A top South Korean model who was a fixture at fashion week in Paris and London was found dead at her apartment in Paris, an official said Friday.

France's foreign minister walked into a remote Afghan village on Friday to talk with small farmers and local tribal leaders about how to bypass corrupt officials and bring aid directly to those who need it.

Philippine troops killed a senior commander of al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf militants wanted for kidnappings and bombings amid an ongoing offensive, the military said Friday.

U.S. President Barack Obama said he was willing to help North Korea repair its economy and end decades of international isolation if Pyongyang stopped a cycle of threats and finally moved towards nuclear disarmament.

Indonesia still faces a key risk of new militant attacks as Islamic radicals have set up new cells in recent years and some bomb experts remain at large, the head of the country's anti-terrorism unit said on Thursday.

Australia's largest pleasure cruise company said on Thursday it would continue to insist that young adult passengers be accompanied by parents even though the policy has been branded discriminatory.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo endorsed her former defense chief as her successor on Thursday although major defections hit the Philippines' largest political party ahead of presidential elections next May.

Veteran Afghan leader Hamid Karzai was sworn in as president on Thursday, pledging to fight graft and take control of his country's security before his five-year term ends, after a fraud-marred election left his image in ruins.

President Barack Obama says his envoy on North Korea will travel to the communist country early next month for the first bilateral talks with the regime since he took office.

Human rights group Amnesty International urged Singapore on Thursday to protect freedom of expression after an Asian magazine paid US$290,000 to settle a defamation suit by the country's prime minister and his father.