A head-on collision between two buses killed 20 passengers and injured at least 18 others in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, police said.

The two buses, which are suspected to have been overcrowded, rammed into each other on a busy road near Gorakhpur, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) north east of the state capital Lucknow.

Pakistan successfully test fired a nuclear-capable intermediate range ballistic missile on Wednesday, the military said, less than a week after India test launched a long range missile.

The exact range of the missile was not revealed, but retired General Talat Masood, a defense analyst, told Agence France Presse it would be able to hit targets up to 2,500 to 3,000 kilometers (1,550 to 1,850 miles) away -- putting arch-rival India well within reach.

China and the BRICS emerging economies are set to flex their muscles as the top finance officials of the G20 and the IMF meet Friday seeking to raise $400 billion to prevent financial contagion.

Having already rolled back the goal for new crisis intervention funds from $500 billion, the International Monetary Fund remained some $80 billion short going into Friday's meetings in Washington.

The White House Thursday urged restraint among nuclear capable states after India tested a long-range missile, but rejected any comparison between New Delhi's behavior and that of North Korea.

"We urge all nuclear capable states to exercise restraint regarding nuclear and missile capabilities and continue to discourage actions that might destabilize the South Asia region," said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

India on Thursday successfully tested a new long-range missile capable of delivering a one-ton nuclear warhead anywhere in regional military rival China, and countries outside Asia.

The 17-metre (56-foot) Agni V, with a range of more than 5,000 kilometers, was launched at 8:05 (02:35 GMT) from a test site off the eastern state of Orissa, according to the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), which built the missile.

India on Wednesday prepared for the first trial of a long-range nuclear-capable missile that could strike anywhere in China -- Delhi's main focus as it strives to modernize its military.

An official at the test monitoring station in the eastern state of Orissa told Agence France Presse that the maiden flight of the Agni-V rocket, which has a range of 5,000-kilometers (3,100-miles), was expected later Wednesday.

A romantic comedy that opens at Indian cinemas this week tackles taboos about sperm donation and infertility, in the latest Bollywood film to experiment with traditionally off-limits content.

"Vicky Donor", which is released on Friday, tells the story of the unemployed and lazy Vicky, who is persuaded by a doctor to donate his sperm to make a living -- a job he then tries to keep quiet from his new girlfriend.

Bangladesh customs agents seized more than 400 tortoises being smuggled in three suitcases through the country's main airport on Tuesday, an official said.

Two Indian citizens were arrested in connection with the seizure at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital Dhaka, customs officer Showkat Ara said.

Russia, China and India on Friday jointly called all parties in the standoff over North Korea to show restraint after the reclusive state's failed rocket launch sparked global concern.

"We are convinced that the reaction to these challenges needs to be exclusively diplomatic and political," Lavrov said alongside his Chinese and Indian counterparts after a meeting in Moscow.

Pakistan on Thursday released 26 Indian fishermen held in prison for more than two years for violating territorial waters, officials said.

The release, described as a "goodwill gesture,” comes days after President Asif Ali Zardari met Indian PM Manmohan Singh for lunch in New Delhi on the first visit by a Pakistani head of state to their arch-rivals in seven years.