The most prominent events in the world in the past 24 hours

1. US Vice President inspects missile base on way to Olympics

US Vice President Mike Pence. Photo: AFP.

KTVA 11 News, the CBS News affiliate in Alaska, USA, reported on February 5 that Vice President Mike Pence will visit the Fort Greely missile interceptor base in this state before going to South Korea to attend the Winter Olympics.

Mr. Pence led the US delegation to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea. The father of student Otto Warmbier, who died in 2017 after being released by North Korea, was also in the delegation as a guest of the US Vice President.

Fort Greely in Alaska, equipped with 44 missiles, is the first place to launch missiles to intercept any ballistic missile threatening the United States, considered a reliable defense shield of this country against the threat from North Korea.

2.PyeongChang Olympic Truce Wall Monument Inauguration

The Olympic Truce Wall at the PyeongChang Olympic Village on February 5. Source: Yonhap/VNA

On February 5, the Truce Wall monument symbolizing the spirit of peace was inaugurated at the PyeongChang Olympic Village.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Tomas Bach, PyeongChang Organizing Committee President Lee Hee-beom, and South Korean Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Do Jong-hwan.

The mural was designed by Korean artist Yi Je-seok, inspired by Pope Francis' message of peace that building bridges, not walls, will promote relationships between people around the world.

3. Japan protests Olympic flag featuring disputed islands

The flag used in the friendly match between the inter-Korean women's hockey team and the Swedish team. Source: Kyodo

On February 5, a Japanese government spokesman said Tokyo had handed over a diplomatic note to South Korea protesting the country's use of a flag for a friendly match between the inter-Korean women's hockey team and the Swedish team the day before that featured an image of disputed islands in the Sea of ​​Japan.

Speaking at a press conference, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Tokyo could not accept the flag based on Japan's stance on the sovereignty of the Takeshima Islands, which South Korea calls Dokdo, stressing that "this is a very regrettable act."

4.Russia warns of retaliatory sanctions against the US

Illustration photo. Source: kataeb.org

Reuters reported that speaking to the Izvestia newspaper in an interview on February 5, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow still had retaliatory measures it could take against the United States in the "tit-for-tat" sanctions war between the two countries.

On January 30, the US Treasury Department announcedKremlin Reportincluding a list of individuals who could be subject to new Washington sanctions.

5.North Korean National Assembly Chairman visits South Korea

Mr. Kim Yong Nam, born in 1928, was elected chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly - the highest legislative body of North Korea since 1998. Photo: UPI.

South Korean media reported that North Korea sent Kim Yong Nam - Chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly (National Assembly) - to lead a high-level delegation to attend the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea.

On the evening of February 4, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency quoted an announcement from the South Korean Unification Ministry saying that the North Korean delegation will have 22 people, including 3 additional delegates and 18 support staff.

The delegation led by Mr. Kim will arrive in South Korea on Friday (February 9), the opening day of the Winter Olympics, and stay for three days. North Korea has previously agreed to send performing arts and ice hockey teams to the Olympics with South Korea.

6. Gas leak at steel plant in China, 8 people died

Shaoguan Iron and Steel Company's factory in Shaoguan city, Guangdong province, China. Photo: baike.so.com.

A gas leak occurred at 3 a.m. on February 5 at the Songshan plant of the Shaoguan Iron and Steel Company, killing at least eight people and injuring 10 others.APciting information posted on social media by the Shaoguan City government, Guangdong Province.

Rescue and recovery operations are ongoing. The cause of the gas leak is currently unknown.

China has made significant progress in improving industrial safety, but accidents in factories, coal mines and transport networks still kill dozens of people each year.

7.Military helicopter crashes into house in Japan

Japan Self-Defense Force AH-64 helicopter. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The incident occurred on February 5 in Kanzaki City, southwestern Japan. The crashed helicopter is believed to be an AH-64, from a base in Kumamoto Prefecture.

"A Japan Self-Defense Force (SDF) helicopter crashed into a residential area while landing. A house caught fire," Katsuhide Tanaka, a local government official, told the news agency.AFP. Casualties in the accident are unknown at this time.

A spokesman for Japan's Ministry of Defense said there were two people on board the helicopter. The local fire department deployed 14 fire trucks and three ambulances to the scene.

8.Netherlands officially announces withdrawal of ambassador from Türkiye

Dutch Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlstra. Source: hurriyetdailynews.com

On February 5, the Netherlands officially announced that it was withdrawing its ambassador from Türkiye and would refuse to allow Ankara to send an ambassador to the country as diplomatic relations between the two countries fell to a new low.

In a statement, Dutch Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlsra said the two countries have yet to agree on how to normalize relations despite recent negotiations.
As a result, the Dutch government decided to officially withdraw its ambassador to Ankara, who has not been allowed to enter Türkiye since March 2017.