A South Korean news agency has said that North Korea test-fired a short-range missile, a report that came shortly after the communist nation declared that it successfully conducted a nuclear test today.

Burma’s main political and economic allies, China and Japan, joined other nations around the world in urging the country to use peaceful means to restore stability.

Japan’s new foreign minister said today that his country holds Burma accountable for the death of a Japanese journalist found after the military opened fire on a crowd of pro-democracy protesters.

Six-nation talks on Washington’s demand for North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions ended today with no breakthrough, but envoys promised to discuss the ”first steps for de-nuclearisation” of the North before meeting again by the end of September.

South Korea’s offer to compensate North Korea if it gives up its nuclear programmes was on the table today as six-country talks reconvened and the United States continued its push for a verifiable end to the North’s ambitions of becoming a nuclear power.