World last 7 days - featured news

1. The world is bustling to welcome the new year 2018

Fireworks display to welcome the new year 2018 at Sydney Harbour, Australia.

Last week, the whole world joyfully welcomed the new year 2018. Brilliant fireworks displays in major cities marked the transition from the old year to the new year. Security in many countries was tightened at crowded places.

Many world leaders have sent messages and New Year greetings to the people. The world officially enters 2018.

2. Developments on the Korean Peninsula

Illustration photo: KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump continued their war of words at the beginning of the new year. Leader Kim Jong-un declared: The entire US is within the range of our nuclear weapons. The button to launch all kinds of nuclear weapons is right on my desk. This is a fact, not a threat.

Immediately, US President Trump responded on Twitter: "Someone please tell him that I also have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one, and my Button works."

However, the situation on the Korean peninsula also shows signs of cooling down. Mr. Kim Jong-un proposed that the inter-Korean government begin formal dialogue and wished to send a North Korean delegation to the Winter Olympics in South Korea next February.

3. The US suddenly stopped aid to Pakistan

Taliban rebels. Illustration photo

On January 4, it said it would suspend security aid to Pakistan, worth more than $255 million, until Islamabad takes action against the Taliban and the Haqqani network.

The US State Department announced the decision, saying it reflected the Trump administration’s frustration with Pakistan’s failure to take a tougher stance against the two militant groups, which have been operating in Pakistan and carrying out attacks in neighboring Afghanistan.

The US State Department declined to provide exact details of the aid, saying the amount was still being calculated. However, Reuters news agency quoted two officials as saying the US aid to Pakistan was worth more than $255 million.

4. The United Nations Security Council holds an emergency meeting on the unrest in Iran.

Protests in Iran. Photo: Getty.

On January 4, Iranian Army Commander General Abdolrahim Mousavi affirmed that the country's police have stabilized the situation after violent anti-government protests, but the military is ready to intervene if necessary.

The statement was made after 21 people were killed in anti-government protests in Iran, forcing the United Nations Security Council to hold an emergency meeting today (January 5).

In a statement, Major General Mousavi praised the Iranian security forces for quelling the riots. According to him, the incitement to riots was minimal and the police could have stopped it at the beginning, but the Islamic Republic's military forces were ready to deal with the move.

5. North Korea agrees to dialogue with South Korea

North Korea suddenly announced its readiness to negotiate with South Korea.

North Korea and South Korea agreed on January 5 to hold high-level talks next week to discuss Pyongyang's participation in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Yonhap news agency reported.

North Korea has informed Seoul that it has accepted the latest proposal for talks next Tuesday (January 9), according to South Korea's Unification Ministry.

"The two sides decided to discuss work-level issues by exchanging documents," Baik Tae-hyun, spokesman for the Unification Ministry, said at a press briefing.

The main agenda will include how to improve long-stalled inter-Korean relations, including Olympic cooperation, Baik added.

6. Accidents, fires, severe snowstorms in the world

- Train crashes into truck, catches fire in South Africa

Accident scene. Photo: BBC

A passenger train crashed into a truck and burst into flames in the central South African province of Free State on January 4. The death toll has not been confirmed, but the current casualty count stands at 14 dead and 180 injured.

The train was travelling from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth when the accident occurred. Witnesses said the lorry failed to stop at a level crossing and was hit as it attempted to cross the tracks. The lorry driver tried to flee but was arrested by police.

Free State provincial police said about 850 passengers were safely evacuated.

- Russia: Serious fire at shoe factory kills 10 people

Illustration photo. Source: mchs.gov.ru

On January 4, 10 people were killed after a fire broke out and engulfed a shoe factory in the city of Novosibirsk in Siberia, eastern Russia.

According to Xinhua, local prosecutors said that among the victims were Chinese citizens. An electrical short circuit was the cause of the serious fire.
Meanwhile, Russian news agency RIA quoted information from the emergency agency saying that 10 people were killed, including 7 Chinese citizens, 2 Kyrgyzstan citizens and a Russian citizen./.

-"Blizzard bomb" attacks America, people freeze to death on porches

A frozen fountain in cold weather in Charlotte, South Carolina. Photo: Boston Herald.

Nearly 5,000 flights were canceled as the “bomb blizzard” hit the U.S., including 65 percent of flights to New York City and Boston, according to data from FlightAware. Across the East Coast, authorities and residents were scrambling to clear snow paths and assess the storm’s aftermath.

At least seven people have died in weather-related crashes so far. Virginia officials said two people died, including a girl hit by a truck on icy roads and a 75-year-old man hit by a snowplow. Four others in Carolina died while driving on snowy roads. 'Bomb blizzard' hits US, people freeze to death on porches.