Thousands gathered for a second day of protests on August 30 to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak over a multi-million-dollar financial scandal, their spirits lifted by unexpected support from Malaysia's longest-serving leader.

Police probing Thailand's deadliest bombing widened their search for more suspects on August 30 after a foreigner was arrested and stacks of fake passports and bomb-making materials found during a raid on a Bangkok apartment block.

Thai police said they arrested a foreigner on August 29 who matched the description of a man who left a bag at the site of a Bangkok blast that killed 20 people nearly two weeks ago.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on August 28 ordered security forces to ease access to Baghdad's fortified Green Zone and main streets, in an apparent bid to improve daily life for ordinary Iraqis as fresh protests erupted across the country.

Former Greek premier Alexis Tsipras urged supporters on August 29 to give him a fresh mandate to complete the country's political transformation, as polls showed his leftist Syriza party's lead slipping ahead of elections next month.

Timor-Leste, the newest country in Southeast Asia, is confident and ready to make positive contributions to become a member nation of ASEAN, Prime Minister Rui Maria de Araujo has said. 

Greece's top Supreme Court judge was sworn in as caretaker prime minister on August 27 to lead the country to elections next month, ending a week of political deadlock after leftist leader Alexis Tsipras resigned.

Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un called this week's accord between the rival Republic of Korea (RoK) "a landmark occasion" paving the way for defused military tension and improved ties, but said it was the strength of its armed forces that made the deal possible.

Australia will seek to broaden and deepen its security alliance with the United States in the decades ahead as the rise of China and other Asia-Pacific powers risks fuelling instability in the region, Australia's defence minister said on August 27.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Canada set a target to double the current CAD19 billion (US$13.2 billion) in bilateral trade during the fourth ASEAN-Canada consultations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 25.

Outgoing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras signaled on August 26 he would accept an easing of Greece's huge debt burden if he wins elections expected next month without any of the write-offs he has long demanded.

The Indonesian Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK) has held a meeting with counterparts from member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Yogyakarta, aimed at strengthening these networks.

(VOV) - After 43 hours of intense negotiation, early on August 25 the two Koreas reached an agreement defusing a crisis, which had pushed them to the brink of war. 

Singaporean President Tony Tan Keng Yam dissolved the country’s parliament on August 25 on the advice of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, paving the way for a general election slated for this September. 

Singaporeans will go to the ballot box on September 11 to elect 89 members of the Parliament, the Singaporean Government announced on August 25. 

Spain and Morocco arrested 14 people on August 25 suspected of planning attacks and recruiting fighters to join Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, the Spanish government said.

ASEAN held a series of policy dialogues with the European Union (EU) on the Support to Higher Education in ASEAN Region programme (SHARE) in Jakarta on August 24-25 to seek higher education quality for the ASEAN region.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (RoK) reached agreement early on August 25 to end a standoff involving an exchange of artillery fire that had pushed the divided peninsula into a state of heightened military tension.

The first East Asia Investment Forum took place on August 24 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a side event of the 47th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting (AEM) and related meetings.

Turkey and the United States will soon launch "comprehensive" air operations to flush Islamic State fighters from a zone in northern Syria bordering Turkey, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told Reuters on August 24.

Over 40 countries worldwide want to establish free trade agreements (FTA) with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) which comprises Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.

The free trade agreements (FTAs) between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asian countries will get an upgrade by the end of this year in order to boost services and investment between the two sides, said Malaysian Minister of Trade Mustapa Mohamad.

The ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEMs) convened consultations with the bloc’s dialogue partners in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on August 23, agreeing to reinforce economic connectivity between the two sides.

Islamic State militants on August 23 blew up the temple of Baal Shamin, one of the most important sites in Syria's ancient city of Palmyra, said Maamoun Abdul Karim, the country's antiquities chief.

Protests against the Lebanese government turned violent for a second day on August 23, and Prime Minister Tammam Salam threatened to resign as public discontent brought thousands into the streets.

ASEAN economic ministers reaffirmed the determination to form the ASEAN Community, including the Economic Community (AEC) at the end of this year as scheduled, during their 47th meeting in Kuala Lumpur on August 22.

Top aides to the leaders of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea resumed talks on August 23 after negotiating through the night in a bid to ease tensions involving an exchange of artillery fire that brought the peninsula to the brink of armed conflict.

At least 50 bodies were retrieved from buildings leveled to the ground after Syrian army missiles hit residential areas in the rebel-held northeast of Damascus on August 22, rescue workers said.

A car bomb targeting a convoy carrying civilian NATO contractors killed 12 people outside a Kabul hospital on August 22, part of a wave of attacks in the capital since news broke last month of the death of Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

(VOV) -The 47th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting opened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 22 to put the final touches on the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by the end of this year.