While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 13

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street in central London on June 12, 2018. PHOTO: AFP

Britain's Theresa May defeats rebellion in parliament over Brexit plans

Prime Minister Theresa May defeated a rebellion in parliament over her Brexit plans on Tuesday (June 12), but not without having to compromise and hand lawmakers more control over Britain's departure from the European Union.

After winning Tuesday's vote on changes to a future "meaningful vote" on a final agreement with Brussels in her EU withdrawal bill, May's plans to end more than 40 years of membership in the bloc were still on track.

But her concession to parliament means that lawmakers now have more power if she fails to secure a Brexit deal, which may lead to a softer approach to Britain's divorce.

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EU hails 'crucial and necessary' Trump-Kim talks

The EU on Tuesday praised the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a "crucial and necessary step", indicating that denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula could be achieved.

"This summit was a crucial and necessary step to build upon the positive developments achieved in inter-Korean relations and on the peninsula so far," the EU's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

Mogherini stressed that the aim of the international community remained "the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula" - a longstanding formulation that implies Pyongyang allowing inspections and not rebuilding any weapons it gives up.

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Man arrested after hostage incident in Paris: Minister

Police rescued two hostages and arrested a man at a small business in central Paris on Tuesday (June 12) after he demanded to be put in touch with the Iranian Embassy to deliver a message to the French government, authorities said.

"The individual has been arrested and the hostages are out of danger," Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said on Twitter.

There were no immediate details on the age, appearance or nationality of the hostage taker.

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Flood damage would double without coral reefs: Study

Loss of coral reefs around the world would double the damage from coastal flooding, and triple the destruction caused by storm surges, researchers said Tuesday (June 12).

Coupled with projected sea level rise driven by global warming, reef decline could see flooding increase four-fold by century's end, they reported in the journal Nature Communications.

Without coral to help absorb the shock, a once-in-a-century cyclone would wreak twice the havoc, with the damage measured in the tens of billions of dollars, the team calculated.

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Football: Spain coach Julen Lopetegui to take over at Real Madrid after World Cup

Real Madrid on Tuesday (June 12) announced the appointment of Spain's Julen Lopetegui as their coach from next season, stunning the national team ahead of the start of the World Cup.

"Real Madrid announce that Julen Lopetegui will be the coach of the first team during the next three seasons," the Champions League winners said in a statement, adding that the 51-year-old "will join the club after Spain's participation in the World Cup".

Lopetegui will replace Zinedine Zidane as coach at the Santiago Bernabeu, after the Frenchman quit on May 31 in the wake of their Champions League final win over Liverpool in Kiev.

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