A special envoy from North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un told one of China's top officials Thursday that Pyongyang is willing to pursue dialogue with key countries, state television reported.

Philippine authorities on Thursday reacted angrily over “Da Vinci Code” author Dan Brown's portrayal of Manila as "the gates of hell" in his latest novel.

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said it is important for Japan and China to take a longer term perspective and work towards stabilising relations.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sees a looming free-trade deal with Switzerland as a touchstone for Beijing's growing ties with foreign nations.

Over a third of Vietnam as well as the capital of neighbouring Cambodia suffered a blackout this week after a crane operator knocked a tree onto a key power line, electricity officials said Thursday.

There have been growing calls in Malaysia for the ruling coalition to move away from race-based politics since the recent elections.

Speculation mounted over a top North Korean military official's visit to China on Thursday, as few details of his meetings were made available.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged on Thursday to crack down on corruption in the defence sector after a string of recent graft scandals left his government facing renewed calls to step down.

Japan accused a South Korean newspaper of "dishonourable" behaviour for publishing an editorial suggesting the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were "divine punishment".

Thai authorities have arrested an Italian wanted over alleged links to a human trafficking ring which swindled around US$10 million from European taxpayers and banks.