Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and visiting Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh have explored new areas of cooperation where both countries have mutual interests during their talks in Bangkok.

ASEAN ministers has adopted a draft of the ASEAN statement on strengthening cooperation and management of natural disasters, to be submitted to the ASEAN Summit this year.

It will be the first ballot since a coup in March 2012 ousted Mali's democratically elected president just months before he was due to step down at the end of his final term in office.

Major powers urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to commit to peace and step down as they held talks in neighbouring Jordan on Wednesday on preparations for a Russian-US proposed peace conference.

The head of Israel's armed forces warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday of "consequences" if fire continues from Syrian territory against Israeli troops in the occupied Golan Heights.

A powerful tornado with winds of up to 200 miles (320 kilometres) per hour pulverized an Oklahoma City suburb Monday, hitting at least two schools and wiping out blocks of homes. At least 37 people were reported killed.

The second Asia-Pacific Water Summit opened on May 19 in Chiang Mai province, Thailand , to seek answers to the world's drought, flood and wastewater problems.

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 jolted northeastern Japan on Saturday, but no tsunami warning was issued, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Thailand and Laos will hold the second joint cabinet retreat (JCR) in Chiang Mai later this week to discuss ways to boost bilateral cooperation, Thai Foreign Ministry has announced.  A friendship bridge connects Nong Khai and Vientiane.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino apologised Wednesday for the killing by his country's coastguard of a Taiwanese fisherman, and appealed for calm amid deepening outrage in Taiwan.