US PRESIDENT Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did what they claimed would change world history yesterday by signing a four-point joint statement after their unprecedented summit in Singapore to denuclearise the Korean peninsula.

“Today we had a very historic meeting and decided to leave the past behind – we are about to sign a historic document. The world will see a major change,” Kim said during the signing ceremony after the summit.

Trump said: “I thank Chairman Kim for taking a bold step towards a bright new future for his people. Our unprecedented meeting between an American president and a leader of North Korea proves that real change is indeed possible. My meeting with Chairman Kim was honest and productive… We are preparing to start a new history and we are ready to write a new chapter between our nations in nearly 70 years [since the Korean War].”

The document is a result of the summit in the city-state of Singapore, which both Trump and Kim praised for its excellent arrangements and something that Singapore, the current chair of Asean, can be proud of.

Key elements in the historic paper are an emphasis on an establishment of ties between Washington and Pyongyang, lasting peace in the Korean peninsula, complete denuclearisation there and exchanges of prisoners of war.

The joint statement added: “President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to North Korea and Chairman Kim Jong-un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to a complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.”

The Singapore summit took place in a global spotlight yesterday, with North Korea’s nuclear ambition widely considered one of the world’s most pressing geopolitical problems. It is thus hoped that the meeting of the two leaders will contribute to peace and stability not only on the Korean peninsula but all over the world.

The body language of the two leaders at the beginning of the meeting at the Capella hotel on the island of Sentosa, which means peace, initially made many observers nervous and sceptical of the two men’s ability to produce any meaningful result.

It was not until Trump and Kim took a walk together in the hotel compound after a closed-door meeting and Trump hinted to waiting journalists that they were about to sign an important – and in his words “comprehensive” – document that onlookers’ fears began to ease. The two leaders also had lunch together.US President Donald Trump (2nd R) and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un (2nd L) sign documents as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R) and the North Korean leader’s sister Kim Yo Jong (L) look on at a signing ceremony during their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12, 2018 (AFP photo)

There were no insulting words to each other before or after the summit – Trump even praised his counterpart, a man about half his age, as a smart and good negotiator.

The president invited Kim to visit Washington and said he would visit Pyongyang at an appropriate time. Another summit is possible, he said in a press conference lasting more than an hour.

The dismantling of weapons of mass destruction was a key element of the summit’s discussions. While the signed document did not mention how Pyongyang would carry out a complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation (CVID), Trump said that “the process is now going to take place”, adding: “Chairman Kim has told me North Korea has already destroyed a major missile engine-testing site.”

Trump said that the process would be verified by a number of people to prove the completion of denuclearisation. He also said he was well aware that Washington and the international community had in the past wasted billions of dollars as an ultimately futile incentive to the regime in Pyongyang to give up its nuclear ambitions.US President Donald J. Trump (L) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (R) strolling together through the grounds of the Capella Hotel after their working lunch during the historic summit at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island, Singapore, 12 June 2018 (EPA photo). 

Trump also said he believed Kim would not act like his father Kim Jong-il had done in the past and use the denuclearisation process as a decoy to cheat the US and the world. He said he was confident of this because the younger man had now glimpsed a brighter future.

“I really think he wants to get it done, I really feel that very strongly,” said the president.

However Trump said that sanctions would remain in effect until North Korea’s nuclear arsenal was no longer a threat. The US would not reduce its military presence in South Korea in the short term, said Trump, but he also pledged to stop military exercises in South Korea. This, he said, would save a vast amount of money and prevent any provocative actions in the region.US President Donald J. Trump (R) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) shake hands across the table during the expanded bilateral meeting as part of the historic US and North Korea summit at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island, Singapore, 12 June 2018 (EPA photo). US President Donald Trump speaks at a press conference following the historic US-North Korea summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018 (AFP photo). 

    “I offer my heartfelt congratulations and welcome the success of the historic North Korea-United States summit”, Moon said in a statement.

“The June 12 Sentosa Agreement will be recorded as a historic event that has helped break down the last remaining Cold War legacy on Earth,” he said.

Moon has made great efforts playing the role of mediator to bring the Cold War foes back to dialogue.

He praised Trump and Kim for their “courage and determination” not to settle for “that outdated and familiar reality but to take a daring step towards change”.

He lionised Trump for achieving “a feat that no one else has ever delivered”, adding Kim would also be remembered as “a leader who made a historic moment by taking the first bold step toward the world”.

“Building upon the agreement reached today, we will take a new path going forward.

“Leaving dark days of war and conflict behind, we will write a new chapter of peace and cooperation. We will be there together with North Korea along the way”, he said.

Moon however cautioned that this was “just a beginning and there may be many difficulties ahead”.

“But we will never go back to the past again and never give up on this bold journey. History is a record of people who take action and rise to a challenge,” he added.//AFP

An online portal has described the premises as Najib’s “safe house”.

According to a source, the items were similar to those seized from the former premier’s official residence, but the items were slightly “outdated”.

“The house was used like a storeroom, so the bags and shoes that were kept there were slightly older than those found in the previous raids,” said the source.

It is learnt that police are still in the midst of figuring out the estimated value of the new haul of luxury goods.

The premises is located some 200m from Seri Perdana, the official residence of the prime minister and the June 11 search is believed to be tied to investigations into 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

The officers from the Federal CID’s Anti-Money Laundering division combed the house, looking for documents in connection with money laundering and misappropriation of funds.

When contacted, Bukit Aman CID’s Anti-Money Laundering division chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Khalil Azlan Chik confirmed that the raids were connected to 1MDB.

“We are looking into the money laundering aspect of the investigation,” he said.

He declined to comment when asked whether other raids would be carried out.

The raid was conducted by Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers, who spent over two hours combing through the house.

Several boxes were seen being carted from the house and placed in a white van.

The raiding team left at 3.10pm, with about five police officers left behind to guard the house.

It is learnt that the Property Management Division of the Prime Minister’s Department owns the house. The police team also searched another house in Precinct 11.

   – Trading insults –

On January 2, 2017, weeks before taking office, Trump vows North Korea will never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon capable of reaching US territory.

But six months into Trump’s presidency, in July, Kim conducts two intercontinental ballistic missile tests and declares the entire United States to be within North Korea’s range.

The following month, Trump threatens “fire and fury” if Pyongyang continues to threaten America, kicking off months of saber-rattling that set the world on edge.

Undeterred, Pyongyang weeks later test-fires a ballistic missile over Japan, and on September 3 carries out its sixth, “perfect” nuclear test.

On September 21, 2017, Washington unveils a raft of tough sanctions to curb North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme, two days after Trump’s maiden speech to the UN General Assembly in which he dubs Kim a “Rocket Man” on a “suicide mission”.

In response, Kim brands Trump “mentally deranged”.

He later boasts his missile arsenal can hit any city on the US mainland, warning in a New Year address that he has a “nuclear button” on his desk. Trump responds by saying his own nuclear button is “much bigger and more powerful”.

– ‘Peace Olympics’ –

Following years of tensions, South Korea’s hosting of the Winter Olympics in February 2018 gives the neighbours a window to reopen communications, ushering in a spectacular Korean detente.

As the two Koreas march together for the opening ceremony, the South’s President Moon Jae-in shares historic handshakes with Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong, and Trump’s daughter Ivanka attends events with top officials from both sides.

Washington makes clear it will keep up the pressure, though, slapping Pyongyang on February 23, 2018, with its largest ever set of sanctions, a move the regime calls an “act of war.”

In a remarkable announcement at the White House, on March 8, a top South Korean official announces that Kim will “refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests” and has invited Trump to meet him — and that Trump has agreed.

The Olympics also pave the way for an historic inter-Korean summit, on April 27, which sees Pyongyang and Seoul promise to pursue the denuclearisation of the peninsula and a permanent peace.

 – Pompeo in Pyongyang –

Over the Easter weekend, Trump’s CIA chief and nominee for secretary of state Mike Pompeo travels secretly to Pyongyang where he meets Kim and begins to lay the groundwork for the landmark summit.

A month later, Pompeo makes a second unannounced trip aimed at finalising the summit details — and pressing for the release of three US citizens detained by Pyongyang.

On May 9, Trump announces the three men are headed to the United States and offers effusive thanks to Kim.

The next morning, he reveals the date and location of his meeting with Kim — Singapore on June 12.

– Off, then on again –

But storm clouds gather on May 16 when North Korea threatens to cancel the summit as it expresses “repugnance” towards Trump’s National Security Advisor John Bolton.

Bolton provoked Pyongyang’s ire by suggesting it followed Libya’s lead on denuclearisation — evoking memories of the demise of Moamer Kadhafi, killed in a 2011 uprising after agreeing to scrap his nuclear programme.

On May 24, Trump calls off the summit, blaming “tremendous anger” and “hostility” from the North Korean regime.

There are signs of a change of heart when Trump tweets on May 27 that he sees “brilliant potential” in North Korea.

And on June 1, following talks with Kim’s right-hand man in the Oval Office, Trump announces the meeting is back on.

In Singapore on June 12, the handshake between the two heads of state is broadcast live around the world.

It is the first-ever meeting between sitting leaders of the two countries.

They sign a document committing to “security guarantees” from Washington and “new US-DPRK relations”, referring to the North by its official acronym.//AFP

Marine Rescue NSW volunteers at Shellharbour, some 100 kilometres south of Sydney, arrived for duty on Sunday (June 10) morning to find the head of the mako shark.

Regional operations manager Bruce Mitchell told AFP it was the “first time I’ve ever heard of it anywhere”, adding that it appeared the shark was fairly fresh and likely to have been caught on Saturday.

“Whoever caught the shark brought it back to the (boat) ramp and cleaned it, and cut the head off,” Mr Mitchell said, adding that the whole creature would have weighed about 70 kilograms.

“Maybe someone (else) came there during the night, found it and thought they’ll have a bit of fun. That’s one possibility.”

Mitchell said the volunteer organisation – which helps boaters during emergencies and other situations – had not received any threats and did not refer the incident to the police.

Marine Rescue posted photos of the head on Facebook and Twitter and said the incident was a “kick in the guts for our committed volunteers who give up their time to save lives on the water”.

“Takes one messed up human to do something like that,” one Twitter user wrote, while a Facebook commenter said: “Someone with a macabre sense of humour.”//AFP

Speaking to Nikkei Asian Review on the sidelines of the Future of Asia conference in Tokyo, he said Malaysia cannot afford the project at this moment but signalled that the door is still open.

“We cannot say we will never have highspeed rail (HSR) in Malaysia. What we can do is we can postpone the project because it is far too costly at this moment,” he said.

Dr Mahathir said Malaysia would need an HSR but it is something to only consider in the future.

However, in his interview with Nikkei Asian Review, Dr Mahathir commented that the Singapore HSR project is merely postponed.

“We actually postponed the implementation of that project.

“Highspeed trains are most effective where the distance is very long. But where the distance is short, it doesn’t contribute much.

“So we need to rethink highspeed rail,” he said.

Dr Mahathir also suggested the possibility of building an HSR “right through the Peninsula”.

“We cannot say we will never have highspeed rail in Malaysia – there will be a need for highspeed rail in the future,” he said.

Last month, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng also said the Government’s decision to scrap the HSR project was not only due to the high price tag of building it, but also steep cost burden to maintain the 350km link in the longer term.

This decision was also part of cost-cutting moves to slash the federal government debt of over RM1 trillion, Lim said.

He told the South China Morning Post that the new administration estimated the initial cost of the highspeed rail project was likely to be more than RM100bil.

Singapore’s Ministry of Transport said it had yet to receive an official notification that the project had been cancelled.

In posting the transcript of a press briefing that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave on Monday, the venue was described as “JW Marriott, Singapore, Malaysia” on the department’s official website.

As of 1.45pm Tuesday, the mistake had yet to be rectified.

US President Donald Trump is holding a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore, with their talks expected to centre on ending the North’s nuclear weapons and missile programmes in return for diplomatic and economic incentives.

Pompeos’ briefing was a preview of what the discussions, taking place Tuesday, would entail.

Singapore joined with Malaya and the two Borneo states to form the new federation of Malaysia under the terms of the Malaysia Agreement in 1962.

However, it left in 1965 to form the independent Republic of Singapore.

The choice of Singapore as a venue for the meeting between Trump and Kim had been heralded as a proud moment for the island-republic, which may now have a thing or two to say to the US State Department.

Mr Kim, who has publicly left his country only thrice since taking power after his father’s death in late 2011 (twice to China and once to South Korea), gamely posed for selfies with Singapore politicians and smiled for the camera as he was taken on a whirlwind tour of the city.

The two-hour jaunt took in some of its best-known sights such as Gardens by the Bay and the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) integrated resorts.At around 9.10pm, his motorcade left the St Regis Hotel in the Tanglin area where his delegation is staying, before driving past the Raffles City area towards Marina Bay.

Mr Kim, who arrived in Singapore on Sunday ahead of his historic meeting with Mr Trump on Tuesday in Sentosa, stopped by first at the Gardens by the Bay.

The award-winning nature park features sights such as the Supertree Grove of 18 vertical gardens up to 50m tall, and two conservatories – the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest – that are among the world’s largest.

His presence provided some unexpected excitement for some visitors, such as chef Tiara Rodrigo, 20, and her friend Joash Corea, 19, who joined the media scrum to try and catch a glimpse of Mr Kim.

“He’s staying at the hotel near my house, so it’s funny that I would bump into him here, at such a touristy location the night before the big meeting,” said Ms Rodrigo.

Added Mr Corea, a bartender: “Not much is known about North Korea and you don’t see figures like him out a lot which makes it more exciting to try and spot him.”

After spending about 20 minutes there, Mr Kim, who was accompanied by his sister Kim Yo Jong, Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Education Minister Ong Ye Kung, then visited the observation deck at the 57th-storey SkyPark at the MBS.

His presence stunned many patrons at the bars and restaurants near the observation deck. But when they whipped out their cameras for a shot, they were told not to take photos of Mr Kim and the entourage.

An early sign of a VIP arrival at the deck, which offers panoramic views of Marina Bay and the central business district, surfaced when MBS told visitors that the deck would be closed at 8pm, two hours earlier than usual. MBS staff were seen polishing fingerprints off the glass panels of the observation deck and sweeping the driveway on the ground floor.

The Straits Times also saw a heavier security presence at MBS ahead of Mr Kim’s arrival – a sight also seen at the Jubilee Bridge, which overlooks the Marina Bay area and the Esplanade.

Mr Kim was seen strolling on the bridge – surrounded by men in dark suits – for about five minutes, before leaving in his motorcade at 10.25pm. He arrived back at the St Regis at about 11.20pm.

The mini-city tour capped a rather quiet public schedule for Mr Kim on Monday, compared to his officials and Mr Trump.

Apart from a meeting with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana on Sunday evening, Mr Kim has not been seen stepping out of the St Regis.

In contrast, Mr Kim’s officials met Singapore and American officials on Monday – making courtesy calls or engaging in last-minute talks before the one-day summit.

Mr Trump spent Monday calling on PM Lee before meeting members of the American community in Singapore.

    The pair signed what Trump called a “pretty comprehensive” and “very important” document, which spoke of “new US-DPRK relations” and committed Washington to “security guarantees”.

However, asked about denuclearisation — the crux of the summit, Trump said “we’re starting that process”, adding that it would begin “very, very quickly.”

For his part, Kim said the two Cold War foes had vowed to “leave the past behind”, pledging “the world will see a major change.”

The extraordinary summit — unthinkable only months ago — comes after the two nuclear-armed foes appeared on the verge of conflict late last year as they slung personal insults and Kim conducted nuclear and missile tests.

It was the first-ever meeting between sitting leaders of the two countries and was closely watched around the world.

“We’ll meet again,” Trump said after a signing ceremony, standing with Kim on the verandah where they first met. “We will meet many times.”

Trump said he “absolutely” would be willing to invite Kim — whose regime has been criticised for widespread human rights abuses — to the White House.

Earlier, the pair shared warm words and a historic handshake as they sought to confront a nuclear stand-off and enmity stretching back decades.

The two men shook hands for several seconds beneath the white-washed walls of an upscale hotel in neutral Singapore, Trump reaching out to touch the North Korean leader on his right shoulder.

As they sat down for their tete-a-tete, the US leader — who had said he would know “within the first minute” if a deal would be possible — predicted a “terrific relationship” with Kim.

In Seoul, South Korean President Moon Jae-in watched live on television, telling his ministers, he “could hardly sleep last night”.

After huddling for around 40 minutes, Trump and Kim were joined by senior advisors before breaking for lunch, where prawn cocktail, short-rib confit, soy-braised cod, and vanilla ice-cream were among the options.

The imagery for the high-stakes meeting was undoubtedly positive and Kim Yong-hyun, professor at Dongguk University in Seoul said: “The atmosphere of the summit looks very good.”

“It will be hard for this meeting to agree on specific deals but it carries considerable significance as a starting point,” he said.

– ‘Fire and fury’ –

Some analysts have warned the summit could produce more style than substance and Kelly Magsamen, a former top Pentagon Asia specialist, said: “We’ll see if Kim actually gives him anything more than superficial pleasantries and some good TV.”

Critics said the mere fact of the meeting meant Trump was legitimising Kim, who critics say runs a police state where human rights are routinely trampled.

“It’s a huge win for Kim Jong-un, who now — if nothing else — has the prestige and propaganda coup of meeting one-on-one with the president, while armed with a nuclear deterrent,” said Michael Kovrig, Crisis Group Senior Adviser for North East Asia.

The warm words and positive optics seemed a different era from when Trump was threatening to rain down “fire and fury” on Pyongyang and Kim attacked Trump as a “mentally deranged US dotard”, as he fired off a series of provocative weapons tests.

The Singapore summit is a potentially legacy-defining meeting for both men — comparable to president Richard Nixon’s 1972 visit to China, or Ronald Reagan’s 1986 summit with Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik.

But many agreements have been made in the past with North Korea that have later fallen apart.

On the table is the vexed question of denuclearisation — a word that means vastly different things to the two parties.

It remains far from clear that Pyongyang is willing to give up its nukes — weapons that the regime sees as its ultimate guarantee of survival.

And on the eve of the meeting, aides for both men were still scrambling to narrow yawning differences.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that the United States was willing to offer Pyongyang “unique” security guarantees if it denuclearises.

But the summit was more likely it is the start of a longer process of negotiation.

The discussions “will set the framework for the hard work that will follow”, Pompeo said.//AFP

The US president’s often-awkward handshakes with world leaders have sparked ridicule but many hope the one with Kim — the culmination of months of dramatic diplomacy — will lead to durable peace on the Korean peninsula.

Here are some other handshakes that shook the world:

The Koreas: Kim-Moon (2018)

On April 27, 2018, as the world held its breath, Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in reached across the Military Demarcation Line that divides the two Koreas and shook hands, the result of a remarkable thaw on the peninsula sparked by the Winter Olympics earlier this year.

Kim then stepped over the border for a summit with the South Korean president, making him the first leader from Pyongyang to set foot in the South since the Korean War ended in an armistice 65 years ago.

The two leaders agreed to pursue permanent peace and the complete denuclearisation of the divided Korean peninsula.

US, Cuba: Obama-Castro (2013)

At a memorial service for Nelson Mandela on December 10, 2013, US President Barack Obama made headlines when he shook hands with Cuba’s Raul Castro, the first such public greeting between leaders of the bitter neighbours after decades of enmity.

Within months there was a rapid thaw. Full diplomatic relations were restored in July 2015, followed by once-unthinkable steps to mend ties.

Obama visited Cuba in 2016 — the first such trip by an American president in 88 years.

Washington also relaxed its decades-long embargo on the communist-ruled island, and US airlines resumed direct flights to Havana in November 2016.

– N. Ireland: Elizabeth II-McGuinness (2012) –

In a landmark moment in the Northern Ireland peace process, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II met Martin McGuinness, a former top commander in the paramilitary Irish Republican Army during the many years of bloody hostilities with British forces.

The IRA wanted an end to British rule in the province, and for it to be merged with the Republic of Ireland. McGuinness later became one of the figures that helped negotiate an end to the violence.

Then a deputy first minister of Northern Ireland, McGuinness shook hands with the Queen during her June 27, 2012 visit to the province.

It was a gesture towards reconciliation that would once have been unimaginable, with McGuinness’ militant past and British security operations still a source of anger for many.

Israel, Palestinians: Arafat-Rabin (1993)

After months of secret negotiations in Norway, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat stood in the South Lawn of the White House on September 13, 1993 to witness the signing of the Oslo Accords.

And then, in one of the most dramatic moments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with US president Bill Clinton’s arms stretched around both leaders, Arafat and Rabin shook hands.

The abortive process granted autonomy to the occupied Palestinian territories without creating a separate state.

Rabin was assassinated two years later by a Jewish extremist opposed to the peace process, which faltered in the years that followed.

Egypt, Israel: Sadat-Begin (1977)

In what is widely considered a major turning point in the recent history of the Middle East, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat arrived in Israel on November 19, 1977 on a historic visit — the first by an Arab head of state to the Jewish nation.

Images of Sadat shaking hands with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin during the visit were transmitted around the world. The visit led to the first Arab-Israel peace treaty and the formal end to the state of war that had existed between the two countries for 30 years.

Sadat paid for it with his life: he was assassinated by Islamists in 1981.