Three Kurdish rebels were killed in clashes with police in Turkey's southeastern city of Diyarbakir December 24, security sources said, and shots and shellfire could be heard around an area that has been focus of an army offensive against rebels.

Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior has recognised the Cambodian Youth Party (CYP) as the seventh political party set up in the country since the 2013 National Assembly Elections.

One person was killed when an explosion hit an Istanbul airport overnight and damaged five planes, a Turkish minister said, adding that it was still too early to confirm whether the blast had been caused by a bomb.

(VOV) - The UN has approved a resolution outlining a ceasefire and peace process in Syria. It was tough to reach a comprehensive agreement to end the 5-year conflict that has killed 250,000 people and forced millions of Syrians to flee their home.

Iraq's army chief was quoted on December 23 as saying he needed only days to drive Islamic State from Ramadi, the city whose fall in May exposed the weakness of the Baghdad government and dampened hopes of restoring control in the north and west.

The UN Security Council on December 23 endorsed a UN-brokered agreement among Libya's warring factions to form a national unity government, a deal Western powers hope will bring stability and help to combat a growing Islamic State presence.

Thailand’s new Permanent Representative to the ASEAN Busadee Santipitaks presented credentials to Secretary General of ASEAN Le Luong Minh on December 23.

Russia affirmed to foster cooperation with ASEAN as part of the strategies to promote its position in Asia- Pacific region as well as facilitate the country’s socio-economic development, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Myanmar will only be able to join the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2018 since the country is yet to stand ready for a full integration, said the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI). 

The European Union and the Philippines agreed to start negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) on December 22.