AFP, SEOUL: North and South Korean officials sat down Thursday for rare talks aimed at setting up a sustainable high-level dialogue that has constantly eluded the two rivals. The meeting at the border truce village of Panmunjom began shortly before 1:00pm (0400 GMT) and marked the first inter-governmental…

AP, Tokyo: Japan’s deputy defence minister met with the mayor of a southern island Thursday to seek his support for the planned deployment of hundreds of troops in the region including nearby disputed East China Sea islands. Vice Minister of Defence Kenji Wakamiya met in Ishigaki with Mayor Yoshitaka…

AP, Washington: Former President Bill Clinton is going on a fundraising swing reminiscent of his presidential campaigns of the 1990s. But this time he’s…

AFP, MOSCOW: Fifteen people were killed in Russia on Thursday when a civilian helicopter crashed in Siberia, regional authorities said. The Mi-8 helicopter, which was transporting 22 passengers and four crew members, crashed outside the town of Igarka in Western Siberia, some 2,800 kilometres (1,750…

AFP, ADELAIDE, Australia: Fire-fighters Thursday searched burnt-out cars and homes after a devastating “Armageddon-like” blaze in Australia left two dead and 16 in hospital after raging across a 40-kilometre (25-mile) front. Cooler conditions and lighter winds aided crews after a terrifying…

AFP, PARIS: Germany pledged Wednesday to stand beside France in its fight against Islamic State jihadists, as French President Francois Hollande prepared to visit Moscow as part of his whirlwind diplomatic tour in the wake of the Paris attacks. Hollande met his closest EU partner during a week of intense…

AP, Ankara: Turkey has released audio recordings of what it says are the Turkish military’s warnings to the pilot of the Russian plane that was shot down at the border with Syria. The recordings made available to The Associated Press on Thursday indicate that the plane was warned several times…