Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 12 Jun 2018

Kim Jong Un has promised “major change” after meeting Donald
Trump in Singapore, the first time a North Korean leader has met a
sitting US President. The pair spoke alone, except for
interpreters, and signed a document afterwards. What that document
said has not yet been explained but more details are expected later
today.

Insurance millionaire Arron Banks, Ukip’s main backer, will face
MPs on the culture and media committee today to answer questions
about his links to Russia during the EU referendum campaign. Banks
met the Russian ambassador to the UK three times in 2015 and 2016,
discussing Brexit and the election of Donald Trump in the US.

Chancellor Philip Hammond is to raise as much as £10bn extra tax
for the NHS on its 70th anniversary, newspapers say. Experts say
the service will face a £20bn annual funding gap by 2022 as it
struggles to cope with an ageing population. Health Secretary
Jeremy Hunt wants a real-terms increase of 4% per year, The Times
reports.

Brexit Secretary David Davis has written to Tory MPs in an
attempt to stave off a government defeat on the Brexit bill,
warning that the country’s whole approach to negotiations with the
EU could be undermined by amendments to the bill. The Commons will
vote today on whether they should get a say on the final Brexit
deal.

The Association of British Insurers is warning manufacturers
against branding their cars as “autonomous” because of advanced
features which do not in fact amount to the car being self-driving.
The group says misleading names for features such as “Autopilot”
and “ProPilot” can confuse drivers and leave them over-reliant.

The economy is showing the greatest signs of stress since 2012,
with employers more pessimistic than they have been at any point
since the eurozone crisis. A keenly watched survey by the
ManpowerGroup found that worries over Brexit and the slowdown in
consumer spending mean only 4% of respondents are recruiting.

Almost three-quarters of women who live in seven British cities
never use a bicycle for local journeys, according to a new survey
by cycling charity Sustrans. Twice as many men as women cycle at
least once a week, the survey suggests. Sustrans says more
dedicated cycle routes might encourage women to pedal to work.

Researchers from the US and Romania say climate change may lie
behind the unexpected death of some of Africa’s oldest trees. Giant
baobabs can be as much as 2,500 years old and as wide as a bus is
long and their shape is an icon of the continent. Of the 13 oldest
known trees, nine have died during the past 12 years, the team
says.

The much-loved BBC sitcom of the 1960s and 70s, Dad’s Army, is
to be commemorated with a series of stamps featuring the cast and
their catchphrases. The show, written by David Croft and Jimmy
Perry, was first shown 50 years ago in 1968. Ian Lavender, one of
the only cast members still living, said he was “overwhelmed”.

As Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in
Singapore, many hope the US president will raise the issue of human
rights.

Asked by a reporter over the weekend whether he would voice
concerns about North Korea’s gulags, or prison camps, “Trump said
all issues would come up at the summit”.