Iran started counting tens of millions of votes on February 27 after hotly contested elections that could see reformists speed up Tehran's opening to the world or long-dominant hardliners reassert the Islamic Republic's traditional anti-Westernism.

At least nine people were killed when fighters from Somali Islamist group al Shabaab set off a car bomb at the gate of a popular park and near a hotel in the capital, sending a plume of smoke above the coastal city.

Fighting appeared to stop across most areas of western Syria on February 27 after a landmark "cessation of hostilities" came into effect under a US-Russian plan which warring sides in the five-year conflict have accepted.

VOV.VN - A Vietnamese delegation headed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung participated in ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) in Vientiane on February 26 ahead of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat.

At least 42 members of a local terrorist group have been killed in fighting with Philippine government forces in the town of Butig in Lanao del Sur since February 20, the country’s army announced on February 26.

VOV.VN - US President Barack Obama submitted a new plan to close Guantanamo to the US Congress on February 23. But Obama’s goal faces strong opposition from Republicans.

Australia, China and Malaysia have agreed that the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will be ended by the middle of this year, according to a statement released by the Australian Transportation Safety Bureau.

Australia on February 25 warned of terror threat in Indonesia and advised Australian travelers to take precautions when travelling to the Southeast Asian country.

The Myanmar government and eight ethnic armed groups have agreed to seek ways to prevent further clashes, according to a statement of the Joint Cease-fire Monitoring Committee (JCMC) released on February 25. 

US President Barack Obama said on February 25 the United States would do everything it could to make a ceasefire in Syria succeed despite significant question marks over whether the agreement will hold.

British finance minister George Osborne is pushing the Group of 20 leading economies to warn about the dangers of Britain leaving the European Union, the Financial Times reported on February 25.

Libyan forces battled to clear Islamic State insurgents from the western city of Sabratha on February 25, in fighting that killed at least three Libyans and one of the militants, officials said.

Transnational crime is becoming a serious issue in the Southeast Asian region in the context of rapid regional economic integration and patchy cross-border controlling work.

US Ambassador to ASEAN Nina Hachigian has expressed concern over China sending fighter jets to Phu Lam Island in Vietnam’s Hoang Sa Archipelago where earlier this month, it deployed HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles.

VOV.VN - Many countries oppose China’s militarization of islands in the East Sea and consider it the cause of intensified regional tension, flouting international law and efforts to peacefully resolve sovereignty disputes. 

The United States and China have agreed on a draft resolution that would expand UN Security Council sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) over its latest nuclear test and hope to put it to a vote in the coming days, council diplomats said on February 24.

US Secretary of State John Kerry announced on February 23 that the militarisation of facilities in the East Sea does not help resolve maritime claims.

VOV.VN - The US and Russia announced a ceasefire agreement in Syria on February 22. The agreement, which will take effect on February 27, is a sign of hope.

The authorities in Singapore have deported four Indonesians believed to have been en route to Syria to join the Islamic State (IS) terror group.

The Thai Democratic Party requested on February 22 to amend the country’s temporary constitution.

President Barack Obama launched a final push on February 23 to persuade Congress to close the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, despite strong opposition from lawmakers who do not want detainees transferred to the United States.

Military forces loyal to Libya's eastern government said on February 23 they had taken control of two key neighbourhoods in Benghazi, building on gains made against Islamist fighters over the previous three days.

The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and rebel groups accepted a plan for a cessation of hostilities to begin on February 27 and the United States warned it would be hard to hold the country together if the fighting did not stop.

Islamic State fighters were reported to have tightened their grip on a Syrian government supply route to Aleppo on February 23 as the army battled to retake the road as part of its campaign to seize the city.

VOV.VN - The African Economic Summit took place in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh last week.

NATO advisers want Afghan soldiers to spend less time manning checkpoints and more taking the fight to Taliban militants, a key tactical shift the coalition hopes will enable local forces to quell a rising insurgency.

Australia and other countries should follow the U.S. lead and conduct "freedom-of-navigation" naval operations within 12 nautical miles of contested islands in the East Vietnam Sea, a senior US naval officer was reported as saying on February 22.

The United States and Russia announced plans for a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria that would take effect on February 27 but exclude groups such as Islamic State and al Qaeda's Nusra Front, a loophole Syrian rebels immediately highlighted as a problem.

Major issues regarding the upcoming election for deputies to the eighth National Assembly and members of the provincial People’s Councils of Laos were released at a press briefing in Vientiane on February 22.

Over 130 Malaysian citizens, who join the self-claimed Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, will be barred from returning home, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on February 21.