PM marginalising Christians - Carey

30 March 2013 Last updated at 05:22 ET

The former archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, has accused David Cameron of making Christians feel marginalised.

He said it was a "bit rich" for the prime minister to tell religious leaders to oppose secularisation.

This follows comments made by the PM at a pre-Easter Downing Street reception for faith leaders.

A Downing Street spokesman rejected the criticism, saying Mr Cameron valued "the profound contribution" Christianity had made to UK life.

But Lord Carey wrote in the Daily Mail that the government seemed to be "aiding and abetting" aggressive secularisation.

He also said Mr Cameron had done more than any other recent political leader to increase Christian anxieties.

Many Christians doubted the sincerity of Mr Cameron's support of Christians' right to practise their faith, he said.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

The danger I believe that the government is courting with its approach both to marriage and religious freedom is the alienation of a large minority of people who, only a few years ago, would have been considered pillars of society"

End Quote Lord Carey

Lord Carey said: "I like David Cameron and believe he is genuinely sincere in his desire to make Britain a generous nation where we care for one another and where people of faith may exercise their beliefs fully.

"But it was a bit rich to hear that the prime minister has told religious leaders that they should 'stand up and oppose aggressive secularisation' when it seems that his government is aiding and abetting this aggression every step of the way.

"At his pre-Easter Downing Street reception for faith leaders, he said that he supported Christians' right to practise their faith. Yet many Christians doubt his sincerity."

Lord Carey also that said a recent ComRes poll suggested "more than two-thirds of Christians feel that they are part of a 'persecuted minority'".

"Their fears may be exaggerated because few in the UK are actually persecuted, but the prime minister has done more than any other recent political leader to feed these anxieties."

He said that Mr Cameron "seems to have forgotten in spite of his oft-repeated support for the right of Christians to wear the cross, that lawyers acting for the coalition argued only months ago in the Strasbourg court that those sacked for wearing a cross against their employer's wishes should simply get another job".

'Profound contribution'

And Lord Carey spoke of being "very suspicious" that behind plans for gay marriage "there lurks an aggressive secularist and relativist approach towards an institution that has glued society".

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"Start Quote

Lord Carey has no right to insist that his discriminatory and intolerant views should prevail over those of the public and Parliament"

End Quote Keith Porteous Wood, National Secular Society

"The danger I believe that the government is courting with its approach both to marriage and religious freedom is the alienation of a large minority of people who, only a few years ago, would have been considered pillars of society."

However, a Downing Street spokesman rejected the criticism, saying: "Christianity plays a vital part in the Big Society, from the many brilliant church schools to the huge number of charitable causes based in churches across the country.

"The prime minister values the profound contribution that Christianity has made and continues to make to the country, which is why he strongly backs it."

The National Secular Society, meanwhile, urged the prime minister to "ignore Lord Carey's theocratic and anti-democratic blustering".

"Nothing in the proposed same-sex marriage laws require Christians to conduct or partake in same-sex marriage, and Lord Carey has no right to insist that his discriminatory and intolerant views should prevail over those of the public and Parliament," executive director Keith Porteous Wood said.

Christians were "far from being marginalised in this country", he added.

He said the UK was "the only country in the world to give bishops the right to sit in its Parliament" despite "precipitously declining support, as shown by the congregations declining and ageing for many decades".

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N Korea in 'state of war' with South

30 March 2013 Last updated at 06:29 ET

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The BBC's Lucy Williamson: "North Korea and America are in a kind of 'who blinks first' game"

North Korea has said it is entering a "state of war" with South Korea in the latest escalation of rhetoric against its neighbour and the US.

A statement promised "stern physical actions" against "any provocative act".

North Korea has threatened attacks almost daily since it was sanctioned for a third nuclear test in February.

However, few think the North would risk full-blown conflict. It has technically been at war with the South since 1953 as no peace treaty has been signed.

An armistice at the end of the Korean War was never turned into a full treaty.

'Taking threats seriously'

The North carried out its third nuclear test on 12 February, which led to the imposition of fresh sanctions.

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Analysis

Over the past few weeks, there's been an ever-growing war of words between the two sides, and this latest statement in particular has made the Koreas' neighbours nervous.

Tensions have built quickly since the UN Security Council imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea. The fact that Pyongyang's only major ally, China, backed the sanctions - and even helped to frame them - has left the North's regime feeling more isolated than ever. Some believe its current hardline rhetoric is in part to send a warning to Beijing not to antagonise it.

Most analysts believe that Pyongyang is unlikely to start a full-blown war with South Korea or its key ally, the US, but that other kinds of provocations are much more likely. And with South Korea promising a strong response to any action by the North, many fear that a minor - or even accidental - incident could quickly escalate.

The annual US-South Korean military exercises have also taken place, angering Pyongyang further.

A North Korean statement released on Saturday said: "From this time on, the North-South relations will be entering the state of war and all issues raised between the North and the South will be handled accordingly.

"The long-standing situation of the Korean peninsula being neither at peace nor at war is finally over."

In Washington, Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, said the US had "seen reports of a new and unconstructive statement from North Korea".

"We take these threats seriously and remain in close contact with our South Korean allies," she said.

North Korea has made multiple threats against both the US and South Korea in recent weeks, including warning of a "pre-emptive nuclear strike" on the US and the scrapping of the Korean War armistice.

On Thursday, North Korean state media reported leader Kim Jong-un "judged the time has come to settle accounts with the US imperialists".

He was said to have condemned US B-2 bomber sorties over South Korea during military exercises as a "reckless phase" that represented an "ultimatum that they will ignite a nuclear war at any cost on the Korean peninsula".

US mainland and bases in Hawaii, Guam and South Korea were all named as potential targets.

State media in the North showed thousands of soldiers and students at a mass rally in Pyongyang supporting Kim Jong-un's announcement.

North Korea's most advanced missiles are thought to be able to reach Alaska, but not the rest of the US mainland.

On Wednesday, Pyongyang cut a military hotline with the South - the last direct official link between the two nations.

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Timeline: Korean tensions

• 12 Dec: North Korea fires three-stage rocket, in move condemned by UN as banned test of long-range missile technology
• 12 Feb: North Korea conducts an underground nuclear test, its third after tests in 2006 and 2009
• 7 Mar: UN approves fresh sanctions on Pyongyang; North Korea says it has the right to a "pre-emptive nuclear strike" on the US
• 11 Mar: US-South Korea annual joint military drills begin; North Korea says it has scrapped the Korean War armistice (the UN says the pact cannot be unilaterally scrapped)
• 19 Mar: US flies B-2 nuclear-capable bombers over Korean peninsula, following several North Korean threats to attack US and South Korean targets
• 20 Mar: Broadcasters and banks in South Korea hit by cyber attack, the origin of which remains unknown, days after North Korea says some of its sites were hacked
• 27 Mar: North Korea cuts military hotline with South, the last official direct link between the two
• 28 Mar: US flies stealth bombers over Korean peninsula; showcasing ability for precision strike "at will"
• 30 Mar: North Korea says it is entering a "state of war" with South Korea

A Red Cross hotline and another line used to communicate with the UN Command at Panmunjom have already been cut, although an inter-Korean air-traffic hotline still exists.

The jointly run Kaesong industrial park, just north of the border, is still in operation. However on Saturday, Pyongyang's official KCNA news agency said it would be closed if insults to the North's "dignity" continued.

On 16 March, North Korea warned of attacks against South Korea's border islands, and advised residents to leave the islands. In 2010, it shelled South Korea's Yeonpyeong island, causing four deaths.

'Maximum restraint'

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the latest rhetoric only deepened North Korea's isolation.

China, North Korea's biggest trading partner, has reiterated its call for all sides to ease tensions.

Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news conference that "joint efforts" should be made to turn around a "tense situation".

On Saturday, Russian foreign ministry spokesman Grigory Logvinov told the Interfax news agency: "We expect all sides to show maximum responsibility and restraint and that no-one will cross the line after which there will be no return."

He said: "Naturally, we cannot remain indifferent when an escalation of tensions is taking place at our eastern frontiers. We cannot but worry."

One South Korean resident, Lee Gae-hwa, told Reuters news agency she felt "very scared", adding: "I hope we can find a good solution since we're from the same nation."

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Post Office staff go on strike

30 March 2013 Last updated at 07:12 ET

More than 2,000 staff at Post Office Crown offices have gone on strike in a row over jobs, pay and closures.

Members of the Communication Workers Union have walked out at 370 sites in a dispute over proposals to close or franchise out 70 of the branches.

The union said the plans would affect hundreds of jobs and be a further blow for already struggling High Streets.

The Post Office said many of its Crown offices had opened for business and its 11,500 branch offices were unaffected.

A Post Office spokeswoman said they had been contacting their crown offices during the day and 101 of them were open.

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We cannot allow the Post Office to walk all over us, we do need to stand up for ourselves"

End Quote Andy Furey Communication Workers Union

She added the union was ignoring "harsh realities", with the offices losing £40m a year.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) claimed that staff had not had a pay rise for two years.

A CWU spokeswoman told the BBC the strike was "solidly supported" by its members.

She added: "We know that the larger offices are being kept open with only the manager present as they are not members of our union, but our members are on strike.

"What we need is a meeting where we can negotiate with the Post Office as we genuinely believe we can sort this out. If not then we are prepared for more strike action."

'Transforming network'

Crown offices are Post Office branches directly managed by the company - as opposed to locally-run by sub-post offices - mainly based in major High Streets.

CWU's assistant secretary Andy Furey told BBC News: "We cannot allow the Post Office to walk all over us, we do need to stand up for ourselves so this could be the first of many strikes.

"Hopefully it won't be. Hopefully the Post Office will come to the bargaining table."

CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward said: "The Post Office's plans are short-sighted and would rob the network of the most productive offices while simultaneously putting hundreds of jobs at risk and potentially damaging local economies."

'Regret disruption'

The union said the Post Office's Crown offices accounted for one-fifth of the business's total workload.

It also said a meeting at the conciliation service Acas failed to break the deadlock, adding that "our members are steadfast in their conviction that the Crown network is valuable for local communities".

Post Office network and sales director Kevin Gilliland said: "We regret any disruption to services the CWU's call for strike action may cause to customers.

"Crown branches are currently losing £40m per year and this is being subsidised by public money. This cannot continue.

"We are committed to the Post Office remaining a key part of UK high streets and our plans ensure this will happen."

He went on to say its reforms mean 70 of Crown branches will be looking to "partner with a suitable retailer", while at the same time the Post Office would invest £70 million in the remaining 300 Crown branches to "modernise and grow services to ensure their long-term viability".

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Mandela breathing without difficulty

30 March 2013 Last updated at 07:51 ET

Nelson Mandela is breathing without difficulty, South Africa's presidency has said, as he spends a third day in hospital with a lung infection.

Mr Mandela, 94, was comfortable and was continuing to respond to treatment, the statement from South African President Jacob Zuma's office said.

It said fluid had been drained from Mr Mandela's lungs - a pleural effusion - to enable him to breathe more easily.

There are no details yet on how long he will remain in hospital.

After Mr Mandela was admitted to hospital late on Wednesday, President Zuma said people "must not panic".

The former president first contracted tuberculosis in the 1980s while detained on windswept Robben Island.

His lungs are said to have been damaged while working in a prison quarry. This latest spell in hospital is his fourth in just over two years.

Mr Mandela served as South Africa's first black president from 1994 to 1999 and is regarded by many as the father of the nation for leading the struggle against apartheid.

'Thoughts and prayers'

On Friday, Mr Mandela's ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, told public broadcaster SABC on Friday that he was "doing well".

"He's responding very well to treatment," said Ms Madikizela-Mandela at a church service in Soweto.

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• 1918 Born in the Eastern Cape
• 1943 Joins African National Congress
• 1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped
• 1962 Arrested, convicted of sabotage, sentenced to five years in prison
• 1964 Charged again, sentenced to life
• 1990 Freed from prison
• 1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize
• 1994 Elected first black president
• 1999 Steps down as leader
• 2004 Retires from public life
• 2005 Announces his son has died of an HIV/Aids-related illness

The hospital Mr Mandela is attending has not been disclosed.

Last December Mr Mandela was treated for a lung infection and gallstones - his longest period in hospital since leaving prison in 1990. In February, he was treated for a stomach condition.

When asked whether people should prepare for the inevitable, Mr Zuma said: "In Zulu, when someone passes away who is very old, people say he or she has gone home. I think those are some of the things we should be thinking about."

But he stressed that Mr Mandela had been able to handle the situation "very well" so far.

BBC Africa correspondent Andrew Harding says South Africans have been praying for the recovery of Mr Mandela, who remains a moral beacon in the country despite withdrawing from public life almost a decade ago.

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Winnie Madikizela-Mandela: "We are very grateful - the world is on our side"

Despite his long imprisonment, Mr Mandela forgave his former enemies and as president urged South Africans of all races to work together and seek reconciliation.

In 1993 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

His main home is in Qunu, a small rural village in Eastern Cape province, where he says he spent the happiest days of his childhood.

However, doctors said in December he should remain at his home in the Johannesburg neighbourhood of Houghton to be close to medical facilities.

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NUT calls for Ofsted chief to resign

30 March 2013 Last updated at 08:08 ET

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) has called for the resignation of Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw over claims he is demoralising teachers.

The union, meeting in Bournemouth, also called for changes to the schools inspection body or, if that fails, to campaign for its abolition.

The NUT's Liverpool conference is to debate a motion of no-confidence in Education Secretary Michael Gove.

Ofsted said its inspections were helping to raise educational standards.

Both teaching unions are in dispute with ministers over pay, pensions and workload. Fresh strikes are expected in the summer.

'Unnecessary change'

The NASUWT conference in Bournemouth heard complaints that England's inspectorate - Ofsted - and that of Wales (Estyn) had become "politicised and punitive"

One delegate told the conference Ofsted inspectors had "scorched earth policies".

The government plans to bring in performance-related pay, meaning teachers will no longer receive semi-automatic pay rises as they gain experience.

It says the change will drive up teaching standards by giving head teachers flexibility to reward the best teachers.

But Christine Blower, the general secretary of the NUT says the change is "unnecessary and unwanted" and "is really about keeping pay down".

"It's not just about performance-related pay - it's about changing teachers' pay structures," she told the Today programme on BBC Radio Four.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

Most teachers like acknowledgement for their work. It will give heads autonomy"

End Quote Head teacher Dame Sally Coates

"At the moment they know they are on a pay scale. Teachers' pay is not fantastically high for a graduate profession - you start on £21,000 a year . It [the pay scale] has given teachers a trajectory about where they are going, which has made salaries more attractive."

Head teachers in academies already have the power to vary teachers' pay and conditions.

Dame Sally Coates, the head of Burlington Danes Academy in west London, told Today she supported the idea of performance-related pay and was already using it.

"Most teachers like acknowledgement for their work. It will give heads autonomy," she said.

Opposition to planned changes to pay and conditions for teachers are high on the agendas at the teachers' annual conferences and the NASUWT and the NUT are set to endorse plans for further strikes on these issues, plus workloads and pensions.

Local strikes will begin in late June, after the exam season, and a national strike is being planned for later in the year.

Teachers' rallies

The coalition has brought in widespread changes to education since it came to power three years ago and says these will help drive up standards in England's schools.

The two big classroom teachers' unions oppose many of the changes, particularly the move towards academy and free schools as well as performance-related pay.

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"Start Quote

Teachers recognise that public services have to be accountable. They are not afraid of inspections but they feel it has become an unproductive and punitive regime"

End Quote Chris Keates, NASUWT

They are planning to hold rallies on strike days to try to gather support from parents, who could face disruption if schools are closed.

Parents group Parents Aloud recently complained about the prospect of more strikes.

Both unions are critical of England's schools inspectors Ofsted.

The NASUWT has published a survey of nearly 3,000 of its members, which found nearly all (95%) said the school inspection system operated "in the interests of politicians rather than the public or pupils".

And 80% said they agreed that the current model of school inspection "unfairly undermines public confidence in the education system".

The survey was carried out online by the union last month.

The general secretary of the NASUWT Chris Keates said teachers understood the need for inspection, but believed it had become too "high stakes" because a bad Ofsted rating could lead to a school being taken over or turned in to an academy.

"Teachers recognise that public services have to be accountable. They are not afraid of inspections but they feel it has become an unproductive and punitive regime," she said."And they are deeply concerned about the politicisation of Ofsted. It's now holding schools to account and has become a hit squad for the implementation of government policy.

"It's creating a climate of fear in schools and doing nothing to raise school standards."

Ofsted has been built up by the government, which sees it as a key way of protecting and improving standards in schools, especially since many schools are becoming academies, which are independent from local authorities.

The chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw has cut the categories schools are rated by, scrapping the "satisfactory" rating. He says all schools should that pass their inspection should be rated as "good" or "outstanding".

He has also called for a sharper focus on teaching, saying schools should only be given the highest rating - outstanding - if they are ranked outstanding for teaching. In the past, this did not have to be the case.

'Tough message'

Sir Michael was not available to be interviewed, but a spokeswoman for Ofsted said: "Sir Michael has said from the outset any provision that is less than good is not acceptable.

"That's a tough message, especially for those schools and colleges that have been coasting. It's inevitable that when you challenge the system to do better, you will get some pushback."

She said the inspectorate had a new regional structure which gave "support as well as challenge" for schools and promoted improvement.

It was working towards its ambition of "ensuring a good education for every child".

A spokesman for the Department for Education said: "We need an education system that is on a par with the world's best.

"Our academies programme is turning around hundreds of underperforming schools, we are introducing a world class curriculum and our reforms to exams will create qualifications that will keep pace with the demands of universities and employers."

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Tanzania collapse 'traps dozens'

29 March 2013 Last updated at 06:17 ET

At least three people have been killed and dozens more are trapped after a multi-storey building collapsed in the centre of the main Tanzanian city, Dar es Salaam, rescue workers say.

Thirteen people have been pulled out of the ruins alive, officials say.

Some 45 people, including construction workers, residents and children from a Koranic school, are missing.

The BBC's Hassan Mhelela says the 12-floor building under construction is now a "huge pile of chaos".

"I thought there was an earthquake and then I heard screaming. The whole building fell on itself," eyewitness Musa Mohamed told the AFP news agency.

Our reporter says a huge crane is pulling out a mass of iron bars to get access to the centre of the building, where some people are thought to be still alive.

Trapped victims are said to have been making phone calls to friends and relatives.

Bulldozers are also being used to move the rubble, our reporter says.

He says there are large crowds of onlookers, as well as rescue workers and armed police officers at the scene.

The collapsed building was near a mosque, as well as other residential and commercial properties in central Dar es Salaam.

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Leeds child heart ops 'had to stop'

29 March 2013 Last updated at 07:14 ET

The medical director of the NHS has defended the suspension of child heart surgery at Leeds General Infirmary while a safety review is carried out.

Sir Bruce Keogh said the trust had no choice, after data suggested a death rate twice the national average, and surgeons had raised their concerns.

He conceded the timing, just 24 hours after a High Court ruling kept the unit open, was "embarrassing".

MP Stuart Andrew, who fought to keep the unit open, said it was "very odd".

The hospital is at the centre of a long-running dispute over the future of children's heart services, and an NHS review said surgery would be better focused at fewer, larger sites.

Sir Bruce said as well as the mortality rates, another area of concern among the "constellation of reasons" to suspend operations was the allegation that the hospital was not referring children to other specialist surgical units when appropriate.

"There have been rumblings in the cardiac surgical community for some time that all was not well in Leeds."

On Tuesday, two surgeons had called him to express concerns and on Wednesday there was another telephone call from an "agitated cardiologist".

All three doctors had connections with Leeds but were not staff there, he added.

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• Present in about six out of 1,000 babies
• Take form of holes between chambers, blockages in pathways from heart to lungs or body, or abnormal connections between chambers and vessels of heart

The cardiologist was worried about mortality rates for the last two years, which Sir Bruce said were "about twice the national average or more" and rising.

"As medical director I couldn't do nothing. I was really disturbed about the timing of this.

"I couldn't sit back just because the timing was inconvenient, awkward or would look suspicious, as it does."

He visited the hospital on Thursday to present the evidence and the trust decided to suspend operations.

Children who would have been treated in Leeds will be sent to other hospitals around England.

Affected families are being contacted directly by the trust and the review is expected to take three weeks.

Mr Andrew, Conservative MP for Pudsey, who has led a cross-party campaign to keep the unit open, said it was a "very odd" decision coming after the jubilation that greeted the court ruling on Wednesday.

"We have always asked them 'is it safe at Leeds?' and the answer always came back 'yes it is'.

"What is the information that says that has changed?"

He added he had not received one complaint about care, only praise from parents of young patients.

Peter Jacques, from Bradford, said his son, now seven, had a heart operation at Leeds two years ago and the care he received was "outstanding".

He said: "In our opinion, given the initial campaign to reverse the closure of the unit, the timing of this decision is beyond suspicious."

The Children's Heart Federation first raised concerns about death rates at Leeds General Infirmary two years ago.

Chief executive Anne Keatley-Clarke says the charity wrote to the Care Quality Commission again in February about the difficulties parents were experiencing in getting referred elsewhere.

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Potter actor Griffiths dies aged 65

29 March 2013 Last updated at 07:34 ET

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Actor Richard Griffiths, who starred in the Harry Potter movies and Withnail and I, has died at the age of 65 after complications following heart surgery.

Griffiths enjoyed a long career of success on film and on TV, but also on the stage where he was a Tony-winning character actor.

He was best known for playing Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter films and Uncle Monty in Withnail and I.

TV roles included playing a cookery-loving detective in Pie in the Sky.

And on stage, his most acclaimed performance was as the charismatic teacher Hector in Alan Bennett's The History Boys, a role he recreated in the 2006 film version.

He was appointed an OBE in the 2008 New Year Honours.

He was born in Thornaby-on-Tees, North Yorkshire, and left school at 15 but later returned to education to study drama, before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company.

He married Heather Gibson in 1980 after they met during a production of Lady Windermere's Fan in 1973.

His early TV career saw him land bit parts in series such as Minder, The Sweeney and Bergerac, while he also played small parts in major movies such as Chariots of Fire, Superman II and Gandhi

But it was his role as the predatory Uncle Monty in Withnail And I - which has become of one of the biggest cult classics in British cinema history - which made him a fan favourite.

His Harry Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe - who also appeared on stage with him in Equus - was among the first to pay tribute, saying: "Richard was by my side during two of the most important moments of my career. I was proud to know him."

Sir Nicholas Hytner, director of the National Theatre, said Griffiths's unexpected death would devastate his "army of friends".

He said: "Richard Griffiths wasn't only one of the most loved and recognisable British actors - he was also one of the very greatest.

"His performance in The History Boys was quite overwhelming: a masterpiece of wit, delicacy, mischief and desolation, often simultaneously.

"His anecdotes were legendary. They were, literally, endless. They would go on for hours, apparently without destination, constantly side-splitting."

Actor Warwick Davis told BBC News he had the upmost respect for someone with such a great filmography behind them.

"You got a great deal of support (as an actor) for having Richard about.

"He was lovely, he would always make time for his fans, that's what makes a great actor, it's about having a good persona."

His agent Simon Beresford described him as a "remarkable man".

He said: "On stage he allowed us to share in our own humanity and constantly question our differences.

"Richard gave acting a good name. He was a remarkable man and one of our greatest and best-loved actors. He will be greatly missed."

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Russia warns of North Korea 'spiral'

29 March 2013 Last updated at 07:52 ET

Russia has warned of tensions in North Korea slipping out of control, after Pyongyang said it was placing its missile units on stand-by.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the situation could slip "toward the spiral of a vicious circle".

Kim Jong-un made the missile order after talks responding to US stealth bomber flights over the Korean peninsula, state news agency KCNA said.

The time had come to "settle accounts" with the US, KCNA quoted him as saying.

Annual military drills and fresh UN sanctions have angered North Korea.

After a late-night meeting with the army's strategic rocket force, Kim Jong-un "judged the time has come to settle accounts with the US imperialists", KCNA reported.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Charles Scanlon BBC News

---

Bluff has long played a fundamental role in North Korean strategy.

The regime in Pyongyang needs its much more powerful neighbours and antagonists to take its threats seriously.

By threatening potential chaos and war in the heart of the world's most dynamic economic region, it has in the past been able to transcend its own weakness and extract diplomatic concessions.

But the United States may be about to call North Korea's bluff.

The US treasury department is taking steps to squeeze North Korea financially, and the Pentagon has flown B-52 and B-2 bombers over the Korean peninsula - moves that are guaranteed to provoke a hostile reaction.

Washington's tough stance presents Kim Jong-un with a dilemma.

He wants to show his generals and the North Korean people that he can force concessions from the United States - in the same style as his father and grandfather.

He could now be tempted to take brinkmanship to a new level, to try to convince the US and the region that confrontation does not work and carries too many risks.

He was said to have condemned US B-2 bomber sorties over South Korea as a "reckless phase" that represented an "ultimatum that they will ignite a nuclear war at any cost on the Korean Peninsula".

US mainland and bases in Hawaii, Guam and South Korea were all named as potential targets.

The US - which flew two stealth bombers over the peninsula on Thursday as part of the ongoing annual US-South Korea military drills - has said it is ready for "any eventuality" on the peninsula.

Thousands of North Korean soldiers and students later took part in a mass rally in the centre of Pyongyang in support of Kim Jong-un's announcement, beneath large portraits of his father Kim Jong-il and grandfather Kim Il-sung.

A South Korean defence ministry spokesman described the North Korean decision as a "continuing measure", after its announcement to adopt "combat posture".

'Unacceptable'

China, North Korea's biggest trading partner, immediately reiterated its call for all sides to ease tensions.

But Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov went further, voicing concern that "we may simply let the situation slip out of our control and it will slide into a spiral of a vicious circle".

While condemning Pyongyang's actions as "unacceptable", he gave a more general warning that "unilateral steps being taken around North Korea that manifest themselves in a build-up of military activity".

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Timeline: Korean tensions

• 12 Dec: North Korea fires three-stage rocket, in move condemned by UN as banned test of long-range missile technology
• 12 Feb: North Korea conducts an underground nuclear test, its third after tests in 2006 and 2009
• 7 Mar: UN approves fresh sanctions on Pyongyang; North Korea says it has the right to a "pre-emptive nuclear strike" on the US
• 11 Mar: US-South Korea annual joint military drills begin; North Korea says it has scrapped the Korean War armistice (the UN says the pact cannot be unilaterally scrapped)
• 19 Mar: US flies B-52 nuclear-capable bombers over Korean peninsula, following several North Korean threats to attack US and South Korean targets
• 20 Mar: Broadcasters and banks in South Korea hit by cyber attack, the origin of which remains unknown, days after North Korea says some of its sites were hacked
• 27 Mar: North Korea cuts military hotline with South, the last official direct link between the two
• 28 Mar: US flies stealth bombers over Korean peninsula; showcasing ability for precision strike "at will"

He added what was needed was not a build-up of military muscle and a pretext for using military means to achieve "geopolitical objectives", in remarks seen as an implicit criticism of US bomber flights.

'Joint efforts'

In a statement, the US military said that the B-2 planes demonstrated America's ability to "provide extended deterrence" to its allies and conduct "long-range, precision strikes quickly and at will".

"The North Koreans have to understand that what they're doing is very dangerous," US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters on Thursday. "We must make clear that these provocations by the North are taken by us very seriously and we'll respond to that."

The US had already flown nuclear-capable B-52 bombers over South Korea earlier this month, in what it called a response to escalating North Korean threats.

A Yonhap news agency report citing an unidentified military official said increased activity had been noted at North Korea's missile sites, but this remains unconfirmed.

"Intelligence personnel are closely monitoring North Korea's readiness with its short, middle and long range missiles such as Scud missile, Nodong missile and Musudan missile," South Korean defence ministry official Kim Min-seok said.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news briefing that "joint efforts" should be made to turn around a "tense situation". He made similar remarks on Tuesday.

Unprecedented rhetoric

Tensions in the Korean peninsula have been high since North Korea's third nuclear test on 12 February, which led to the imposition of a fresh raft of sanctions.

North Korea has made multiple threats against both the US and South Korea in recent weeks, including warning of a "pre-emptive nuclear strike" on the US and the scrapping of the Korean War armistice.

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"Start Quote

When you look at occasions where something really did happen, such as the artillery attack on a South Korean island in 2010, you see there were very clear warnings"

End Quote Professor John Delury, Yonsei university

North Korea is not thought to have the technology to strike the US mainland with either a nuclear weapon or a ballistic missile, but it is capable of targeting some US military bases in Asia with its mid-range missiles.

While North Korea has issued many threats against the US and South Korea in the past, this level of sustained rhetoric is rare, observers say.

On 16 March, North Korea warned of attacks against South Korea's border islands, and advised residents to leave the islands. In 2010 it shelled South Korea's Yeonpyeong island, causing four deaths.

On Wednesday, Pyongyang also cut a military hotline with the South - the last direct official link between the two nations.

A Red Cross hotline and another line used to communicate with the UN Command at Panmunjom have already been cut, although an inter-Korean air-traffic hotline still exists.

The jointly-run Kaesong industrial park is still in operation, however, and over 160 South Korean commuters entered North Korea yesterday to work in its factories.

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Mandela making 'steady progress'

29 March 2013 Last updated at 08:01 ET

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South African President Jacob Zuma: "We want Madiba (Mr Mandela) to be with us for a long time"

Nelson Mandela is making "steady progress" after spending a second day in hospital for treatment of a lung infection, the office of South African President Jacob Zuma says.

The 94-year-old is "in good spirits" and enjoyed a full breakfast, it said.

After Mr Mandela was admitted to hospital late on Wednesday, President Zuma said people "must not panic".

The former president first contracted tuberculosis in the 1980s while detained on windswept Robben Island.

His lungs are said to have been damaged while working in a prison quarry. This latest spell in hospital is his fourth in just over two years.

Mr Mandela served as South Africa's first black president from 1994 to 1999 and is regarded by many as the father of the nation for leading the struggle against apartheid.

'Thoughts and prayers'

The statement issued by President Zuma's office on Friday said: "Former President Nelson Mandela is in good spirits and enjoyed a full breakfast this morning. The doctors report that he is making steady progress."

Mr Mandela remains under treatment in hospital.

Last December he was treated for a lung infection and gallstones - his longest period in hospital since leaving prison in 1990. In February, he was treated for a stomach condition.

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• 1918 Born in the Eastern Cape
• 1943 Joins African National Congress
• 1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped
• 1962 Arrested, convicted of sabotage, sentenced to five years in prison
• 1964 Charged again, sentenced to life
• 1990 Freed from prison
• 1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize
• 1994 Elected first black president
• 1999 Steps down as leader
• 2004 Retires from public life
• 2005 Announces his son has died of an HIV/Aids-related illness

On Thursday, US President Barack Obama said he was "deeply concerned with Nelson Mandela's health", adding that "we will be keeping him in our thoughts and prayers".

Earlier, when asked whether people should prepare for the inevitable, Mr Zuma said: "In Zulu, when someone passes away who is very old, people say he or she has gone home. I think those are some of the things we should be thinking about."

But he stressed that Mr Mandela had been able to handle the situation "very well" so far.

"Very few outstanding personalities in the world live to his level," he said.

Mr Mandela retired from public life in 2004 and has been rarely seen in public since.

Despite his long imprisonment, Mr Mandela forgave his former enemies and as president urged South Africans of all races to work together and seek reconciliation.

In 1993 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

His main home is in Qunu, a small rural village in Eastern Cape province, where he says he spent the happiest days of his childhood.

However, doctors said in December he should remain at his home in the Johannesburg neighbourhood of Houghton to be close to medical facilities.

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