The decision to include caste in India's national census has triggered intense controversy about a painful, vexing subject.

Chances of a negotiated settlement of Thailand's two-month political standoff look very bleak.

A local tsunami alert has been lifted after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Sumatra, Indonesia.

Pakistan will investigate alleged links between the Times Square bombing accused and militant groups operating in the country.

Guns, temples and French replicas punctuate Laos, says Brett Atkinson.

Laos' bizarre capital is a languid collection of wide French-style avenues furnished with cruising tuk tuks, and plane-tree studded neighbourhoods dotted with Buddhist temples and French colonial architecture.

Indian Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said that "the judgement in itself is a message to Pakistan that they should not export terror to India."

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il was believed to be making a rare trip to China amid tensions over the sinking of a South Korean warship and stalled nuclear disarmament negotiations, South Korean reports said.

A NZ schoolboys cricket team has travelled to play in India for two weeks despite a Mfat warning of an "extreme risk" of terrorism.