Saudi security forces shot dead two alleged Islamic State fighters and two others blew themselves up outside the holy city of Mecca on May 5, the interior ministry said.

Myanmar’s Union Parliament on May 5 agreed to discuss adding the Ministry of the Office of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi to the government set-up. 

Ahmet Davutoglu announced on May 5 that he was stepping down as leader of Turkey's ruling AK Party and therefore as prime minister, bowing to President Tayyip Erdogan's drive to create a powerful executive presidency.

Air strikes on a camp housing Syrians uprooted by war killed at least 28 people near the Turkish border on May 5, a monitoring group said, and fighting raged in parts of northern Syria despite a deal to cease hostilities in the city of Aleppo.

Foreign ministers and military chiefs of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines agreed to conduct joint patrols to boost maritime security following the kidnappings of Indonesians by suspected Abu Sayyaf militants.

The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Defence Officials' Dialogue (ARF - DOD) opened in Luang Prabang, Laos on May 5, with much emphasis on humanitarian and security issues.

Italy and Germany agree on how Europe should tackle the migrant crisis and oppose any move to fence off borders, but they are at odds over how to fund proposed initiatives, the leaders of the two countries said on May 5.

VOV.VN - The US and EU have criticized wrong views after the leaking of documents reported to be of the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement. 

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on May 4 that Washington and its allies had agreed to do more in their campaign to defeat Islamic State but that more risks lay ahead.

The United States said on May 4 it had agreed with Russia to extend a cessation of hostilities agreement to include Aleppo where intense day-long violence between Syrian rebels and government forces killed dozens of people.

The Thai government will apply tougher steps to political troublemakers in the run-up to a referendum on the draft constitution.

Islamic gunmen in the southern Philippines issued a new warning on May 4, threatening to kill three hostages just over a week after they beheaded a Canadian captive. 

Financial ministers and central bank governors from ASEAN member nations and Japan, China and the Republic of Korea (RoK) have agreed to enhance a financial safety network for the region to prevent possible crises.

Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with his visiting Lao counterpart Bounnhang Vorachit on May 3 in Beijing. 

Singapore detained eight Bangladeshi members of an organisation called "Islamic State in Bangladesh" (ISB), who allegedly plotted terror attacks in their home country, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on May 3.

The Maritime Security and Counter Terrorism Exercise began with an opening ceremony on May 3 at the Multi National Coordination Centre in Brunei’s capital of Bandar Seri Begawan.

Rebel fighters launched an assault in Syria's divided northern city of Aleppo on May 3 and fired rockets on a hospital in the latest violence to hit civilians as diplomats struggled to restore an unraveling ceasefire and resurrect peace talks.

Islamic State militants killed a US Navy SEAL in northern Iraq on May 3 after blasting through Kurdish defenses and overrunning a town in the biggest offensive in the area for months, officials said.

VOV.VN - Yemen’s government has announced it will halt peace negotiations with Houthi rebels in protest of their occupation of Al Amalica military base and continued violation of a ceasefire. 

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed on May 3 that he would call an election within the next week to be held on July 2, looking to cash in on a budget plan aimed at creating jobs and spurring growth.

Republican front-runner Donald Trump all but sealed the party's presidential nomination on May 3 with a commanding victory in Indiana that forced rival Ted Cruz to finally end his campaign.

Japan and the Philippines have agreed on the leasing of training aircraft, the Kyodo News Agency reported.

Japan has considered ASEAN an important partner, pledging to become the bloc’s irreplaceable partner in efforts of salvaging “diversification” in politics, economy, socio-culture and strengthening “connectivity” in the region.

VOV.VN -  During a visit to Thailand Japan’s Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida on May 2 announced an aid initiative of  US$7 billion over the next 3 years to boost development in the lower Mekong basin including Mekong-subregional countries- Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand.

Hundreds of tourists and a handful of emotional Cuban-Americans arrived on the first US cruise ship to sail to Havana in decades on May 2, spilling onto the cobbled streets of the old city where they were warmly greeted by residents.

Foreign ministers and military chiefs from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines will gather in Indonesia on May 5 to discuss increased maritime security amid rising piracy in the region.

Norway will send some 60 troops, including special forces soldiers, to train, advise and give operational support to Syrian fighters battling Islamic State militants, the country's prime minister said on May 2.

Washington and Moscow said on May 2 they were working hard to extend a truce in Syria to Aleppo, the divided northern city where a sharp escalation of violence in recent weeks has left a ceasefire in tatters and torpedoed peace talks.

Three bombs went off in and around Baghdad on May 2, killing at least 14 people, including Shi'ite Muslim worshippers conducting an annual pilgrimage inside the capital, police and medical sources said.

Thailand hopes to work with Japan to improve the well-being of people in developing countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN).