Latest News: Donald Trump Calls Off Meeting With Kim Jong-Un
Catch all the latest news and updates here.
All the latest news and updates of the day:
Trump Calls Off Singapore Summit With Kim Jong-Un
US President Donald Trump on Thursday called off his planned 12 June summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in a letter released by the White House.
"I was very much looking forward to being there with you," Trump said in the letter. "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."
(Reuters)
IPS Officer Handling PNB Scam Repatriated
Rajiv Singh, 1993 batch IPS officer of Tripura cadre, who was heading investigations into Rs 13,578 crore Punjab National Bank scam involving Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, has been prematurely repatriated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), several reports said.
PM's Indonesia, Singapore Tour to Start on 29 May
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be travelling to Southeast Asian countries of Indonesia and Singapore on 29 May, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed on Thursday. His trip will last till 2 June.
“During this visit Prime Minister will also deliver the key note address at Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on 1 June,” MEA’s Preeti Saran was quoted as saying by ANI.
North Korea Demolishes 'Nuclear Test Site'
North Korea has carried out what it says is the demolition of its nuclear test site in the presence of foreign journalists. The demolition happened on Thursday, 24 May at the site deep in the mountains of the North's sparsely populated northeast, AP reported.
The planned closing was previously announced by leader Kim Jong Un ahead of his planned summit with US President Donald Trump next month.
18 Dead Bats Causes Nipah Scare in Himachal
After the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala which claimed 11 lives, more than 18 dead bats were discovered on Wednesday in the premises of a government school in Himachal Pradesh’s Nahan, ANI reported.
As locals reeled under panic, officers of the Health Department, Animal Husbandry Department and Forest Department took samples from the dead bats, which were found in a school for further investigation, ANI report added.
Sunanda Pushkar Death Case Transferred to Special Court
A Delhi court on Thursday, 24 May transferred the Sunanda Pushkar death case, in which her husband and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has been chargesheeted for abetting her suicide, to a special court designated to try lawmakers.
Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmendra Singh transferred the case to Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal, who will take up the matter on May 28.
ED Files First Charge Sheet in the PNB Scam
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed its first charge sheet in the Nirav Modi-PNB scam money laundering case on Thursday, 24 May, reported PTI.
The multi-crore fraud with the Punjab National Bank (PNB) was committed during 2011-17 by illegally issuing Letters of Undertaking (LoUs).
Pakistani Mob Demolishes Mosque Belonging to Minority Sect
Sunni extremists have demolished a mosque belonging to Pakistan's minority Ahmadi sect in the eastern city of Sialkot, the latest mob attack on minorities in the country.
No one was inside the Ahmadiya Mosque and there were no casualties in the pre-dawn assault on Thursday, 24 May. The mosque had been shut years ago by authorities to avoid violence.
A video of the attack surfaced on social media, showing a mob demolishing the mosque, which is said to have been visited by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who founded the Ahmadi faith in the Indian subcontinent in the 19th century.
Pakistan declared Ahmadis as non-Muslims in 1974.
(With inputs from PTI)
Army Captain Killed, Another Officer Injured in Car Accident
An Army captain was killed while another officer was injured when their vehicle rammed into a power pole in the outskirts of Jammu city on Thursday, 24 May, police said.
The 26-years old Captain Rakshit and Lt Ranvijay Singh, who were travelling in the SUV, hit the pole at Akalpur Morh.
Rakshit succumbed to injuries in a hospital, they said, adding the body has been handed over to the Army after postmortem at GMC Hospital.
(With inputs from PTI)
Air Strike in Syria Kills 12
An air strike on Syrian army positions in eastern Syria overnight killed at least 12 pro-regime fighters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Thursday, 24 May.
The Britain-based monitoring group said the strike was carried out by the US-led coalition in an area south of Albu Kamal which has repeatedly been attacked by the Islamic State jihadist group.
(With inputs from PTI)
Delhi Master Plan Row: SC Upholds Previous Order in Citizens' Favour
The Supreme Court on Thursday, 24 May refused to modify its earlier 15 May order directing the Central government to give 15 days time to Delhi residents for filing their objections against the proposed amendments in Master Plan.
(With inputs from ANI)
Biplab Deb Meets Family of Kerala Custodial Death Victim
Tripura Chief Minister and BJP leader Biplab Kumar Deb on Thursday, 24 May visited the residence of S R Sreejith who died allegedly in police custody in Kerala last month, and announced Tripura government's solatium of Rs five lakh to his family.
The death of the 26-year old allegedly due to custodial torture in Varappuzha police station last month had triggered widespread condemnation by the opposition including the Congress and BJP in Kerala.
Deb consoled the family and said a financial aid of Rs five lakh, on behalf of the Tripura government, would be given to his family.
(With inputs from PTI)
Israel Plans 2,500 New Settler Homes in West Bank
Israel's defence minister said on Thursday he plans to seek approval next week for the construction of some 2,500 new homes in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Avigdor Lieberman, writing on Twitter, said a regional planning board would be asked to designate 1,400 of the housing units for immediate construction.
Palestinians want the West Bank for a future state, along with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. Most countries consider settlements that Israel has built in territory it captured in the 1967 Middle East war to be illegal.
(With inputs from Reuters)
1 CRPF Jawan Killed in IED Blast by Naxals
An official of the CRPF's elite CoBRA unit was killed and another jawan injured on Thursday, 24 may when a pressure bomb, planted by Naxals, went off in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, the police said.
The blast occurred around 7.45 am in a forest near Puswada village when a road opening party of the 206th battalion of CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) - a specialised unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) - was out on patrolling, a senior police official told PTI.
(With inputs from PTI)
Netherlands PM Arrives in India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his Netherlands counterpart Mark Rutte at New Delhi’s Hyderabad House on Thursday, 24 May, reported ANI. Rutte is on a two-day official visit to India.
Rutte is scheduled to meet a Business Delegation at Hotel Taj Diplomatic and then participate in the Clean Ganga Event at Hotel ITC Maurya.
According to ANI, Rutte will also attend a CEO roundtable conference at the Hyderabad House. He will then sign press statements at the venue at about 02:30 pm.
(Read the full story here)
(With inputs from ANI)
2 Dead as Train in Italy Collides with Truck
A regional train plowed into a big-rig truck stopped on the tracks outside the northern Italian city of Turin late Wednesday, killing at least two people and injuring 18, authorities said. Rescuers worked through the night to make sure no passengers were trapped in the wreckage.
The Italian news agency ANSA said the first fatality was the engineer of the train, which smashed into the truck near the town of Caluso at 11:20 pm, about 50 minutes after the train began its run from Turin to the suburb of Ivrea.
One of the less seriously injured was reported to be a crew member, while the others were passengers. Ambulance dispatches said a total of 18 people were injured, most of them not critically.
The crash derailed three train cars.
(With inputs from AP)
Pak Violates Ceasefire in J&K's Kamal Koot
Pakistani troops on Thursday, 24 May resorted to unprovoked firing along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, reported ANI.
The Pakistani force violated the ceasefire in the Kamal Koot area of Uri sector in Baramulla District.
The Pakistan army violated ceasefire by firing from automatic weapons and shelling mortars along the line of control (LOC).
Suicide Bomber Kills 7 in Northern Baghdad Park
Iraqi security officials said a suicide bomber blew himself up at a Baghdad park packed with families, killing at least seven people, including a policeman.
They say police and emergency workers intercepted the bomber as he entered the park in Shoala, a mainly Shiite district in northern Baghdad, but he managed to set off his bomb before being caught.
At least 16 people were wounded in the attack on Thursday, 24 May. It was the first attack in Baghdad since the 17 May start of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, which bore the hallmarks of the Islamic State extremist group.
(With inputs from PTI)
Trump Says Will Know Next Week If North Korea Summit to Go Ahead
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, 23 May said he would know next week whether his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would take place on 12 June in Singapore as scheduled, casting further doubt on plans for the unprecedented meeting.
White House aides are preparing to travel to Singapore this weekend for a crucial meeting with North Korean officials to discuss the agenda and logistics for the summit, US officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Asked on Wednesday whether the summit would go ahead, Trump told reporters: "It could very well happen. Whatever it is, we'll know next week about Singapore. And if we go, I think it will be a great thing for North Korea."
But he added: "We'll see."
(With inputs from Reuters)
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