Trump: N. Korea summit could still happen on June 12
Washington, May 25: US President Donald Trump said on Friday that a nuclear summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could still take place as scheduled on June 12, just one day after he cancelled it.
"We'll see what happens. It could even be the 12th," Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before leaving for the US Naval Academy to deliver a commencement address.
"They very much want to do it. We'd like to do it. We're going to see what happens," he was quoted as saying by the Hill magazine.
North Korea issued a conciliatory statement on Thursday night in response to Trump's decision to scrap his meeting with Kim.
"We reiterate to the US that there is a willingness to sit down at any time, in any way, to solve the problem," a top North Korean official said.
Trump responded by saying that "it was a very nice statement they put out" and said the US was still "talking to them now", referring to the North Koreans.
Asked whether the North Koreans were playing games, the US President acknowledged they were -- and suggested he was too.
"Everybody plays games. You know that," he said when asked about the ongoing talks. "You know that better than anybody."
Trump's comments fuelled the uncertainty and confusion surrounding his attempts to broker a nuclear agreement with North Korea.
He wrote a letter on Thursday to Kim informing him their June 12 meeting in Singapore was off due to Pyongyang's "open hostility" towards Washington.
A senior White House official said, however, that it would be extremely difficult to hold the summit on the original date, especially because North Korea cut off contact with the US regarding planning and logistics.
"June 12 is in 10 minutes," the official said.
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Raphinha apologizes for gesture toward Atletico fans after Barcelona's Champions League elimination
Madrid (AP): Barcelona forward Raphinha has apologized for his gesture toward Atletico Madrid fans after his team's elimination in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Raphinha, who didn't play on Tuesday because of a hamstring injury, also criticized the refereeing, making the “robbed” sign with his hands, and later told reporters that Barcelona was “robbed" over the two legs.
The Brazil star is likely to face punishment from UEFA for his actions at the Metropolitano stadium.
While still on the field, he gestured toward Atletico supporters and made a gesture apparently indicating that the rival will be eliminated in the next round. He appeared to tell fans “you are out."
“I apologize for my gesture, which does not reflect my values ??or character,” Raphinha said on Wednesday in a comment to a DAZN post that showed him gesturing to the crowd. "It was an act in a moment of tension, in response to a fan who was disrespecting me.”
Barcelona, seeking to return to the semifinals of the Champions League for the second season in a row, won 2-1 on Tuesday but it wasn't enough to overcome a 2-0 loss at home in the first leg last week.
Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso said it was nonsense for Raphinha to say Barcelona was robbed.
“I respect everyone's opinion, but let's not say that it was a robbery, because it wasn't like that,” Musso said. "We won it on the field. We won 2-0 on the road. It's a team that we respect a lot and are very motivated to play against. It's a great team, but I think that to talk about robbery is just crazy.”
Raphinha did not immediately apologize for his comments about the refereeing.
“To me, it was robbed',” he told reporters on Tuesday. “Not only this match, but the other one as well. The refereeing was very bad. Incredible the decisions that they made. Atletico made a lot of fouls and the referee didn't show a single yellow card.”
Other players also criticized the refereeing over the two legs.
President-elect Joan Laporta said Wednesday that the refereeing was “shameful” and “inadmissible,” and said the club planned to present a formal complaint with UEFA.
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