World

The conflict between Israel and Hamas has lasted for a full year with no signs of cooling down, resulting in increasingly severe humanitarian crises. Despite urgent calls from the international community and the efforts of mediators, the prospect of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains bleak. At the same time, tit-for-tat moves continue to raise the threat of a full-scale conflict in the Middle East.

The two houses of the Ethiopian parliament on Monday appointed Foreign Minister Taye Atske Selassie as the new president. The appointment followed the end of the term of current President Sahle-Work Zewde after six years of service as the country's head of state.

President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea is visiting the Philippines and Singapore and attending the ASEAN Summits in Laos. The nearly week-long trip is expected to help strengthen ties between Seoul and its partners in Southeast Asia while also making an important contribution to enhancing the RoK's position in the region.

Nearly 2.4 million people will have the right to vote in the upcoming parliamentary election in Lithuania, the country's Central Electoral Commission said on Monday, a day before early voting starts.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will lead a high-ranking delegation to the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and related meeting in Vientiane, Laos, from October 8-11, continuing to affirm Vietnam’s active, proactive and responsible contributions to regional cooperation processes.

The European Union (EU) faces a severe economic downturn following the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Germany, the continent’s economic engine, lags behind other developed industrial economies.

Kazakhstan votes in a referendum on Sunday on whether to build its first nuclear power plant, an idea promoted by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's government as the Central Asian nation seeks to phase out polluting coal plants.

Shipments of arms used in the conflict in Gaza should be stopped as part of a broader effort to find a political solution, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held his first official bilateral meeting with President of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen since taking office and also met with President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Parliament (EP) Roberta Metsola.

Taking over the country when the economy is stagnant and people's trust in politics is shaken, new Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru announced that he would promote reforms to quickly restore public trust.

The UN Security Council on Thursday affirmed its full support for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The newly elected president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, and members of the new government have recently held an inauguration ceremony. As the first female president in the history of this American nation, Claudia Sheinbaum has been entrusted by the people to leverage her strong will and extensive experience in politics to tackle the numerous challenges facing the country, especially the increasing violence.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday condemned Iran's missile attack against Israel on Tuesday. Iran launched approximately 200 ballistic missiles towards Israel on Tuesday, Guterres told the Security Council at an emergency session on the situation in the Middle East.

With only a few years left until the deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals, the world is still far from ending hunger.

Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo was sworn in Tuesday as Mexico's first woman serving the presidency during a solemn ceremony in Congress. Sheinbaum, 62, won the presidential elections in June with a large majority of the votes to become the first woman to assume the office.

Many countries are grappling with rapidly aging population. As population aging becomes an irreversible global trend with significant impacts on economic and social sectors, nations face the urgent task of creating flexible policies to adapt to and make the most of this trend to build prosperous and sustainable societies.

Ishiba Shigeru was confirmed as Japan's next prime minister by parliament on Tuesday, paving the way for him to officially unveil his cabinet as he seeks to heal party divisions and prepare for an Oct. 27 snap election .

Japan's incoming prime minister, Ishiba Shigeru, said on Monday he will call a general election for Oct. 27 following his victory in one of the closest ever leadership races for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has accused social media giants of pocketing billions of US dollars through the collection of personal information of users. The results of their investigation reveal that social media platforms prioritise profit, severely infringing on users’ personal information and privacy for the sake of advertising purposes.

Austrians were voting on Sunday to elect a new parliament, with the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) aiming to secure its first general election win in a close race with the ruling conservatives.

A recent study by environmental experts shows that the area of the Amazon rainforest lost due to deforestation in the past 40 years is equivalent to the area of Germany and France combined. This alarming situation is an urgent cry from the Amazon forest for urgent measures to protect the "green lungs" of the Earth.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for financial, climate and technological justice while addressing the Annual Meeting of Group of 77 (G77) and China as part of the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

Former Defense Minister Ishiba Shigeru won Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election on Friday, virtually ensuring that he will become the country's next prime minister.

With a series of stimulus measures, the world tourism industry is on the way to recovery as before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. Facing the opportunity to take off, the “smokeless industry” is expected to strongly contribute to global economic growth while promoting potential and cohesion, contributing to peace and sustainable development.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt and Lebanon on September 26 continued to recommend Vietnamese citizens living and working in Lebanon leave the country, amid the risk that tensions between the Israeli army and the Hezbollah escalate into a full-scale conflict in the Middle East.

Vietnam is committed to further advancing initiatives aimed at strengthening the connectivity within the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) and fostering deeper cohesion and understanding in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, a Vietnamese official stated.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that Lebanon cannot become another Gaza and called for an end to hostilities between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah.

Deputy Defence Minister Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien led a Vietnamese delegation to attend the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials' Meeting (ADSOM) in Vientiane, Laos, on September 25.

Leaders addressing the General Debate of the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday called for cessation of the violence that has ravaged the Middle East for months, and some of them directly pointed their fingers at Israel for the "genocide" it committed against the Palestinians.

The US, Australia, India and Japan have just held the fourth Quad Leaders' Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, the US.