North Korea is boasting that it performed its first-ever nuclear weapons test today, saying it detonated a successful underground blast in a " great leap forward" - in defiance of international warnings.
The reported nuclear test sparked worldwide condemnation against the communist regime and concerns it could seriously destabilize the region, with even Pyongyang's ally China strongly opposing the move. The US called for immediate UN Security Council action, and along with Japan was expected to press for more sanctions on the impoverished North.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article1822552.ece
