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North and South Korean leaders to hold summit on April 27

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North and South Korean leaders to hold summit on April 27

Kim Jong Un to meet Donald Trump in May

On the heels of Kim Jong Un’s recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, leaders of North and South Korea will hold the third edition of the inter-Korean summit on April 27, after eleven years.

According to reports from Seoul, the two Koreas will endeavour to improve ties and reduce the tensions between them.  The previous editions of the summit were held in 2000 and 2007, both in the North Korean capital Pyongyang.

This was agreed on Thursday after the delegations from two Koreas met at the Panmunjom, the border village located along the heavily guarded Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), which acts as the de facto border between the two countries.

In a joint statement, the delegations announced that South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will meet at the Peace House, situated on the southern side of Panmunjom.

“Over the past 80 days, there have been many dramatic events that have not been seen earlier,” Ri Son-gwon, the North’s chief delegate, said at the start of the meeting.

The upcoming inter-Korean summit will likely serve as a critical venue for discussions to resolve the nuclear programme of Pyongyang, which it said has expressed willingness to abandon the programme in exchange for peace.

According to Seoul based Korea Times, a working-level meeting will take place on April 4 to arrange protocol, security and press coverage.

The joint statement was issued five hours after the meeting led by South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and his counterpart Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, began at the Peace House on the South’s side of Panmunjeom at 10 a.m. (6.30 am IST).

“I have mentioned the proverb ‘well begun is half done’ several times, but it seems we have come more than halfway by arranging the inter-Korean summit just four months after a high-level meeting in January,” said the South Korean minister after the meeting.

“The two leaders’ meeting will be another beginning for the great journey toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the settlement of peace and the development of inter-Korean relations,” he added.

“If both sides perceive the summit’s historical significance and importance, and make efforts with a serious and cooperative attitude, we will be able to resolve all issues swiftly and without difficulty,” Ri the North Korean minister said.

The bonhomie between the two Koreas come after Kim said in his New Year’s speech in North Korea in January that he was willing to ensure good ties with South Korea.

The North Korean sportspersons participated in the Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang in South Korea. In the winter sports games, the two Koreas marched under a unified Korean flag.

This driven rapprochement has been created after North Korea’s persistent nuclear and missile programs had created tensions in the Korean Peninsula.

Recently North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made an unannounced and surprise visit to Beijing, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping, that reportedly took place from March 25 to March 28. It was also the first time Kim had stepped out of North Korean soil since he took power in 2011.

US President Donald Trump, who earlier exchanged barbs with Kim, owing to North Korea’s  nuclear test and persistent missile tests, had last month accepted an invitation from the latter for a meet. He also wrote on Twitter on Wednesday that the meeting between President Xi and Kim was a ‘great success’.

There has been a pressing need for the denuclearisation of North Korea by Japan, the US, China and South Korea. On the same lines, a proposed summit is expected to take place between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in May.

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Lake Ontario name to stay, Mark Carney rejects Trump’s Lake America move

Canadian PM Mark Carney has rejected Trump’s move to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America, saying Canadians will continue using its historic name.

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Donald Trump

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has rejected US President Donald Trump’s decision to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America”, saying Canadians will continue to use the lake’s historic name.

Trump signed an executive order on Thursday changing the name for US federal usage. However, the order does not determine what Canada, international organisations or other authorities call the lake.

Carney said the name Lake Ontario predates both Canada and the United States as modern nations. He stressed that Canadians would continue to recognise the lake by its existing name.

“Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario — then, now and always,” Carney said in a social media post.

Why Trump renamed Lake Ontario

Trump announced that the lake would be renamed “Lake America” during remarks at the White House. The US president said the change would take effect immediately.

The move comes amid strained relations between Washington and Ottawa, including an ongoing dispute over trade and tariffs.

Lake Ontario is one of North America’s five Great Lakes and is shared by Canada and the United States. About 52 per cent of its surface area lies in Canada, while the remainder is in New York state.

Carney highlights Lake Ontario’s history

Carney also pointed to the Indigenous origins of the name Lake Ontario. The name is derived from the Wendat language and has been used for more than 400 years, predating the establishment of both countries in their present forms.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul also indicated that the state would continue referring to the body of water as Lake Ontario, highlighting that Trump’s order is limited to US federal usage.

The dispute over the name adds another symbolic point of friction to already tense US-Canada relations.

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105 Indians among 400 travellers missing in Nepal flash floods, 46 dead

At least 46 people have died and 384 travellers, including 105 Indians, are missing after flash floods hit northern Nepal.

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At least 46 people have died after a massive flash flood in Nepal’s Bhote Koshi River swept through parts of the country’s northern districts.

The flooding affected Nuwakot and Dhading districts, with floodwaters coming from the Tibetan side of the border. Several villages were reportedly washed away, while roads and other infrastructure suffered extensive damage.

At least 105 Indians are among 384 travellers reported missing from the affected area. The missing travellers include people who were travelling towards Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet with different travel agencies.

384 travellers reported missing

According to the Nepal Tourism Board, 384 travellers are missing, including 291 foreigners and 93 Nepali nationals.

Of the foreign nationals reported missing, 105 are Indians. The travellers were on their way to the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra when the flash flood struck.

The disaster has also affected security personnel. At least 26 Nepal Police personnel remain missing in Rasuwa district, while the Armed Police Force has reported seven missing personnel.

The Nepal Army has deployed helicopters and disaster response personnel to the affected areas. Authorities are also collecting information about the damage caused by the floods.

Six hydropower facilities damaged

The floods have also damaged major power infrastructure in Nepal.

The Nepal Electricity Authority said six of its major hydropower and transmission facilities were damaged. These include Rasuwagadhi, Chilime, Trishuli 3A, Trishuli 3B Hub 220 kV Substation, Trishuli Hydropower Station and Devighat Hydropower Station.

The authority said the damage to production, transmission and distribution facilities has disrupted electricity supplies.

Several highways in Nepal have also been closed following the flooding.

Nepal PM convenes emergency meeting

Prime Minister Balendra Shah has convened an emergency meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority to review the situation.

Mr Shah said work had begun to take necessary measures in coordination with medical teams, scouts and the Red Cross.

Videos shared by Nepal Police and others showed torrents of muddy water moving through mountain valleys in areas bordering Tibet.

Authorities have warned people living close to rivers to move to safer locations as rescue and assessment operations continue.

Monsoon rains between June and September regularly cause floods and landslides across South Asia. Scientists have also linked climate change to an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the region.

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US pauses visa interviews worldwide amid new screening training

The US has paused or rescheduled visa appointments worldwide as consular officers undergo training focused on comprehensive immigration screening.

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Donald Trump

The Trump administration has paused or rescheduled visa appointments at US embassies and consulates worldwide as the State Department conducts a global training initiative for consular officers.

The State Department said visa service appointments are being adjusted to accommodate the training across its overseas diplomatic posts. The initiative is aimed at helping officers screen applicants who may be considered likely to become dependent on US public benefits and at ensuring visa applications are evaluated comprehensively and consistently.

There is currently no specific timeline for how long the changes to visa appointments will continue.

Visa applicants receive rescheduling notices

Some immigrant visa applicants who already had interviews scheduled at US embassies and consulates have reportedly received emails informing them that their appointments would be rescheduled.

The applicants were told that they would receive further communication regarding a new interview date.

The development comes as the Trump administration continues its broader immigration crackdown, which has included visa and green card revocations and rejection of applications on various grounds.

Trump administration steps up immigration scrutiny

The administration has also begun a White House review of a proposal to overhaul the H-1B visa programme. The proposal has been classified as economically significant and could affect the employment-based immigration route used by thousands of Indian professionals.

Separately, the administration plans to revoke the visas of around 200,000 foreigners who entered the US for tourism or business but later sought to remain in the country by applying for asylum, according to the report.

The immigration crackdown has also faced legal challenges. A US judge recently struck down a policy that suspended the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries, ruling that the policy exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statutory authority.

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