Russia wants to restore full relations with the US; North Korea admits to worst drought

Reuters on May 15 quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin as expressing his desire to restore full-fledged relations with the United States when receiving Secretary of State Pompeo in the Black Sea city of Sochi. President Putin said he was “impressed” by US President Donald Trump’s desire to restore Russia-US relations and contacts, as well as resolve issues of mutual concern. “We have repeatedly said that we also want to restore full-fledged relations. I hope that now there will be the necessary conditions for that,” he said.

Secretary Pompeo had previously spoken for hours with his counterpart Sergei Lavrov before meeting President Putin for about 90 minutes. The two sides also discussed issues on Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Ukraine, North Korea and allegations of Russian interference in the US election.

Germany stops military training in Iraq

"The German military has suspended training" due to heightened tensions in the region, German defense ministry spokesman Jens Flosdorff said, adding that troops were operating in the area "on high alert." Flosdorff said training could continue in the next few days and there was "no specific threat" at the moment. Germany has about 160 soldiers deployed in Iraq, including 60 in Taji, north of Baghdad, and 100 in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region in the north of the country.

Germany's move comes amid worsening relations between the US and Iraq's neighbor Iran. The Pentagon has deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group, a squadron of B-52 bombers, the USS Arlington amphibious transport dock ship and a Patriot air defense battery to the region, after US intelligence detected Iran transferring short-range ballistic missiles to warships in the Persian Gulf.

Indonesia foils attack plot during election results announcement

Indonesian police stand guard at the election commission office in Banda Aceh, Aceh province, April 6, 2019. Photo: AFP/ VNA

Indonesian police said on May 15 that the country's anti-terrorism forces had rounded up at least 10 suspects who were plotting to carry out attacks during the official announcement of the presidential election results by the General Election Commission (KPU).

According to national police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo, the arrested suspects belong to Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) - the largest extremist group in Indonesia with ties to the self-proclaimed terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS). The subjects confessed that they planned to attack crowded places on May 21, 22 or 23, to create chaos and cause as many casualties as possible. Currently, the authorities are hunting for more subjects in this group.

North Korea admits to worst drought ever

North Korean soldiers watch farmers work in a field in North Korea in February 2019. Photo taken from a boat on the Yalu River – the natural border between North Korea and China - Photo: AFP

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 15, the average rainfall in the country in the first five months of the year was only 54.4 mm, the lowest level since 1982. Information said the drought could last until the end of May. Also on May 15, the South Korean Unification Ministry said the food shortage in North Korea remains "serious" and Pyongyang needs outside aid, despite recent information that rice prices in the country have fallen.

In a report released earlier this month, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said North Korea needs an additional 1.36 million tons of grain to address food shortages this year. The report also said that North Korea's estimated grain output last year was 4.9 million tons, the lowest since 2008, and that about 10.1 million North Koreans (40% of the total population) are in need of food assistance.

US Republicans want to tighten visas for Chinese students and scholars

US lawmakers want to tighten visas for Chinese students and researchers - Photo cut from clip - CCTV

A group of Republican lawmakers in Congress has just introduced a bill that would restrict people who work for organizations that cooperate with or receive funding from the Chinese military from being granted student or research visas in the US. The bill was supported and introduced by a group of Republican senators including Chuck Grassley, Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz, Marsha Blackburn and Josh Hawley on May 14 (local time), in the context of escalating US-China trade tensions with retaliatory tariffs.

In addition, for a long time, many US officials have also worried about the risk of Chinese scholars stealing intellectual property or spying at universities and other organizations in the US. According to the News AgencyReutersThe bill requires the US government to create a list of scientific and technological organizations affiliated with the Chinese military and will not issue visas to those who work or are sponsored by these organizations.