(VOVworld) – Vietnam’s negotiations for a number of free trade agreements and regional security developments have impacted Vietnam’s investment environment. The 2014 mid-term Vietnam Business Forum (VBF 2014), which opened on Thursday, is aimed at increasing investor trust in the new context.

(VOVworld) – Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiancai justified China’s placement of oil rig Haiyang 981 in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf, by saying that China has only one drilling rig while Vietnam has more than 30 in this area. He said Vietnam’s oil rigs are located in disputed sea areas. Vietnam rejected the statement, pointing out that oil rig Haiyang 981 is within Vietnam’s EEZ and continental shelf where Vietnam’s petroleum exploration and exploitation are in accordance with international law.

(VOVworld) – Syrian voters elected a President on June 3 for the first time in more than 50 years. Although the final vote count has not been announced, incumbent President Bashar Al-Assad is predicted to win and continue in this post for another 7-year term. But restoring security and stability, and national reconstruction and handling the prolonged civil war are not easy tasks.

(VOVworld) - China’s illegal placement of an oilrig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone has angered the Vietnamese public. Some spontaneous marches have taken place and protestors, incited by extremists, have vandalized the property of some businesses, damaging Vietnam’s investment environment. Thanks to support from the government and local administrations, the businesses have resumed their normal operations.

(VOVworld) – In the previous edition, we talked about sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa under international law, previous territorial disputes and resolutions around the world, and Vietnam’s irrefutable historical and legal evidence of its ownership of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos. China has no basis for claiming sovereignty over these two archipelagos. In this edition, VOV will use international law to analyze China’s arguments and theory of historical sovereignty to defend its viewpoints.

(VOVworld)- The European Parliament election results have been announced. Though the Alliance of Conservative, Social and Democratic Parties won the majority of votes in the new parliament, it was a surprise that nationalist, far-right, anti-EU integration parties won a large number of votes. This poses a great challenge for EU leaders because it will undermine the EU’s recovery and growth.

(VOVworld) – Vietnamese and others around the world have strongly denounced China’s violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty by placing oil rig Haiyang 981 within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. In addition to violating the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and regulations on the rights of coastal countries, China has used force in the sea and falsely accused Vietnam of provoking tensions.

(VOVworld) – Egypt is at a critical juncture. The winner of the presidential election will be announced within a day. 3 years after the toppling of President Hosni Mubarack, Egyptian people are looking for social security, better living conditions, and lower rates of poverty and unemployment. But political rift have hampered Egypt’s growth development.

(VOVworld)- At the 7th session of the 13th National Assembly, the deputies discussed the government’s socio-economic report for 2013 and the first four months of this year. They agreed that the economy has seen signs of recovery and stressed the need to take this opportunity to bring the economy out of stagnation.

(VOVworld) – China’s placing of the oil rig Haiyang 981 in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) clearly violates Vietnam’s sovereignty and jurisdiction under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. But China refuses to withdraw the drilling rig and its escort vessels, insisting that the oil rig is located in China’s waters. Experts on maritime law say China is falsifying evidence to validate its U-shaped line.