in Washington -- which has attracted crowds of lobbyists, lawmakers and foreign governments with business before the federal government, and Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, dubbed the "Winter White House."

Trump's hotel in the US capital, which opened in late 2016, took in $40.4 million during 2017 while the Florida resort had revenues of $25.1 million last year.

A prior disclosure made last year covered a 16-month period and showed $37.3 million in revenues for Mar-a-Lago.

The report also showed Trump earned between $230,000 and $1.1 million in capital gains income on stock in iPhone maker Apple, Caterpillar, Microsoft and Pepsico.

 
&nbsp;

The US President has formally disclosed that he reimbursed his personal attorney more than $100,000 last year, apparently in connection with the payment of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels, government records show

President Donald Trump has formally disclosed that he reimbursed his personal attorney more than $100,000 last year, apparently in connection with the payment of hush money to a porn star, government records show. The disclosure caps a series of contradictory statements from Trump and his representatives on the scandal swirling around lawyer Michael Cohen -- which has widened to ensnare major corporations and a Russian oligarch. The documents released Wednesday by a US government ethics body, do not specify the reason for the payments to Cohen, who paid $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 election. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claims she had a tryst with Trump in 2006 while he was married. The president denies the affair, and initially denied all knowledge of the payment, which Cohen has acknowledged was intended to stop her from going public with the allegations. Trump's claim began to unravel early this month, however, after Rudy Giuliani, a new member of the president's legal team, said Trump had reimbursed Cohen for the sum paid to Daniels -- and the president himself subsequently acknowledged the repayment. A footnote to disclosures submitted Tuesday to the Office of Government Ethics said Cohen had incurred "expenses" on Trump's behalf in 2016 of between $100,001 and $250,000. "Mr Cohen sought reimbursement of those expenses and Mr Trump fully reimbursed Mr Cohen in 2017," it said. Trump's filing states that the president was not required to disclose Cohen's expenses, but was doing so in the interest of transparency. But an accompanying letter to the Justice Department from David Apol, the acting head of the Office of Government Ethics, said the payments by Cohen were indeed required to be reported, as also argued by an outside government ethics group which had lodged official complaints in March. Apol told Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that he was providing both Trump's 2017 and 2018 disclosures, as potentially "relevant to any inquiry" the Justice Department may be pursuing into the president's filings from last year. Cashing in on access to Trump Stormy Daniels is suing to be released from the hush agreement reached with Cohen, claiming it is invalid because Trump never signed it. The president's lawyer, meanwhile, finds himself under investigation by federal prosecutors who seized reams of evidence in raids on his home and office last month but have not revealed what crimes he may have committed. Cohen also stands accused of seeking to cash in on his proximity to the president, after it emerged he received millions of dollars from a Russian oligarch and major corporations seeking access to the administration. Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis Wednesday announced the retirement of its top legal expert over the $1.2 million in payments to Cohen, while AT&T has said it made a "big mistake" by paying the lawyer some $600,000. The scandal engulfing Cohen has opened a new front in the legal challenges dogging Trump, grabbing headlines from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's ominous investigation into possible collusion between the president's 2016 campaign and Russia. The disclosure of Trump's payments to his lawyer came the same day a Senate intelligence panel released thousands of pages of testimony from its probe into a meeting between the president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, and a Russian lawyer who offered to provide damaging information about Hillary Clinton. In his testimony released Wednesday, Trump Jr said he did not tell his father ahead of time about the 2016 meeting at Trump Tower, also attended by the Republican candidate's campaign manager Paul Manafort and son-in-law Jared Kushner. The newly-released financial documents also offered a glimpse of the performance of two of Trump's flagship hotels: the Trump International Hotel in Washington -- which has attracted crowds of lobbyists, lawmakers and foreign governments with business before the federal government, and Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, dubbed the "Winter White House." Trump's hotel in the US capital, which opened in late 2016, took in $40.4 million during 2017 while the Florida resort had revenues of $25.1 million last year. A prior disclosure made last year covered a 16-month period and showed $37.3 million in revenues for Mar-a-Lago. The report also showed Trump earned between $230,000 and $1.1 million in capital gains income on stock in iPhone maker Apple, Caterpillar, Microsoft and Pepsico.

Trump discloses payment to attorney who paid off porn star

North Korea threatened Wednesday to cancel the forthcoming summit between leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump if Washington seeks to push Pyongyang into unilaterally giving up its nuclear arsenal.

It also cancelled high-level talks due Wednesday with Seoul over the Max Thunder joint military exercises being held between the United States and South Korea, denouncing the drills as a "rude and wicked provocation".

It is a sudden and dramatic return to the the rhetoric of the past by Pyongyang, after months of rapid diplomatic rapprochement on the peninsula.

"If the US is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue," first vice foreign minister Kim Kye Gwan said in a statement carried by state media.

In that case, he added, Pyongyang would have to "reconsider" its participation at the summit, due in Singapore on June 12.

The North's arsenal is expected to be at the top of the agenda of the historic talks, but Pyongyang has long insisted it needs the weapons to defend itself against invasion by the US.

Washington is pressing for its complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation. But so far the North has not given any public indication of what concessions it is offering, beyond euphemistic commitments to denuclearisation of the "Korean peninsula".

Pyongyang had "made clear on several occasions that precondition for denuclearisation is to put an end to anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the United States", minister Kim said.

In the past, Pyongyang has demanded the withdrawal of the US troops stationed in the South to protect it from its neighbour, and an end to Washington's nuclear umbrella over its security ally.

The minister also blasted US National Security Advisor John Bolton's talk of a "Libyan model" for North Korean denuclearisation.

It was a "sinister move to impose on our dignified state the destiny of Libya or Iraq", he said. "I cannot suppress indignation at such moves of the US, and harbour doubt about the US sincerity."

The North has long said it needs nuclear weapons to protect itself against a US invasion. After giving up his atomic programme, Libyan leader Moamer Khadafi was killed in an uprising backed by NATO bombing.

Minister Kim also dismissed offers by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo -- who has visited Pyongyang twice in recent weeks, coming back the second time with three released US detainees - for US economic aid if the North denuclearises.

"We have never had any expectation of US support in carrying out our economic construction and will not at all make such a deal in future," Kim said.

In recent weeks, as well as an eye-catching summit with the South's leader last month in the Demilitarized Zone, Kim has twice met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pyongyang has announced it will destroy its nuclear testing site next week.

Analysts said Pyongyang was now trying to redefine the terms of the debate.

"It's a diplomatic tactic," Kim Hyun-wook, professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, told AFP, calling it "brinkmanship to change the US position".&nbsp

"It looks like Kim Jong Un was pushed into accepting US demands for 'denuclearisation-first' but is now trying to change its position after normalising North Korea-China relations and securing economic assistance," he added. &nbsp

"The classic North Korean tightrope diplomacy between the US and China has begun."

US officials have repeatedly claimed credit for Washington's "maximum pressure" policy for bringing Pyongyang to the negotiating table.

Joshua Pollack of the Middlebury Institute for International Studies said Pyongyang had been irritated by the "triumphalist tone".

"The North Koreans aren't happy with what they're seeing and hearing," he said. "There is still a yawning gulf between expectations for diplomacy in Pyongyang and Washington, DC."

Earlier KCNA denounced the Max Thunder joint military exercises being held between the US and South Korea as a "rude and wicked provocation", and Seoul said it had received a message cancelling planned high-level talks "indefinitely".

The two-week drills started last Friday and involves some 100 aircraft from the two allies, including F-22 stealth fighter jets.

Pyongyang's move was "regrettable", said unification ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun, adding it "contradicts the fundamental spirit and purpose of the Panmunjom Declaration".

Hostilities in the 1950-53 Korean War stopped with a ceasefire, leaving the two halves of the peninsula divided by the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and still technically at war.

The North has spent decades developing its atomic arsenal and missiles capable of reaching the US, earning itself multiple rounds of UN Security Council resolutions, while Trump and Kim traded personal insults and threats of war last year.

Relations underwent a sudden turnaround as Moon used February's Winter Olympics in the South to broker talks between Washington and Pyongyang.

Washington said it will continue to plan the meeting in Singapore on June 12, with State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert telling reporters it had received "no notification" of a position change by North Korea.

The exercises were "not provocative" and would continue, she added.

It is a sudden and dramatic return to the rhetoric of the past by Pyongyang, after months of rapid diplomatic rapprochement on the peninsula

North Korea threatened Wednesday to cancel the forthcoming summit between leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump if Washington seeks to push Pyongyang into unilaterally giving up its nuclear arsenal. It also cancelled high-level talks due Wednesday with Seoul over the Max Thunder joint military exercises being held between the United States and South Korea, denouncing the drills as a "rude and wicked provocation". It is a sudden and dramatic return to the the rhetoric of the past by Pyongyang, after months of rapid diplomatic rapprochement on the peninsula. "If the US is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue," first vice foreign minister Kim Kye Gwan said in a statement carried by state media. In that case, he added, Pyongyang would have to "reconsider" its participation at the summit, due in Singapore on June 12. The North's arsenal is expected to be at the top of the agenda of the historic talks, but Pyongyang has long insisted it needs the weapons to defend itself against invasion by the US. Washington is pressing for its complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation. But so far the North has not given any public indication of what concessions it is offering, beyond euphemistic commitments to denuclearisation of the "Korean peninsula". Pyongyang had "made clear on several occasions that precondition for denuclearisation is to put an end to anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the United States", minister Kim said. In the past, Pyongyang has demanded the withdrawal of the US troops stationed in the South to protect it from its neighbour, and an end to Washington's nuclear umbrella over its security ally. The minister also blasted US National Security Advisor John Bolton's talk of a "Libyan model" for North Korean denuclearisation. It was a "sinister move to impose on our dignified state the destiny of Libya or Iraq", he said. "I cannot suppress indignation at such moves of the US, and harbour doubt about the US sincerity." The North has long said it needs nuclear weapons to protect itself against a US invasion. After giving up his atomic programme, Libyan leader Moamer Khadafi was killed in an uprising backed by NATO bombing. Minister Kim also dismissed offers by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo -- who has visited Pyongyang twice in recent weeks, coming back the second time with three released US detainees - for US economic aid if the North denuclearises. "We have never had any expectation of US support in carrying out our economic construction and will not at all make such a deal in future," Kim said. In recent weeks, as well as an eye-catching summit with the South's leader last month in the Demilitarized Zone, Kim has twice met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pyongyang has announced it will destroy its nuclear testing site next week. Analysts said Pyongyang was now trying to redefine the terms of the debate. "It's a diplomatic tactic," Kim Hyun-wook, professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, told AFP, calling it "brinkmanship to change the US position". "It looks like Kim Jong Un was pushed into accepting US demands for 'denuclearisation-first' but is now trying to change its position after normalising North Korea-China relations and securing economic assistance," he added. "The classic North Korean tightrope diplomacy between the US and China has begun." US officials have repeatedly claimed credit for Washington's "maximum pressure" policy for bringing Pyongyang to the negotiating table. Joshua Pollack of the Middlebury Institute for International Studies said Pyongyang had been irritated by the "triumphalist tone". "The North Koreans aren't happy with what they're seeing and hearing," he said. "There is still a yawning gulf between expectations for diplomacy in Pyongyang and Washington, DC." Earlier KCNA denounced the Max Thunder joint military exercises being held between the US and South Korea as a "rude and wicked provocation", and Seoul said it had received a message cancelling planned high-level talks "indefinitely". The two-week drills started last Friday and involves some 100 aircraft from the two allies, including F-22 stealth fighter jets. Pyongyang's move was "regrettable", said unification ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun, adding it "contradicts the fundamental spirit and purpose of the Panmunjom Declaration". Hostilities in the 1950-53 Korean War stopped with a ceasefire, leaving the two halves of the peninsula divided by the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and still technically at war. The North has spent decades developing its atomic arsenal and missiles capable of reaching the US, earning itself multiple rounds of UN Security Council resolutions, while Trump and Kim traded personal insults and threats of war last year. Relations underwent a sudden turnaround as Moon used February's Winter Olympics in the South to broker talks between Washington and Pyongyang. Washington said it will continue to plan the meeting in Singapore on June 12, with State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert telling reporters it had received "no notification" of a position change by North Korea. The exercises were "not provocative" and would continue, she added.

North Korea threatens to cancel US summit

President Donald Trump today defended his decision to offer an olive branch to Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE, which his administration had previously banned from purchasing US components or acquiring American companies.

Following series of complaints from China, Trump has asked his Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to look into the issue. The move was criticised by anti-China hardliners in the US, saying the President is getting soft on China in the middle of trade negotiations.

The company shut its main operations after the Commerce Department banned U.S. companies from selling components to ZTE for seven years after it violated the terms of a settlement deal for illegally shipping goods made with US&nbspparts to Iran and North Korea.

"ZTE, the large Chinese phone company, buys a big percentage of individual parts from US&nbspcompanies. This is also reflective of the larger trade deal we are negotiating with China and my personal relationship with President Xi," Trump said on Monday.

ZTE paid more than $2.3 billion to 211 US&nbspexporters in 2017, a senior ZTE official said on Friday. US&nbspcompanies are estimated to provide 25 per cent to 30 per cent of components used in ZTE's smartphones, network gear and other products.

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ZTE, the large Chinese phone company, buys a big percentage of individual parts from U.S. companies. This is also reflective of the larger trade deal we are negotiating with China and my personal relationship with President Xi.
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White House Press Secretary Raj Shah told reporters that Trump has asked Ross to look into the ZTE issue, consistent with applicable laws and regulations.

"This is part of a very complex relationship between the US and China that involves economic issues, national security issues and the like. It's an issue of high concern for China that's been raised with the US government and with our administration at various levels," he told reporters at a news conference.

Shah was responding to questions on a tweet by Trump in which he had said that he was working with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to give China's telecom giant ZTE a way to get back into business.

"The matter has been brought up at a number of levels, you know, as part of bilateral talks on a number of issues," he said.

Shah, however, refrained it from linking the ZTE issue with the upcoming trade meetings between the US and Chinese officials.

"It's part of again the US relationship with China, which is complex. It has economic factors, it has national security factors. This is just one of many factors, and again the President is asking the Secretary of Commerce to look into the matter consistent with laws and regulation," he said.

The White House strongly refuted allegations that Trump was giving any kind of "concession" to the Chinese companies.

Responding to a question on "how does the President Trump's statement that too many Chinese jobs are at risk square with his campaign promise that China is stealing American jobs?"&nbsp

Shah replied, "I don't think this has frankly any bearing on the President's campaign promises...The President has overseen an economy in which we have the lowest unemployment rate since 2000. It's at 3.9 per cent, over two million jobs have been created since this President took office,"&nbsp

"With respect to trade with China, he's been tough. Let's put this into context. I mean this President has taken China to task for its unfair trade practices through this Section 301 investigation. He's introduced and proposed or rather up to USD 150 billion of tariffs on China for intellectual property theft, dumping in a range of you know inimical Chinese economic action. So he's been tough and he's confronted them, he added.

The company shut its main operations after the Commerce Department banned U.S. companies from selling components to ZTE for seven years after it violated the terms of a settlement deal for illegally shipping goods made with U.S. parts to Iran and North Korea

President Donald Trump today defended his decision to offer an olive branch to Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE, which his administration had previously banned from purchasing US components or acquiring American companies. Following series of complaints from China, Trump has asked his Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to look into the issue. The move was criticised by anti-China hardliners in the US, saying the President is getting soft on China in the middle of trade negotiations. The company shut its main operations after the Commerce Department banned U.S. companies from selling components to ZTE for seven years after it violated the terms of a settlement deal for illegally shipping goods made with US&nbspparts to Iran and North Korea. "ZTE, the large Chinese phone company, buys a big percentage of individual parts from US&nbspcompanies. This is also reflective of the larger trade deal we are negotiating with China and my personal relationship with President Xi," Trump said on Monday. ZTE paid more than $2.3 billion to 211 US&nbspexporters in 2017, a senior ZTE official said on Friday. US&nbspcompanies are estimated to provide 25 per cent to 30 per cent of components used in ZTE's smartphones, network gear and other products. ZTE, the large Chinese phone company, buys a big percentage of individual parts from U.S. companies. This is also reflective of the larger trade deal we are negotiating with China and my personal relationship with President Xi. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 14, 2018 × White House Press Secretary Raj Shah told reporters that Trump has asked Ross to look into the ZTE issue, consistent with applicable laws and regulations. "This is part of a very complex relationship between the US and China that involves economic issues, national security issues and the like. It's an issue of high concern for China that's been raised with the US government and with our administration at various levels," he told reporters at a news conference. Shah was responding to questions on a tweet by Trump in which he had said that he was working with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to give China's telecom giant ZTE a way to get back into business. "The matter has been brought up at a number of levels, you know, as part of bilateral talks on a number of issues," he said. Shah, however, refrained it from linking the ZTE issue with the upcoming trade meetings between the US and Chinese officials. "It's part of again the US relationship with China, which is complex. It has economic factors, it has national security factors. This is just one of many factors, and again the President is asking the Secretary of Commerce to look into the matter consistent with laws and regulation," he said. The White House strongly refuted allegations that Trump was giving any kind of "concession" to the Chinese companies. Responding to a question on "how does the President Trump's statement that too many Chinese jobs are at risk square with his campaign promise that China is stealing American jobs?" Shah replied, "I don't think this has frankly any bearing on the President's campaign promises...The President has overseen an economy in which we have the lowest unemployment rate since 2000. It's at 3.9 per cent, over two million jobs have been created since this President took office," "With respect to trade with China, he's been tough. Let's put this into context. I mean this President has taken China to task for its unfair trade practices through this Section 301 investigation. He's introduced and proposed or rather up to USD 150 billion of tariffs on China for intellectual property theft, dumping in a range of you know inimical Chinese economic action. So he's been tough and he's confronted them, he added.

Trump defends intervention to help China telecom company ZTE

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on Iran nuclear deal and the prevailing situation in Syria on Tuesday.

The two leaders discussed the matter over the phone and assured their commitment to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. 
 
The talks have come ahead of the Economic Forum meeting scheduled for next week in Russia where the two leaders will hold the meeting.

Meanwhile, the Russian Acting Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov had said that the Iran Nuclear Deal can be discussed without the participation of United States. He also&nbsp;called the US decision on Iran as "rash".He further said that for the continuation of the deal it was important for Tehran to make concessions.

US President Donald Trump&nbsp;pulled the United States out of an international agreement that aimed at stopping Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb, earlier this month.&nbsp;

(With inputs from Reuters)

Meanwhile, the Russian Acting Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov had said that the Iran Nuclear Deal can be discussed without the participation of United States and called the US decision on Iran as 'rash'

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on Iran nuclear deal and the prevailing situation in Syria on Tuesday. The two leaders discussed the matter over the phone and assured their commitment to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. The talks have come ahead of the Economic Forum meeting scheduled for next week in Russia where the two leaders will hold the meeting. Meanwhile, the Russian Acting Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov had said that the Iran Nuclear Deal can be discussed without the participation of United States. He also called the US decision on Iran as "rash".He further said that for the continuation of the deal it was important for Tehran to make concessions. US President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of an international agreement that aimed at stopping Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb, earlier this month. (With inputs from Reuters)

Putin held talks with Macron on Iran Nuclear deal

The Trump administration plans to kill a project it says would have cost tens of billions of dollars to convert plutonium from Cold War-era nuclear bombs and burn it to generate electricity, according to a document it sent to Congress last week.

The Department of Energy submitted a document on May 10 to the Senate appropriations committee saying that the Mixed Oxide (MOX) project at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina would cost about $48 billion more than $7.6 billion already spent on it. The United States has never built a MOX plant.

Instead of completing MOX, the administration, like the Obama administration before it, wants to blend the deadly plutonium with an inert substance and bury it underground in a New Mexico's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Burying the plutonium would cost about $19.9 billion, according to the document, a copy of which was seen by Reuters.

"We are currently processing plutonium in South Carolina for shipment (to WIPP) ... and intend to continue to do so," Energy Secretary Rick Perry said in a letter sent to committee leaders in the House of Representatives and Senate.

Legislation passed in February allows the Energy Department to advance burying the plutonium if it showed that the cost would be less than half of completing MOX.

South Carolina politicians, including Senator Lindsey Graham, have defended the MOX plant, saying it is about 70 percent complete, would help keep plutonium out of the hands of militants, and provide up to 600 direct jobs.

South Carolina's Governor Henry McMaster complained to Perry in a letter earlier this month that the Energy Department's dilution plan is at best "conceptual." South Carolina, which has already sued the department over the MOX plant, will "use all legal recourses available" to continue the program, McMaster said.

The Energy Department has deemed the Savannah site could be used to manufacture new plutonium pits, or triggers, for nuclear weapons, an idea McMaster said was an attempt to pacify South Carolina, but would not provide jobs for many years.

The Energy Department document estimated that diluting the plutonium would require 400 jobs at Savannah River through the late 2040s.

Edwin Lyman, a physicist at science advisory group the Union of Concerned Scientists concerned about plutonium getting into the wrong hands, said Perry had made a sensible decision. "MOX was a slow-motion train wreck, and throwing good money after bad simply wasn't an option."

Legislation passed in February allows the Energy Department to advance burying the plutonium if it showed that the cost would be less than half of completing MOX

The Trump administration plans to kill a project it says would have cost tens of billions of dollars to convert plutonium from Cold War-era nuclear bombs and burn it to generate electricity, according to a document it sent to Congress last week. The Department of Energy submitted a document on May 10 to the Senate appropriations committee saying that the Mixed Oxide (MOX) project at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina would cost about $48 billion more than $7.6 billion already spent on it. The United States has never built a MOX plant. Instead of completing MOX, the administration, like the Obama administration before it, wants to blend the deadly plutonium with an inert substance and bury it underground in a New Mexico's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Burying the plutonium would cost about $19.9 billion, according to the document, a copy of which was seen by Reuters. "We are currently processing plutonium in South Carolina for shipment (to WIPP) ... and intend to continue to do so," Energy Secretary Rick Perry said in a letter sent to committee leaders in the House of Representatives and Senate. Legislation passed in February allows the Energy Department to advance burying the plutonium if it showed that the cost would be less than half of completing MOX. South Carolina politicians, including Senator Lindsey Graham, have defended the MOX plant, saying it is about 70 percent complete, would help keep plutonium out of the hands of militants, and provide up to 600 direct jobs. South Carolina's Governor Henry McMaster complained to Perry in a letter earlier this month that the Energy Department's dilution plan is at best "conceptual." South Carolina, which has already sued the department over the MOX plant, will "use all legal recourses available" to continue the program, McMaster said. The Energy Department has deemed the Savannah site could be used to manufacture new plutonium pits, or triggers, for nuclear weapons, an idea McMaster said was an attempt to pacify South Carolina, but would not provide jobs for many years. The Energy Department document estimated that diluting the plutonium would require 400 jobs at Savannah River through the late 2040s. Edwin Lyman, a physicist at science advisory group the Union of Concerned Scientists concerned about plutonium getting into the wrong hands, said Perry had made a sensible decision. "MOX was a slow-motion train wreck, and throwing good money after bad simply wasn't an option."

Trump administration axes project to generate power from plutonium

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/exit-poll-fractured-mandate-hung-assembly-likely-in-karnataka-136419">Exit poll: Hung assembly likely in Karnataka, BJP has </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/exit-poll-fractured-mandate-hung-assembly-likely-in-karnataka-136419">slight</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/exit-poll-fractured-mandate-hung-assembly-likely-in-karnataka-136419"> edge</a>

The maha exit poll conducted by Zee News shortly after the polling ended on Saturday predicted a hung assembly in Karnataka with no political party winning a clear majority in the 225-member assembly. According to the Zee Maha exit poll, BJP is likely to win 102 seats, Congress 92, JD-S 26 and others, including independents, 2.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/one-dead-4-injured-after-knife-attack-in-paris-islamic-state-claims-responsibility-136433">One dead, 4 injured after </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/one-dead-4-injured-after-knife-attack-in-paris-islamic-state-claims-responsibility-136433">knife</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/one-dead-4-injured-after-knife-attack-in-paris-islamic-state-claims-responsibility-136433"> attack in Paris. Islamic State claims responsibility</a>

A knifeman shouting "Allahu akbar" was shot dead by police in central Paris late Saturday after he killed one person and injured four, prompting a terror probe.

The attack took place near the city's main opera house in an area full of bars, restaurants and theatres which were brimming on a weekend night.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/indonesia-at-least-two-dead-13-injured-after-bomb-attacks-on-churches-136435">Indonesia: At least two dead, 13 injured after bomb attacks on churches</a>

At least two people have been killed and 13 injured, AFP reported Sunday, in bomb attacks on churches in Indonesia.&nbsp;

The attacks took place in Surabaya, the country's second-biggest city.&nbsp;

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-stops-us-diplomat-involved-in-accident-from-leaving-country-136437">Pakistan stops US diplomat involved in </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-stops-us-diplomat-involved-in-accident-from-leaving-country-136437">accident</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-stops-us-diplomat-involved-in-accident-from-leaving-country-136437"> from leaving </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-stops-us-diplomat-involved-in-accident-from-leaving-country-136437">country</a>

A US diplomat involved in a fatal road accident in Pakistan was not allowed to leave the country Saturday, officials said, a day after Islamabad imposed "reciprocal" restrictions on the movement of American envoys after Washington took similar measures.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/very-smart-and-gracious-gesture-trump-thanks-north-korea-for-promising-to-destroy-nuclear-test-site-136434">'Gracious gesture!' Trump thanks North Korea for promising to destroy nuclear test site</a>

US President Donald Trump thanked North Korea Saturday for promising to destroy its nuclear test site.&nbsp;

North Korean state media had reported earlier that the country was "taking technical measures" to dismantle its test site.&nbsp;

Read the five big stories of the day here

Exit poll: Hung assembly likely in Karnataka, BJP has slight edge The maha exit poll conducted by Zee News shortly after the polling ended on Saturday predicted a hung assembly in Karnataka with no political party winning a clear majority in the 225-member assembly. According to the Zee Maha exit poll, BJP is likely to win 102 seats, Congress 92, JD-S 26 and others, including independents, 2. One dead, 4 injured after knife attack in Paris. Islamic State claims responsibility A knifeman shouting "Allahu akbar" was shot dead by police in central Paris late Saturday after he killed one person and injured four, prompting a terror probe. The attack took place near the city's main opera house in an area full of bars, restaurants and theatres which were brimming on a weekend night. Indonesia: At least two dead, 13 injured after bomb attacks on churches At least two people have been killed and 13 injured, AFP reported Sunday, in bomb attacks on churches in Indonesia. The attacks took place in Surabaya, the country's second-biggest city. Pakistan stops US diplomat involved in accident from leaving country A US diplomat involved in a fatal road accident in Pakistan was not allowed to leave the country Saturday, officials said, a day after Islamabad imposed "reciprocal" restrictions on the movement of American envoys after Washington took similar measures. 'Gracious gesture!' Trump thanks North Korea for promising to destroy nuclear test site US President Donald Trump thanked North Korea Saturday for promising to destroy its nuclear test site. North Korean state media had reported earlier that the country was "taking technical measures" to dismantle its test site.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's trip to Singapore for talks with US&nbspPresident Donald Trump poses logistical challenges that are likely to include using Soviet-era aircraft to carry him and his limousine, as well as dozens of security and other support staff.

The choice of Singapore as the site of the first-ever meeting of a sitting US&nbsppresident and a North Korean leader was as much because it was within reasonable flight time and distance from Pyongyang as because of the island state’s political neutrality, a South Korean presidential official told reporters.

Since becoming North Korea’s leader in 2011, Kim has only taken one known overseas trip by air – and that was earlier this week to Dalian in China to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He flew in his personal Ilyushin-62M jet accompanied by a cargo plane that people with knowledge of North Korean affairs say is believed to have carried his limousine.

"It looks very much like the trip to Dalian was a dry run," said Andray Abrahamian, a research fellow at Pacific Forum CSIS and formerly with Choson Exchange, a Singapore-based group that trains North Koreans in business skills.

At 4,700 km from Pyongyang's Sunan airport, Singapore is easily in the range of the Il-62M aircraft. The Soviet-era narrow-body jet with four engines was first introduced in the 1970s and has a maximum range of 10,000 km.

But the Ilyushin-76 cargo plane cannot fly more than 3,000 km without refuelling if carrying a full load. It will, therefore, have to stop off at a friendly location like Vietnam’s capital on the way to Singapore or fly with a reduced load.

The Il-76, originally designed for moving heavy machinery to remote parts of the Soviet Union, is big enough to fit a school bus or two shipping containers inside it, according to passenger and cargo flight operator Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions.

But the cargo plane has had some safety issues. In the latest incident last month, a crash killed 257 people on board after takeoff from an Algiers air base.

Unlike his father Kim Jong Il, who died in 2011 and who travelled by armoured train on his rare trips abroad because he feared being shot down, according to a North Korean defector familiar with his security details, the younger leader is not known to be averse to flying.

But air travel of this distance does pose a significantly greater challenge in transporting communication and security equipment and personnel needed to back up a summit meeting.

Suite fit for the leader

Lee Yun-keol, a defector who had worked for the North's government and now heads the North Korea Strategic Information Service Center in Seoul, said the trip will involve dozens of security personnel and equipment including possibly a personal toilet for the leader.

It will also mean burning a large quantity of jet fuel, a refined oil product sharply limited by UN&nbspsanctions targeting North Korea’ imports. Kim's two planes will need around 50 metric tons of jet fuel per aircraft for the flight from Pyongyang to Singapore.

China, the main source of fuel for the North, exported just 3 tons of jet fuel in March and made no official exports the two previous months, according to Chinese customs data.

But the North's planes can pick up extra fuel when they fly to China and Russia for commercial operations, and international security experts believe the North may have been stockpiling the fuel which it has also used for its missile programme.

“The United States had preferred Geneva," the South Korean presidential official told reporters, requesting anonymity to discuss the arrangements for the summit meeting.

&nbsp"But Singapore was selected as it was the most realistically viable destination Kim Jong Un could probably travel when considering the travel time and flight distance."

&nbspThe two sides initially considered meeting in the Panmunjom truce village straddling the Korean military border, the scene of the third inter-Korea summit attended by Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in last month, the official said. The official said the South did not know the reason why Panmunjom was dropped.

&nbspThere was no confirmation on the specific location for the meeting between Kim and Trump although there are a number of sites in Singapore that can guarantee security protection, including hotels that have experience hosting high-security events, Singapore media and a Singapore government official said.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the country was "honoured to host it, and would do our best to facilitate a smooth and successful meeting," in a telephone call with Trump on Friday.

Trump said the summit would contribute to resolving the long outstanding issue of securing peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, Singapore's foreign ministry said.

The meeting is scheduled for one day on June 12, but if either or both of the leaders decide to stay overnight, there is only one hotel room in all of the city that meets “security protocol" for the US&nbsppresident, according to a source with knowledge of previous US&nbsppresidential visits.

That is the 348-square meter Shangri-la Suite in the Valley Wing of the hotel of the same name, at a current rate of S$10,000 ($7,500) a night for June 12.

&nbsp

The choice of Singapore as the site of the first-ever meeting of a sitting US president and a North Korean leader was as much because it was within reasonable flight time and distance from Pyongyang

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's trip to Singapore for talks with US&nbspPresident Donald Trump poses logistical challenges that are likely to include using Soviet-era aircraft to carry him and his limousine, as well as dozens of security and other support staff. The choice of Singapore as the site of the first-ever meeting of a sitting US&nbsppresident and a North Korean leader was as much because it was within reasonable flight time and distance from Pyongyang as because of the island state’s political neutrality, a South Korean presidential official told reporters. Since becoming North Korea’s leader in 2011, Kim has only taken one known overseas trip by air – and that was earlier this week to Dalian in China to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He flew in his personal Ilyushin-62M jet accompanied by a cargo plane that people with knowledge of North Korean affairs say is believed to have carried his limousine. "It looks very much like the trip to Dalian was a dry run," said Andray Abrahamian, a research fellow at Pacific Forum CSIS and formerly with Choson Exchange, a Singapore-based group that trains North Koreans in business skills. At 4,700 km from Pyongyang's Sunan airport, Singapore is easily in the range of the Il-62M aircraft. The Soviet-era narrow-body jet with four engines was first introduced in the 1970s and has a maximum range of 10,000 km. But the Ilyushin-76 cargo plane cannot fly more than 3,000 km without refuelling if carrying a full load. It will, therefore, have to stop off at a friendly location like Vietnam’s capital on the way to Singapore or fly with a reduced load. The Il-76, originally designed for moving heavy machinery to remote parts of the Soviet Union, is big enough to fit a school bus or two shipping containers inside it, according to passenger and cargo flight operator Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions. But the cargo plane has had some safety issues. In the latest incident last month, a crash killed 257 people on board after takeoff from an Algiers air base. Unlike his father Kim Jong Il, who died in 2011 and who travelled by armoured train on his rare trips abroad because he feared being shot down, according to a North Korean defector familiar with his security details, the younger leader is not known to be averse to flying. But air travel of this distance does pose a significantly greater challenge in transporting communication and security equipment and personnel needed to back up a summit meeting. Suite fit for the leader Lee Yun-keol, a defector who had worked for the North's government and now heads the North Korea Strategic Information Service Center in Seoul, said the trip will involve dozens of security personnel and equipment including possibly a personal toilet for the leader. It will also mean burning a large quantity of jet fuel, a refined oil product sharply limited by UN&nbspsanctions targeting North Korea’ imports. Kim's two planes will need around 50 metric tons of jet fuel per aircraft for the flight from Pyongyang to Singapore. China, the main source of fuel for the North, exported just 3 tons of jet fuel in March and made no official exports the two previous months, according to Chinese customs data. But the North's planes can pick up extra fuel when they fly to China and Russia for commercial operations, and international security experts believe the North may have been stockpiling the fuel which it has also used for its missile programme. “The United States had preferred Geneva," the South Korean presidential official told reporters, requesting anonymity to discuss the arrangements for the summit meeting. "But Singapore was selected as it was the most realistically viable destination Kim Jong Un could probably travel when considering the travel time and flight distance." &nbspThe two sides initially considered meeting in the Panmunjom truce village straddling the Korean military border, the scene of the third inter-Korea summit attended by Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in last month, the official said. The official said the South did not know the reason why Panmunjom was dropped. &nbspThere was no confirmation on the specific location for the meeting between Kim and Trump although there are a number of sites in Singapore that can guarantee security protection, including hotels that have experience hosting high-security events, Singapore media and a Singapore government official said. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the country was "honoured to host it, and would do our best to facilitate a smooth and successful meeting," in a telephone call with Trump on Friday. Trump said the summit would contribute to resolving the long outstanding issue of securing peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, Singapore's foreign ministry said. The meeting is scheduled for one day on June 12, but if either or both of the leaders decide to stay overnight, there is only one hotel room in all of the city that meets “security protocol" for the US&nbsppresident, according to a source with knowledge of previous US&nbsppresidential visits. That is the 348-square meter Shangri-la Suite in the Valley Wing of the hotel of the same name, at a current rate of S$10,000 ($7,500) a night for June 12.

Trump, Kim summit in Singapore presents logistical challenges for North Korea

The Trump administration said on Thursday the protected immigration status the United States granted to some 9,000 Nepalese after a 2015 earthquake would end in June 2019, making them vulnerable to deportation.

The United States offered so-called temporary protected status for Nepalese after a large earthquake killed thousands and left hundreds of thousands homeless. In 2016, it was extended for 18 months, and it was set to expire on June 24.

The decision to terminate the status announced by the US&nbspDepartment of Homeland Security gives the immigrants a year to leave the country or change their immigration status. After June 24, 2019, they would face deportation.

The department said in a statement the decision was reached after a review of the disaster-related conditions that led to the status initially being granted.

"The disruption of living conditions in Nepal from the April 2015 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks that served as the basis for its TPS designation have decreased to a degree that they should no longer be regarded as substantial, and Nepal can now adequately manage the return of its nationals," it said.

In recent months, the Trump administration has decided to end temporary protected status for immigrants from several countries affected by disasters, including Nicaragua, Haiti and El Salvador, leaving hundreds of thousands of people who had permission to live and work in the United States vulnerable to deportation if they remain.

Critics of the TPS programme have complained that repeated extensions in six-month to 18-month increments of the status, sometimes for decades, has given beneficiaries de facto residency in the United States.

The administration faces a separate deadline on May 4 when it will have to decide the fate of some 57,000 Hondurans covered by TPS, the second-largest group in the programme after immigrants from El Salvador.

Honduras is one of the most violent countries in the Western Hemisphere and it has recently has been convulsed by protests following a contested presidential election.

So far most of the other countries that have come up for review have been terminated except for Syria, which is in the midst of a devastating war.

The United States offered so-called temporary protected status for Nepalese after a large earthquake killed thousands and left hundreds of thousands homeless.

The Trump administration said on Thursday the protected immigration status the United States granted to some 9,000 Nepalese after a 2015 earthquake would end in June 2019, making them vulnerable to deportation. The United States offered so-called temporary protected status for Nepalese after a large earthquake killed thousands and left hundreds of thousands homeless. In 2016, it was extended for 18 months, and it was set to expire on June 24. The decision to terminate the status announced by the US&nbspDepartment of Homeland Security gives the immigrants a year to leave the country or change their immigration status. After June 24, 2019, they would face deportation. The department said in a statement the decision was reached after a review of the disaster-related conditions that led to the status initially being granted. "The disruption of living conditions in Nepal from the April 2015 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks that served as the basis for its TPS designation have decreased to a degree that they should no longer be regarded as substantial, and Nepal can now adequately manage the return of its nationals," it said. In recent months, the Trump administration has decided to end temporary protected status for immigrants from several countries affected by disasters, including Nicaragua, Haiti and El Salvador, leaving hundreds of thousands of people who had permission to live and work in the United States vulnerable to deportation if they remain. Critics of the TPS programme have complained that repeated extensions in six-month to 18-month increments of the status, sometimes for decades, has given beneficiaries de facto residency in the United States. The administration faces a separate deadline on May 4 when it will have to decide the fate of some 57,000 Hondurans covered by TPS, the second-largest group in the programme after immigrants from El Salvador. Honduras is one of the most violent countries in the Western Hemisphere and it has recently has been convulsed by protests following a contested presidential election. So far most of the other countries that have come up for review have been terminated except for Syria, which is in the midst of a devastating war.

Protected immigration status for 9,000 Nepalese to end next year: US

President Donald Trump will address around 800 US and Israeli dignitaries at the ceremonial opening of the American embassy in Jerusalem by video on Monday, a senior official said.

It was not immediately clear from the senior administration official's comment, on a background call to reporters, whether Trump would speak via a live videolink or a pre-recorded address.

The official said staff at the mission in Tel Aviv had just marked its last day as an embassy, and that the ambassador's team would turn up for work on Monday at the Jerusalem embassy, which would host an opening ceremony later that day.

"I think we're all very happy and excited to be participating in such an historic event. People have been working, really around the clock and getting ready for our opening dedication ceremony on Monday. We'll be ready," he said.

"We're expecting around 800 people," he said, adding that in addition to the previously announced US presidential delegation, he expected an "healthy number" of guests from the US Congress.

"The president, from my side of things, will be addressing the audience by video," the official said.

But he stressed the event will be a bilateral US-Israeli celebration, downplaying reports that very few if any diplomats from other countries that have not recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital would attend.

US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan will lead the delegation that will include Trump's daughter Ivanka, her husband and senior White House aide Jared Kushner, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

 
&nbsp

President Donald Trump will address around 800 US and Israeli dignitaries at the ceremonial opening of the American embassy in Jerusalem by video on Monday, a senior official said

President Donald Trump will address around 800 US and Israeli dignitaries at the ceremonial opening of the American embassy in Jerusalem by video on Monday, a senior official said. It was not immediately clear from the senior administration official's comment, on a background call to reporters, whether Trump would speak via a live videolink or a pre-recorded address. The official said staff at the mission in Tel Aviv had just marked its last day as an embassy, and that the ambassador's team would turn up for work on Monday at the Jerusalem embassy, which would host an opening ceremony later that day. "I think we're all very happy and excited to be participating in such an historic event. People have been working, really around the clock and getting ready for our opening dedication ceremony on Monday. We'll be ready," he said. "We're expecting around 800 people," he said, adding that in addition to the previously announced US presidential delegation, he expected an "healthy number" of guests from the US Congress. "The president, from my side of things, will be addressing the audience by video," the official said. But he stressed the event will be a bilateral US-Israeli celebration, downplaying reports that very few if any diplomats from other countries that have not recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital would attend. US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan will lead the delegation that will include Trump's daughter Ivanka, her husband and senior White House aide Jared Kushner, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Trump to address Jerusalem embassy opening by video: Official

Three American prisoners freed by North Korea arrived at St Andrews Air Force base in Maryland&nbsp;as President Trump stood at the tarmac at 2:30am on Thursday morning to welcome them.

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I am pleased to inform you that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in the air and on his way back from North Korea with the 3 wonderful gentlemen that everyone is looking so forward to meeting. They seem to be in good health. Also, good meeting with Kim Jong Un. Date & Place set.
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The three men - Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak Song and Tony Kim - were imprisoned by North Korea as relations between the US deteriorated with Kim and Trump traded daily insults against each other last year.

However, in March Trump made a surprise announcement on accepting an invitation&nbsp;by Kim to meet him for summit talks as the North Korean leader decided to denuclearise the Korean peninsula.

The freed "hostages" were handed to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after he concluded talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday.

"Pompeo did a fantastic job," Trump said as he received the three prisoners at the air base.

Trump arrived at the US air force base along with this wife Melania&nbsp;to receive the US prisoners. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The freeing of the prisoners was widely seen as "goodwill gesture" by the North Koreans ahead of Trump-Kim summit talks next month.

The freeing of the prisoners was widely seen as "goodwill gesture" by the North Koreans

Three American prisoners freed by North Korea arrived at St Andrews Air Force base in Maryland as President Trump stood at the tarmac at 2:30am on Thursday morning to welcome them. I am pleased to inform you that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in the air and on his way back from North Korea with the 3 wonderful gentlemen that everyone is looking so forward to meeting. They seem to be in good health. Also, good meeting with Kim Jong Un. Date & Place set. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2018 × The three men - Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak Song and Tony Kim - were imprisoned by North Korea as relations between the US deteriorated with Kim and Trump traded daily insults against each other last year. However, in March Trump made a surprise announcement on accepting an invitation by Kim to meet him for summit talks as the North Korean leader decided to denuclearise the Korean peninsula. The freed "hostages" were handed to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after he concluded talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday. "Pompeo did a fantastic job," Trump said as he received the three prisoners at the air base. Trump arrived at the US air force base along with this wife Melania to receive the US prisoners. The freeing of the prisoners was widely seen as "goodwill gesture" by the North Koreans ahead of Trump-Kim summit talks next month.

Trump meets 3 American prisoners freed by North Korea at US Air Force base

It has one foot in the East and one in the West, is ultra-modern, secure and sometimes mocked as being a little dull -- Singapore was the safe pick for a historic first meeting between the unpredictable leaders of the US and North Korea.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday confirmed the summit -- a first between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader -- would take place in Singapore on June 12.

"We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!" he tweeted.

It followed a second visit to Pyongyang by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday to make arrangements for the summit.&nbsp

The Southeast Asian financial hub was likely chosen due to its neutrality, security advantages and track record of hosting international summits, observers say.&nbsp

The ultramodern city-state has robust security infrastructure and is widely considered one of the safest cities in Asia.

It has tight restrictions over media and public gatherings, which will allow for a controlled environment likely to be preferred by the North Koreans.

Singapore is also in the rare position of having friendly diplomatic ties with both Washington and Pyongyang.

It considers the US a close partner, while North Korea maintains a fully functioning embassy in the city-state.

Singapore and the North have a long history of cooperation -- the first law firm and fast food restaurant in Pyongyang were both set up by Singaporeans -- even if relations hit a snag last year when Singapore enforced new UN sanctions on trade.&nbsp

Singapore will also be an acceptable choice to China, North Korea's only major ally, which wields a strong influence despite its physical absence from next month's proceedings.

"As a neutral, and objective country with much-admired consistent foreign policy principles and a small state with no desire or capacity to harm other states and their interests, Singapore fits that bill well," said Lim Tai Wei, adjunct research fellow at the National University of Singapore's East Asia Institute.&nbsp

&nbsp'No baggage'&nbsp

By apparently agreeing to meet Trump 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles) away from Pyongyang, Kim has to travel a significant distance out of his comfort zone, said Graham Ong-Webb, a research fellow at the S&nbspRajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS).&nbsp

Since Kim took over as leader, he has rarely left his isolated nation and has only officially ventured away from home this year, with two visits to China, most recently travelling to the northeastern port city of Dalian where he met Xi.

He also stepped across the border into South Korea during a historic meeting with President Moon Jae-in in April, making him the first Northern leader to set foot in the South since the Korean War ceasefire in 1953. &nbsp

Remarkable images of the two leaders greeting each other warmly over the Military Demarcation Line that splits their countries, rich with symbolism and high political theatre, were broadcast around the world.

Trump had previously suggested that the demilitarised zone between the two Koreas could be a venue for his meeting with Kim, before ruling it out on Wednesday.

Nearby Mongolia was also ruled out as a possible neutral third-country venue, reportedly for security reasons.

But for Trump and Kim, Singapore is a convenient venue precisely because it "doesn't have the historical or political baggage," said Sarah Teo, an associate research fellow at RSIS's regional security architecture programme.

Singapore also has a track record for hosting international summits.&nbsp

In 2015, the city-state played host to a historic meeting between China's president Xi Jinping and then Taiwanese president Ma Ying Jeou.&nbsp

It hosts the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, a defence forum regularly attended by heads of state, defence ministers and high level military officials.&nbsp

Now the venue and date have been chosen, it only remains to be seen if Singapore will play host to a meeting that truly builds on hopes for the complete denuclearisation of the peninsula and a formal peace treaty to end the 1950-53 Korean War.

 
&nbsp

It has one foot in the East and one in the West, is ultra-modern, secure and sometimes mocked as being a little dull -- Singapore was the safe pick for a historic first meeting between the unpredictable leaders of the US and North Korea

It has one foot in the East and one in the West, is ultra-modern, secure and sometimes mocked as being a little dull -- Singapore was the safe pick for a historic first meeting between the unpredictable leaders of the US and North Korea. US President Donald Trump on Thursday confirmed the summit -- a first between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader -- would take place in Singapore on June 12. "We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!" he tweeted. It followed a second visit to Pyongyang by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday to make arrangements for the summit. The Southeast Asian financial hub was likely chosen due to its neutrality, security advantages and track record of hosting international summits, observers say. The ultramodern city-state has robust security infrastructure and is widely considered one of the safest cities in Asia. It has tight restrictions over media and public gatherings, which will allow for a controlled environment likely to be preferred by the North Koreans. Singapore is also in the rare position of having friendly diplomatic ties with both Washington and Pyongyang. It considers the US a close partner, while North Korea maintains a fully functioning embassy in the city-state. Singapore and the North have a long history of cooperation -- the first law firm and fast food restaurant in Pyongyang were both set up by Singaporeans -- even if relations hit a snag last year when Singapore enforced new UN sanctions on trade. Singapore will also be an acceptable choice to China, North Korea's only major ally, which wields a strong influence despite its physical absence from next month's proceedings. "As a neutral, and objective country with much-admired consistent foreign policy principles and a small state with no desire or capacity to harm other states and their interests, Singapore fits that bill well," said Lim Tai Wei, adjunct research fellow at the National University of Singapore's East Asia Institute. 'No baggage' By apparently agreeing to meet Trump 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles) away from Pyongyang, Kim has to travel a significant distance out of his comfort zone, said Graham Ong-Webb, a research fellow at the S&nbspRajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS). Since Kim took over as leader, he has rarely left his isolated nation and has only officially ventured away from home this year, with two visits to China, most recently travelling to the northeastern port city of Dalian where he met Xi. He also stepped across the border into South Korea during a historic meeting with President Moon Jae-in in April, making him the first Northern leader to set foot in the South since the Korean War ceasefire in 1953. Remarkable images of the two leaders greeting each other warmly over the Military Demarcation Line that splits their countries, rich with symbolism and high political theatre, were broadcast around the world. Trump had previously suggested that the demilitarised zone between the two Koreas could be a venue for his meeting with Kim, before ruling it out on Wednesday. Nearby Mongolia was also ruled out as a possible neutral third-country venue, reportedly for security reasons. But for Trump and Kim, Singapore is a convenient venue precisely because it "doesn't have the historical or political baggage," said Sarah Teo, an associate research fellow at RSIS's regional security architecture programme. Singapore also has a track record for hosting international summits. In 2015, the city-state played host to a historic meeting between China's president Xi Jinping and then Taiwanese president Ma Ying Jeou. It hosts the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, a defence forum regularly attended by heads of state, defence ministers and high level military officials. Now the venue and date have been chosen, it only remains to be seen if Singapore will play host to a meeting that truly builds on hopes for the complete denuclearisation of the peninsula and a formal peace treaty to end the 1950-53 Korean War.

Why Singapore for the Trump-Kim summit?

Israel today hit "dozens" of Iranian military targets in Syria soon after Iran attacked Israeli military positions in Syria just after might nigh on Thursday, creating greater tensions.&nbsp;

"The (Israeli military) has struck dozens of Iranian military targets in Syria," Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus told journalists.

Heavy explosions were heard in the Syrian capital Damascus, newswire AFP reported.

Conricus said they targeted intelligence, logistics, storage, and vehicles as well as the origin of the rockets. It was one of the largest Israeli military operations in recent years and the biggest against Iranian targets.

Syria's news agency SANA said its anti-aircraft air defence intercepted Israeli missiles and also destroyed a Syrian radar. SANA news agency said it shot down Israeli missiles "one after the other".

However, Israeli army said that it is not "looking to escalate the situation with Iran."&nbsp;

Attacks come shortly after US President Donald Trump announced his decision to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-pulls-out-of-iran-nuclear-deal-reimposes-us-sanctions-135588">withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal</a>.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/anger-dismay-support-how-the-world-sees-us-withdrawal-from-iran-nuclear-deal-135597">Anger, dismay, support: How the world sees US withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal</a>

Attacks came soon after Iran hit Israeli military positions in Syria just after might nigh on Thursday

Israel today hit "dozens" of Iranian military targets in Syria soon after Iran attacked Israeli military positions in Syria just after might nigh on Thursday, creating greater tensions. "The (Israeli military) has struck dozens of Iranian military targets in Syria," Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus told journalists. Heavy explosions were heard in the Syrian capital Damascus, newswire AFP reported. Conricus said they targeted intelligence, logistics, storage, and vehicles as well as the origin of the rockets. It was one of the largest Israeli military operations in recent years and the biggest against Iranian targets. Syria's news agency SANA said its anti-aircraft air defence intercepted Israeli missiles and also destroyed a Syrian radar. SANA news agency said it shot down Israeli missiles "one after the other". However, Israeli army said that it is not "looking to escalate the situation with Iran." Attacks come shortly after US President Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. Also read: Anger, dismay, support: How the world sees US withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal

Israel army hits dozens of Iranian military targets in Syria

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