2017 News Map: An August to remember

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As 2017 comes to an end, CGTN has put together a twelve-episode special series "News Map 2017," to review the monthly events of the year. From December 18 to 29, review the most stirring events, relive the most touching stories, and remember the most powerful faces of 2017.

Below are some of the most important headlines from August 2017.

Aug. 6: US pulls out of the Paris Agreement

The United States officially informed the United Nations that it intends to pull out of the Paris climate agreement, though it left the possibility of re-engaging if terms of the deal become more favorable.

The US State Department said that it would continue to participate in international climate change negotiations during the withdrawal process, which is expected to take at least three years. It said in a statement that US participation in the negotiations would "protect US interests and ensure all future policy options remain open to the administration."

US President Donald J. Trump makes a statement on June 1, 2017, regarding the Paris Accord in the Rose Garden of the White House, Washington, DC. / VCG Photo

Aug. 8: 50th anniversary of ASEAN

The Association of Southeastern Asian Nations (ASEAN) marked its 50th anniversary with a call for economic integration among its members. Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, who was the rotating chair during the anniversary.

“Since its establishment half a century ago, ASEAN has kept developing and enlarging itself, building itself into a community. It has played an important role in maintaining regional peace and stability, and has become a representative force for multipolarity development of the world,” Xi said.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and foreign ministers of the ASEAN and other countries attend a ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of the organization in Manila, Aug. 8, 2017. / VCG Photo

Aug. 9: DPRK threatens to attack Guam

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) threatened to launch a pre-emptive attack on Guam, one day after US President Donald Trump warned Pyongyang against making threats.

Hours after President Trump threatened the DPRK with "fire and fury," the country responded with a threat to attack the US protectorate of Guam to contain the US bases there. In response, Madeleine Bordallo, the non-voting US representative from Guam, called the attack reports "troubling" but she wrote that she is "confident that Guam remains safe and protected."

This picture released from DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency on August 15, 2017 shows DPRK leader Kim Jong Un (C) clapping hands while viewing a stage during his inspection of the Command of the Strategic Force of the Korean People's Army at an undisclosed location. / VCG Photo

Aug 17: Africa Regional Center opens

The New Development Bank (NDB) officially opened the Africa Regional Center (ARC) in Johannesburg. The Bank hopes to establish the ARC as an important contributor to sustainable infrastructure development in South Africa and as a useful participant in the development agenda of the continent.

The agreement between South Africa's government and the New Development Bank on the hosting of ARC in South Africa was signed by International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maita Nkoana-Mashabane and NDB President K.V. Kamath, in the presence of the country's president Jacob Zuma.

The opening of the Africa Regional Centre for the New Development Bank is held in Sandon./ VCG Photo

Aug 19: International AI conference

More than 2,000 artificial intelligence researchers gathered in Melbourne to attend the 26th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI). Around one out of three exhibitions were from China.

Organized by IJCAI, Inc., the conference has been held biennially in odd-numbered years since 1969. Starting in 2016, IJCAI conferences will be held annually.

JCAI is a highly selective conference, which makes it a more selective publication than many AI journals.

A robot called "Teotronico" plays the piano at the 2017 World Robot Conference in Beijing, China, August 23, 2017. / VCG Photo