Trump-Kim meet a step forward for peace: Singapore PM
Singapore, May 11: Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday said that the upcoming historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, slated to take place in the island nation, will be a step forward "for peace".
"We hope this meeting will advance prospects for peace in the Korean Peninsula," Lee said in an official statement, adding that "Singapore is pleased to host the meeting".
After several weeks of speculations and only few hours after welcoming three Americans who were held captive in North Korea, Trump finally announced on Thursday night the date (June 12) and venue for the first-ever meeting between him and Kim, reports Efe news.
"We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!" Trump tweeted.
Lee tweeted a message in response to the Trump tweet, saying that the upcoming summit "is a significant step on the path to peace", and wished that "may it lead to a successful outcome".
The White House chose Singapore, a small and prosperous island state with 5.6 million people in Southeast Asia, as the summit venue due to "security" protocols and Singapore's experience in organising summits, an US official told Efe.
Singapore was selected also because it maintains diplomatic relations with both Washington and Pyongyang and is therefore considered a neutral ground.
The meeting is expected to last only one day, and can still be called off if Kim does anything unacceptable to the US, Victoria Coates, the director of international negotiations at the White House National Security Council, warned.
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VHP warns of statewide stir in Karnataka against move to ease cattle transport law
Udupi (Karnataka) (PTI): The VHP on Saturday demanded the immediate withdrawal of a proposed amendment to the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020, accusing the state government of weakening a law that has deterred illegal cattle transport.
The organisation's Go Raksha Wing, Karnataka South, has also announced district-level protests on December 8.
According to officials, the existing law mandates a bank guarantee for securing the release of vehicles seized for alleged illegal cattle transportation.
On December 4, the state Cabinet proposed an amendment enabling the release of such vehicles on an indemnity bond instead.
Addressing reporters in Udupi, VHP leader and Prantha Goraksha Pramukh Sunil K R, said the government's move amounted to "sympathy for cattle lifters" and claimed that it was part of broader actions "targeting Hindus".
He argued that the law in its current form is stringent and has played a crucial role in reducing incidents of illegal cattle transport and theft.
Under the Act, vehicles involved in offences can be surrendered and, upon conviction, permanently seized by authorities. "Diluting these provisions will embolden offenders," Sunil said.
The VHP leader warned that easing the process of vehicle release would not only encourage violators but also result in rising cruelty against cattle.
Sunil further claimed that the strict enforcement of the 2020 law had brought down cases of cattle-related offences significantly. Rolling back these provisions, he said, could reverse those gains and would lead to an increase in illegal transport.
He reiterated that the government must reconsider its decision and preserve the integrity of the existing law.
