World 7 days ago - featured news
(Baonghean.vn) - Opening of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics; US government shutdown for the second time in a month; Russian pilot murdered by Syrian rebels; Terrible earthquake in Taiwan, more than 200 casualties;... are the international news highlights of the past week.
1. Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics
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| The opening ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics took place under the theme Peace in Motion. |
At exactly 8pm on February 9, the 2018 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony took place at PyeongChang Stadium (South Korea). More than 35,000 fans filled the stands of PyeongChang Stadium with brilliant colors.
This is the first time in 30 years that South Korea has hosted the Olympics (after the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics). What is special is that the two Koreas, North and South, marched together under the common flag of the Korean peninsula.
With the theme of "Peace in Motion", it started with the adventures of five children in Gangwon. Throughout the opening ceremony, the story of Haenaroe, Ara, Puri, Bichae and Nuri's journey from the past to the future, learning about the history and culture of Korea.
2.The US government shuts down for the second time in a month.
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| US Capitol building. Photo: AFP. |
The US federal government shut down for the second time in less than three weeks early on February 9 after Congress failed to pass a spending bill to keep agencies operating.However, this outage is likely to be short-lived.
The US government ran out of money in the middle of the night on Thursday (February 8) when plans to pass a bipartisan budget deal hit a snag in the Senate, leaving Congress unable to reach an agreement before a deadline and triggering a partial US government shutdown.
3.Russian pilot killed by Syrian rebels
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| Syrian rebels take photos of the Russian plane shot down on February 3. Photo: AFP. |
CSyrian rebels shot down a Russian Su-25 fighter jet while it was on a mission in Idlib province, northern Syria. The pilot of the plane quickly parachuted to the ground, but was still captured and killed by Syrian rebels. The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the information and took immediate action in response.
According to regional sources, the Russian Su-25 was shot down in the town of Khan al-Subl, near the city of Saraqeb - where the Syrian government army is carrying out terrorist attacks.
4.North Korea holds grand parade to celebrate 70th anniversary of army founding
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| The parade was filled with North Korean flags, flowers and balloons. Photo: RT |
North Korea held a large-scale military parade in Pyongyang on February 8 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of its army. The North Korean government insisted that the event was not related to the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics on February 9.BBCreport
Pyongyang announced in January that it would celebrate the founding of its army on February 8, instead of April 25 as in previous years. In fact, the North Korean army was founded on February 8, 1948, and the anniversary was moved to April in 1978.
5.Russia begins deporting North Korean workers
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| Photo: Newsweek |
Russia has begun returning thousands of workers to North Korea in compliance with a resolution passed by the United Nations Security Council last December.
The Russian ambassador to Pyongyang has just said that some regions of Russia have already begun to take action. Mr. Alexander Matsegora admitted to RIA Novosti news agency that the new order will be a "blow to the Russian economy".
Ambassador Matsegora added that Moscow's move was to comply with sanctions passed by the United Nations Security Council last year over North Korea's nuclear weapons program, which included a ban on issuing new visas to the country's workers abroad.
6.Terrible earthquake in Taiwan, more than 200 casualties
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| A building tilted after the earthquake on February 6. Photo: AFP. |
A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan, killing at least two people and injuring more than 200 others on the evening of February 6.
A strong earthquake struck about 20 kilometers off the east coast of Taiwan at 11:50 p.m. local time.
Then, on the evening of February 7 againA 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck near Hualien County, which was hit by a quake on February 6. The epicenter was 21 kilometers northeast of the county at a depth of 11 kilometers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.Reuters.7.Special meeting between South Korean President and North Korean representative
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| South Korean President Moon Jae-in (center) happily shakes hands with Kim Yo-jong (left) before starting a rare meeting with senior North Korean officials led by Kim Yong-nam (right). |
On February 10, South Korean President Moon Jae-in held a private meeting with a group of senior North Korean officials, including the nominal head of state of North Korea and the sister of North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un.
This rare and historic meeting began shortly after 11am (Korean time) at the Blue House, followed by a lunch reception hosted by President Moon.
The North Korean officials were initially received by South Korean Presidential Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok outside the Blue House. They were later greeted by the South Korean president inside the building.
