PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN TALKS — A key gathering opens in Islamabad in which four countries — Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States — hope to lay the roadmap to peace for the war-shattered Afghan nation. 

NKOREA-NUCLEAR-PARK'S SILVER LINING — North Korea's nuclear test has provoked global outrage, a push for sanctions, even fear. But Kim Jong Un's decision to conduct it has also handed a gift of sorts to his rival in the South. By Foster Klug. SENT: 800 words, photos.

CHINA-ROUGH START TO 2016 — Barely more than a week into 2016, Chinese President Xi Jinping is having a rough time of it, with challenges ranging from a plummeting stock market to new provocations from obstreperous ally North Korea. While none pose an existential threat to his administration, the world will be watching to see whether he has the sophisticated touch needed to find durable solutions and maintain stability. 

SOUTH CHINA SEA — An official says Philippine and U.S. foreign and defense chiefs will discuss new security concerns arising from China's completion of artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea. 

CHINA-MAO STATUE DEMOLISHED — A village in central China has abruptly demolished a statue of the communist country's founder, Mao Zedong, after images of the structure covered in gold paint and looming 37 meters (120 feet) high over farmland attracted heated discussion on social media. 

NEPAL-EARTHQUAKE — Emergency relief supplies are sent to mountain villages in Nepal hit by a weekend snowstorm and located near the epicenter of a massive April 2015 earthquake.