Leaders of the rival Beijing and Almaty bids to stage the 2022 Winter Olympics made official guarantees to the IOC as their battle entered the final straight.
Air pollution in Beijing dropped slightly last year, although levels of the most dangerous small particulate matter remained more than three times the internationally recommended limit.
Malaysian Prime Minister has contracted a bacterial infection and is resting at home after touring districts hit by the country's worst flooding in decades.
Iraqi Prime Ministe asked Australian counterpart Tony Abott to step up military assistance to aid Baghdad's fight against the Islamic State jihadist group.
AirAsia downplayed an incident that saw one of its planes turned back before takeoff in Indonesia, a week after another of its jets crashed into the Java Sea with 162 on board.