Finland readies for Trump-Putin meeting; Protests spread in Iran

Finland is ready for the Russia-US summit

The Finnish capital Helsinki is getting ready for the first official summit between Russian President Putin and US President Donald Trump.

Security measures have been tightened in many locations in the city, especially the area around the Finnish Presidential Palace, where Putin and Trump are scheduled to meet on the afternoon of July 16. Both Russian and American publics expect the meeting to be an opportunity to mend the strained relationship between the two countries over the past time.

The busy market in Helsinki’s southern port will be closed on Monday, while transport routes will be rerouted or delayed. Ferry services to the fortress island of Suomenlinna will be diverted to another port. Traffic will also be severely restricted from the evening of Tuesday when President Trump’s delegation arrives.

The Press Service of the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that about 1,500 international journalists from 60 countries had come to Helsinki to cover the conference, of which Russia was the largest delegation with 300 journalists.

Israeli-Palestinian violence continues to escalate in the Gaza Strip

Smoke rises after Israeli airstrikes in Rafah city, Gaza Strip on July 14. Source: THX/TTXVN

Local media reported that on July 15, Israeli warplanes continued to attack the Gaza Strip, despite the Palestinian armed movements announcing that they had just reached a ceasefire agreement with Israel arranged by Egypt.

Palestinian militant groups said on the evening of July 14 that they had reached a ceasefire agreement with Israel amid escalating violence after more than 200 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory and the Israeli army responded by attacking dozens of targets in Gaza.

US-North Korea begin discussions on repatriation of US soldiers' remains

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo answers reporters when he arrives in North Korea earlier this July. Photo: AP

According to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, US and North Korean officials met today (July 15) at the inter-Korean border to discuss plans to repatriate the remains of US soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted a government source as saying that the discussion took place at the truce village of Panmunjom. Three US vehicles in South Korea, flying the UN flag, were present at the border area between North and South Korea early this morning. The source also confirmed that a UN representative will represent the US at the meeting.

However, neither North Korea nor the US has commented on the information provided by South Korea.

South Africa issues commemorative coins to mark 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's birth

Former South African President Nelson Mandela and his wife. Source: Reuters

The South African Reserve Bank (central bank) has just announced that it will issue limited edition banknotes and gold coins to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late South African President Nelson Mandela (July 18, 1918-2018).

A series of banknotes will outline the life and career of the late President Mandela from his birth as the son of a tribal chief in the town of Mvezo and his upbringing in the Eastern Cape, his 27-year imprisonment, his crucial contribution to ending apartheid and his becoming the first democratically elected President of South Africa in 1994.

Meanwhile, the 1-ounce gold coin depicts a middle-aged Mandela smiling with parted hair, designed by Sindiso Nyoni. President Nelson Mandela's image appears on all South African banknotes. He died in 2013 at the age of 95.

Iraq: Mass protests over unemployment and poor public services

People protest against unemployment and stagnation in public services in Baghdad, Iraq on July 13. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

Protests against unemployment and poor public services in southern Iraq continued for a seventh day and spread to other cities in the country, even the capital Baghdad.

On July 15, hundreds of protesters stormed the Basra provincial government headquarters, forcing security forces to use water cannons, tear gas and fire into the air to disperse the crowd.

Faced with this situation, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi has pledged to disburse $3 billion in investment to Basra province and increase the budget for infrastructure and services.

18,000 Japanese volunteers join reconstruction efforts after historic floods

Volunteers join in the clean-up after historic floods in Japan. Photo: AFP.

About 18,000 volunteers from across Japan have begun taking part in clean-up and reconstruction efforts in western areas devastated by recent historic floods.NDTVAbout 40 volunteer centers have been opened in Ehime, Okayama and Hiroshima prefectures.

Heavy rains since last weekend have caused rivers in central and western Japan to overflow, causing flooding and landslides in many areas. This is the most serious natural disaster in Japan since 1982. According to the latest statistics, the rains and floods have killed 204 people, 40 are missing, and 5,800 people are still evacuated.

Another bombing causes many casualties in Afghanistan

Afghan security forces are deployed at the scene of a bombing in Kabul on July 15. Photo: EPA-EFE/TTXVN

On July 15, a suicide bombing occurred right in front of the headquarters of the Afghan Ministry of Rural Development in the capital Kabul, killing at least 7 people and injuring 15 others.

According to a police spokesman, the attacker detonated the explosives in front of the ministry's headquarters. The victims were all ministry employees and civilians. No organization has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

On the same day, July 15, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released a report, identifying a record number of 1,692 civilians killed in conflicts and terrorist attacks in Afghanistan in the first half of 2018, while the number of civilians injured was 3,430.