Canada is proceeding with plans to take in 25,000 Syrian refugees, but the country's background-vetting program is under scrutiny by a US congressional panel, with a hearing set for February 3, amid lawmaker concerns about US security.

Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) told UN agencies on February 2 it plans to launch a satellite as early as next week, a move that could advance the country's long-range missile technology after its fourth nuclear test on January 6.

VOV.VN - The relationship between Russia and Turkey has been tense since Turkey shot down a Russian Su 24 fighter. 

The United Nations announced the formal start of peace talks for Syria on February 1 and urged world powers to push for a ceasefire even as government forces, backed by Russian air strikes, launched their biggest offensive north of Aleppo in a year.

Nearly two dozen nations gather on February 2 to plot their fight against the Islamic State militant group in Syria and Iraq and how to choke off its rise in Libya.

France and Belgium vowed on February 1 to intensify cooperation in the fight against Islamist radicals, including a more rapid exchange of information on potential militants and efforts to prevent forgery of documents.

A Taliban suicide bomber blew himself after joining a queue to enter a police office in Kabul on February 1, killing 20 people and wounding at least 29 in the worst such attack this year.

President Barack Obama will ask Congress for US$755 million in his budget next week to jumpstart cancer research in a "moonshot" push to find cancer cures and treatments, the White House said on February 1.

Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari left New Delhi on February 1 for a five-day visit to Brunei and Thailand to strengthen bilateral collaboration with the two southeast Asian countries as well as promoting the country’s “Look East” policy.

Myanmar’s 430 lawmakers of the House of Representatives (Lower House) arrived for their first day of work in the capital Nay Pyi Taw on February 1.

The United Nations appealed on January 31 for US$861 million to help Iraq meet a big funding gap in its 2016 emergency response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the war against Islamic State.

Syria's main opposition group is considering a proposal by UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura that could pave the way to the delegation pressing ahead with talks after holding their first meeting with him on January 31, a Western diplomatic source said.

Israel would consider a French invitation to peace talks with the Palestinians, but believes France has made a mistake by saying it will recognize a Palestinian state if the talks fail, an Israeli government official said on January 30.

Iraq needs US$1.56 billion this year to finance its response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the war against Islamic State, which has displaced more than 3.3 million people since 2014, according to a government report released on January 31.

Almost 40 people drowned and 75 were rescued after a boat carrying migrants to Greece sank off Turkey's western coast on January 30, according to local officials and the Turkish Dogan news agency.

A delegation from Syria's main opposition group arrived in Geneva on January 30 to join UN-mediated peace talks, demanding President Bashar al-Assad's government be made to comply with a UN resolution on humanitarian aid and human rights.

Chairperson of Myanmar's election-winning opposition party National League for Democracy (NLD) Aung San Suu Kyi has called on all stakeholders in Myanmar to cooperate for the interest of the nation. 

The first draft of the new constitution of Thailand was unveiled by the country’s Constitution Drafting Committee on January 29. 

Syria's main opposition group agreed to travel to Geneva, where the United Nations on January 29 opened peace talks to end the country's five-year-old war, but said it wanted to discuss humanitarian issues before engaging in political negotiations.

VOV.VN -  5 years ago, a revolution called “Arab spring” swept through North Africa and the Middle East, toppling regimes with waves of violence and riots.

VOV.VN - Republic of Korean President Park Geun Hye recently called for a 5-party talk to discuss nuclear issues on the Korean peninsula after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) declared it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb.

Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing outside Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's residence in the southern city of Aden on January 28 that killed at least six people.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised an agreement by Somalia's government on January 28 on a model for the electoral process to establish a new, bicameral federal parliament in 2016.

Indonesia and Iran will bolster cooperation in energy, including oil and gas, and in renewable energy development, the Antara Agency quoted Indonesian Minister of Energy and Minerals Sudirmad Said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and their left-leaning Social Democrat (SPD) coalition partners agreed on January 28 to tighten asylum rules, reaching a compromise on how to stem an influx of migrants that topped one million last year.

The Indonesian Police launched a mobile application on January 27 to encourage people to report suspected terrorism-linked activities in their neighbourhood. 

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told French business leaders on January 27 that Iran was open for investment as he started a visit in France to revive business ties despite diplomatic differences.

The Republic of Korea (RoK) authorities arrested three Indonesian migrant workers who were suspected to have links with the Islamic State (IS), said Nusron Wahid, head of the Indonesian Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Workers Overseas, on January 27.

VOV.VN -Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov chaired the annual press conference recapping Russia’s external achievements in 2015 and its future policy.

Indonesia is renewing its cooperation with Timor Leste in a number of areas, and will also explore the possibility of cooperation in the energy and economy sector, Indonesian President Joko Widodo was quoted by the Antara News on January 27.