Government air strikes hit rebel-held areas of Aleppo on April 16 as rockets fired by insurgents pounded neighborhoods under state control, part of escalating violence in northern Syria that has undermined a truce agreement.

The United States on April 16 transferred nine Yemeni men to Saudi Arabia from the US military prison at Guantanamo, including an inmate who had been on a hunger strike since 2007, under a long-sought diplomatic deal between Washington and Riyadh, US officials said.

A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck off the coast of Ecuador late on April 16, sending confused residents streaming into the streets of the capital Quito and spurring warnings of strong waves on the Andean nation's coast.

Vice President of the Republic of Panama Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado has affirmed that Panama remains fully committed to bilateral automatic exchange of information consistent with the goals of the Common Reporting Standards as part of its commitment to financial transparency. 

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck southern Japan early on April 16, killing at least 11 people, injuring hundreds more and trapping people in collapsed buildings, media reported, just over a day after a quake killed nine people in the same region.

Indonesia will continue maintaining tough measures against fishing vessels that violate its sea territory in 2016, according to Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti.

VOV.VN - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on April 14 declared that the government will not tolerate anyone who attempts to cause social chaos and urged people to continue supporting him to maintain the country’s peace.

A Vietnamese boat with six crew members was detained for fishing in Malaysian waters, the Bernama News Agency reported on April 14.

A Swedish man held in Belgium on suspicion of taking part in last month's Islamic State attacks on Brussels is talking to investigators, his lawyer said on April 14, after Osama Krayem's detention was extended by a month.

A strong earthquake hit southwestern Japan on April 14, bringing down some buildings, killing at least nine people and injuring hundreds, local media said, but the nuclear regulator reported no problems at power plants.

VOV.VN - China’s island building in the East Sea is hurting the ecology and the environment, according to a report released by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and her Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu agreed to enhance cooperation in economics and terrorism prevention between two nations.

VOV.VN - The Syria People’s Assembly election began on April 13. It was the second parliamentary election since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011. 

VOV.VN - The US has deployed B-52 bombers to the Al Udeid base in Qatar along with enhanced military activities to fight IS in Syria and Iraq. 

The Republic of Korea (RoK)'s ruling conservative party suffered an upset defeat in a parliamentary election on April 13, local media said early on April 14 based on election commission data, in a stinging blow to President Park Geun-hye.

UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura began a new round of Syria talks on April 13 by meeting members of the main opposition High Negotiations Committee in Geneva.

The leaders of Germany's ruling coalition parties agreed at a meeting stretching into April 13 morning on a package of counter-terror measures, coalition sources said.

Syrians voted in a parliamentary election in government-held areas of the country on April 13 in what they called a show of support for President Bashar al-Assad, while his opponents and Western powers denounced the poll as illegitimate.

China will continue discharging water from a hydropower station into the downstream Mekong River for drought relief, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang said on April 12.

A renewed Palestinian drive to persuade the U.N. Security Council to condemn Israeli settlements is aimed at removing the biggest obstacle to peace and boosting French efforts to broker an agreement, the Palestinian UN envoy said on April 12.

France and Iran voiced concern over escalating violence in Syria on April 12, echoing warnings from the United States and Russia as fighting near the city of Aleppo put more pressure on a fragile truce agreement.

G7 Foreign Ministers have reaffirmed their commitment to further international cooperation on maritime security and safety in a statement released on April 11. 

Personnel issues and strengthening the government apparatus will be the main focuses of the 8th Lao National Assembly’s first meeting, slated to open on April 20, a Lao official has said. 

VOV.VN - The Panama Papers, the biggest information leak in history, has continued to produce widespread aftereffects, which are threatening the internal stability of many countries and contemporary international relations.

The Syrian army was on April 11 reported to be sending reinforcements to Aleppo, where renewed fighting is threatening a fragile truce in the run-up to the next round of peace talks.

VOV.VN - Europe is facing security threats made by IS in a new video clip warning of attacking London, Berlin, and Rome.

The food situation for 60,000 civilians trapped in the besieged Iraqi city of Falluja is extremely worrying and likely to deteriorate unless aid gets into the city, the UN World Food Programme said on April 11.

A truce aimed at ending more than a year of war in Yemen appeared to be largely holding on April 11, although residents said fighting was still going on in parts of the country.

At least 18 Philippine soldiers were killed and 53 others wounded during clashes between government troops and the Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf group on Basilan island on April 9, according to the Philippine military.

The militant cell behind bombings in Brussels had been plotting to hit France again after carrying out the Paris attacks in November, but was forced to strike closer to home as police closed in, Belgian prosecutors said on April 10.