China on Tuesday expressed shock and indignation at a Japanese politician's statement that the Japanese military's World War II-era sex slaves served a "necessary" role by keeping troops in check. 

Indian Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid will start a two-day visit to China on Thursday, which experts said demonstrates both sides' maturity to deal with border disputes and emphasis on relationship development. 

Malaysians voted on Sunday in an election that could weaken or even end the rule of the world's longest-ruling coalition, which faces a stiff challenge from an opposition pledging to clean up politics and end race-based policies. 

Five years after it was reduced to ashes in an arson attack, the newly rebuilt Namdaemun gate in South Korea was unveiled on Monday after a painstaking reconstruction costing millions of dollars.