In a rare admonishment of a close ally, the United States urged the European Union on July 29 to speak out more forcefully to support Washington in its dispute with China over building and militarization of man-made outposts in the East Vietnam Sea.

Ministers responsible for the environment from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand gathered at the 17th Meeting of the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee (MSC) on Trans-boundary Haze Pollution in Jakarta, Indonesia, on July 28.

Afghanistan said on July 29 that Mullah Omar, the elusive leader of the Taliban movement fighting to topple the government, died more than two years ago.

Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung joined senior officials from other ASEAN countries and China at the 9th meeting on the implementation of the Declaration on the Conducts of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) that took place in China’s Tianjin city on July 29.

Singapore and the United Kingdom will further cooperation in cyber space security as signed in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s visit to the country on July 28. 

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on July 28 the nuclear deal reached between Tehran and major world powers this month will help fight terrorism and bloodshed in the Middle East, Iran's state TV reported.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron visited the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia on July 27, becoming the first acting British PM to visit the bloc’s headquarters to cement the economic relationship between the UK and the dynamic region.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced the first cabinet reshuffle since the general election in 2013 on July 28.

Forty-six candidates had registered to run in Myanmar’s upcoming general elections by July 26, according to the country’s Union Election Commission (UEC).

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on July 27 that his cabinet may be reshuffled in September as the Government has come under pressure to deal with its weak economy.

The Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting on peacekeeping opened on July 27 in Jakarta with the participation of about 100 top officials from 30 countries, including five members of the United Nations Security Council.

US Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Egypt and the Gulf next week for talks on the recent nuclear deal between major powers and Iran and the fight against Islamic State militants, then he will head to Southeast Asia, where countries share US concerns about China's pursuit of territorial claims.

Turkey and the United States are working on plans to provide air cover for Syrian rebels and jointly sweep Islamic State fighters from a strip of land along the Turkish border, bolstering the NATO member's security and possibly providing a safe haven for civilians.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called on July 26 for a dramatic national shift to energy sources such as solar and wind, setting a goal of generating enough clean renewable energy to power every US home within a decade after she takes office.

Chiang Mai Province will host the 50th Asian Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions' (ASOSAI) Governing Board Meeting and an international seminar on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Office of the Auditor General. 

Three people were killed when a small airplane crashed into a residential area of the Japanese capital, Tokyo, on July 26, public broadcaster NHK reported, setting fire to houses and cars.

Two Turkish soldiers were killed and four were in injured by a car bomb and homemade explosives near the southeastern city of Diyarbakir overnight, the military said on July 26.

The Lebanese Hezbollah group believes it can still count on Iran's support following Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers, leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on July 25.

British Prime Minister David Cameron will visit four Southeast Asian nations -Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore- next week on a trade mission with a number of businesspeople, according to a local newspaper.

Iran will intensify its relations and cooperation with ASEAN as well as with ASEAN member countries, said new Iranian Ambassador to ASEAN Valiollah Mohammadi Nasrabadi. 

(VOV) - The Japanese government has made public its 2015 defense white paper discussing covering its concerns over a worsening security situation outside Japan. 

Turkish fighter jets launched attacks on camps of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq overnight, the prime minister's office said on July 25, in what is likely to be a major blow to the stalled Kurdish peace process.

A Saudi-led airstrike on Yemen's Taiz killed at least 55 people and left tens injured, Houthi-controlled news agency Saba said on July 25.

Talks on tying up a new bailout deal for Greece failed to start on July 24 as had been expected, with officials blaming security worries for delaying the negotiations with international creditors who are detested by many Greeks.

Singapore and Australia recently renewed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on promoting cooperation in defence science and technology, said the Singapore’s Ministry of Defence on July 23.

The leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine agreed in a telephone call on July 23 that preliminary accords to extend a pull-back of weapons in east Ukraine should be signed quickly, French President Francois Hollande's office said.

Greece's creditors prepared on July 23 for the start of bailout talks in Athens, after lawmakers adopted a second package of reform measures before dawn despite a left wing rebellion that may bring early elections.

Singapore’s Elections Department has made changes to the boundaries of polling districts within several electoral divisions, a good indication of an impending general election. 

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras faced down a revolt by rebels in his leftists Syriza party to win parliament's backing on July 23 for a second package of reforms required to start talks on a financial rescue deal.

(VOV) - July 20 turned a page in the US-Cuba relationship. After 54 years Cuba reopened its embassy in Washington. In Havana, a bronze board that read “US Interests Section” was removed and replaced with one that said “US Embassy”.