Abiola’s son opens up: I asked Obasanjo to honour my father

 •Even in death MKO has many enemies
 •President Buhari is a special person 
 •Jonathan had good intention by honouring MKO 
 •How Abacha sent news of mum’s death to dad in prison

ALHAJI Jamiu Abiola, son of the late presumed winner of June 12 presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, in this interview, speaks on the honour bestowed on his father, untold stories of his incarceration and his father’s enemies among others. Jamiu, who is the third child of the late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, also spoke on the roles of certain actors in the June 12 saga. Before the latest immortalisation of his father, he had authored two books on Abiola’s mandate, The Stolen Presidency and The President Who Never Ruled. Excerpts: You wrote a book, The President Who Never Ruled about your late father, Chief MKO Abiola a few years ago. 

Today, the award of the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, GCFR, to your father seems to have brought some of your wishes in the book to reality. How do you feel?

Right now I can say that I am the happiest man, not just literally, but factually. I am the happiest man because for so long I felt that my parents died for nothing because there is nothing worse than somebody making a sacrifice and the sacrifice not recognised. It was recognised by Nigerians but those that got power after June 12 found it convenient to sweep it under the carpet for reasons best known to them. Initially, I was almost getting frustrated because some people were trying to rewrite history by ignoring my father. This is not the first time that a great man has been treated the way my father was treated. For example, Julius Caeser did a lot for the Roman Empire. He went around conquering nations and building empires but the elite in Rome conspired and killed him. That is why I want everybody in Nigeria to give special respect to President Buhari. He is very fantastic. I am not flattering him because that is the truth. Some say that the truth is bitter, but in this case, the truth is sweet about President Muhammadu Buhari. In this case, he is not only a good person but a perfect person. He is not a Yoruba man. He is from Katsina and has proven that he is more detribalised than any other Nigerian. He is of the same calibre with people like Mandela and Chief Abiola. Now he has shown that it is not about where anyone comes from, but about the fact that we are one. That is the symbolic meaning of what he has done. 25 years ago the election was held and nobody that got to power did what he has done. President Goodluck Jonathan tried by naming the University of Lagos after him but people felt that, UNILAG was too small for Chief Abiola. I was very happy when he did it because I believe that if someone is going somewhere, he must start from somewhere. This honour bestowed on your father came 48 hours after the commemoration of the death of your mother, the late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, who also died in the struggle.

 What can you say about the coincidence? 

MKO Abiola and Kudirat Abiola are one. This struggle is like teamwork. When MKO Abiola was arrested, his role in the struggle became limited. He was now fighting an internal struggle because at that time he was in solitary confinement. But the struggle was led by a woman who was 44 years old at that time. She was the one that led the struggle against the military which was the most powerful mafia at that time because they had wealth, power and other resources at their disposal. She did not give up. I called her several times when I was in America to quit the struggle because she would die. I told her to take things easy. I told her to come to America. Her response was ‘’how can I leave when my husband is here.” Unfortunately, she got killed. I am so grateful that the American city of New York named a street after her. That was something that had never been done to any African in America other than Mandela. Even my father did not get that honour. The 44th Street in New York was named after her. Another book you wrote about your father is The Stolen Presidency. In it, you also revealed some of the intrigues that contributed to the fate that befell your father. In that book, you stated the honours that your father deserved including this honour bestowed on him by President Buhari. What informed that? “The President Who Never Ruled” and “The Stolen Mandate” were the most difficult tasks I have undertaken in my life because I experienced psychological trauma. What made it more dramatic was that after writing it in English, I translated it into Arabic. I did that so that people in the Arab world will know that Africa can actually produce quality and sacrifice. I wanted them to also know that Africans are not just barbaric. I wrote the book because I realised that Abiola’s name was going and nobody wanted to recognise him. When I wrote the book, I dedicated it to President Youri Museveni and President Nelson Mandela for supporting my father, President Moshood Abiola when he was incarcerated. I referred to him as President Abiola in the book. It was in 2015. I gave the book to President Buhari, who had not become President then. I gave the book to Obasanjo and others. Some people called me after reading the book to ask if I was not scared of my life. They said those who destroyed my father were still alive and I said the truth the way it was in the book. My response was that having lost my parents, even if I die for saying the truth about what happened to him, the struggle would continue. However, I did not have the premonition that he would eventually be given GCFR. I did it because as the son of Cheif MKO Abiola I owed him an obligation so that people will understand his story. I am happy that some of the things I said in the book have happened. I actually said that the only good thing Abacha did in office was to appoint Gen Buhari as the Chairman of the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund,PTF. At that time, there was no thought of Buhari doing something like this. I was just trying to be objective. Nigerians should respect and thank President Buhari. 

How do you feel that Obasanjo, who was Abiola’s schoolmate, was in power for eight years without honouring Abiola, who was even his school mate?

When Obasanjo was the President, I visited him several times and called him several times. He also called me. Even when I wrote my first book, he did a fantastic review of the book and said the book gave people hope. There was a time I sent him a text message when he was President, telling him that peoples’ impression about his failure to honour Abiola was because he did not like him. Unfortunately, he did not do it. When I wrote the second book on my father, I gave him the book. I am sure he read it. All I have done for my father were not for a favour. They are the things I am supposed to do as a son. I saw it as an obligation. I will also want my son to do so for me. 

Don’t you think you are biased? 

Anybody that feels I am biased about my father should write his own book. I have to be biased because I did not come to this world by accident. These were the people that brought me to this world. When Jonathan named UNILAG after MKO Abiola a lot of people thought it was a big honour, but it was opposed. Jonathan later succumbed to pressure.

How did you feel when it happened?

 Half a loaf of bread is better than none. President Jonathan did what he did because he had good intention. Unfortunately, MKO Abiola has a lot of enemies, who claim to be his friends. Those were the people causing the problem. Imagine a President of Nigeria making a statement and less than five minutes later, people were in BRT Buses protesting against the announcement. They were on Third Mainland Bridge causing problems. How were they mobilised? A lot of people, who did not want Jonathan to have goodwill in the Southwest, opposed it. That is to show that MKO Abiola was so powerful that even in death, he has so many enemies. That is why I said we have to thank President Buhari specially. I am not saying he is angelic but he should be supported to excel.

There are insinuations that this honour is a political missile targeted at Obasanjo, and other former leaders, who have spoken against the president’s re-election bid?

 Even before MKO Abiola ran for the presidency, some people said he was just being generous because he wanted to become President. People will always say what they want to say. What President Buhari has done is an indication of the fact that he is a great man. Because he is a great man, people will love or hate whatever he did. Those of us who know the truth understand that if he was not a good man, he would not have done what he did. Some people have the political advantage of doing that but they did not do it. We are not looking at it in a way that he wants to score political points. It is better late than never. Since the honour on your dad was announced, some are of the opinion that he should be named a posthumous President. The way people are talking seems as if many people are now scrambling to take glory in the imortalisation of MKO Abiola. 

Do you see it in that way? 

This is Africa where many bad things overshadow good things. But when good things happen in Africa they have spiral effects. Those talking now are just doing the right thing. I am not seeing it that anybody is scrambling for anything. They are politicians but a lot of people don’t trust politicians in this country. Sometimes they do things because they actually want to do them for a good reason. It is important we give them the benefit of the doubt so that we can come together and solve the problems of this country. If we don’t come together to do the right thing, we may never get it right. 

If you find yourself with Obasanjo and other leaders, who played roles in the June 12 saga in a common room, what will you discuss with them as the son of MKO Abiola? 

The wise people in this world have always said that it is good to find a middle ground. I will find what I have in common with them and discuss. We have to focus on good things. 

Today, June 8, 2018, is very symbolic. As I am interviewing you now, the Abachas are observing the anniversary of their father’s death. Considering that the incarceration of your father for five years was among the factors believed to be instrumental in his death, have you forgiven the Abacha family?

If I have not forgiven Abacha, the fact that I cannot do any harm to any of them means that my forgiveness is inconsequential. It is so complicated that I cannot say, yellow, blue or black. The most important thing is that if somebody is down, there is no point pushing the person down. Today, when people talk about Abacha is it not about looting? Unfortunately for Abacha even if he earned a legitimate living, nobody is talking about that now. All people are saying is Abacha loot. So, Abacha is already finished. What can I say about somebody in that situation? Now, everybody is talking about MKO Abiola. God has settled everything. On MKO Abiola’s sacrifice You will never know who you are until you get to a position where you can do whatever you want to do. A man can be nice but when he becomes rich, his true colours will manifest. Before my father became rich he was a businessman. He was into profit-making. The last time I saw him in 1995, Abacha asked one policeman to bring him to where we were. That was after we waited for three days. Before I saw him, the policeman said I should tell my father to forget about the struggle and move on with his life. He said we should beg him to forget about it because he didn’t want him to die. He even said my father was nice to them before he was incarcerated. When he came and sat down with us, we asked him how he was doing and his response was ‘’me, I am doing fine.” We then asked him how he was going about his insistence on his mandate, he said, “I am ready to die.” When he said that, the policeman was disappointed. My father said Nigerians were suffering adding that Abacha did not allow his doctor to see him. He also said they put him in a Black Maria. That was in 1995 when he had spent one year in detention. This was a man who would go to London twice weekly. His pilot and his crew lived in Sheraton. Sometimes he would fly to Paris to have his Rolls Royce so that he could drive to London to have a rest. He lived the highest life ever since 1975 until he was arrested. He was living in London and living in Nigeria. Sometimes, he would go to America and would leave after spending five hours. During our visit, I reminded him that he once told me that if somebody was holding a sword and if I try taking the sword by force, I would get hurt. I also reminded him that he said that it was good to take the sword gently. He responded that he had taken the sword by the handle, adding that if they stabbed him, that was their business. He was not a shallow man. That was why he was doing so many things. He said he would not accept the position of a Prime Minister from Abacha. They would have shared the government but he said he would not do it, saying that Abacha was very greedy. He said he didn’t want anyone that would soil his name. Abacha wanted to kill everything about him to the extent that a newspaper report of my mother’s death was given to him the next day.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/06/abiolas-son-opens/

Nigeria squad for World Cup

The Super Eagles of Nigeria squad have released official team photo ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia which kicks off on the 14th of June.

In the photo are 40 persons in total, made up of 23 players, technical crew and backroom staff.

Man commits suicide at Mecca’s Grand Mosque

A man has committed suicide by throwing himself off the roof of the Grand Mosque in Islam’s holiest city of Mecca, Saudi police said on Saturday.

“A foreigner threw himself from the roof of the Grand Mosque in Mecca” to the courtyard below, “resulting in his instant death”, state news agency SPA said, quoting police.

The rare act was not the first of its kind to take place in Mecca, the holiest city in Islam — which, like other monotheistic religions, prohibits suicide.

The body was transported to hospital, with an investigation underway “to determine the victim’s identity, what led to the act and how he was able to commit it despite the existence of a metal fence”, SPA said.

Last year, a Saudi man tried to set himself on fire in front of the Kaaba — the square stone building in the centre of the mosque compound — but was stopped by security forces.

Every year, millions of Muslim pilgrims from across the world travel to Mecca and Medina, Islam’s second holiest site, also in western Saudi Arabia.

Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra Traveling Together, Fueling Rumours

Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra either don't care if people know they're banging ... or they're just really awful at hiding it.

Nick and the "Quantico" star arrived together at JFK on Friday headed off to who-knows-where -- but, one thing's for sure, this is a damn good looking couple ... even if they won't admit it.

Dating rumors started last year when they arrived together at the 2017 Met Gala, but she brushed it off ... claiming they were only posing together because they were wearing the same designer.

They also hit up a Dodger game together just a couple weeks ago.

Maybe they're rocking the same designer again as they jet off -- but something tells us they're whispering something hotter than fashion tips to each other.

Austria duo Alaba, Arnautovic wish World Cup-bound Nigeria ‘the best’

Austria stars David Alaba and Marko Arnautovic have wished Nigeria ‘the best’ at the Russia 2018 World Cup. The Super Eagles’ last stop before Russia is Austria, where they, on Wednesday, played Czech Republic for their last pre-tournament friendly.

And the versatile left-back, with other members of Das Team paid a visit to one of the Super Eagles’ training sessions at their Aviva Resort base.

In a video made available by the NFF on Twitter, asked his wish for the Super Eagles, Alaba said: “Only the best!” However, striker Arnautovic’s positive thoughts towards the three-time African champions would not come at the expense of his Serbian heritage.

“I wish you the best…but I’m Serbian myself,” said the West Ham United forward, born to a Serbian father.
Vienna-born Alaba has a Nigerian father and his mother is from the Philippines. The 25-year-old has been representing Austria since U17s. He made his international debut in 2009 and has scored 12 times in 61 appearances. He will miss out at the 2018 World Cup after Franco Foda’s side failed to secure qualification.

At club level, Alaba has enjoyed a trophy-laden career with German powerhouse Bayern Munich, lifting his seventh Bundesliga title at the end of the 2017-18 season, among other honours.

While such successes have not been tasted at the national level, Alaba is one of the most decorated footballers in the country and has been awarded the Austrian Footballer of the Year six times. On June 16, Nigeria start their World Cup campaign against Croatia before games rounding off their Group D fixtures with games against Iceland and Argentina. Gernot Rohr will hope to lead his young side past the Round of 16 which appears to be Nigeria’s best finish [1994 and 2014] at the tournament.

INDIA: Dreaded gangster Sampat Nehra wanted to kill Salman Khan

Sampat Nehra went to Mumbai for two days and took note of actor Salman Khan’s movement around the balcony and house to gauge the distance and weaponry required.
Gangster Sampat Nehra, who was arrested on Wednesday by a special task force of Haryana Police, had been plotting to execute actor Salman Khan. Nehra was arrested in Hyderabad and has been brought to Gurugram on transit remand.

“Preliminary questioning during the journey from Hyderabad has revealed that Salman Khan was on the gang’s hitlist and Nehra alone had been assigned to execute the operation. He went to Mumbai for two days and clicked photographs, took note of the actor’s movement around the balcony and house in Galaxy Apartment, possibly to gauge the distance and weaponry required,” said Satheesh Balan, deputy inspector general, Haryana STF.

Nehra, 28, is the son of a retired assistant sub inspector of Chandigarh police and a national level decathlon athlete. He is a key member of Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang and accused in more than a dozen cases of murder, extortion, carjacking and robber. Nehra was arrested along with the aides in a carjacking case in 2016, but was later released on bail. Nehra met Bishnoi when they were both lodged in a Patiala Jail.

                                                                      Salman Khan

Bishnoi, currently lodged in Bharatpur jail in Rajasthan, had issued a death threat to Salman Khan in January 2018. “Bishnoi is running the network from jail and has been in touch with Nehra and other aides through mobile phones,” said Balan, adding that the police suspected Bishnoi’s gang, which uses social media and Whatsapp for its operations, receives funding from abroad.

A senior police official, requesting anonymity, said that Nehra had travelled in a train from Chhattisgarh to Mumbai in the third week of May. “He stayed in Ghatkopar, Mumbai. After the first recce, Nehra wanted to maintain a low profile and had been camping in Hyderabad for the past 20 days. He was going to return to Mumbai in a few days for another recce,” said the official.

The police said Nehra would be produced in the court for remand and further investigation.

REPORT: Nigerian President @MBuhari hosts selected youth and artistes at the State House – The attendees were given ₦2M each as ‘Thanks for Coming’

Some selected Nigerian youth and artistes were at the Presidential Villa, Abuja to break Ramadan fast with the country’s septuagenarian leader who has declared his intention to seek re-election in 2019.

LeadersNG gathered that the selected artistes were mostly of Muslim faith.

The artistes according to presidential source were given ₦2M (Two Million Naira) each as ‘Thanks for Coming’.

Our correspondent interrogated the presidential source on the motive behind the kind gesture by the presidency and the source  replied by saying “it’s a culture to always give a handout to creative artistes and other political supporters who pay the president visit”.

Many of the artistes were charged to take the message of ‘Change’ by President Muhammadu Buhari to their individual platforms. The presidency according to our source, wants the artistes to use their platforms to sway young voters for the president in the coming general elections.

LeadersNG also gathered that the money was sourced from the country’s apex Bank by Barrister Ismaeel Ahmed, the Senior Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Social Investment Programmes. Though the source said, the President may not have been aware of the cash gifts to the artistes.

Other prominent artistes and Nollywood actors are also scheduled to meet with president Buhari after Ramadan fast, the source said.

Those present at the dinner were, Sound Sultan, Movie director, Kinle Afolayan, Ali Jita, Small Doctor, BBNaija Finalist, Tobi Bakre, Tani Omotayo and many others.

- Presidential aide, Garba Shehu, explains that Buhari needs is a careful and slow resumption of duty following the president’s return to Nigeria from a medical vacation abroad - Garba says Buhari will be fully in charge once the letter notifying the National Assembly of his resumption gets to the…

'I Buried 20 People In Libyan Desert'- Nigerian Deportee Confesses. Photos

 A Nigerian deportee who just arrived from Libya has given a startling confession at T.B. Joshua’s Church in Lagos, painting an alarming picture of the death toll of African migrants seeking to illegally enter Europe.

Efe Alimi, an Edo State indigene, revealed how he had participated in the mass burial of 5,300 bodies in a single day on the Libyan shore, decomposing remains of those who had drowned while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.

“Most of the bodies washed up on the shore had decayed. When we picked them up, their flesh peeled away to the bone. Some were without ears, eyes or breasts. All were my African brothers and sisters,” he recollected in a shocking revelation posted to T.B. Joshua’s official Facebook Page.

According to Alimi, the bodies were dumped into a mass grave, crushed by excavators and then covered by the Libyans who had picked him and a group of other migrants to do the “dirty job”.

Lai Mohammed Disobeyed Me by Replying Obasanjo’s Letter, Says Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disobeyed him by replying the letter by former President Olusegun Obasanjo against the administration.

 

This is even as he said that he had stopped his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina from replying the letter because of Adesina’s age.

The president gave the explanation when members of Buhari Support Organisation (BSO) visited him at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday night.

Buhari explained further that the second reason why he deemed it right not to reply the letter was that he and the former president were from the same (military) constituency.

He, however, noted that the Minister of Information and Culture Mohammed, who “disobeyed’’ him not to reply the letter, did a good job.

He observed that the reply by the minister showed Nigerians the realities on ground when the present administration assumed office in 2015 and its ongoing efforts to revive the inherited damaged economy.

“I really appreciate how you choose this time during Ramadan to come from across the country to see and congratulate me for what we were able to do.

“We were constrained to explain our position when the former head of state wrote a letter; Adesina was agitated and wanted to immediately reply; I stopped him for two reasons; first, he was much younger than me and Gen. Obasanjo.

“Secondly, I am from the same constituent with Gen. Obasanjo; so, I wouldn’t know how it will affect him if I allowed him to go wild or to go public, but when Lai Mohammed came, I said he shouldn’t and he insisted. He disobeyed me.

“He said I must allow him to talk; then, of course, being a professional information person, I listened to him and asked him what are going to say.

“He said he was going to remind Nigerians where we found ourselves when we came in as a government, where we are now, what we have done in between with the resources available to us.

“And I understand he did a good job because a number of people rang me and said Lai Mohammed has done a good job because I went public several times.

“I said it is on record and I challenged anybody to check from Europe, United States and Asia that between 1999 and 2014 the 16 years of previous administration there was an average of 2.1 million per day of crude oil at the average cost of $100 per barrel,’’ he said.

The president said that he deliberately refused to replace the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele when his administration took over the mantle of leadership of the country because he wanted to give him the opportunity to salvage the economy from its terrible condition.

Buhari, who thanked his teachers during his primary school days for their efforts to inculcate good morale in him and his mates, stated that his administration would continue to invest heavily in education to correct the social ills in the society.

He said further that his administration had resolved to put money in the area of infrastructural development to address infrastructural deficits and subsequently ensure speedy socio-economic transformation of the country.

“It is now that we are struggling to put the structure on the ground — the roads — to revive the rail and do the standard gauge and try to spend objectively on power.

“If we put money in infrastructure, it will create employment opportunities and then Nigerians will mind their own businesses, they wouldn’t even mind what the government is doing once the infrastructure is there,’’ he said.

The president, therefore, reassured Nigerians that his administration would continue to spend more to upgrade the nation’s infrastructure.

He said that the government had also expended more than N1.3 trillion on capital projects across the country.

Lil' Kim files for bankruptcy amid $4 million debt and plans to sell her mansion to pay off the debt

Rapper Queen, Lil' Kim has filed for bankruptcy amid a $4 million debt and plans to sell her New Jersey mansion to pay back her debt.

According to The Blast, the rapper whose real name is Kimberly Denise Jones, filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy last month, claiming debts of $4,084,841.60, as she owes $1,845,451 in back taxes.

The Lighters Up performer is now planning to sell her New Jersey mansion to pay back her debt.

Read the full report by The Blast below.

According to court documents obtained by The Blast, the rapper filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy last month. She assets totaling $2,573,300 and liabilities in the amount of $4,084,841.60. She owes $1,845,451 in back taxes alone.

Kim’s average monthly income is $18,286 and her expenses total $12,784, leaving her with around $5k after paying her bills.

Her assets include her $2.3 million New Jersey home, a 2000 Mercedes Benz worth $4,200, a 2005 Bentley Continental GT ($52,600), $25k in household furniture, $5k in electronics, $5k in apparel, and $25,000 in jewelry. She also says her three entertainment companies are worth in excess of $150,000.

Her largest creditors include $2 million owed to a loan company relating to her New Jersey home, $1,469,105 in unpaid federal taxes from 2004-2017, $376,346.74 owed to the New Jersey Division of Taxation for unpaid taxes from 2004-2017, and $186,000 in unpaid legal bills. Kim’s says her company, Queen Bee Entertainment, pulled in $361k last year. She estimates the company’s monthly income is $43k and expenses around $25k, leaving her with a profit of around $18k. Through her business, she spends $2,200 on her wardrobe and $10k on travel/entertainment.

The rapper lists that she supports her 3-year-old daughter but does not list that she receives any child support.

The docs reveal Kim has made $90,678 in income so far this year. Kim says she made $398k in 2017 and $823,659 in 2016.

Lil Kim has proposed a payment plan where she will pay $5,500 to her creditors for the next 60 months. She has also proposed selling off her New Jersey home to repay her debts or modifying her mortgage on the property.

The trustee for the bankruptcy has already objected to Lil Kim’s proposal. The case is ongoing and she will return to court over the issue next month. 

‘I became a car washer to steal customers’ cars’

A suspected robber, Dominic Iwu has confessed that he deliberately became a car wash attendant in order to steal customers’ cars.
Iwu,25, was arrested by men of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT).

According to Inspector Festus Ediae who led the IRT team that arrested Iwu, the suspect stole a car from Raji Rasaki Estate, Festac area of Lagos, where he worked as car wash attendant.

He said the suspect Iwu wanted to take the Toyota Corolla car to Owerri to sell because he has a standby buyer there.

Confessing, Iwu said: ’’ I am a driver by profession. I am a native of Obowu in Imo state. I used to drive commercial bus from Port Harcourt to Aba but, due to incessant auto accidents on Aba-Port Harcourt road, I decided to leave driving work and  move to Lagos to hustle.

‘’The first place I landed in Lagos is Chisco Motor Park at Old Ojo Road. There I started car wash work when I finished eating (sic) the N18,000 I came to Lagos with. The first car wash I worked is near the Chisco park. They used to pay me N500 for each car I washed. In a day I can wash three to four cars. I used to steal money, phone from the car I am washing because the car owners used to give me the car keys. When the owner of the car wash discovered, he sacked me.

‘’Luckily, few days later, I secured a job in another car wash spot in the same Old Ojo Road. I used to get N1,500 to N2,000 everyday but when I started getting bad friends I started drinking and smoking with them. We discussed the idea of stealing cars and the gang advised me to relocate to Rasaki Estate Festac where people come with posh cars that are worth millions of naira.”

President Trump and Kim Jong Un Are Preparing to Finally Meet. Here's What to Know About Their Singapore Summit

After much speculation, President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for a historic summit in Singapore on June 12. It will mark the first time that a North Korean leader has met with a sitting U.S. president; remarkable as the two countries have no diplomatic relations and are officially still at war.

With North Korea’s self described “complete” nuclear arsenal, and a history of tensely traded threats with the U.S., the stakes are dizzyingly high. Here’s a look at what to expect from the summit.
Where and when is the summit taking place?

The hotly anticipated summit is set to take place at the Capella Hotel on Singapore’s Sentosa Island, with the first meeting kicking off at 9a.m. local time on June 12. The hotel is a secluded luxury resort on the island with two presidential suites, one of which is a standalone property that could be prime for hosting the high level talks.

Located off the southern coast of Singapore, Sentosa is home to other high-end hotels, beaches and amusement parks including Universal Studios Singapore. Its separation from the city centre may have been a factor in its selection as the summit location.

Singapore will be the furthest distance Kim Jong Un has travelled since assuming leadership of North Korea in 2011. While the first meeting time and date has been announced, other details of the summit’s schedule have not yet been made clear.

Who will attend the summit?

Trump and Kim will bring their own delegations to the summit. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who travelled to North Korea twice earlier this year to negotiate and finalize the summit, Chief of Staff John Kelly and National Security Adviser John Bolton are expected to comprise Trump’s team, along with other senior White House officials.

Absent from Trump’s delegation are First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who will both remain in the U.S., and Defense Secretary James Mattis, who recently visited Singapore.

It is not yet clear who will be joining Kim Jong Un in South Korea, although several of his inner circle have been involved in the negotiating efforts over the past months. Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong attended the PyeongChang Winter Olympics with an invitation for Moon Jae-in that paved the way for inter-Korea talks at the end of April. Kim Yong Chol, often regarded as Kim Jong Un’s right-hand man, has played a pivotal role representing North Korea in negotiations leading up to the summit. Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho could also be expected to join the North’s delegation.

Have negotiations to arrange the summit been easy?

In the words of James Mattis, it has been a “bumpy road” to say the least. After the first meeting between Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae In in April, South Korea announced the North’s intention to meet with the U.S. by the end of May. Trump then made a surprise announcement on Twitter on May 10 that the summit would take place in Singapore on 12 June.
However, the summit appeared to hit a roadblock two weeks later, when Trump called off the summit in a letter to Kim Jong Un on May 24. “Sadly, based on the tremendous anger displayed in your most recent statement,” Trump wrote to Kim, “I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting.” The abrupt announcement came after North Korea made its anger known at Mike Pence’s comments comparing the country’s nuclear disarmament to the Libya example on Fox News.

One week after the cancellation, in another rollercoaster turn, Trump announced that the summit was back on track following negotiations between top level officials on both sides, and after Kim Yong Chol delivered a personal letter from Kim Jong Un to Trump.

What will Trump and Kim talk about?

At this stage, many details of the summit remain unclear, including the discussion agenda and schedule. It may be the case that the Singapore summit will serve mainly as a meet-and-greet for both leaders to make introductions, as the two countries currently have no formal diplomatic relations and the North remains under steep sanctions from the U.S. and the U.N.

Observers have warned against prematurely heralding the summit as a turning point of U.S.-North Korean relations and denuclearization on the peninsula, as North Korea will not easily give up its nuclear deterrent. Reports in recent days have suggested that should the meeting go well in Singapore, Trump may consider inviting Kim to the U.S. for follow up talks.

What do Trump and Kim want from the summit?

The U.S. has stressed that it wants to see steps toward complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea before sanctions relief can be implemented, although Trump has signaled some flexibility. Skepticism remains over whether Kim is truly committed to achieving this aim, and difficulties may lie in how both the U.S. and North Korea define denuclearization. North Korean officials have made no secret of their displeasure at a total and immediate effort to destroy weapons on the peninsula, and are said to favor a step-by-step approach. The demolition of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site last month was seen as a positive gesture prior to the summit, but it is not an irreversible one and further measures would have to be taken to satisfy U.S. demands.

Despite this, some steps taken by Kim prior to the summit indicate a legitimate willingness to talk to the U.S., and could point to a genuine ambition to strike some kind of deal, most likely focused on economic development. A series of personnel reshuffles in the North’s military circles prior to the summit, as well as the regime’s reported enthusiasm for American investment, may comprise Kim’s strategy for lifting the nation out of poverty. However, whether Trump and Kim will even reach the stage of discussing a potential denuclearization deal at this summit in Singapore remains to be seen.

Moscow students make rare protest against World Cup

Construction of the World Cup fan zone outside Moscow’s top university is fuelling a rare protest in Russia as students worry thousands of partying football fans will destroy one of the capital’s few green spaces.

The row pits students at Moscow State University against a recently re-elected President Vladimir Putin whose administration does not easily brook dissent and has gone all out to ensure the month-long football extravaganza goes off without a hitch.

The area will have concerts and entertainment for up to 25,000 fans as well a giant interactive screen for those without tickets to watch matches.

It is being built in the park below the main building of Moscow State University — one of the city’s seven Stalinist skyscrapers — which overlooks the Luzhniki stadium where the opening match will be played on June 14 as well as the final on July 15.

Many of the university’s over 6,000 students and employees are not thrilled about their campus hosting the fan zone because of the disruption and damage it will cause.

“We started the protest when they told us last year our semester would be cut short because of the fan zone,” said Maria Shekoshkhina, a 26 year-old PhD student.