President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro shook hands on April 10 at a summit in Panama, a symbolically charged gesture as the pair seek to restore ties between the two countries.

Vietnam's Eximbank, 15.07% owned by Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp , is in talks with unlisted domestic lender Nam A Bank about a possible merger, sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

A trial defendant shot dead a judge and two others on April 9 on a rampage through a Milan courthouse, casting a harsh spotlight on public security measures that Italy tightened earlier this year.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on April 9 demanded that all sanctions on Iran be lifted at the same time as any final agreement with world powers on curbing Tehran's nuclear program is concluded.

Hillary Clinton is expected to announce her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 as early as this weekend, facing no substantial competition but needing to get her organization in place for the long battle to come.

Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's conviction on April 8 came as a relief to residents of the city, though many expressed mixed feelings over whether the 21-year-old should be put to death for his crimes.

The United States is speeding up arms supplies and bolstering intelligence sharing with a Saudi-led alliance bombing a militia aligned with Iran in neighboring Yemen, a senior US diplomat said on April 7.

Hoang Hai turned his back on a Vietnamese business that was headed for bankruptcy and became a driving instructor instead. Now he is riding a wave of interest in car ownership as the country's trend-setting middle class swaps two wheels for four.

A power line broke loose at an electrical substation near Washington on April 7, briefly dimming the White House, emptying museums and cutting electricity to government buildings and the US Capitol for hours.

Disgraced Vietnamese football club Vissai Ninh Binh FC, who folded last year after nine players were banned for match-fixing, have revealed plans to reform.