Hot world events in the past 24 hours

1. North Korea criticizes US for sending ex-prisoner's father to Olympics

US Vice President Mike Pence (left) and Fred Warmbier, Otto's father, in South Korea. Photo: Woohae Cho.

"The US has once again launched a campaign to defame the DPRK, deliberately blaming the DPRK for Warmbier's death," the North Korean state news agency said.KCNAFebruary 15 wrote and emphasized that the US wanted to use Warmbier's death to increase pressure on North Korea because of its weapons program.

Otto Warmbier was an American student arrested in 2016 for stealing propaganda materials in Pyongyang. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and hard labor. Warmbier was released in a coma last year but died shortly after returning to the US. North Korea has denied that it tortured Warmbier.

2. Russian warship on fire in the Far East

A Russian Navy destroyer caught fire at a port in the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok on February 16, according to RT news agency.

Photos shared on social media showed thick smoke rising from the destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov of Russia's Pacific Fleet while it was docked at the port in Vladivostok.

A total of 11 fire engines and 48 rescue workers were dispatched to the scene to contain the fire. All 106 crew members on board were safely evacuated.

3. Polish Prime Minister visits Germany to thaw relations

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Source: AFP/TTXVN

AFP reported on February 16 that Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki visited the German capital Berlin, in an effort to thaw relations between the two countries affected by Warsaw's judicial reforms and a controversial bill related to the Holocaust.

"I want this visit to promote economic and political cooperation between the two countries," Morawiecki told Polish news agency PAP this week ahead of talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

4. North Korea celebrates the birthday of late leader Kim Jong-il

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (front row) and officials at the Kumsusan Palace on February 16. Photo: Rodong Sinmun.

Kim Jong-un and senior party officials pay tribute to late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il on his birthday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits his father's mausoleum at the Kumsusan Palace in Pyongyang at midnight on February 16, state news agency North Korea said.KCNATop North Korean officials, including Choe Ryong Hae, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party, and former foreign minister Ri Su Yong, accompanied Mr. Kim.

The birthday of late leader Kim Jong-il is a national holiday in North Korea, known as "Day of the Shining Star". Pyongyang says a shining star and a double rainbow appeared when Kim Jong-il was born in 1942 on Mount Baekdu, the highest mountain on the Korean peninsula.

5. The US affirms its naval presence in the East Sea

USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier. Photo: AFP

“The US presence is important. I think it’s clear that we are present in the South China Sea. We are operating here,” Rear Admiral John Fuller, commander of the USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group, told reporters on board.

According to US officials, the USS Carl Vinson, one of the longest-serving US aircraft carriers, is on a routine deployment, passing through hot waters. Admiral Fuller asserted that the presence of the 333m-long US aircraft carrier is a way to reassure allies in the region.

6. Hosting a Lunar New Year party, China takes the opportunity to warn the US

Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai speaks at a New Year's Eve party held at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC on February 13. Photo: Xinhua

China's ambassador to the US warned the Trump administration against adopting a confrontational policy towards Beijing, saying "China's DNA" is difficult to change.

"It is certainly paranoia to worry that a China that is on its own development path will confront the United States," the news agency said.Xinhua News AgencyFebruary 15 quoted the statement of Mr. Cui Tiankai - Chinese Ambassador to the US.

7. US and Türkiye open dialogue on campaign in Syria

US military vehicles are deployed in Yalanli village, on the outskirts of Manbij city, Syria on March 5, 2017. Source: AFP/TTXVN

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to ease tensions between the two NATO allies over Ankara's campaign in Syria.
During the three-hour meeting in the capital Ankara, sources from the Turkish Presidential Palace said Mr. Erdogan conveyed to the US Secretary of State Türkiye's priorities and expectations on the Syria issue, the fight against terrorism, as well as other regional issues.