Standing in a row outside the gates of Godhra remand center in Gujarat, western India, the 11 middle-aged men could have been mistaken for visiting dignitaries receiving sweets and blessings from local admirers.

Across Asia, borders are opening and quarantine measures are lifting as even the last few countries clinging to Covid restrictions embrace a return to travel.

North Korean state media has broken its silence over the country's recent spate of missile tests, claiming they were part of a series of simulated procedures intended to demonstrate its readiness to fire tactical nuclear warheads at potential targets in South Korea.

Thailand recoiled in horror Thursday after at least 36 people were killed, at least 24 of them children, in a massacre at a child care center in northeastern Thailand believed to be the country's deadliest incident of its kind.

Japan urged residents to take shelter early Tuesday morning after North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile over the north of the country in an escalation of Pyongyang's missile tests that prompted immediate backlash from Tokyo.