Trump thanks Singapore PM for hosting Kim summit
Singapore, June 11 : US President Donald Trump on Monday met Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and thanked him for hosting his upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying he appreciated the hospitality, professionalism and friendship.
"We have a very interesting meeting in particular tomorrow (Tuesday), and I think things can work out very nicely," The Straits Times quoted Trump as saying.
"But we appreciate your hospitality and professionalism and your friendship. Thank you very much," the President added.
The two leaders shared a warm handshake at the Istana or presidential palace before they began their working lunch. During the meeting, the officials also celebrated Trump's birthday. He will turn 72 on June 14.
Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan posted a photo on social media of Trump posing with the birthday cake. "Celebrating birthday, a bit early," he wrote.
Trump is also scheduled to have a meet-and-greet session with US embassy staff and American military officers at the Shangri-la Hotel later on Monday, The Straits Times reported.
Trump and his delegation including National Security Adviser John Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders landed in Singapore's Paya Lebar Air Base on Sunday night, after attending the G7 Summit in Canada.
Also on Sunday, Kim arrived in Singapore aboard an Air China plane. This is his first-known trip outside Northeast Asia since taking power in 2011.
Trump and Kim's summit, the first ever between two sitting leaders of the countries, will begin at 9 a.m. on Tuesday at the exclusive Capella Hotel in Sentosa Island.
Meanwhile on Monday, senior North Korean and US diplomats held last-minute talks in Singapore to come up with a draft agreement to be presented to the leaders of the two countries during their summit, reports Yonhap News Agency.
Ambassador Sung Kim, the US State Department's top Korea expert, met Choe Son-hui, the North's Vice Foreign Minister, at the Ritz Carlton hotel.
Choe and Kim have already held several rounds of discussions at Panmunjom on the inter-Korean border that were reportedly focused on summit agenda items, including denuclearisation and security assurance measures.
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Fake notes with 'movie shooting purpose only' written on them send police into tizzy in Sirsi
Sirsi (Karnataka), Apr 8 (PTI): The police in Uttar Kannada went into a tizzy on Tuesday after they found fake currency notes of Rs 500 denomination from a house in Dandeli with 'movie shooting purpose only' written on them.
Based on a tip-off, police searched a rented house at Gandhinagar in Dandeli and confiscated the fake currency notes along with a money counting machine.
Arshad Khan, who is said to be from Goa, was staying as a tenant in the house belonging to Noorjan Jhunjuwadkar, police said.
Police were informed after Jhunjuwadkar noticed that Khan was absent from the house for the past one month.
The fake currency notes had the inscription 'Reverse Bank of India' on them, but did not have the signature of the RBI governor, police said.
The notes were printed on a shining paper with only zeros written in the place of the number, and 'movie shooting purpose only' inscribed on them, police said.
A hunt is on to trace Khan to question him about the seizure, they added.
