US President Donald Trump will today hold a meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, ahead of the historic US-North Korea summit tomorrow.

The meeting between the two leaders will be followed by expanded bilateral meetings and a working lunch.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said that the President, Secretary of State, White House Chief of Staff, and National Security Adviser have arrived in Singapore for the June 12 summit.

Today, Sung Kim, a former US ambassador to South Korea and former nuclear negotiator with the North, will lead a US delegation for a working group with a North Korean delegation at the Ritz Carlton hotel, Sanders said.

"We are also planning a briefing by senior administration officials in the filing centre at the JW Marriott tentatively scheduled for 5pm local time," she said in the briefing note issued in Washington yesterday.

During the flight, the President spent time meeting with his staff, reading materials, and preparing for his meetings in Singapore.

He thanked Singapore's organisation of the summit as if it was "their own family affair".

The two leaders discussed bilateral relations as well as the summit and the recent positive developments on the Korean peninsula.

Lee complimented the bold and admirable decision by Kim and Trump to come together for the Summit.

Prime Minister Lee wished Kim a success for the summit and expressed hope that the US-DPRK meeting will advance the prospects for peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and the larger region.

Singapore is one of the few countries that have diplomatic relations with both the US and North Korea.

Trump and Kim are set to meet on Tuesday at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa for talks which could see North Korea dismantle its nuclear arsenal in return for economic help and security guarantees.

The summit will be the first meeting between Trump and Kim and mark a turnaround of relations between the two leaders after a long-running exchange of furious threats and insults.

The two leaders have had an extraordinary up-and-down relationship over the past 18 months.

Some 2,500 journalists are reporting on the event, which is costing Singapore government about SGD 20 million. </s> Singapore's PM Lee Hsien Loong surprised U.S. President Donald Trump with a birthday cake a day before the historic summit between North Korea and the United States. </s> US President Donald Trump will today hold a meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, ahead of the historic US-North Korea summit on Tuesday. The meeting between the two leaders will be followed by expanded bilateral meetings and a working lunch.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said that the President, Secretary of State, White House Chief of Staff, and National Security Adviser have arrived in Singapore for the June 12 summit. Today, Sung Kim, a former US ambassador to South Korea and former nuclear negotiator with the North, will lead a US delegation for a working group with a North Korean delegation at the Ritz Carlton hotel, Sanders said.

“We are also planning a briefing by senior administration officials in the filing centre at the JW Marriott tentatively scheduled for 5pm local time,” she said in the briefing note issued in Washington yesterday.

During the flight, the President spent time meeting with his staff, reading materials, and preparing for his meetings in Singapore. Chairman Kim on Sunday held a meeting with Prime Minister Lee. He thanked Singapore’s organisation of the summit as if it was “their own family affair”.

The two leaders discussed bilateral relations as well as the summit and the recent positive developments on the Korean peninsula. Lee complimented the bold and admirable decision by Kim and Trump to come together for the Summit.

Prime Minister Lee wished Kim a success for the summit and expressed hope that the US-DPRK meeting will advance the prospects for peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and the larger region. Singapore is one of the few countries that have diplomatic relations with both the US and North Korea.

Trump and Kim are set to meet on Tuesday at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa for talks which could see North Korea dismantle its nuclear arsenal in return for economic help and security guarantees. The summit will be the first meeting between Trump and Kim and mark a turnaround of relations between the two leaders after a long-running exchange of furious threats and insults.

The two leaders have had an extraordinary up-and-down relationship over the past 18 months. Some 2,500 journalists are reporting on the event, which is costing Singapore government about SGD 20 million.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App </s> SINGAPORE: Amid the flurry of activity in the lead-up to the historic US-North Korea summit, there was some time on Monday (Jun 11) to celebrate President Donald Trump's birthday.

He turns 72 on Thursday, and his Singapore hosts made sure that was not forgotten. A birthday cake was brought out during the working lunch at the Istana with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and officials from both sides.

Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan shared the moment on social media, saying: "Celebrating birthday, a bit early."



Lunch included dishes like lobster bisque, angus beef tenderloin and ice-cream, according to a copy of the menu spotted in a photo posted by Education Minister Ong Ye Kung on social media.



Mr Trump is widely reported to like his steak well done, with a side of ketchup. No word on how his beef was cooked at the lunch.

At the lunch, Mr Trump expressed optimism for Tuesday's meeting with Mr Kim and also thanked his Singapore hosts for their hospitality.

"We have a very interesting meeting in particular tomorrow, and I think things can work out very nicely," he said. "But we appreciate your hospitality and professionalism and your friendship."

Mr Trump also tweeted a video of highlights from his meeting with Mr Lee with the caption: "Thank you Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong!"

In a Facebook post on Monday evening, Mr Lee said that Mr Trump hosted him at the White House last October, and that he was "glad to reciprocate his hospitality". 



"I wished him all the best for tomorrow’s summit, which we hope will be a first step on the path to peace," the Prime Minister also said, adding that he was "looking forward to a positive outcome".

Mr Trump has accepted an invitation from his Singapore counterpart Halimah Yacob to make a state visit here in November. </s> Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong today surprised Donald Trump with a birthday cake, ahead of the US President’s historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jung-un.

A picture of Trump smiling at the cake, decorated with fresh fruit, was shared on Twitter by Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan with the message saying “Celebrating birthday, a bit early“.

You can celebrate Trump’s birthday tonight in Jupiter at Abacoa Golf Club.

The post Happy 72nd Birthday President Trump, Celebrate at Abacoa Golf Club appeared first on 850 WFTL. </s> SINGAPORE: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana on Sunday (Jun 10), two days before a planned summit with United States President Donald Trump.

"The entire world is focusing on the historic summit between the DPRK and the US, and thanks to your sincere efforts ... we were able to complete the preparations for the historic summit, and I would like to thank you for that," Mr Kim, speaking through an interpreter, told PM Lee.



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"I have the expectation that this (summit) will be very successful."

During the meeting, Mr Lee and Mr Kim discussed Singapore-North Korea relations, as well as developments in the North and the region.

Mr Lee complimented the bold and admirable decision by Mr Kim and US President Trump to come together for Tuesday's summit.

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Mr Lee also wished Mr Kim success for the summit and expressed hope that the meeting will advance the prospects for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the larger region.

"We discussed developments in the Korean Peninsula, as well as in the region," said Mr Lee in a Facebook post. "I complimented him on his decision to meet President Trump, and wished him a successful summit and a good stay in Singapore."





The meeting took place less than four hours after Mr Kim touched down at the Changi Airport, where he was received by Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Education Minister Ong Ye Kung.

Mr Kim's motorcade left Changi Aiport accompanied by traffic police escorts as it headed for the St Regis Hotel, where he is expected to stay.

Kim Jong Un landed in Singapore on Sunday afternoon (Jun 10).

Mr Trump is staying at the Shangri-La Hotel, which is also in the Tanglin area within Singapore’s city centre.



Motorcade for Kim Jong Un arrives at St Regis Hotel in downtown Singapore. #TrumpKimSummit https://t.co/dw8NVVcNEs pic.twitter.com/bdtI68Alzg — CNA (@ChannelNewsAsia) June 10, 2018

The two leaders are to meet on Tuesday at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island where talks on denuclearisation of North Korea in exchange for economic help will be on the table.

Both Sentosa and the Tanglin area have been designated special event areas by the police and security has been tightened at both places.

Last week, Singapore authorities also warned travellers arriving at and departing from Singapore to expect flight delays as airspace will be restricted from Sunday to Thursday.

More than 2,500 journalists have descended on Singapore to cover the event, and will be based at a media centre at the F1 pit building.

The unprecedented meeting, the first time a sitting US president meets a North Korean leader, was nearly called off just two weeks before the event.

Watch our comprehensive coverage of the Trump-Kim summit live on YouTube from 7am on Tuesday (Jun 12). Subscribe to our channel here.

You can also watch the livestream, and read updates at www.channelnewsasia.com/trumpkimsummit. </s> Kim Jong Un met with Lee Hsien Loong ahead of Donald Trump's arrival in Singapore. Rough cut (no reporter narration) </s> SINGAPORE (AP) — On the eve of their historic and unprecedented summit, President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un prepared Tuesday for a meeting that could define the fate of millions, along with their own political futures, with Trump forecasting a "nice" outcome and Kim spending the day out of view.

Both sides were finalizing preparations for the meeting, which was to kick off at 9 a.m. Tuesday with a handshake between Trump and Kim, an image sure to be devoured around the world. Trump and Kim planned to meet one on one, joined only by translators, for up to two hours before admitting their respective advisers, a U.S. official said. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about internal deliberations and insisted on anonymity.

The summit will be the first between a North Korean leader and a sitting American president. In Singapore, the island city-state hosting the summit, the sense of anticipation was palpable, with people lining spotless streets Monday waving cell phones as Trump headed to meet Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

As Trump and Lee sat down for a working lunch at the Istana house, Trump sounded optimistic, telling Lee, "we've got a very interesting meeting in particular tomorrow, and I think things can work out very nicely." Trump had earlier tweeted about the "excitement in the air!"

Meanwhile, U.S. and North Korean officials huddled at the Ritz-Carlton hotel Monday ahead of the sit-down aimed at resolving a standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal. A second round of meetings was planned for the afternoon as officials worked to lay the groundwork for progress to be made Tuesday, according to the official familiar with the preparations. Delegates were outlining specific goals for what Trump and Kim should try to accomplish and multiple scenarios for how key issues can be resolved.

A look at what to expect from the Kim-Trump summit

SINGAPORE (AP) — After a sudden and welcome turn to diplomacy following last year's threats, insults and fears of war — remember "fire and fury" and "dotard"? — Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un are ready to shake hands, sit down face-to-face and ... do what exactly?

Some observers insist that it's the beginning of the complete denuclearization of North Korea. No, no, say others, you need to manage your expectations. This is just an elaborate get-to-know-you session, albeit between the two most famous leaders in the world, and nuclear armed at that.

Actually, says another group, there will indeed be disarmament, a peace treaty ending the Korean War and North Korea's emergence as a contributing member of the international community — but just not right now.

Whatever the results, it will be one of the more unusual summits in recent history as a flamboyant, often erratic U.S. president gets a close-up look at a hereditary socialist despot who sits on a nuclear weapons program.

Here's a look at how Tuesday's first-ever meeting between the leaders of North Korea and the United States might turn out:

North Korea gets first big dose of Trump summit news

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Koreans got their first big dose of news Monday that their leader Kim Jong Un had arrived in Singapore for what even the state-run media was calling a historic meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The news covered the front page of the ruling party's newspaper and was the top — and only — item on the first news broadcast of the day on Korean Central Television, which for many North Koreans is the only channel available.

People crowded around poster stands at subway stations around the capital to read the news and gathered at noon in front of the city's main train station to watch a big screen display of images of Kim getting off the special Air China flight that took him to Singapore.

A report by the Korea Central News Agency said the summit would have "wide-ranging and profound talks" and noted that it is being held "under the great attention and expectation of the whole world."

The relative speed with which the state media got the news of Kim's arrival in Singapore out to the North Korean public suggests a certain level of confidence that the meeting will go well — or at least well enough. For the North, Kim Jong Un has already won a huge propaganda bonus by merely having the summit and sitting down as an equal with the U.S. president, an accomplishment his father and grandfather sought but could never realize.

Brothel bans weighed in Nevada as legal pimp runs for office

PAHRUMP, Nev. (AP) — A state marketed as a place where people can indulge in all manner of sins is confronting its status as the only place in America where you can legally pay someone for sex.

A coalition of religious groups and anti-sex trafficking activists has launched referendums to ban brothels in two of the seven Nevada counties where they're legally operating. The push to outlaw the industry dovetails with a campaign by the state's most famous pimp for a seat in the state Legislature.

Nevada, according to brothel owner Dennis Hof, was built "on gaming, liquor, girls and mining."

"But there's a shift occurring," said Jason Guinasso, a Reno-based attorney involved with the effort to get the anti-brothel measures on the November ballot.

Hof, who has half a dozen brothels operating in the two counties and starred in the HBO adult reality series "Cathouse," is challenging incumbent Assembly member James Oscarson of Pahrump in a Republican primary on Tuesday.

ROME (AP) — Italy and Malta dug in for a second day Monday and refused to let a rescue ship with 629 people aboard dock in their ports, leaving the migrants at sea as a diplomatic standoff escalated under Italy's new anti-immigrant government.

"Enough!" said Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini. "Saving lives is a duty, but transforming Italy into an enormous refugee camp isn't."

He tweeted: #Chiudiamoiporti. "We're closing the ports."

Maltese Premier Joseph Muscat also refused to take in the Aquarius ship of the humanitarian group SOS Mediterranee. He accused Italy, which coordinated the rescue, of violating international norms governing sea rescues.

Italy's position, Muscat said, risks "creating a dangerous situation for all those involved."

MBANDAKA, Congo (AP) — Irene Mboyo Mola spent 11 days caring for her husband as he died of Ebola in a hospital where she said nurses were too scared to get close. She helped him to the bathroom, picked up his feverish body when he lost his balance, and reinserted an IV that fell out of his bleeding arm.

"He told me all he could see was death," recalls Mola, a 30-year-old mother of six, as she sat slumped on the floor in her small hut.

That close contact put Mola at high risk of getting a disease that has no cure and kills about half of those infected. But now, as Congo battles the most serious Ebola outbreak since the devastating 2014 epidemic in West Africa, health workers have something new to offer: a vaccine.

With thousands of doses dispatched to front-line health workers, the world is watching to see if a promising but still experimental vaccine might help stop this terrifying disease faster than traditional measures doctors have tried since Ebola was identified 40 years ago.

Even if the vaccine helps, there are serious hurdles. The shots must be transported deep into forests with few paved roads without it spoiling in the heat. Health workers have to identify and track down anyone who's had contact with a sick person. Hardest of all, they must persuade a scared and wary population that shots pushed by foreigners could save their lives.

Immigration firm seems to thrive after Trump lawyer's help

NEW YORK (AP) — AT&T and drug giant Novartis got nothing but bad publicity when they asked Donald Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen for help with business, but a Florida immigration firm that tapped him appears to have gotten nearly everything it wanted.

When Nicholas Mastroianni II hooked up with Cohen last year, his business was threatened by a looming regulatory crackdown on the federal EB-5 program that offers foreigners permanent residency visas if they invest in certain U.S. real estate projects.

Cohen put Mastroianni in touch with a lobbying firm that was paying him for referrals. And although it's not clear exactly what the firm did, the proposed crackdown on the visa program collapsed and Mastroianni's business — U.S. Immigration Fund — is now set to pocket tens of millions in fees for acting as a visa broker in a string of ongoing projects.

"Without regulation, the fat cats are still lapping at the bowl," said David North, a fellow at the nonpartisan research firm Center for Immigration Studies who has supported the EB-5 overhaul efforts led by Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley.

Neither Cohen nor Mastroianni responded to requests for comment about their newly revealed business relationship.

JARABLUS, Syria (AP) — Nearly 50 children orphaned by the Syrian war escaped the hell that was their hometown of Aleppo after they appeared in a distressing video and appealed for their lives as government forces moved in under a hail of fire.

In the year and half since, the children and their instructors have been uprooted twice more: once to escape similar bombardment in another rebel stronghold and again when they fled a town that has been overwhelmed by people seeking shelter from Syria's war.

The orphanage first established in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, known as the Center for the Exceptional, has finally landed in a small house in the sleepy northern town of Jarablus, which was once a hub for Islamic State militants along the border with Turkey but has been governed by a Turkey-backed administration since 2016.

More than six million people — nearly a quarter of Syria's pre-war population — have been displaced inside Syria because of the war. For Aleppo's orphans, the war trauma and the loss of parents were compounded by the recurrent uprooting from the only familiar place they knew.

"It was better back home. We had our toys and our home. We had a court to play in and we had a toys room, a looms area, and a hall for learning singing," said Yasmine Qamuz, an 11-year-old whose mother is missing and whose father died of a heart condition in Aleppo. Qamuz said she left her favorite yellow doll behind in Aleppo.

A theme of tolerance, inclusion at this year's Tony Awards

NEW YORK (AP) — A small-scale, intimate musical about hard-won cultural understanding was an altogether apt Tony winner on a night where tolerance and inclusion were constant themes.

"The Band's Visit," about an Egyptian police band that gets stranded in a remote Israeli desert town, forcing both sides to get to know each other, triumphed over much flashier shows to win best musical Sunday night — and a total of 10 awards. The closest runner-up, with six, was the blockbuster London import "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," which won best play.

One by one, the winners of "The Band's Visit" referenced the show's themes of acceptance and finding a common humanity. Tony Shalhoub, named best actor in a musical, spoke of his father's arrival at Ellis Island from Lebanon in 1920. "May we, their descendants, never lose sight of what they taught us," he said. Ari'el Stachel, who won for best featured actor, praised the show for "telling a small story about Arabs and Israelis getting along, at a time that we need that more than ever." Addressing his parents in the audience, Stachel, whose father was born in Israel, confessed that "for so many years of my life I pretended I was not a Middle Eastern person."

The show also won awards for its luminous lead actress, Katrina Lenk, and its director, book and score, among others. Producer Orin Wolf said the message was one of unity, in a world that "more and more seems bent on amplifying our differences." Composer David Yazbek, speaking later at the Tony after-party, said the show had special resonance amid "the climate of divisiveness that we're seeing." The show isn't just about Jews and Arabs, he said; "It's about any tribes that have figured out reasons to be at odds with each other."

The Middle East conflict, immigration, LGBT equality, gun control — many social issues came up, explicitly or implicitly, during the ceremony, which was hosted with a light (and musical) touch by Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban. The night's first big winner, Andrew Garfield, best actor in a play for "Angels in America," earned hearty cheers when he declared, "Let's just bake a cake for everyone who wants a cake to be baked." He was referring to last week's Supreme Court decision in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple because of religious objections.

NEW YORK (AP) — With a bleep on live television and double fists raised in the air, Robert De Niro got the theater crowd on its feet at the Tony Awards with a rousing political introduction of his old friend Bruce Springsteen that was focused squarely elsewhere: on President Donald Trump.

De Niro, a staunch Trump opponent, dropped a couple of F-bombs heard clearly by the Radio City Music crowd Sunday night. The CBS television audience heard dead silence instead before he raised his arms — twice — and earned a sustained standing ovation.

The legendary actor urged the audience to vote in November and lauded Springsteen for his own political commitment before the singer sat at a piano for a moving performance based on his "Springsteen on Broadway" show that had him singing his classic hit, "My Hometown."

De Niro said of Springsteen: "Bruce, you can rock the house like nobody else and even more importantly in these perilous times, you rock the vote, always fighting for, in your own words, truth, transparency and integrity in government. Boy, do we need that now."

The anti-Trump sentiment swept backstage as playwright Tony Kushner and others from "Angels in America" spoke to reporters about its three big wins: best play revival and acting trophies for Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane </s> The two leaders will initially meet alone, with only translators, away from the prying eyes of the world. Picture: AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon

The two leaders will initially meet alone, with only translators, away from the prying eyes of the world. Picture: AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon

DONALD Trump and Kim Jong-un were never going to have a conventional meeting, but the headstrong pair have already dropped some bombshells as they prepare for their summit.

The two leaders will appear for a much-anticipated greeting in front of the media on Tuesday at 9am in Singapore (11am AEST), but the photo op will be followed by an hour-long, one-on-one meeting with only their translators.

It's an unusual and frustrating move for a world hanging on every detail of their interaction, and has caused fears among security experts of a he-said-she-said scenario.

The intimate tete-a-tete at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island will then give way to a bilateral meeting with top officials from both countries, followed by a working lunch with an even larger group.

In another unexpected twist, the US President revealed on the eve of the summit that he will leave Singapore a day earlier than planned, after nuclear negotiations moved "more quickly than expected."

The pair had not even met when he made the announcement, although US and North Korean officials spent Monday setting goals and possible outcomes at the Ritz Carlton hotel.

Mr Trump will participate in a media briefing after the summit before departing in the evening for the United States.

On Monday evening, Kim left his luxury St Regis hotel for the first time since he met the city-state's prime minister Lee Hsien Loong after his arrival on Sunday. The North Korean leader - who rarely travels - was surrounded by security guards, a media scrum and cheering crowds as he embarked on an evening tour of attractions on the city's waterfront.

Kim's motorcade headed to the world-famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel, before he and his sister Kim Yo-jong visited the Esplanade, Jubilee Bridge and the Gardens by the Bay, where the reclusive leader posed for selfies with Singaporean government officials.

Mr Trump met with Mr Lee on Monday and attended a working lunch, telling the Singaporean PM: "We've got a very interesting meeting in particular tomorrow, and I think things can work out very nicely."

The US President was presented with an early birthday cake and blew out the candles ahead of his 72nd on June 14, before returning to the Shangri-La Hotel to work.

The US delegation at the larger meeting on Tuesday will include Mr Pompeo, Chief of Staff John Kelly, and National Security Advisor John Bolton.

Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, Ambassador Sung Kim, and National Security Council Senior Director for Asia Matt Pottinger will attend the working lunch.

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman arrived in Singapore at around midnight, hours before Tuesday morning's summit. The White House said he would play no official role in negotiations, but the athlete has promised to "give whatever support is needed" to his "friends" Mr Trump and Kim.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier seemed to play down expectations for the meeting, which Mr Trump had predicted could yield an instant end to the Korean War.

Mr Trump called the leaders of South Korea and Japan in advance of the summit but South Korean President Moon Jae-in would have to be present if a declaration ending the conflict was to be signed, and he has no current plans to join Mr Trump and Kim.

Mr Pompeo suggested the summit might have little concrete success other than to pave the way for further meetings.

The Secretary of State told reporters the US was prepared to take action to provide North Korea with "sufficient certainty" that denuclearisation "is not something that ends badly for them."

He would not say whether that included the possibility of withdrawing troops from the Korean Peninsula, but stressed the discussions were "radically different than ever before"

He said the US was "prepared to take what will be security assurances that are different, unique, than America's been willing to provide previously."

Mr Trump has already made it clear the summit is a "one-time shot" and said he would know within minutes of meeting Kim whether an agreement was going to be reached or not. But he also said the summit would be part of a "process".

He told reporters he hadn't prepared "very much" because, "I will know, just my touch, my feel. That's what I do."

Asked on Saturday about his aims, he said: "Well, I think the minimum would be relationship. You would start at least a dialogue, because, you know, as a deal person, I have done very well with deals."

The North has faced crippling international sanctions as it has developed its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

There is deep scepticism over whether Kim will easily abandon his nuclear weapons program, but experts hope diplomacy can replace the animosity between the US and the Hermit Kingdom.

With the summit already dramatically cancelled and reinstated, anything appears to be possible from this clash of two unpredictable men.

Mr Trump also made an unexpected exit from the Group of 7 meeting in Canada, insulting host Justin Trudeau and removing the US from the group statement.
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and U.S. President Donald Trump hold a bilateral meeting.