Richard Lloyd Parry

Sergey Lavrov and Wang Yi, the foreign ministers, met in Beijing in a strong affirmation of friendship between the two countries

Beijing dismissed the claims saying as ‘nothing but a fabrication’

The reclusive state has the capability to produce bacteria, viruses and toxins, the US warns

The installation of cameras in schools and offices and facial recognition software will further restrict freedom in repressive state, Stimson Centre report says

Praise for North Korea’s supreme leader appears to be part of efforts to entrench his power and play down the propaganda surrounding his predecessors

Mt Ruang spews hot lava and ash columns into the night sky, as seen from Sitaro in North Sulawesi. Getty Images

Long gone are the days of farewell poetry sessions — now inmates learn of their hanging hours before it happens. Two prisoners hope to change that

Several Pacific nations are interested in joining Britain, America and Australia’s security pact to work on weapons and tech. Is it worth China’s wrath?

For centuries, the Ussuri brown bear haa been a shy and shadowy presence in Japan, only occasionally glimpsed in the mountains by hikers and hunters.

Temperature records broken across region as heat damages crops, disrupts schools and places strain on electricity grids as people turn up air conditioning