US President Donald Trump (left) and Mr. Kim Jong-un. Photo: Reuters

US President Donald Trump announced on January 6 that he is ready to talk by phone with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Donald Trump also hopes for positive results from talks between South Korea and North Korea scheduled for next week after Washington and Seoul agreed to postpone military exercises.

Speaking to the press at Camp David, President Donald Trump expressed his willingness to talk with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but not unconditionally.

2. Cambodia celebrates Victory Day over Pol Pot genocide

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks at the ceremony.

On the morning of January 7, at the Koh Pich Island Exhibition Convention Center in Phnom Penh, the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) solemnly held a ceremony to celebrate the 39th anniversary of the victory over the Pol Pot genocidal regime on January 7. This was the largest-ever celebration with the participation of tens of thousands of people.

Speaking at the ceremony, Prime Minister Hun Sen emphasized the meaning and purpose of the ceremony to express deep gratitude to the heroic soldiers and patriots of the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation and the Vietnamese volunteer army, who fought steadfastly and sacrificed their blood in the effort to overthrow the Pol Pot genocidal regime.

3. Oil tanker sinks in China, 32 people missing

Illustration photo: AP.

On January 7, China's Ministry of Transport announced that 32 crew members, including 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, were missing after two oil tankers and a cargo ship collided in the East China Sea on the evening of January 6.

The accident occurred when a Panama-registered oil tanker collided with a Hong Kong-registered cargo ship at 8 p.m. on January 6, 160 nautical miles east of the Yangtze River estuary. The collision left 32 crew members on the tanker missing, while all 21 crew members on the cargo ship were rescued.

4. Revealing the identity of the leader of the North Korean delegation participating in the negotiations

The talks scheduled for January 9 at the truce village of Panmunjom are raising hopes for an improvement in inter-Korean relations. Illustration photo: AP.

On January 7, North Korea informed South Korea that it would send a five-member delegation, led by Ri Son-gwon, head of North Korea's agency in charge of resolving inter-Korean affairs, to participate in the negotiations.

This will be the first official talks between the two Koreas in more than two years. The talks, scheduled to take place on January 9 at the truce village of Panmunjom, are raising hopes for the possibility of improving inter-Korean relations after North Korea's consecutive nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches in 2017./.

5. Massacre in Senegal leaves 13 dead

Illustration photo: AFP.

At least 13 people were killed and seven others injured in a brutal massacre on January 6 in the town of Ziguinchor, southern Senegal.

Immediately after the massacre, the Senegalese army sent reinforcements to the area to search for the rebel separatists.

Although there is no official information, the Senegalese military suspects that a separatist group called the Democratic Forces Movement of Casamance, established in 1982, is behind this attack.

6. Saudi Arabia: Reclaiming privileges, 11 princes arrested

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's heavy-handed policies have caused tension within the royal family. Photo: NDTV

Saudi Arabian authorities have detained 11 princes protesting against a decision to suspend some government subsidies to royal family members, NDTV reported on January 7.

In a protest, 11 Saudi princes demonstrated in front of the Qasr al-Hokm royal palace in the capital Riyadh, demanding that the government cancel the reform decision and pay compensation related to the execution of Prince Turki bin Saud al-Kabeer, the cousin of the aforementioned princes, in 2016.

7. British Prime Minister Theresa May's cabinet is about to change.

British Prime Minister Theresa May. Photo: Evening Standard.

Reuters news agency reported on January 7 that British Prime Minister Theresa May will announce a number of changes in the country's Cabinet on January 8.

However, according to the Sunday Times, the ministers of finance, foreign affairs, home affairs and Brexit will not be changed. The purpose of this reshuffle by British Prime Minister Theresa May is to bring some young women into the Cabinet, to seek support from voters for the government of this country.

Conservative Party Chairman Patrick McLoughlin, Education Secretary Justine Greening, Business Secretary Greg Clark and House of Commons Speaker Andrea Leadsom are likely to be replaced./.

8. Explosion outside subway station in Stockholm

The scene of the explosion. Source: mirror.co.uk

Swedish authorities say two people were injured in an explosion outside Varby Gard metro station in southern Stockholm on January 7.

An object exploded after being picked up by someone, a police spokesman said. The spokesman stressed there was no basis to suggest the incident was terrorism-related.
Varby Gard metro station and the surrounding square were closed while security forces carried out checks./.