Hot world events in the past 24 hours

1. Russia suddenly warns Mr. Trump about North Korea's power

Photo: Express

British news agency Express quoted Russian ambassador Aleksandr Matsegora as saying that President Donald Trump should think carefully before carrying out his statement to respond to North Korea with "fire and fury".

The diplomat added that Russian experts told him that Chairman Kim Jong Un has been dramatically increasing his military strength since Mr Trump entered the White House last year.

"It can be said that the North Koreans have made real progress in their missile program in the past year," Ambassador Matsegora said.

He said the missile tests over Japan were not just a show of force but also a terrifying risk, with a high possibility of the missile malfunctioning. "No one can guarantee that it won't fail one day," the Russian diplomat told reporters in Tokyo.

2. South Korea and the US continue to conduct joint exercises ahead of PyeongChang 2018

Soldiers participate in a joint South Korea-US military exercise in Pohang, South Korea on April 2, 2017. Source: AFP/TTXVN

South Korea and the United States will continue to conduct a regular joint military exercise this week, Yonhap news agency quoted an unnamed South Korean defense official as saying on February 1, amid reconciliation moves between South Korea and North Korea ahead of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

According to the official, the four-day exercise, called "Warrior Strike," involved many US soldiers, including soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division stationed in South Korea, and some South Korean soldiers.

3. Myanmar politician San Suu Kyi's villa was petrol bombed

Suu Kyi's lakeside villa. Photo: Getty.

A petrol bomb was thrown at the lakeside villa of Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon, a Myanmar government spokesman said on February 1.

Spokesman Zaw Htay confirmed the information but did not provide further details about the motive for the attack on the politician.The petrol bomb caused only minor damage.

Ms. Suu Kyi was under house arrest in the lakeside house in southern Myanmar for 15 years by the former military government of Myanmar. She was released in 2010.

4. Xi Jinping's campaign against Chinese mafia gangs

Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo: AFP.

China has launched an unprecedented nationwide anti-mafia campaign to eliminate rampant corruption among grassroots officials linked to gangsters, which is seen as a serious threat to the power of the Communist Party of China (CPC), according toSCMP.

Chinese state media said the campaign was launched after President Xi Jinping held a closed-door meeting with the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, in which he warned that any collusion between government officials and the mafia would not be tolerated.

The anti-mafia campaign led by Xi and nearly 30 party and state agencies and organizations aims to strengthen the CPC's legitimacy and restore the people's eroded confidence in the party's leadership.

5. Thailand confiscated a series of real estate properties of Ms. Yingluck

Former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

More than 30 properties belonging to former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra have been seized to compensate for losses caused by her government in a controversial rice subsidy scheme.

On January 31, lawyer Noppadol Laothong, representative of former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck, said the assets included the house on Soi Nawamin 111 in northern Bangkok, where Yingluck lived for most of her life before fleeing abroad in August, shortly before a Thai court ruled on her responsibility for the rice subsidy program when she was prime minister.

6. Russia kills suspect of election day terrorist plot

FSB special forces. Photo: Sputnik

An FSB special forces team has prevented "the activities of a member of the self-proclaimed Islamic State group"(IS), who planned a terrorist attack in the city of Nizhny Novgorod," RT news agency quoted an FSB announcement.

"According to intelligence, the attack will take place on the exact dayRussian presidential election," the statement added.

While being pursued by the special forces, the suspect fired back but was eventually shot down.A high-explosive device as well as numerous weapons and ammunition were found at his hideout.

7. America shocked by Navy Commander accepting sexual bribe

Commander Troy Amundson, right, talks with members of the Philippine Navy aboard the destroyer USS Halsey in Manila in 2010. Photo: US Navy

CNN reported that former Commander Troy Amundson, 50, admitted to accepting multiple bribes, including accepting the services of several prostitutes, from foreign contractor Leonard Glenn Francis, also known as "Fat Leonard," and his Singapore-based company Glenn Defense Marine Asia. In return, Mr. Amundson gave this company many US Navy contracts.

"Amundson admitted that from September 2012 to October 2013, Francis paid for dinner, drinks, travel, entertainment expenses, and prostitution services for Amundson and several other US Navy officers," CNN quoted a statement from the US Attorney's Office in San Diego, California.

The "Fat Leonard" investigation began in 2013 and so far, 20 of the 29 defendants have pleaded guilty. Francis pleaded guilty to bribery and fraud in 2015.

8.South Africa: Power outage at gold mine, 1,000 people trapped underground

Beatrix gold mine. Photo: Gold Fields.

More than 1,000 miners are trapped underground after a power outage while working at the Beatrix gold mine in central South Africa.

The mine's representative, Mr. James Wellsted, said that all miners are safe and are being provided with food and water. Rescue workers are also working to get those trapped above ground as soon as possible.

At least 65 miners have been rescued. While waiting for the power outage to be resolved, emergency generators were used to bring the miners to the surface.