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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Abhigyan Kundu hits 209 not out for first-ever double ton in Youth ODIs for India
Dubai (PTI): Wicketkeeper-batter Abhigyan Kundu on Tuesday created history with first-ever double ton in Youth ODIs for India, scoring an unbeaten against Malaysia in the U-19 Asia Cup match here.
The 17-year-old Kundu thus recorded only the second instance of a double century in Youth ODIs after South Africa's Jorich Van Schalkwyk, who had scored 215 off 153 balls against Zimbabwe earlier this year in Harare.
Batting at No 5, the left-handed Kundu hit an overall 19 fours and seven sixes to smash 209 not out off only 125 balls.
His knock powered India U-19 to a huge 408 for seven batting first.
Earlier in the same tournament, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had scored a 95-ball 171 against the UAE, which is overall the ninth highest individual score in the format.
