2018 was a turbulent year in world events, full of ups and down. Below are the top 10 world events of 2018 selected by the Vietnam News Agency.
China and the United States kicked off in Washington on January 30 morning a new round of high-level talks to address their differences on outstanding economic and trade issues.
Venezuela's Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) barred opposition leader Juan Guaido who self-proclaimed himself interim president from leaving the country and froze his financial assets Tuesday (January 29).
Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on January 28 called on the Taliban to give up fighting and engage in direct talks with the government of Afghanistan to find negotiated settlement to the country's prolonged crisis.
The death toll has climbed to 27 in the twin explosions at a church in the conflict-plagued Sulu province of the southern Philippines on Sunday (January 27), the police said.
The latest meeting of Thailand’s National Energy Policy Council (NEPC) has approved the 2018-2037 national power generation plan, in accordance with the 20-year national strategy.
The death toll from floods, landslides and whirlwind in Indonesia's Central Sulawesi province climbed to 68 on January 27 with the number of evacuees reaching 6,757, disaster agency official said.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held talks with his Cambodian counterpart, Samdech Techo Hun Sen, in Beijing on January 22, reported Xinhua News Agency.
A total of 10 militants including a commander Qari Zahir were killed as military aircraft targeted a Taliban hideout in Khawja Sabzposh district of northern Afghanistan's Faryab province on January 22, provincial police spokesman Abdul Karim Yurash said.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on January 21 revised downward its global growth forecast for 2019 and 2020 to 3.5 percent and 3.6 percent respectively, citing softer momentum and weakening financial market sentiment.
A meeting was held at the Kommadam Academy in Vientiane province on January 20 to mark the 70th founding anniversary of the Lao People’s Army.
Cambodia’s three international airports recorded 10.6 million passengers in 2018, according to VINCI Airports, the French-owned company operating international airports in Cambodia.
Passenger traffic moving through Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville airports grew by 20.1 percent year-on-year.
High-level talks between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States were expected to be held in Washington this week to discuss the second DPRK-US summit, Yonhap news agency reported on January 15 citing diplomatic sources.
Indonesia recorded a trade deficit of 8.57 billion USD in 2018, the highest-ever level, according the country’s Central Statistics Agency (BPS).
Turkey loaded tanks and armoured vehicles onto trucks on January 12 and dispatched the convoy to the Turkish province of Hatay on the Syrian border, the Demiroren news agency said.
Two firefighters died and nearly people 50 were injured in a massive gas explosion that gutted the ground floor of a building in a central Paris shopping district on Saturday (January 12), authorities said.
Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister, ACM Prajin Juntong, and the Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, Marise Payne, discussed bilateral cooperation for the prosperity and security of both countries.
Global economic growth is projected to slow to 2.9 percent in 2019 from a downwardly revised 3 percent in 2018 amid rising downside risks, the World Bank said on Tuesday (January 8).
The door for peace talks is always open to the armed groups, said spokesman of Myanmar's Presidential Office U Zaw Htay late on January 7 in Nay Pyi Taw.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a phone conversation and discussed important issues of bilateral and international agendas, including joint efforts in the fight against terrorism, the Kremlin said Monday (January 7).
Restoration process is underway after four police outposts were raided by the Arakan Army (AA) on Friday (January 4) morning in Buthidaung, Myanmar's Rakhine state, an official from Myanmar Military told Xinhua.
The death toll from heavy rains that triggered landslides and flash flooding in the Philippines rose to 122, said the Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on January 3.
The Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt worked with a delegation from Ho Chi Minh City, led by Director of the municipal Department of Tourism Bui Ta Hoang Vu, in Egypt on December 30.
The disagreement between the Republicans and Democrats regarding the budget for the construction of the barriers along the United States-Mexico border has made parts of the US Government paralysed due to the lack of budget to maintain operations. After the Democrats took control of the Senate, this is considered the first difficulty they have caused for US President Donald Trump, and also a test for the White House boss’s bravery in the remainder of his presidential tenure.
Smoke rises past a mountain as seen from Damascus countryside,Syria, December 25, 2018. (Photo: Reuters)