Shinzo greets a less chummy Barack

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may have hoped to demonstrate his personal ties with President Barack Obama during the US leader's state visit to Tokyo, but if how they addressed each other in public was any gauge, the effort fell short.

Former US ambassador pays tribute to victims of Nanjing Massacre

Former US ambassador to China Gary Locke paid an unexpected visit to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall on Thursday, saying "history cannot be forgotten".

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Russia sets new drills for military

Ukraine troops kill militants amid checkpoint clashes in Sloviansk

India's opposition hopes to win in 2 key states

India's opposition Bharatiya Janata Party was set to make gains in two big states in the south and east that began voting on Thursday.

China welcomes Palestinian reconciliation deal

China hailed a Palestinian reconciliation deal on ending a seven-year internal split, saying it will build Palestine's internal solidarity.

Xi reassures Park on denuclearization

President Xi Jinping assured President Park Geun-hye of the Republic of Korea during a phone call on Wednesday that Beijing is firmly committed to denuclearization in the Korean Peninsula, a day after Seoul said that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea might be preparing a fourth nuclear test.

Multilateral drill marks navy's 65th birthday

China held a multilateral maritime exercise with seven other countries in waters off Qingdao in Shandong province on Wednesday to mark the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the People's Liberation Army navy.

Worries over Beijing's maritime ambitions 'unnecessary'

China's efforts to become a maritime power will not lead to maritime hegemony, but the country will never compromise on its sovereignty and national security, a senior Chinese military official said on Wednesday.

China vital for cutting greenhouse gases, EU official says

European Union climate negotiator Connie Hedegaard started her four-day "note-comparing" tour in China on Wednesday as the international community is working on a 2030 road map to reduce greenhouse gases.

South Koreans express grief at memorial for ferry victims

Thousands of mourners paid tearful respects on Wednesday at a temporary memorial to the hundreds of student victims of South Korea's ferry disaster, as the grim search for bodies entered a second week.

Bodies reveal desperate attempts to escape

South Korean divers swam though dark, cold waters into a sunken ferry on Wednesday, feeling for children's bodies with their hands in a maze of cabins, corridors and upturned decks as they searched for hundreds of missing.