Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 27 May 2018

North Korean state media says it is leader Kim Jong-un’s “fixed
will” that a summit with Donald Trump in Singapore should go ahead.
The US President cancelled the summit on Thursday, blaming the
North’s “hostility”. However, following conciliatory messages from
Pyongyang he has re-opened the door to the prospect. Meanwhile,
leaders of North and South Korea have also agreed to “meet
frequently”.

The Republic of Ireland has voted overwhelmingly to overturn the
abortion ban by 66.4% to 33.6%. Speaking after the result was
confirmed, the country’s prime minister Leo Varadkar said it marked
the day Ireland “stepped out from under the last of our shadows and
into the light”. The only area to have voted to keep the ban was
the county of Donegal.

Eurosceptics believe that the government is secretly planning to
stay in the European Union after the March 2019 deadline. The
theory arose after it was revealed that Whitehall officials have
set aside hundreds of thousands of pounds to spend on European
Parliament elections in 2019. Iain Duncan Smith said: “It raises
the question – are they planning for us not leaving the European
Union?”

A detained British-Iranian aid worker sentenced to five years in
jail in Iran is to face a second trial on new security charges,
according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. The head of Tehran’s
revolutionary court, Musa Ghazanfarabadi, says Nazanin
Zaghari-Ratcliffe would be ordered “to present an attorney and then
the court will convene”. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with
the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was first arrested in 2016.

MPs say that RBS has failed to appreciate the impact of its
decision to close dozens of branches in Scotland. Describing the
move as a “devastating blow”, the Scottish Affairs Committee urged
the lender to pause plans to axe up to 62 branches. However, RBS
said the closures are in response to the growing numbers of
customers using mobile and online banking.

Animal welfare campaigners are furious after Michael Gove
allowed farmers to kill badgers across England with a bounty of up
to £50 for each corpse. The environment secretary is allowing
badgers to be culled even in areas at low risk for the spread of
bovine TB, the disease that farmers claim badgers are helping to
spread. The RSCPA said culling badgers is inhumane, ineffective and
costly.

Theresa May is facing “open revolt” from senior Tory women over
abortion, says The Sunday Times. After Ireland voted to lift a ban
on terminations, Penny Mordaunt, the women and equalities minister,
and her four predecessors urged the PM to allow a free vote in
parliament to reform Northern Ireland’s strict abortion laws. Rape,
incest and fatal foetal abnormality are not considered legal
grounds for a termination.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove says England could get more
national parks as he announces a review into the country’s natural
landscapes. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Gove said “the time is
right” for a review, nearly 70 years on from the creation of the
first national areas. England currently has 10 national parks
including the New Forest and Dartmoor.

Summit explosions yesterday spurted ash from Kilauea volcano up
to 11,000ft and “dusted” communities to the south-west. The
Observer says the trio of explosions occurred during the fourth
successive week of what experts rank as one of the biggest eruption
cycles from the Big Island volcano in a century. The number of
houses and other structures destroyed by lava flows in the island’s
lower Puna district have reached 82.

Gareth Bale scored a wonder goal to help Real Madrid overcome
Liverpool and win their third successive Champions League title.
While Bale starred, Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius endured a
hellish match, making two mistakes. Liverpool had already been
dealt the blow of losing top scorer Mohamed Salah midway through
the first half. The victory sealed Real’s record 13th win in this
competition, and their fourth in five seasons.