About 20 are vying for the record books this month, some spurred by a blockbuster Netflix documentary giving the endeavour a wider profile.

The Tibet autonomous region is the highest region on Earth with an elevation of 4,900 meters above sea level.

Rain is pelting the observation deck, falling in sheets so thick we can barely see where the Mekong meets the shore.

Tibetan exiles are calling for China to release a high-ranking monk who disappeared 20 years ago when he was just six years old.

India signs trade and economic co-operation deals worth $22bn ($14bn) in Shanghai as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China draws to a close.

Rescue work has resumed to find the victims and survivors of the latest deadly earthquake to hit Nepal.