The Vietnamese government has published a list of 17 business sectors that are open to foreign investors, with some conditions, in a bid to improve the investment environment following this year's record inflow of foreign capital.

US-led forces have killed 10 Islamic State leaders in air strikes, including individuals linked to the Paris attacks, a US spokesman said, dealing a double blow to the militant group after Iraqi forces ousted it from the city of Ramadi.

President Barack Obama's administration is preparing new sanctions on international companies and individuals over Iran's ballistic missile program, sources familiar with the situation said on December 30.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi planted the national flag in Ramadi on December 29 after the army retook the city center from Islamic State a day earlier, a victory that could help vindicate his strategy for rebuilding the military after stunning defeats.

Germany's federal states are planning to spend around 17 billion euros (US$18.7 billion) on dealing with the refugee crisis in 2016, the newspaper Die Welt said on December 29, citing a survey it conducted among their finance ministries.

A suicide bomber attacked a government office in northwestern Pakistan on December 29, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 70.

A US-led coalition has killed 10 Islamic State leaders in the past month with targeted air strikes, including individuals linked to last month's attacks in Paris, a spokesman for the coalition said on December 29.

A ship carrying more than 25,000 pounds (11,000 kg) of low-enriched uranium materials left Iran for Russia on December 28 in an Iranian step toward honoring a July 14 nuclear deal with major powers, the United States said.

Around 450 Syrian fighters and their families were evacuated from two besieged areas on December 28 under the kind of operation that the United Nations hopes can be a stepping stone toward a wider peace accord in the country's civil war.

Storms hit southern and central US states over the Christmas holiday, unleashing floods and tornadoes that killed at least 41 people, flattened buildings and snarled transportation for millions during a busy travel time.