Life's A Picnic

Interview with President Ma of Taiwan

Edited transcript of The Times interview with President Ma of Taiwan

Taiwan's President makes progress with China

Fragile trust emerges after decades of enmity as President Ma Ying-jeou makes cross-straits peace his principal objective

Islamic world prepares for month of Ramadan

Military forces in the Philippines vow not to hamper observance of the holy month, but reject calls to halt offensive against rebels

Zardari’s funds returned as court case is closed

Money-laundering case against Asif Ali Zardari, the man poised to take over as Pakistan’s next president, has been dropped

Dalai Lama admitted to hospital for tests

Exiled Tibetan leader 'cheerful' despite recent busy schedule and two foreign trips cancelled because of fatigue

Corrupt officials blamed for floods in India

Burst river makes two million homeless and destroys thousands of homes amid accusations that defences were neglected

Anwar sworn in as Malaysia opposition leader

Mr Anwar won a convincing by-election victory despite facing politically motivated charges of sodomy in Malaysia

North Korean 'defector' faces spying trial

Woman who apparently arrived as a refugee from totalitarian state of North Korea alleged to have plotted assassinations

UN hails drop in Afghan opium crop

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reveals the first drop in opium cultivation and production since 2005

Vatican condemns Hindu extremists

A Christian orphanage worker was burned to death in a wave of violence triggered by the death of Hindu leader

Kashmir on brink as family taken hostage

The Islamist militants, believed to have come from Pakistan, went on a killing spree before kidnapping the family of six

North Korea halts nuclear disablement

The regime also announced that it would consider restoring the Yongbyon reactor that can make material for atomic bombs

Bombay sprays for sweet smell of excess

The huge Deonar and Mulund rubbish dumps are to get a daily dousing with a herbal deodorant spray at a cost of £75,000

Zardari left ‘crippled by depression’

Asif Ali Zardari, the leading contender to be President of Pakistan, experienced mental illness as recently as last year

US diplomat in hot water over Zardari ties

US ambassador at the UN causes diplomatic headache by fraternising with man likely to become president of Pakistan

Opposition leader beats election sodomy smear

Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim set to be restored to office, marking the end of eleven years of political exile

Protesters storm Thai PM's compound

As many as 30,000 demonstrators from People’s Alliance for Democracy appeared to be trying to drive government from office

Famous Tibetan blogger held by police

Woeser was held for questioning after a member of the public claimed she was taking photographs of army and police

Russian threat to Nato supply route

Diplomat says agreement allowing Nato to take supplies to Afghanistan through Russia and Central Asia could be suspended