VOV.VN - G7’s Environment Ministers’ meeting in Japan has committed to taking a leading role in implementing the Paris Agreement on climate change. 

An EgyptAir jet carrying 66 passengers and crew from Paris to Cairo disappeared from radar over the Mediterranean on May 19 in a crash that Egypt said may have been caused by a terrorist attack.

NATO agreed on May 19 to broaden its operations in the Mediterranean to help the European Union stop criminals trafficking refugees from North Africa but will not act until the fate of rescued migrants is cleared up.

The Dili International Conference themed “Maritime Boundaries and the Law of the Sea” took place in Timor-Leste’s capital of Dili on May 19, attracting the participation of a crowd of international scholars and policy makers. 

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev witnessed the signing of pacts on bilateral cooperation in military, anti-money laundering and oil exploitation in Saint Petersburg on May 18. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo signed a defence cooperation deal on May 18 in Sochi, Russia.

The Russia – ASEAN Summit, marking 20 years of their dialogue partnership, in the Russian city of Sochi on May 19-20 affirms the growing importance of bilateral relations, as well as ASEAN’s special status in Russia’s policy towards Southeast Asia. 

National carrier EgyptAir said a plane carrying 69 passengers and crew on a flight from Paris to Cairo had gone missing on May 19, disappearing from radar over the Mediterranean Sea.

Former US Congressman Eni Faleomavaega on May 17 issued a press release in which he reaffirms his support for Vietnam and hails the country’s human rights progress in the context of the President Barack Obama's upcoming visit to Vietnam. 

VOV.VN - At the just-concluded 9th ASEAN+3 Labor Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane, delegates agreed on a number of measures to create sustainable jobs, one of the current priorities of ASEAN members. 

US President Barack Obama spoke by telephone on May 18 with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan about the war in Syria and efforts to defeat Islamic State militants, the White House said in a statement.

Nine Iraqi soldiers were killed and nine more wounded on May 18 when a house rigged with explosives blew up south of Baghdad during a raid of suspected Islamic State militants, two army sources said.

Trade ministers from 21 member economies of t he Asia – Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum gathered together at a meeting in Arequipa, Peru on May 17 to discuss the preparations for the formation of a free trade area in the region. 

The United States eased some sanctions on Myanmar on May 17 to support ongoing political reforms, but maintained most of its economic restrictions in an effort to punish those Washington sees as hampering the country's newly elected government.

Major power foreign ministers failed to agree a new date to resume Syrian peace talks at a meeting on May 17, and the opposition said it would not come back to Geneva negotiations unless conditions improved on the ground.

Groundwork is being laid for a resumption of peace talks between the Philippine government and Maoist rebels, an aide to incoming President Rodrigo Duterte and a negotiator said on May 17, as a renewed push to end the conflict gathered pace.

VOV.VN - The US missile defense shield in Europe, which has just been activated after a decade of planning, adds more conflicts to the existing differences between the West and Russia.

At least 77 people were killed and more than 140 wounded by three bombings in Baghdad on May 17, extending the deadliest spate of attacks in the Iraqi capital so far this year and driving Shi'ite fighters into the streets to defend some areas.

Myanmar’s Union Parliament on May 16 approved the appointment of former permanent representative to the United Nations U Kyaw Tint Swe as Minister of the Office of State Counsellor.

The Philippines announced on May 17 that its patrol force had arrested three Vietnamese fishing vessels and two from China for illegal fishing in the country’s waters. 

Russia and Cambodia have agreed on the signing of eight cooperation agreements between the two countries in several areas. 

The Venezuelan President has spoken out against the concerted media campaign aimed at smearing the country, warning the consequences could be grave. 

Vietnam and Russia set to increase two-way trade through implementing investment projects and articles of the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), according to the Russian financial newspaper Vedomosti.

On May 15, the New York Times ran an article by Gardiner Harris about President Obama's forthcoming visit  to Vietnam.

The Russia-ASEAN summit scheduled to take place in Russia’s city of Sochi for May 19-20 is expected to help strengthen the bilateral comprehensive relations and elevate ties to a new height, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on May 16.

ASEAN labour ministers and their counterparts from China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK) agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fields within their remit during a meeting in Vientiane, Laos, on May 16.

VOV.VN - The Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), signed in 2014, has not been ratified due to differences over a number of legal issues, which has hindered economic cooperation opportunities and affected two-way trade. 

Cuba and the United States aim to reach new agreements on cooperation in law enforcement, health and agriculture over the coming months, a senior Cuban official said on May 16, as part of the former Cold War foes' drive to normalize ties.

A top United Nations official urged Greece on May 16 to stop detaining refugee and migrant children, some of whom are locked up in police cells for weeks, and to develop child protection services instead.

The Obama administration's failure to convince Moscow that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must go is fueling European frustration at being sidelined in efforts to end the country's five-year civil war, diplomats say.