The US Secretary of State John Kerry calls the Afghan leader to defuse tension over the opening of a Taliban office, an Afghan official tells the BBC.

The Afghan government will not take part in peace talks with the Taliban unless the process is "Afghan-led", President Hamid Karzai has said

Flooding in India is continuing to disrupt daily life on a massive scale.

A nine-year-old girl is killed in unprovoked mortar shelling by Indian troops, officials in Pakistani-administered Kashmir say.

High levels of a toxic radioactive isotope have been found in groundwater at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant, its operator says.

Dalian Wanda Group, a Chinese property developer, says it will spend £1bn ($1.6bn) to buy a British yacht maker and property in London.

Military helicopters and the army are leading rescue operations in India's flood-hit northern states, where 138 people are now known to have died.

Provides an overview of Indonesia, including key events and facts about the world's fourth most populous nation

Provides an overview of Japan, including key events and facts about this earthquake-prone country on the western rim of the Pacific.

Why it is too soon to call time on Abenomics

High levels of a toxic radioactive isotope, strontium-90, have been found in groundwater at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant, its operator says.

North Korea denounces a report that leader Kim Jong-un gave out copies of Adolf Hitler's memoir Mein Kampf to officials on his birthday.

Japanese exports rise in May by the most since 2010 as the yen weakens, providing a boost to PM Shinzo Abe's plan to revive the economy.

Lack of preparedness in dealing with monsoon floods criticised

Xi Jinping's new campaign against decadence in the party

A former Chinese official accused of accepting bribes in an alleged sex tape extortion scandal is put on trial, state media say.

Four US soldiers are killed in a Taliban attack at Bagram airbase in Afghanistan, shortly after the US announced direct talks with the militants.

Australian Adrian Bayley is jailed for the rape and murder of Irish woman Jill Meagher, with a minimum jail term of 35 years.

South Korea is looking to buy 60 advanced fighter aircraft for $3.7bn in its biggest-ever defence deal.

A British Muslim leader indicted in Bangladesh for war crimes says he is willing to face a fair trial to clear his name.