TOKYO (AFP) - A Japanese minister on Sunday defended a surprise visit to North Korea by one of the prime minister's aides which Washington and Seoul said could not help efforts to forge a united front against Pyongyang.
SEOUL (AFP) - South Korea on Sunday condemned North Korea's latest short-range missile launches as "provocative" and again urged it to hold talks about a suspended jointly-run industrial park.
BEIJING (AFP) - Chinese authorities were on Sunday investigating claims that unidentified North Koreans hijacked a Chinese fishing boat, kidnapping 16 sailors and demanding a ransom, local media and an official said.
NEW DELHI (AP) - Just weeks after a tense border standoff, China's new premier headed to India on Sunday for his first foreign trip as the neighbouring giants look to speed up efforts to settle a decades-old boundary dispute and boost economic ties.
QIANTUN, China (REUTERS) - Two years short of 70, Mr Zhang Guosheng spends his days caring for an 81-year-old fellow villager - washing his clothes, bringing meals to his bed, and keeping him company - a routine he'll keep up until he himself needs the type of care he is now giving.
