The United Nations said on January 25 it would issue invitations for marathon Syrian peace talks to begin this week, but opposition groups signaled they would stay away unless the government and its Russian allies halt air strikes and lift sieges on towns.

Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of Myanmar’s National League for Democracy (NLD), met with the country’s Defence Services Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing in Nay Pyi Taw on January 25 to discussed matters relating to the post-election transition period. 

Seven people with suspected links to the Islamic State (IS) have been detained, Malaysian police said on January 24 after Kuala Lumpur raised security alert following terrorist attacks in Jakarta, Indonesia on January 14. 

A piece of suspected plane wreckage recently found off the coast of southern Thailand has fueled speculation that it may belong to Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370, which vanished nearly two years ago, said a local official.

The 10th National Party Congress of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) will take place in the capital of Vientiane from January 18-22.

Indonesian authorities have announced the identities of four of the five dead suspects of terror attacks in downtown Jakarta on January 14, which claimed seven lives. 

The United Nations' refugee agency will seek additional resources for Turkey, the world's largest host of refugees, and push for more resettlement, its head said on January 16, as the war in Syria is set to enter its sixth year.

Islamic state militants killed dozens of people execution style in attacks on government-held areas in Syria's city of Deir al-Zor on January 16, a source and a monitoring said.

Iran emerged from years of economic isolation on January 16 when world powers lifted crippling sanctions against the Islamic Republic in return for Tehran complying with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions.

Indonesian authorities made public the identity of one of the five terrorists killed in the January 14 attacks in downtown Jakarta, that claimed seven lives.