Top Stories Today – April 27, 2019
Top Stories Today – April 27, 2019
Koreas mark Moon-Kim summit anniversary
North and South Korea Saturday struck different notes as they marked the first anniversary of a summit between their leaders that fueled a whirlwind of diplomacy which has died down amid deadlock over Pyongyang’s denuclearization. Kim Jong Un and President Moon Jae-in held their first meeting on April 27 last year in the Demilitarized Zone dividing the peninsula amid a rapid diplomatic thaw, paving the way for a historic summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump in Singapore in June.
But one year later, little progress has been made on North Korea’s nuclear weapons, with Pyongyang and Washington deadlocked since a second summit between Trump and Kim in Hanoi in February broke down without a deal. The Voice of America
16 killed in Sri Lanka Police raid
At least 16 people — including six children — are dead and two suspected terrorists on the run after a shootout between police and alleged militants in eastern Sri Lanka late Friday, authorities said.
At daybreak, a gruesome scene was revealed at the raided house in the town of Sainthamaruthu on the country’s eastern coast — charred bodies and the roof entirely blown off during three explosions.
Among those killed, six are suspected terrorists and 10 are civilians — including one woman who was passing on a rickshaw at the time of the raid. Police are investigating the possible relationship of the civilians to the suspected terrorists. CNN
Moscow Mulling Citizenship Offer for all Ukrainians
Russian President Vladimir Putin says his administration is considering a plan to ease the process of granting Russian citizenship to all Ukrainians, not only those in war-torn parts of eastern Ukraine. Putin made the remark on April 27 at an infrastructure development summit in Beijing.
On April 24, Putin announced a presidential decree that eases the process of granting Russian citizenship to anyone living in parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions that are under the control of Russia-backed separatists. The Voice of America
Pentagon set to expand military role in southern border
The Pentagon is preparing to loosen rules that bar troops from interacting with migrants entering the United States, expanding the military’s involvement in President Trump’s operation along the southern border.
Senior Defense Department officials have recommended that acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahan approve a new request from the Department of Homeland Security to provide military lawyers, cooks and drivers to assist with handling a surge of migrants along the border. The move would require authorizing waivers for about 300 troops to a long-standing policy prohibiting military personnel from coming into contact with migrants. The Washington Post
Trump to withdraw US from Arms Trade Treaty
US President Donald Trump has said he will withdraw his country from the international Arms Trade Treaty. The agreement, signed by Barack Obama in 2013, aims to regulate the sale of weapons between countries. The US National Rifle Association says the treaty amounts to international gun control, and is a threat to America’s second amendment right to bear arms.
Speaking at the lobbying group’s annual meeting, Mr Trump said he would ask the US Senate not to ratify the pact. The US is the world’s top arms exporter. Its weapons sales are 58% higher than those of Russia, the world’s second largest exporter. BBC
Rescuers struggle to reach in storm hit Mozambique
Rescuers are trying to reach remote villages in Mozambique where a powerful cyclone caused widespread devastation. There are fears thousands of people may be trapped as heavy rain and high winds risk more flooding and landslides.
Cyclone Kenneth struck on Thursday with winds of 220km/h (140mph), barely a month after Cyclone Idai killed more than 900 people across three countries. Thousands of homes have been flattened, power lines damaged and low-lying areas deluged by the storm. The BBC’s Pumza Fihlani reports that the damage to the power lines in parts of northern Mozambique is making communication difficult. Almost 20,000 people have taken shelter in makeshift displacement centres, including schools and churches, our correspondent adds. BBC