World last 7 days - highlights

1. Asians are bustling to say goodbye to the old year of the Fire Rooster and welcome the new year of the Earth Dog.

Illustration photo.

Last week, Asians were busy saying goodbye to the old year of the Rooster and welcoming the new year of the Dog. Tet Nguyen Dan is the most important holiday of the year in some Asian countries, including Vietnam. This is an occasion for family members to gather together, visit relatives, and worship ancestors after a year of hard work.

In his New Year's address, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, "The Year of the Dog represents loyalty and trust." US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sent wishes to all Asian people around the world for health, peace and prosperity on the occasion of Lunar New Year.

2.Former student opens fire at US school, 17 dead

Students' families were worried when they heard about the shooting. Photo: ABC News.

The shooting occurred at around 2:00 p.m. on February 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.USA Todayreport

The incident left 17 people dead and about 20 injured.

Television footage showed the attacker had red hair and was wearing a hooded T-shirt.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said the suspect surrendered without incident to law enforcement. The suspect was identified as Nicholas Cruz, 19.

3.Shooting at Russian church, 5 people killed

The shooting suspect. Photo: Reuters

The incident took place in the city of Kizlyar, the capital of the Republic of Dagestan in Russia. The suspect brought a hunting rifle to the church and attacked a group of worshipers who were praying to mark the end of Maslenitsa, a traditional Russian festival to bid farewell to winter and welcome spring. Five people were killed and about five were injured.

The gunman was shot dead by police at the scene, the gunman has been identified as a local man in his 20s.

4.Plane crashes in Iran, 65 people killed

Rescue teams search the scene of the plane crash.

On February 18, an Iranian passenger plane crashed in foggy conditions in the Zagros Mountains on the Iran-Iraq border, killing all 65 people on board.

The Aseman Airlines ATR-72 took off from Tehran and crashed near its destination, the southwestern city of Yasuj, about 780 km south of the capital.

Rescue work is currently underway, 32 bodies have been located and recovered and brought down the mountain. Many remaining bodies are still buried under ice and snow.

5.Soldiers from various countries are busy with the "Cobra Gold" exercise.

South Korean soldiers and military vehicles participate in the exercise. Photo: Reuters

RTUS, South Korean and Thai soldiers participated in a landing exercise on Hat Yao beach in Chonburi province, eastern Thailand on February 17. The exercise involved about 2,000 US and Thai soldiers and 300 South Korean soldiers.

About 11,000 soldiers from 29 countries are participating in this year's exercise, with Thailand, the US, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, and Malaysia being the seven main participants. The US is sending 6,800 soldiers to the exercise.

A total of six warships, 36 landing vehicles and 86 aircraft were used in the exercise, including the US amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme and the South Korean amphibious assault ship Cheon Ja Bong.

6.Russian politics heats up with presidential campaign

President Putin speaks to supporters. Photo: thedogmachronicle.

The presidential campaign in Russia is heating up, as candidates begin to introduce campaign slogans for the vote on March 18.

According to pre-election polls, incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin has always had a high and stable approval rating of around 70%.

There are eight candidates running in the race for the Kremlin, including incumbent President Putin. Campaigning began on February 17.

7.US sets date to open embassy in Israel in Jerusalem

US Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

On February 23, US officials said that the Trump administration will open the country's new embassy in Israel in Jerusalem in mid-May.

According to the anonymous official, the US Congress was informed of this decision on the same day and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signed off on the security plan to open the new embassy.
However, the early opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem is largely symbolic, as only a very limited number of diplomatic staff will work in the city and the majority of US embassy staff will remain at the current embassy in Tel Aviv for the time being.

8. Mr. Trump announced the "heaviest sanctions ever" on North Korea.

The Trump administration announced a package of sanctions against North Korea on February 23, 2018, targeting shipping and trading companies. Photo: AFP

According to AFP news agency, speaking to a public group outside Washington on February 23, Mr. Trump continued to affirm the US policy of increasing maximum pressure on Pyongyang to force them to end their weapons development programs.

“Today we imposed the most severe sanctions ever imposed on a country,” Mr. Trump said. But compared to past US sanctions, Mr. Trump’s statement seemed a bit “exaggerated.”

The subjects of the US sanctions this time include 56 ships, shipping companies and commercial enterprises. Mr. Trump did not provide details about the subjects of the sanctions, only expressing hope that the new measures will have a positive effect.