Majority of Americans Support Trump's Shake-Up with Kim; Russia Proposes Raising Retirement Age

More than half of the US population supports Trump shaking hands with Kim Jong-un

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the meeting room on June 12. Photo:Reuters.

According to Reuters, the results of an Ipsos poll released on June 13 showed that 51% of Americans surveyed supported President Trump's current policy towards North Korea. In addition, 39% of opinions said that the June 12 meeting in Singapore reduced the risk of nuclear war between the US and North Korea.

The historic summit also helped President Trump improve his approval rating. He now has a 41% approval rating, up significantly from 32% at the beginning of the year.

However, many Americans are skeptical about the possibility of achieving denuclearization after the June 12 meeting. 40% of respondents said that both the US and North Korea will not fully comply with the commitments just reached in Singapore.

Unprecedented "shields" help Russia protect the 2018 World Cup

Security officers patrol around the stadium in Saint Petersburg. Photo:AFP.

Cameras with facial recognition software and elite special forces are shields helping Russia fight against terrorist plots at the 2018 World Cup.

The cameras are equipped with state-of-the-art facial recognition technology, which can match people in video with a police database in seconds. The system is installed in all 11 cities hosting the 2018 World Cup.

However, that is only the first shield that Russia has deployed during this year's World Cup. Security forces have been thoroughly trained to deal with terrorist attack scenarios during the event. Fighter jets and air defense units will be put on combat readiness throughout the World Cup to deal with terrorist plots using aircraft.

Two Koreas fully restore military communication lines

South Korean delegation head Major General Kim Do-gyun (left) and North Korean delegation head Lieutenant General An Ik-san at military talks. Source: Yonhap/VNA

The two Koreas agreed on June 14 to fully restore military communication lines along their eastern and western regions during the first general-level inter-Korean military talks in more than a decade.

The joint statement after the talks stated that during the discussion, the two sides also exchanged views on the demilitarization of the Panmunjom truce village on a trial basis to reduce military tensions along the heavily armed border area.

The general-level military talks were held at the truce village of Panmunjom on the North Korean side.

Türkiye has arrested 18 suspected members of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) group. Photo: Anadolu

On June 14, Turkish authorities said they had arrested 18 suspected members of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) group. The suspects were arrested in Istanbul and Izmir, Türkiye's two largest cities.

In a joint operation by the Turkish Intelligence Agency and the anti-terrorism police, 10 suspects were arrested in the Aegean coastal province of Izmir. Earlier, on June 13, 8 suspects were arrested in Istanbul.

The suspects are believed to have provided financial support to IS, traveled to war zones in the Middle East and were trained in suicide bombings. Police said they were still searching for three other suspects.

Russia proposes to increase retirement age for workers

Russian Prime Minister D.Medvedev. Photo: AFP

Under laws inherited from the Soviet era, the retirement age in Russia has been set at 55 for women and 60 for men since the early 1930s, making it one of the lowest in the world.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on June 14 proposed a relatively long transition period - starting in 2019, gradually increasing the retirement age for men to 65 by 2028 and for women to 63 by 2034. Mr. Medvedev emphasized that this plan would allow the government to use surplus financial resources to increase pensions higher than the rate of inflation.

Due to population decline, Russia's current pension system is a heavy burden on the federal budget. President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that changing the retirement age is necessary at some point.

Former President Park Geun-hye is asked to be sentenced to 12 years in prison

Former President Park Geun-hye. Source: Yonhap/VNA

South Korean prosecutors on June 14 demanded a 12-year prison sentence for former President Park Geun-hye for accepting bribes from the National Intelligence Service (NIS). They also demanded that Park pay a fine of 8 billion won ($7.38 million).

Park, 66, is currently serving a 24-year prison sentence in a separate corruption case that led to her being removed from office in early 2017.

Germany fines Volkswagen $1.2 billion over diesel scandal

Volkswagen logo. Photo: Reuters

Prosecutors in Germany have imposed a 1 billion euro (about $1.2 billion) fine on Volkswagen for installing emissions-cheating software in nearly 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide.

Prosecutors found that 10.7 million vehicles sold to customers in the US, Canada and around the world were equipped with “a software function that cheated emissions between 2007 and 2015.” Volkswagen said it would comply with the fine, hoping to quickly close the legal troubles after this scandal and move towards a new phase for the leading German auto group.