China angered by 'interference'
China accuses foreign diplomats of meddling in its internal affairs, after international criticism of the trial of dissident Liu Xiaobo.

Five sentenced to death by China
Five more people are sentenced to death for the violence in China's Xinjiang region in July, bringing the total to 22.

Philippine vessels collide at sea
Four people are killed and another 23 missing after a ferry and a fishing boat collide in the Philippines.

Taiwanese 'posed as Brunei royal'
A Taiwanese man is arrested and accused of defrauding hundreds of people by posing a member of the Brunei royal family, media reports say.

Vietnam lawyer on subversion charge
A lawyer in Vietnam is charged with working to overthrow the state - a more serious charge than he initially faced.

Chinese dissident Liu on trial
Prominent Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has gone on trial in Beijing on charges of subversion, amid Western criticism.

Star Alliance firms seek immunity
The Star Alliance airlines apply for immunity from competition rules on routes between the US and Japan.

Ford agrees Volvo sale to Geely
Ford has agreed to sell Swedish carmaker Volvo to China's Geely and expects the deal to be completed early 2010.

Naked biking allowed in New Zealand, but put on a helmet
Two men cycling while naked in New Zealand are let off with a warning to put a helmet on, escaping a lewd behaviour charge.

Shaolin temple denies it plans to list on the stock market
The ancient Shaolin temple - famous for its fighting kung-fu monks - denies a report that it plans to list on the stock market.

Cricket: Australia expect Ponting to play
Australia expect captain Ricky Ponting to overcome an elbow injury in time to play in the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan at the MCG.

Deadly beauty
Lure and danger of iconic volcano Mount Mayon

Language lessons
Why Bolivians are brushing up their Chinese

Road to reform
Tonga steps out of 19th century as monarchy reforms

Man charged with bathtub murder
A man is charged with raping and killing British teacher Lindsay Ann Hawker who was found in a sand-filled bath in Japan.

Daughter makes death row appeal
The daughter of a British man due to be executed in China for drug smuggling says her father is "mentally ill".

Burma to buy Russian MiG planes
Russia has signed a contract to deliver 20 MiG-29 fighter planes to Burma, according to Russian media reports.

Rio Tinto accepts $2bn Alcan deal
Rio Tinto formally accepts a $2bn offer by Australian firm Amcor for four units of its Alcan Packaging businesses.

Kyrgyz reporter death probe call
Media groups push for a probe into the murder in Kazakhstan of Kyrgyzstan journalist Gennady Pavlyuk.

Man jailed for eating rare tiger
A man is jailed for 12 years for killing and eating an extremely rare Indochinese tiger in southern China.

Japan lender gets loan extension
Japanese finance firm Aiful avoids bankruptcy after receiving approval from its creditors to delay debt repayments.

World Bank to lend Vietnam $500m
The World Bank approves a $500m loan to Vietnam from its low interest arm, its largest to the south east Asian country.

Eyewitness: Sumatra earthquake
Two Brits give their accounts on the devastating earthquake that struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Wednesday.

Japan election: Voters' views
Five Japanese voters discuss the issues important to them and whether a change of power will be good for their country.

Xinjiang: Views from China
People from across China discuss the recent unrest

Justice denied in Cambodia?
Tribunal leaves Khmer Rouge survivors unhappy

Indonesia battles with corruption
As Indonesia hosts the UN's Anti-Corruption Day, many Indonesians feel frustrated with the corruption they face on a daily basis, reports the BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Jakarta.

Activist in limbo at Japan airport
The Chinese activist in limbo at Tokyo's Narita airport