KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) - Five climbers including two Hungarians and a South Korean are missing on the world's third-highest mountain and feared dead, a mountaineering official said on Friday.
SHANGHAI (AFP) - Thousands of Chinese Catholics gathered in Shanghai on Friday for a celebration to honour the Virgin Mary, in a show of religious fervour permitted by the Communist-ruled state.
OSAKA, Japan (AFP) - A Japanese politician on Friday apologised to women forcibly drafted into military brothels during World War II after his comments about them being a military necessity sparked outrage.
BEIJING (REUTERS) - A North Korean envoy told China's president on Friday that his reclusive country was willing to take "positive actions" to ensure peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, as China steps up diplomatic efforts to bring Pyongyang back to talks.
TOKYO (AFP) - A pair of cantaloupe melons sold at auction in Japan on Friday for 1.6 million yen (S$19,600), one of the highest prices ever paid for the coveted orange-fleshed fruit.
