Top Asian News 4:49 a.m. GMT

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A devastating fire raced through densely packed buildings in an old part of Bangladesh's capital and killed at least 70 people, officials and witnesses said Thursday. The fire in Dhaka was mostly under control after more than nine hours of frantic efforts by firefighters. Some of the about 50 people injured were critically burned. The Chawkbazar area is crammed with buildings separated by narrow alleys. The neighborhood is a mix of residential and commercial, with buildings that commonly have shops, restaurants or warehouses on the ground floors. The blaze started late Wednesday night in one building but quickly spread to others, fire department Director General Brig.

Officials say the fire that burned through buildings in an old part of Bangladesh's capital has killed at least 69 people. The fire in Dhaka was mostly under control early Thursday after more than nine hours of frantic efforts by firefighters. The Chawkbazar area where the fire was burning is crammed with buildings separated by narrow alleys and is a mix of homes, shops and warehouses. Mahfuz Riben, a control room official of the Fire Service and Civil Defense in Dhaka, said the death toll had risen to 69 and many victims had become trapped in the buildings. He told AP by telephone, "Our teams are working there but many of the recovered bodies are beyond recognition.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Moon Jae-in has staked his legacy on the stunning diplomatic progress he has forged with North Korea, as well as the behind-the-scenes orchestration of the U.S.-North Korean summits. But following months of stalemate on North Korea nuclear talks, Moon's presidency faces a crucial moment, with President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un set to meet for the second time next week. Moon, a liberal who took office in May 2017, is desperate for a breakthrough so he can continue engagement with the North that has driven the three-way diplomacy but is now held back by tough U.S.-led sanctions against Pyongyang.

TOKYO (AP) — With their second summit fast approaching, speculation is growing that U.S. President Donald Trump may try to persuade North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to commit to denuclearization by giving him something he wants more than almost anything else: an announcement of peace and an end to the Korean War. Such an announcement could make history. It would be right in line with Trump's opposition to "forever wars." And, coming more than six decades after the fighting essentially ended, it just seems like common sense. But, if not done carefully, it could open up a whole new set of problems for Washington.

BANGKOK (AP) _ Vietnam, the location of President Donald Trump's next meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has come a long way since the U.S. abandoned its war against communist North Vietnam in the 1970s. United into a youthful nation that now numbers 95 million, beginning in the mid-1980s the country embraced global trade to become a production base for South Korea's Samsung and many other manufacturing giants. The ``Doi Moi'' reforms adopted by its communist rulers, modeled largely on China's transformation into the world's factory floor, could provide a model for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — U.S. and North Korean special envoys are to meet in Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, to make final preparations for a second summit next week between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. U.S. Special Envoy for North Korea Steve Biegun was to arrive in Hanoi on Wednesday, U.S. officials said. No details of his schedule were immediately announced. Biegun is to meet with North Korea's special representative for U.S. affairs, Kim Hyok Chol. South Korea's Yonhap news agency said he arrived in Hanoi on Wednesday evening. The two envoys met earlier this month in North Korea's capital to discuss details of the Feb.

BEIJING (AP) — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is in China on the latest stop of a sweep through Asia that aims to expand the kingdom's influence on the continent. Prince Mohammed's arrival Thursday was reported first by Saudi media. He's due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, highlighting bilateral trade in oil and Chinese manufacturing. Prince Mohammed's visit to Beijing follows one earlier this week by a high-powered delegation from Saudi Arabia's chief strategic rival Iran. The trip comes five months after the crown prince came under intense pressure following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — At a barbershop tucked away in a Hanoi alley, Le Phuc Hai patiently waits for the dye to turn his black hair the orange shade of President Donald Trump's locks. On a chair next to him, 9-year-old To Gia Huy emerges as the spitting image of a miniature Kim Jong Un. "Many people say that I look like Kim Jong Un, especially when I have this hairstyle," said Huy, who is nicknamed "Un" for his likeness to the North Korean leader. He was unable to hide his excitement that Kim is coming to the Vietnamese capital next week for his second summit with the American president, and hopes for a chance to see Kim in person.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Security Council committee monitoring sanctions against North Korea has given a green light to Kim Jong Un's delegation to travel to Vietnam next week for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, U.N. diplomats said Wednesday. The Vietnamese government requested an exemption from sanctions for the entire delegation to travel to Hanoi and there was no objection by any of the 15 council nations, the council diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because consultations were private. The exemption covers anyone in the delegation who is on the U.N. sanctions blacklist and therefore is banned from traveling and subject to an asset freeze.

ROME (AP) — Italy is investigating if the daughter of a former North Korean diplomat posted to Italy had been forcibly returned to Pyongyang after her parents disappeared in an apparent defection, the Italian foreign minister said Wednesday, as lawmakers and rights activists demanded to know what happened to her. Thae Young Ho, a former North Korean diplomat in London who took refuge in Seoul in 2016, told reporters Tuesday that the 17-year-old girl had been forcibly sent back to North Korea before she could join her parents, who went into hiding in November. Thae said the information came from an unidentified friend in North Korean capital Pyongyang.