Top Asian News at 12:00 a.m. GMT

(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Renewed nuke sale fear after recent NKorea testSEOUL, South Korea (AP) _ North Korea's nuclear test last month wasn't just a show of defiance and national pride; it also serves as advertising. The target audience, analysts say, is anyone in the world looking to buy nuclear material. Though Pyongyang has threatened to launch nuclear strikes on the U.S., the most immediate threat posed by its nuclear technology may be North Korea's willingness to sell it to nations that Washington sees as sponsors of terrorism. The fear of such sales was highlighted this week, when Japan confirmed that cargo seized last year and believed to be from North Korea contained material that could be used to make nuclear centrifuges, which are crucial to enriching uranium into bomb fuel.

Power, cooling restored at Japanese nuclear plantTOKYO (AP) _ Cooling systems were restored for four fuel storage pools at Japan's tsunami-damaged nuclear plant, more than a day after a power outage halted the supply of fresh cooling water and raised concerns about the safety of the facility, which still relies on makeshift equipment. Tokyo Electric Power Co. said the cooling system at the last pool at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant was repaired early Wednesday. It said pool temperatures were well within safe levels and the reactors were unaffected.

Bus falls off bridge in India, killing at least 37NEW DELHI (AP) _ A bus packed with passengers crashed through a guard rail and fell off a bridge in western India early Tuesday, killing at least 37 people and injuring another 15, police said. The overnight bus was carrying passengers from the beach resort state of Goa to Mumbai when it crashed in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, said Mahendra Singh Pardeshi, a police official present at the site. The area is about 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of Mumbai.

Lew visit marks US-China re-engagementBEIJING (AP) _ The U.S. and China began to re-engage Tuesday on knotty issues ranging from economic frictions to North Korea's nuclear program following a months-long hiatus during President Barack Obama's re-election and China's installation of new leaders. Chinese President Xi Jinping met Tuesday with visiting U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew in the first high-level exchange between the sides in six months and the start of a series of meetings that will test the potential for cooperation between the world's first- and second-largest economies.

Lawyer: Urinating on Taliban bodies no desecrationCAMP LEJEUNE, North Carolina (AP) _ Urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan was in "poor taste" but it wasn't desecration, the lawyer for a U.S. Marine said Tuesday. Sgt. Robert W. Richards and three other Marines were videotaped relieving themselves on the corpses during a July 2011 mission in the Musa Qala district of Helmand province. The video shows four Marines in full combat gear urinating on the bodies of three Afghans. One Marine looks down at the bodies and says, "Have a good day, buddy." UN Sri Lanka vote threatens India's governmentNEW DELHI (AP) _ A dispute over a United Nations resolution on the bloody end to Sri Lanka's civil war with ethnic Tamil rebels is threatening the stability of India's already shaky coalition government. A key ethnic Tamil party withdrew from the coalition Tuesday, accusing the government of watering down a U.N. resolution criticizing Sri Lanka's war-time conduct against its minority Tamil population. The party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, has demanded the U.N. Human Rights Council resolution accuse Sri Lanka of genocide and that it lead to the formation of an international inquiry into possible war crimes. The party also demanded a similar resolution be passed by India's Parliament.

1 dead in Bangladesh opposition shutdownDHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) _ Opposition supporters clashed with pro-government activists in Bangladesh on Tuesday, leaving one student leader dead amid reports of dozens of bomb explosions and a train derailment blamed on the opposition during a nationwide general strike. The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its 17 allies called the strike to demand the release of 154 activists detained this month.

Powder, AK-47s and hashish: Skiing in KashmirGULMARG, India (AP) _ There are very few ski resorts in the world where you see a soldier in uniform waiting for the gondola with a snowboard in one hand and an AK-47 in the other. Welcome to Gulmarg, nestled in the Himalayan mountains in Indian-held Kashmir, one of the most militarized places on earth.

WSJ denies bribery in ChinaNEW YORK (AP) _ The FBI has been investigating a purported whistleblower's allegations that the Wall Street Journal bureau in China bribed officials there to get information for news stories. Dow Jones, which publishes the Journal, became aware of the allegations last year and has concluded they are unfounded, a spokeswoman for Dow Jones said Monday. Details about the probe were first reported by the newspaper on Sunday.

Pakistani girl shot by Taliban returns to schoolLONDON (AP) _ Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager shot in the head by the Taliban, has returned to school for the first time since she was targeted. The 15-year-old joined other girls at Edgbaston High School for Girls in Birmingham for her first day back at school on Tuesday, said Edelman, the public relations agency handling her media relations.

China's homegrown hit films struggle overseasHONG KONG (AP) _ The surprise hit in Chinese theaters last year was a low-budget, wacky road-trip comedy that even beat out global blockbuster "Avatar" to become the country's highest-grossing film ever. But "Lost in Thailand" found just a paltry $57,000 during its U.S. theatrical release. The film that earned 1.26 billion yuan ($200 million) in China joins other homegrown hits that have flopped internationally, and is the latest sign that while the country has become a box-office superpower, it faces a harder task fulfilling its leaders' hopes that its studios will be able to rival Hollywood for global influence.

UN concerned over tobacco fair in PhilippinesMANILA, Philippines (AP) _ The World Health Organization expressed concern Tuesday that the Philippines is encouraging smoking by hosting one of the world's largest tobacco trade shows, where city authorities lifted an indoor smoking ban for participants. The fair called ProTobEx ASIA will be held in Manila's Pasay city this week for the second consecutive year. Organizers said they chose the Philippines over other locations in Asia because of its vibrant tobacco industry and the "phenomenal" support of the Pasay city government, which has waived a ban on indoor smoking at the venue, the World Trade Center.

Morsi visits India in search of investmentNEW DELHI (AP) _ Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held talks Tuesday aimed at strengthening ties and boosting trade and investment between their countries. Singh said the talks were "very productive, marked by the warmth and friendship that characterized the special nature of the relationship" shared by the countries.

Briton jumps out window to escape attack in IndiaNEW DELHI (AP) _ A British woman traveling in India jumped out of the third-floor window of her hotel room on Tuesday, telling police she feared a sexual attack after the hotel's owner tried to force his way into the room by offering her a massage. The woman was not badly hurt, although she suffered some injuries to her legs, police officer Sushant Gaur said.

American guilty in Irish student's murder in TokyoTOKYO (AP) _ A 19-year-old American musician was convicted and sentenced to at least five years in prison Tuesday for murdering an Irish exchange student after he drank with her until she passed out and used a wheelchair to take her, unconscious, to the hotel room where she died. Richard Hinds, of Memphis, Tennessee, stood silently as he was found guilty of strangling Nicola Furlong in what the presiding judge called a "vicious" attack. He was ordered to serve no less than five but no more than 10 years in a Japanese prison.

(c) 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[ Back To Technology News's Homepage ]