The world this past week in photos

(Baonghean.vn) - Join Nghe An Electronic Newspaper to review the outstanding events in the world in the past 7 days.

1. Iraqi army drives IS forces out of Ramadi stronghold

On December 27, Iraqi military spokesman Sabah al-Numani announced that government forces had taken control of the government complex in central Ramadi - the last stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization in this western Iraqi city.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visits Ramadi city, capital of Anbar province, after government troops announced the liberation of the city from the Islamic State (IS) group. Photo: AP

2. Korea and Japan reach agreement on the issue of "comfort women"

South Korea and Japan reached a historic agreement on December 28 to resolve the issue of Korean women forced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers during World War II. The South Korean foreign minister and his Japanese counterpart announced the agreement after talks in Seoul.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida arrives at Gimpo Airport in Seoul to discuss the "comfort women" issue. (Source: AFP)

3. Haiyang Shiyou 981 drilling rig enters the East Sea again

China Maritime Safety Administration announced that the semi-submersible drilling rig Haiyang 981 will conduct exploratory drilling in the area with coordinates 17-29.53N, 110-57.18E from December 28 to10/2/2016. Major General Nguyen Quang Dam, Commander of the Coast Guard, said the Coast Guard will continue to closely monitor the activities of this drilling rig in the East Sea.

China's Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil rig. Photo: AFP.

4. Russia suspends free trade agreement with Ukraine

On December 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on the suspension of the Free Trade Agreement with Ukraine from January 1, 2016. Earlier in the day, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yasenyuk announced that the Ukrainian Government would pass two resolutions on trade retaliation against Russia, including banning the import of goods originating from Russia and imposing taxes on goods originating from Russia.

A supermarket in Kiev, Ukraine. (Source: aisberg.com)

5. ASEAN Community officially established

On December 31, Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman announced that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Community was officially established, marking an important milestone in ASEAN history.

ASEAN leaders signed the "Kuala Lumpur Declaration" establishing the ASEAN Community. (Source: THX/TTXVN).

6. Historic Vatican-Palestine treaty officially comes into effect

According to the announcement of the Vatican Press Office on January 2, the historic treaty between the Holy See and Palestine was signed on26/6/2015officially entered into force. The Vatican representative also said that the legal recognition of the Palestinian state would help promote the peace process with Israel, and that the treaty would be a model for other countries in the Middle East.

Scene of the signing ceremony. (Source: nowtheendbegins.com)

Phuong Thao

(Synthetic)