US preparing sanctions on Iran over ballistic missile program: sources
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.
Top 10 world events of 2015 selected by VOV
(VOV) - Historic agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the establishment of ASEAN Community, China’s construction of artificial islands, and migrant crisis in Europe are among prominent events in 2015.
ASEAN Community brings practical benefits to members
The birth of the ASEAN Community at the end of this year is expected to bring a number of pragmatic benefits to member countries and their people, Vietnam’s Ambassador to ASEAN has said.
Iraq's Abadi plants flag in Ramadi to mark Islamic State defeat
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.
German states to spend 17 billion euros on refugees in 2016
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.
2015, a year of instability in the Middle East
(VOV) - The Middle East continued to be a world hotspot in 2015. It has become a fierce battlefield, creating the worst migrant crisis in world history and igniting a global extremist Jihadist movement.
Laos turns ASEAN economic challenges into opportunities
As Chair of ASEAN in 2016, Laos is exerting every effort to turn challenges from the year-end establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) into opportunities.
Blast at government office in Pakistan kills 23
A suicide bomber attacked a government office in northwestern Pakistan on December 29, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 70.
US-led air strikes kill IS leaders linked to Paris attacks
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.
“Unity in diversity” creates ASEAN identity
It is the “unity in diversity” that forms the common identity of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh in an interview with Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Jakarta, Indonesia.