North Korea has warned of a military response after South Korea joined an anti-proliferation exercise which could allow it to search the North’s ships.

The North said it is no longer bound by the armistice which ended the Korean War in 1953.

A military spokesman quoted by official media said Pyongyang could no longer guarantee the safety of shipping.

Its latest threat comes after an underground nuclear test two days ago and several missile launches.

The United Nations Security Council is working on a strong condemnation of what it says is North Korea’s contravention of its rules.

Meanwhile steam is reported to be coming from North Korea’s main nuclear reprocessing plant at Yongbyon, suggesting it has made good on its threat to restart efforts to make weapons-grade plutonium.

Anti proliferation

South Korea announced on Tuesday that it would not delay any longer in joining the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) – a US-led non-proliferation campaign involving searching ships carrying suspicious cargos and aimed at stopping the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction.

North Korea has repeatedly warned that the South’s participation in the PSI would be tantamount to a declaration of war.

Joining the PSI “is a natural obligation”, South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said, quoted by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency. “It will help control North Korea’s development of dangerous material.”

North Korea’s response has been firm.

“Any hostile act against our peaceful vessels including search and seizure will be considered an unpardonable infringement on our sovereignty, and we will immediately respond with a powerful military strike,” a spokesman for the North’s army was quoted as saying by the official KCNA news agency.

Reactivated reprocessing?

North Korea has fired five short-range missiles in two days, despite strong censure from the international community, including China and Russia.

NUCLEAR CRISIS Oct 2006 – North Korea conducts an underground nuclear test Feb 2007 – North Korea agrees to close its main nuclear reactor in exchange for fuel aid June 2007 – North Korea shuts its main Yongbyon reactor June 2008 – North Korea makes its long-awaited declaration of nuclear assets Oct 2008 – The US removes North Korea from its list of countries which sponsor terrorism Dec 2008 – Pyongyang slows work to dismantle its nuclear programme after a US decision to suspend energy aid Jan 2009 – The North says it is scrapping all military and political deals with the South, accusing it of “hostile intent” April 2009 – Pyongyang launches a rocket carrying what it says is a communications satellite 25 May 2009 – North Korea conducts a second nuclear test

The North announced last month it was quitting a six-nation nuclear disarmament agreement and would reopen the Yongbyon plant, closed in July 2007 as part of a disarmament deal.

That threat last month was prompted, it said, by the UN Security Council’s censure of North Korea’s 5 April rocket launch.

Washington is calling for a quick and unified response by the international community that will make it clear to North Korea that there are consequences for its actions.

Diplomats from the five permanent Security Council member countries plus Japan and South Korea have been meeting behind closed doors to discuss a new resolution.

“We are thinking through complicated issues that require very careful consideration,” said the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice.

US State Department spokesman Ian Kelly also said the door was still open to resume long-running six-party talks and that the US was looking at a “whole range of options”.

It is a sign of the delicate balance required to handle the reclusive country, the BBC’s State Department correspondent Kim Ghattas reports from Washington.

China shares a border with North Korea and worries about pushing Pyongyang too far, so it is unclear what sort of measures might be taken now and how North Korea would respond, our correspondent adds.

This week’s test and missile launches came after North Korea walked away from long-running disarmament talks.

It agreed in February 2007 to abandon its nuclear ambitions in return for aid and diplomatic concessions.

But the negotiations stalled as it accused its negotiating partners – the US, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia – of failing to meet agreed obligations.

Aaj News l Aaj l Aaj TV l AajTV

A suicide car bomber has attacked police headquarters in the Pakistani city of Lahore, killing at least 23 people and injuring 200, police say.

The blast destroyed a police emergency response building, gutting vehicles outside, and an office of the ISI intelligence service was also damaged.

It is feared the death toll may rise further as casualties are brought out from beneath the rubble.

Attacks on Pakistan’s second-largest city have been blamed on the Taliban.

Pakistan’s army has been battling the insurgents in their stronghold in the Swat valley, in the north-west, and there have been fears of Taliban retaliation, the BBC’s Barbara Plett reports.

Bulldozers

Rescuers speaking unofficially put the death toll at 35, although this figure is unconfirmed.

Issam Ahmed, a journalist with the Dawn newspaper in Lahore, arrived at the scene about 20 minutes after the blast.

He told the BBC he could still hear shots in the area, as security forces apparently exchanged gunfire with militants.

A least two arrests were made in the area.

Rescue workers were seen clambering over a pile of concrete which was all that remained of the emergency response headquarters.

They were able to drag out several of the injured. Semi-conscious policemen could be seen being carried out in blood-stained uniforms.

Debris was scattered on the road outside. Officials were seen rushing towards the buildings to cordon off the area.

The blast also destroyed several cars parked or standing on the main Mall road opposite to the police building.

Bulldozers and other heavy lifting equipment were brought in as many people were feared to be trapped under the debris.

Altercations also took place between members of the media and security personnel as the former tried to get in to the site of the blast.

‘Surreal scene’

Zubair, a BBC News website reader in Lahore, described hearing the explosion: “I was sitting in my office on Lawrence Road [about 500m from the site] when a huge explosion rocked our entire building.

“Glass windows shattered to pieces and the ceiling came down on the floor. I ran outside the building to nearby Jinnah Garden. I could hear gunfire which lasted for about 10 minutes and then I saw ambulance and police rushed to the scene.”

Matthias Gattermeier, an Austrian reader also in Lahore, said his office building had been shaken so hard he thought it would collapse.

“We first thought the explosion happened far closer by, but the blast was just so massive,” he said.

“I ran out of the building and saw a surreal huge ring of white smoke rise into air. Within minutes police and military blocked the streets. Disaster units and emergency are going in and out in every minute. The streets are full of people.”

Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city, has seen bomb attacks with increasing frequency.

Weeks before a police college was attacked in March, with eight people killed, militants attacked the Sri Lanka cricket team in the city, killing six police guards.

Aaj News l Aaj l Aaj TV l AajTV

Facebook has sold a 1.96% stake for $200m (£126m) to a Russian internet firm, a move that values the social networking website at $10bn.

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg said he had been impressed by Digital Sky Technology’s (DST) “impressive growth and financial achievements”.

DST has investments in a number of internet firms across Russia and Eastern European.

US-based Facebook has more than 200 million global members.

‘Ongoing success’

Facebook said DST would not be represented on its board, or hold special observer rights.

“This investment demonstrates Facebook’s ongoing success at creating a global network for people to share and connect,” added Mr Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive.

“A number of firms approached us, but DST stood out because of the global perspective they bring.”

DST’s internet businesses account for more than 70% of all page views on Russian language websites.

It has investments in sites including Mail.ru, Forticom and vKontakte.

The deal comes two years after Facebook sold a 1.6% stake to Microsoft for $240m.

Aaj News l Aaj l Aaj TV l AajTV

Japan’s export slump eased in April, leading to an unexpected trade surplus for the world’s second largest economy, official figures show.

Exports fell by 39.1% compared with the same month last year, slightly better than the 45.6% fall recorded in March.

This resulted in a trade surplus of 68.9bn yen ($722.7bn; £452.7bn), much better than economists had expected and Japan’s third straight monthly surplus.

Japan’s economy shrank at a record rate in the first three months of this year.

‘Optimistic’

“Today’s release supports our view that exports are past the worst,” said Chiwoong Lee at Goldman Sachs.

A slump in exports, triggered by the global economic slowdown that hit demand for Japanese cars, electronics and other goods, led to an economic contraction of 4% between January and March this year.

But some economists are predicting a turnaround in the country’s economic fortunes.

Government stimulus and a recovery in exports should ensure that the economy avoids contraction in the current quarter, said Masamichi Adachi at JP Morgan.

“In the short term, we are rather optimistic. But after that, there are many challenges facing the Japanese economy,” he added.

Last week, Japan’s central bank upgraded its economic outlook, saying the worst of the recession might be over.

Aaj News l Aaj l Aaj TV l AajTV

Vatsank Bakshi is a sleepy student who struggles to get up when the alarm rings.

But even in his pyjama pants and with tousled hair, he is just the sort of consumer that Indian internet companies are after.

Ambitious, smart and in Mumbai for work experience, he normally logs on before breakfast, with the taste of toothpaste still fresh in his mouth.

“I use the internet to stay connected to my friends and family, and at night I play games, and listen to some songs,” he explains.

“Entertainment is also a part of my life through social networking sites. The internet helps me plan my whole day, it has become a routine of my life.”

Growth potential

India has been identified as a massive potential market for internet companies.

Its population is young, with half of the country under the age of 25, and they are increasingly getting their hands on technology and are keen to use more.

Social networking sites are proving popular, and internet gaming parlours are often full of excited kids and fruity language.

Annual economic growth in recent years of 9% has helped to create jobs and boost the spending power of consumers.

And even though growth is slowing this year, it is quick enough to fund the social and rural-based programmes that are putting money in the hands of the country’s poorest people and helping them become consumers.

Global IT market

At the same time, many of India’s biggest companies are flourishing in the global IT market, and its executives are becoming increasingly influential.

India, it would seem, is well placed to become a major force in the online world.

And yet it has not quite managed to live up to its stellar image.

At present, only about one in 10 Indians, or about 100 million people, uses the internet on a regular basis.

Compare that to the mobile phone market, where some 350 million people are using wireless handsets, and it is clear that the online market has a long way to go before it reaches saturation.

Infrastructure problems

One of the biggest problems internet companies face is a lack of infrastructure that would help support the expansion of online services.

Phone cables in cities are often old and poor quality, while in many parts of the country there are simply no connections at all.

As a result, most of the people who log on are young urbanites. For hundreds of millions of other Indians the internet may as well not exist.

The government has identified the problem as a key one it needs to solve, and there are plans to spend heavily on improving India’s infrastructure, not least because it will be a strong driver of economic growth at a time when many of the country’s external markets are struggling.

However, any improvement is going to take some time to happen, and one company that is not prepared to wait is Reliance Communications.

Mobile links

The mobile phone company, and a number of its rivals, have decided that the best way to link up hard-to-reach areas of India is through their wireless network.

“Wherever you can make a Reliance mobile call you certainly get on to the internet,” explains the company’s president Mahesh Prasad.

He adds that by going wireless, the company can reach up to 98% of the country, and has priced its product in such a way that it is affordable to most Indians, including those living in smaller towns and cities, as well as less developed rural areas.

“It is a misnomer that only the metropolises have an internet population,” Mr Prasad says.

“When you look at the youth population they are very familiar with the internet, they are very aware of what is happening around the world and they want to be part of that global citizenship.”

While that may be true, the wireless, shiny world that Reliance Communications and its rivals offer in their smart, air-conditioned sales and gaming rooms is a vision of India’s internet future.

Computers or curry?

For most of the country’s users, the online experience is much more like the one on offer at Net Café in Mumbai.

On a busy street near a teeming train station, Net Café is a little frayed around the edges.

Creaking fans struggle to keep up with the rising summer temperatures, and the computers are elderly witnesses to the speed with which technology changes.

Its customers are students, passing business people and those users who go online so infrequently that it would make no sense to get a subscription at home, even if they could afford it.

The owner, Maksood Butt, complains that the global economic slowdown is making his life harder as clients spend less time on online, and prefer to watch their pennies rather than videos on YouTube.

In fact, things are so bad for Mr Butt that he has had to rent out the front of his shop to a fast food vendor.

Luckily for Mr Butt, the dahi puri are proving as popular as the online experience, and the money he gets from his new client goes a long way to covering his running costs.

The worry for him, though, is that unless India’s infrastructure improves quickly, then the internet is unlikely to become a daily part of everyone’s diet any time soon.

Aaj News l Aaj l Aaj TV l AajTV

Demand for gold is soaring among investors, but hard-up consumers are shunning gold jewellery, figures from the World Gold Council show.

Total demand for gold hit 1,016 tonnes in the first three months of 2009, up 38% from a year ago. Demand for gold as an investment rose 248% to 596 tonnes.

Gold is often seen as a safer investment in times of turmoil, and a way to guard against future inflation.

But demand for gold jewellery fell 24%, the council said.

It added that consumer spending on non-essential items such as jewellery had been hit hard by the recession.

However, Chinese demand for gold jewellery increased by 3%.

“This reinforces the view that China’s economy, although unquestionably suffering from a sharp deceleration, nonetheless remains resilient,” the council said.

Industrial demand for gold, which is used in the production of electronics like laptops and mobile phones, fell by 31% from the first quarter of 2008.

The gold price has risen from about $700 an ounce in November last year to above $900 an ounce.

Aaj News l Aaj l Aaj TV l AajTV

The first official British astronaut is expected to be announced by the European Space Agency (Esa), MoD sources have told BBC News.

Esa is expected to name a 37-year-old Apache pilot from the Army Air Corps as one of six new recruits.

The candidates will be presented to the public at a special ceremony in Paris.

The appointment is somewhat surprising because Britain does not contribute to Esa’s human spaceflight programme.

Its preference has always been to fund the robotic exploration of space.

Those British-born people who have gone into orbit have done so privately or they have taken out US citizenship to fly with Nasa.

The first Briton in space was Sheffield-born chemist Helen Sharman. She had to secure private funding to fly to the Mir space station on a Russian Soyuz craft in 1991.

Three British-born astronauts have flown into space under an American flag: Michael Foale, Piers Sellers and Nicholas Patrick.

Esa says its new astronauts were selected solely on their ability to do the job.

The new recruits were selected from more than 8,000 applications and have been described as young and extremely capable individuals.

Manned spaceship

The astronauts will train to work on the space station and, depending on future developments, may even get to go to the Moon.

It is possible they could also pilot the first manned European spaceship.

Esa is just about to initiate a study that will look at the feasibility of turning its robotic ATV space freighter into a crew transportation vehicle.

“We’re looking for… additional European astronauts,” Simonetta Di Pippo, Esa’s director of human spaceflight, told BBC News at the weekend. She declined to discuss nationalities or names.

“These are young candidates. I must say I found a very high level of expertise and capability. We started with 8,400… so you can imagine how tough it was. I’m really proud of what I saw in the last few weeks.”

This recruitment campaign is Esa’s first astronaut selection since 1992. It currently has eight men in its astronaut corps – from Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

The Belgian Frank de Winne is about to assume command of the International Space Station – the first non-US, non-Russian to do so.

There will be an expectation also in Germany, France, and Italy that one of their nationals makes it through to the final selection. These are the Esa member-states that have committed most money to the space station programme, the agency having spent of the order of five billion euros on the project so far.

The UK on the other hand has chosen to ignore Esa’s “optional” human spaceflight programme. One of the major consequences of this position is that it has also locked UK companies out of the lucrative contracts to build space station equipment.

Business opportunities

British firms will be looking to see whether there are now business possibilities for them on the back of a UK astronaut.

What is clear is that the flight prospects for all European astronauts are going to be limited in the coming years.

Because Esa does not currently have its own crew ship, it must rely on seats being made available in Russian and American vehicles. But with the US shuttle about to be retired and a replacement craft not due to come into service until perhaps 2015, the opportunities to go into orbit will be greatly reduced.

Europe is considering building its own crew transporter. Member states have approved a study that would assess how the robotic Automated Transfer Vehicle could be upgraded, first to bring cargo safely back to Earth and then, perhaps, humans.

But it would be the end of the next decade before such a vehicle became operational – if it were ever built.

However, if the project were approved, it is conceivable that Wednesday’s new recruits would be among the first to fly in the ship.

Certainly, Di Pippo believes Europe should press ahead with the venture.

“My slogan is that in a global endeavour ‘we need autonomy for co-operation’,” she told BBC News.

“So by increasing the autonomy of Europe, we will increase the robustness of the partnership.”

Aaj News l Aaj l Aaj TV l AajTV

Forcing Google to delete user data after six months could dent its ability to predict pandemics such as swine flu, said the search giant’s co-founder.

Larry Page said he thought more debate was needed around the issue of storing user data.

The European Commission wants data ditched after six months but Mr Page said there were benefits to users.

“More dialogue is needed [with regulators],” he told UK journalists at a Google event in Hertfordshire.

Data clash

He said Google’s ability to plot and predict potential pandemics would not be possible if the firm had to delete search data after six months.

“When we released data about Mexico flu trends we had a whole debate,” he said.

“We were worried we would cause panic. But we decided the benefits outweighed the cost.”

Mr Page said deleting search data after six months was “in direct conflict” with being able to map pandemics.

In a demo to journalists, Google showed that it had been able to spot a potential pandemic ahead of government agencies because it was using search data.

On its website about spotting flu trends, the firm says: “Our up-to-date influenza estimates may enable public health officials and health professionals to better respond to seasonal epidemics and pandemics.”

Mr Page said the less data companies like Google were able to hold the “more likely we all are to die”.

The European Commission has argued that holding on to search data runs the risk of third parties being able to build profiles of individuals even when some identifying information is deleted.

In September 2008, Google said it would anonymise data after nine months following pressure from Europe on the issue. Previously it had kept data, including IP addresses and search terms, for 18 months.

European advisers recommend that search engines should not keep data for more than six months.

Previously, Google argued that it had to keep data for longer to comply with requests for help from law enforcement agencies.

Aaj News l Aaj l Aaj TV l AajTV

Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi appeared “composed” and “crackling with energy” at a trial hearing, a diplomat who attended the session says.

UK ambassador Mark Canning welcomed the decision to let diplomats and journalists observe the trial, but said he had no confidence in the outcome.

The trial, which has drawn widespread international criticism, opened behind closed doors on Monday.

Ms Suu Kyi is charged with breaking the terms of her house arrest.

The pro-democracy leader, who is 63 and has been in frail health, has been in detention without being charged for more than 13 of the past 19 years.

She is detained in an annex of Rangoon’s notorious Insein prison.

Ms Suu Kyi’s latest period of detention was scheduled to expire on 27 May, and many observers see the case as a pretext to ensure she is still in detention during next year’s elections.

‘In charge’

The decision to let a group of journalists and diplomats into Ms Suu Kyi’s trial hearing on Wednesday afternoon was seen as a rare concession by the Burmese regime to international opinion.

During the hearing, which lasted for about an hour, a police officer testified for the prosecution, Mr Canning told the BBC.

I think this is a story where the conclusion is already scripted Mark Canning UK ambassador to Burma Profile: Aung San Suu Kyi Inside Burma’s Insein prison

“She was composed, upright, crackling with energy,” he said. “Very much in charge of her defence team.”

Afterwards, she spoke briefly to diplomats to welcome their presence and say she hoped she would meet them in better times, he said.

She then left for a separate meeting with three foreign officials: the ambassador of Singapore – the longest serving envoy in Burma – and representatives from Russia, which currently chairs the UN Security Council, and Thailand.

Mr Canning said it was not clear whether access to the trial would continue.

“I think this is a story where the conclusion is already scripted,” he said.

“I don’t have any confidence in the outcome. While the access we had today was very welcome, it doesn’t change the fundamental problem.”

Condemnation

Earlier, officials announced that 10 journalists from local and foreign news organisations would be able cover the hearing but that photos and video footage would still be banned.

AUNG SAN SUU KYI 1988: Military junta comes to power after crushing pro-democracy uprising 1989: Martial law declared; opposition NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi put under house arrest 1990: NLD wins elections; result rejected by the ruling junta 1995: Suu Kyi released from house arrest, but movements restricted Sept 2000: Put under house arrest again when she tried to defy travel restrictions May 2002: Released unconditionally May 2003: Detained after clash between NLD and government forces Sept 2003: Allowed home after operation, but under effective house arrest. In the years since, the orders for her detention periodically renewed

Embassies were informed that they could send one official – a change from the situation on Monday, when several European diplomats tried to enter the trial but were denied access.

The BBC’s South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head says that holding the hearings in secret, inside the country’s top-security prison, has provoked particular condemnation.

On Tuesday South East Asian leaders expressed “grave concern” about the trial.

The statement from the Asean group warned that the “honour and credibility” of Burma’s government were at stake.

Ms Suu Kyi, along with two female assistants, is accused of violating the terms of her house arrest after a US man, John Yettaw, swam to her lakeside home earlier this month.

Mr Yettaw is also facing charges.

The government plans to call 22 witnesses to support its case.

Some have already testified that Mr Yettaw swam across the lake that backs onto Ms Suu Kyi’s home, and was arrested as he left, after being allowed to stay two nights.

Ms Suu Kyi’s lawyer has argued that he was uninvited, and was only allowed to stay after pleading exhaustion from his midnight swim.

Ms Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party won democratic elections in 1990, but the military never allowed the party to govern.

Aaj News l Aaj l Aaj TV l AajTV

One of the leading figures in the world yoga community, Sri K Pattabhi Jois, has died at the age of 93.

Jois, from India, was widely considered to be the modern founder of the ashtanga branch of yoga and credited with popularising it in the West.

His many thousands of students include the pop musicians Sting and Madonna, and the actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

Ashtanga yoga is based on synchronising the breath through a progressive series of postures.

He was a massive influence on the development of yoga, and greatly respected Pierre Bibby British Wheel of Yoga

It is the most rigorous form of yoga, and its practitioners claim it can produce positive effects on mind and body.

The theory is that it produces intense internal heat, which purifies the muscles and organs, expelling unwanted toxins as well as releasing beneficial hormones and minerals which can nourish the body when the sweat is absorbed back into the skin.

However, many in the medical establishment remain yet to be convinced by its supposedly therapeutic qualities.

Research institute

Introduced to yoga at a demonstration in 1927 at the age of 12, Jois immersed himself in the discipline, studying under the guru Krishnamacharya who had revived the ancient practice of yoga in the early years of the 20th century.

Jois developed and refined Ashtanga yoga after translating ancient texts on the technique, eventually establishing the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Lakshmipuram in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

In 1964 a Belgian named Andre Van Lysebeth spent two months studying under Jois, and wrote a book which mentioned him and included his address.

This marked the beginning of Westerners travelling to India to study under Jois, who moved his base to Mysore.

In 1975 he visited California, triggering a huge surge in popularity among Americans for asthanga yoga.

He continued to travel the world into his nineties, developing a loyal band of followers.

Jois considered yoga to be a form of mind medicine.

“Ashtanga yoga is helping many people throughout the world to balance the mental, physical and spiritual pressures and stresses posed by the modern world we live in today,” he said.

Pierre Bibby, chief executive officer of the British Wheel of Yoga, said: “He was a massive influence on the development of yoga, and greatly respected.

“He did a great deal to broaden the appeal of yoga, and make it more accessible to a Western constituency.”

Aaj News l Aaj l Aaj TV l AajTV