Trump welcomes 3 US detainees freed by N.Korea
Washington, May 10: US President Donald Trump welcomed the three freed American detainees who reached here on Thursday morning after they were released by North Korea.
Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak-song and Tony Kim were freed on Wednesday while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on a visit to the North Korean capital Pyongyang to discuss Trump's upcoming summit with leader Kim Jong-un, CNN reported.
No family members or friends of the freed Americans were present for their arrival due to protocol reasons, said an official. The men had to first debrief intelligence officials before heading to their homes, the official added.
Speaking on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews Air Force Base, Kim Dong Chul said his release felt "like a dream". "We are very, very happy."
Trump, who was accompanied by his wife Melania, told reporters it was "nice" of the North Korean leader to release the men ahead of their planned summit. According to reports, administration officials had been instructed to move forward with plans to convene the Trump-Kim meeting in Singapore.
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen Pence were also present to welcome the three men home.
"Frankly we didn't think this was going to happen. It's a very important thing to all of us to be able to get these three great people out," Trump said.
After their meeting with the US President, the men were expected to go to Walter Reed Medical Centre in Maryland for further evaluation and medical treatment, according to White House Press Secretary Lindsay Walters.
They issued a joint statement on Wednesday thanking Trump saying: "We would like to express our deep appreciation to the US government, President Trump, Secretary Pompeo, and the US people for bringing us home."
Trump has marked the men's arrival as a major milestone ahead of his upcoming historic summit with Kim. He had previously said the release of the men was part of working towards the denuclearisation of North Korea.
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Kolkata court to deliver judgement in rape-murder of RG Kar hospital doctor
Kolkata (PTI): The judgement in the brutal rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital here will be delivered later on Saturday.
Sanjay Roy, who was a civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police, was charged with committing the crime on the postgraduate trainee at the state-run hospital in the northern part of the city on August 9 last year.
The judgement will be delivered by Anirban Das, the additional district and sessions judge of the Sealdah court, 57 days after the in-camera trial commenced on November 12.
The Kolkata Police, which was investigating the case initially arrested Roy on August 10, a day after the medic's body was recovered from the seminar room of the hospital. The Calcutta High Court later transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The in-camera trial in the rape and murder of the doctor commenced on November 12.
The hearing in Roy's trial was concluded on January 9, during which 50 witnesses were examined. The parents of the deceased doctor have claimed that other persons were involved in the crime and expected that they would also be arrested and tried before the court.
The victim's parents have also filed an application before the court seeking further investigation into the case.
The crime led to nationwide outrage and prolonged protests by junior doctors in Kolkata, demanding justice for the victim and adequate security arrangements in state-run hospitals.
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