The number of dead pigs found in Shanghai's main river doubled in two days to nearly 6,000, the government said, as officials from a nearby area blamed for the porcine deluge sought to deny it was the source.
Japan on Wednesday called for stronger security ties with Southeast Asia as Tokyo looks to boost alliances at a time of growing territorial tensions with China.
More than 1,000 dead pigs have been found floating in Shanghai's main waterway, the Chinese city's government said Monday, as residents expressed fears over possible drinking water contamination.
Sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear programme are not "the fundamental way" to resolve the crisis, China's foreign minister said Saturday, days after the UN tightened measures against Pyongyang.
The United States and China will on Thursday seek to tighten the UN sanctions screws on North Korea after its widely condemned nuclear bomb test last month.
Russia's Nadezhda Kosintseva and Tatiana Kosintseva are not playing for the Russian team because of a conflict with their senior coach Sergey Rublevsky.
Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan this week joins China's top political advisory body in a move analysts say highlights Beijing's growing "soft power" efforts to project unity between itself and the former British colony.
Asian markets were mostly lower on Friday as traders took a breather after healthy gains in the previous session while Chinese data showed growth in manufacturing activity had slowed.
A defiant Beijing restaurant manager refused to apologise Thursday despite removing a "racist" sign barring citizens of states in maritime disputes with China, along with dogs, following an international outcry.
The Chinese oil giant CNOOC completed its $15.1 billion purchase of Canada's Nexen energy group on Monday, in what analysts have said is China's largest foreign investment.