Thousands of Shi'ite militiamen on May 18 prepared to fight Islamic State insurgents who seized the Iraqi provincial capital Ramadi at the weekend in the biggest defeat for government forces in nearly a year.

Saudi-led forces resumed military operations in Yemen after a five-day ceasefire ended late last weekend, and Yemen's exiled government in Riyadh and the Iranian-allied Houthis blamed each other for a failure to renew the truce.

A Saudi Arabian-led coalition resumed air strikes against Yemen's Houthi militia in Aden overnight, hours after the expiry of a truce meant to facilitate badly needed humanitarian aid, a Reuters eyewitness said.

Islamic State militants said they had taken full control of the western Iraqi city of Ramadi on May 17 in the biggest defeat for the Baghdad government since last summer.

Nine people were killed on May 17 when a simmering feud among rival biker gangs boiled over at a sports bar in Waco, Texas, resulting in gunfire and a full-blown battle in the parking lot, police said.

China's ties with the United States remain stable, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on May 17, as he sought to defuse tension over a territorial dispute in the East Sea that has raised fears of confrontation between them.

A US drone strike in northwestern Pakistan's Shawal region killed at least four militants on May 16, officials said.

American special operations forces killed a senior Islamic State leader in a raid in Syria, US officials said on May 16.

(VOV) -Iran is prepared for "all scenarios" in talks with world powers about curbing its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief, its top nuclear negotiator said on May 15 when asked what would happen if no final deal was reached by July.

The 13th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Inter-Sessional Meeting on Counter- Terrorism and Transnational Crime was convened in Nanning, the capital of south China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on May 14-15.

(VOV) - Senior officials in charge of East Asia and Pacific of the US Department of State and Department of Defense held a hearing on May 13 to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on the East Sea issue.

The U.S. Marine Corps is bringing together foreign commanders from amphibious forces deployed mostly in the Asia-Pacific for a conference aimed at taking steps to integrate operations, with China excluded from the event, according to officials and planning documents.

The US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on May 14 to pass legislation giving Congress the right to review, and possibly reject, an international nuclear agreement with Iran.

President Barack Obama will seek to convince Gulf allies including Saudi Arabia on May 14 that the United States is committed to their security despite deep concern among Arab leaders about US efforts to broker a nuclear deal with Iran.

Senators reached a deal on May 13 to move forward this week with legislation key to a pan-Pacific trade pact, a day after a Democratic rebellion dealt a blow to the White House's trade agenda.

Saudi-led air strikes hit the rebel-held Yemeni capital Sanaa hours before a five-day humanitarian truce took effect on May 12, and Washington cautioned against "provocative actions" after Iran dispatched a cargo ship to Yemen.

(VOV) -US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet senior officials in China later this week, and then stop in Seoul for talks with the Republic of Korea leaders, the State Department announced on May 11.

US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia, on May 12 to discuss Ukraine and other issues, the United States said on May 11 in a statement that made no mention of their deep disagreements.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on May 10 that the peace process in eastern Ukraine was progressing despite difficulties.

British Prime Minister David Cameron on May 10 ruled out giving Scotland another independence referendum despite spectacular gains by Scottish nationalists in a UK-wide election, saying Scots had "emphatically" rejected a breakaway only last year.

(VOV) -Warplanes from the Arab coalition have bombed Sanaa's international airport, shortly after authorities in the rebel-controlled Yemeni capital said the airport would reopen to receive humanitarian aid on May 12.

(VOV) -Eurozone finance ministers and representatives of the Greek government will meet on Monday in Brussels to discuss Greece’s reform and debt crisis.

An Airbus (AIR.PA) A400M military transport plane crashed outside Seville on May 9, killing four test crew and prompting Britain and Germany to ground Europe's new troop and cargo carrier.

(VOV) -State President Truong Tan Sang joined leaders of various countries and international organisations in the largest victory parade in Russia 's history on May 9 at Red Square , Moscow to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

(VOV) -Various activities have been held around the world over the past three days to mark 70 years of the victory over fascism.

British Prime Minister David Cameron swept to a stunning election victory on May 8, confounding forecasts that the vote would be the closest in decades and winning a clear majority that left his Labour opponents in tatters.

The United States has begun a long-awaited program to train Syrian fighters to go into combat against Islamic State, the Pentagon said on May 7, deepening America's role in Syria's civil war after eight months of airstrikes against the Sunni militants.

The US Senate voted overwhelmingly on May 7 to pass a bill giving Congress the right to review, and potentially reject, an international agreement with Iran aimed at keeping it from developing nuclear weapons.

British Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives are on course to win the most seats after the national election, an exit poll says, but not an outright majority. 

The establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by year-end during Malaysia's chairmanship will boost trade ties between Russia and the ASEAN countries, particularly Malaysia, by offering more possibilities for new projects, said a Russian diplomat.