Top Asian News 4:30 a.m. GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council strongly condemned North Korea late Monday over its latest ballistic missile launches and warned of "further significant measures" if Pyongyang doesn't stop nuclear and missile testing. A council statement agreed to by all 15 members followed strong condemnation by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of the latest launch and U.S. President Donald Trump's pledge to deal with North Korea "very strongly." The Security Council condemned Saturday's launch and a previous test Oct. 19, saying North Korea's activities to develop its nuclear weapons delivery systems violate U.N. sanctions and increase tensions. It called on all U.N.

TOKYO (AP) — The prime minister of the self-declared Tibetan government-in-exile said Monday that he has high expectations for President Donald Trump to support dialogue between the Tibetans and Beijing, as Trump's predecessors have. Lobsang Sangay told foreign journalists in Tokyo that "it matters" what the United States does and says," and that Tibetans should "remain hopeful" that the U.S. can serve as an intermediary. Previous U.S. administrations have acknowledged the "one China" policy, but they supported dialogue between the exiled Tibetans and Beijing under the Dalai Lama's "middle way" approach, which calls for seeking regional autonomy under Chinese rule. During his confirmation as U.S.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday vowed to "deal with" North Korea, calling it "a big, big problem" without mentioning the ballistic missile it test-fired over the weekend or any planned American response. The Pentagon was more pointed in its assessment of the problem. A spokesman said technical advancements in North Korea's ballistic missile programs, demonstrated in the latest test-launch from a mobile launcher, pose a "clear, grave threat" to U.S. security. That assessment reflected concern as well as frustration among U.S. officials, who see North Korea pushing ahead, in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions, with development of missiles capable of striking U.S.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Beyond the usual, lofty propaganda, North Korea's test of a new intermediate-range ballistic missile contains an important, potentially worrying development. The country's jubilant young dictator, Kim Jong Un, said the missile provides the country with another nuclear attack capability. Sunday's launch — the first major North Korean challenge for U.S. President Donald Trump — is drawing intense scrutiny from outside weapons experts because of North Korea's claim to have used solid fuel. If true, it would be a big step forward in North Korea's quest to boost its ability to attack the United States and its close allies, South Korea and Japan.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Residents of Indonesia's capital vote Wednesday in an election for governor that has become a high-stakes tussle between conservative and moderate forces in the world's most populous Muslim nation. Religion and race, rather than the slew of problems that face a car-clogged and sinking Jakarta, have dominated the campaign. Answers to some of the questions surrounding the election: ___ WHAT'S MADE THE ELECTION CONTENTIOUS? The Jakarta vote is by far the most heated of the more than 100 elections for mayors and governors that will be held in Indonesia on Wednesday. Voters are polarized about incumbent Jakarta Gov.

BEIJING (AP) — China, facing criticism that it is not doing enough to pressure North Korea to drop its nuclear program, said Monday that the root cause of North Korean missile launches is Pyongyang's friction with the United States and South Korea. North Korea fired a banned ballistic missile on Sunday, its first test since U.S. President Donald Trump took office. The missile, launched as Trump hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Florida, is believed to have flown about 500 kilometers (300 miles) before splashing down in international waters. Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China opposed the launch, which violated U.N.

BANGKOK (AP) — Just in time for Valentine's Day, the Thai government is handing out pills it calls "very magical vitamins" to prospective mothers to boost the country's falling birthrate. Government employees took to the streets of Bangkok on Tuesday to distribute 1 million baht's worth ($28,600) of prenatal vitamins containing folic acid and iron to women between the ages of 20 and 34. The giveaway is part of a program called "the campaign for red-cheeked Thai women to have children for the country using very magical vitamins." Thai couples are getting married less often and later in their lives, meaning fewer children each year.

HONG KONG (AP) — Seven Hong Kong police officers were convicted Tuesday of a lesser charge in the assault of a pro-democracy activist whose videotaped beating during the height of 2014 pro-democracy protests sparked outrage. A judge found the seven officers guilty of one joint count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in their attack on Ken Tsang. He was part of a group of protesters involved in a pre-dawn clash with police over Beijing's plans to restrict elections for the semiautonomous Chinese city. The officers, who are due to be sentenced later, face up to three years in prison. During the scuffle on Oct.

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — With just one year to go before South Korea hosts the Winter Olympics, North Korea's Olympic committee lashed out Monday against sanctions over its nuclear and long-range missile programs, claiming they are aimed at hurting the North's efforts to compete in international sports events. Sanctions that block the sale of such items as skis, snowmobiles, snow groomers, yachts and even billiard tables are a "vicious ulterior political scheme" to prevent the country from having sports exchanges and achieving its goal of becoming a world sports power, Kang Ryong Gil, deputy secretary-general of North Korea's National Olympic Committee, said in a statement.

WASHINGTON (AP) — There was President Donald Trump, in the middle of his Mar-a-Lago resort, conferring with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on decisions with national security implications over iceberg wedge salads. The Florida club members snapped photos and posted them to Facebook with detailed narratives about what they were seeing. "HOLY MOLY !!! It was fascinating to watch the flurry of activity at dinner when the news came that North Korea had launched a missile in the direction of Japan," Richard DeAgazio wrote on his public Facebook page. Welcome to the social media presidency — and all of the security and ethical challenges it poses.