'We Stand With Allies': US Warns North Korea

US Secretary of State John Kerry has warned North Korea it would defend its allies after holding talks in the South Korean capital Seoul.

Speaking at a joint news conference with South Korean counterpart, Foreign Minister Yun Byung Se, Mr Kerry said the US would never accept North Korea as a nuclear power and described rhetoric from Pyongyang as "unacceptable".

He added that a missile test would be another "unwanted contribution to an already volatile situation" and a "huge mistake".

He said: "It would indicate who was being provactive with an exclamation point again.

"We will defend our allies. We will stand with South Korea, Japan and others. We will defend ourselves.

"Kim Jong Un needs to understand, as I think he probably does, what the outcome of a conflict would be."

A US agency believes that Kim Jong Un does have nuclear weapons

Intelligence reports from the Japanese, South Koreans and Americans have indicated that a North Korean missile test could take place at any time, though there has been silence from the leadership in Pyongyang.

The focus in the North Korean capital has been on a weekend of celebrations to mark a year in office for Kim Jong Un, which fell yesterday, and the anniversary of Mr Kim's grandfather, Kim Il Song, the founder of the nation.

The level of rhetoric to emerge from North Korea is unprecedented.

Over several weeks, the regime has declared itself to be in a "state of war" with the South, announced that a mothballed nuclear site is to be reopened and threatened to carry out nuclear attacks against the US.

Mr Kerry arrived in the region as confusion surfaced in Washington over the true status of North Korea's nuclear capability.

North Korea is celebrating a year in office for Kim Jong Un

The broad consensus is that while Kim Jong Un does possess nuclear devices and has crossed the "nuclear threshold", he does not have the capability to launch a nuclear missile.

However, at a congressional hearing on Thursday night, it emerged that one US government agency believes that Kim Jong Un does have nuclear weapons which could be placed inside a ballistic missile and fired.

Republican US Representative Doug Lamborn, quoting from a March 2013 DIA report which was inadvertently labelled "unclassified", said: "(The) Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) assesses with moderate confidence the North currently has nuclear weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles, however the reliability will be low."

The Pentagon was quick to issue a written clarification on the matter.

Spokesman George Little said: "In today's House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Department of Defence budget, a member of the committee read an unclassified passage in a classified report on North Korea's nuclear capabilities.

Flower displays for the anniversary of Kim Il Sung's death feature missiles

"While I cannot speak to all the details of a report that is classified in its entirety, it would be inaccurate to suggest that the North Korean regime has fully tested, developed, or demonstrated the kinds of nuclear capabilities referenced in the passage."

Washington added it was concerned about unexpected developments linked to the inexperience of 30-year-old Kim Jong Un.

One official said: "Kim Jong Un's youth and inexperience make him very vulnerable to miscalculation. Our greatest concern is a miscalculation and where that may lead.

"We have seen no indications of massive troop movements, or troops massing on the border, or massive exercises or anything like that that would back up any of the rhetoric that is going on."

North Korea has said that it does possess advanced nuclear devices.

President Barack Obama, speaking after White House talks with UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, said "nobody wants to see a conflict".

He added: "We both agree that now is the time for North Korea to end the kind of belligerent approach that they've been taking.

"It's important for North Korea, like every other country in the world, to observe basic rules and norms."

This whole crisis stems from Pyongyang's desire to pursue a nuclear programme which it says it needs to defend itself from "American aggression".

By manufacturing this crisis, Kim Jong Un is likely to be demonstrating strength domestically and thus bolstering his legitimacy.

Internationally, he is determined that his country is taken seriously as a nuclear power.

He would want an acceptance from the Americans that he is part of the 'nuclear club' as a pretext to any negotiations to end this crisis.

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Mubarak To Face Retrial Over Protester Deaths

By Tom Rayner, Middle East News Editor in Cairo

Egypt's deposed former dictator Hosni Mubarak is due to appear in court in Cairo to face retrial on charges related to the deaths of more than 800 protesters during the uprising against his regime in 2011.

Last year, Mubarak was sentenced to life imprisonment on the same charges, which include indictments related to corruption, but after a successful appeal against his conviction in January the ruling was overturned due to failings in the prosecution case.

He will now face those charges again, alongside his former interior minister Habib El Adly and four aides, but the emerging conclusions of an independent fact-finding report, leaked to the Guardian newspaper, may bolster some of the evidence against the former president.

The report was commissioned by President Mohammed Morsi shortly after he came to power, but has yet to be officially published.

The leaked sections of the report indicate evidence that Mubarak and other senior officials may have had knowledge, or been complicit in, the widespread use of torture and killings by the regime's forces during the height of the revolution.

One member of the inquiry panel who compiled the report, Ali Hassan whose son was killed in the uprising, told Reuters that he hoped it would help the new trial, saying: "The minimum punishment for them should be death."

More than 800 died during the uprising against Mubarak

Mubarak's appearances in the initial trial were dramatic - giving testimony from a hospital stretcher wheeled into the dock, while thousands gathered outside in angry demonstrations calling for him to be held accountable for the deadly violence meted out to protesters by the authorities.

But there are signs that the retrial will not be met with similar levels of public emotion.

Egypt under the Muslim Brotherhood government of Mr Morsi has become increasingly unstable, with economic collapse compounding mounting sectarian tensions.

Attention may also be drawn away from the trial as a result of accusations in the leaked fact-finding report claiming Egypt'S military in, who took control of the country after Mubarak's departure, were also responsible for mass violence against protesters.

The fact the report has yet to be published, despite apparently being submitted to Mr Morsi in January, has led some to sceptical about the likelihood of those criticised facing justice.

Anti-Mubarak protesters in Tahrir Square

Mohammed Abdel Ayem from the International Centre for Transitional Justice said this lack of openness, along with the fact that many cases brought against other Mubarak-era officials have failed to yield convictions, has left many dismayed at the effectiveness of Egypt's stumbling justice system.

"If we look at the various pillars of transitional justice, very little has been done on any of them. The things have been done have been sporadic, haphazard," he said.

There is also likely to be much focus on Mubarak's health.

In January, he was admitted to a Cairo military hospital suffering fractured ribs and fluid on the lung after a fall in prison.

While there have been reports that his general health is improving, the frailty of the 84-year-old is likely to be apparent if he appears as expected in the courtroom, which will be broadcast live by Egyptian state television.

Mubarak's sons Gamal and Alaa will also be facing trial, charged with allegations of corruption.

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North Korea's Missiles 'In Upright Position'

Visiting Secretive North Korea

Updated: 11:52am UK, Wednesday 10 April 2013

Despite the current tensions on the Korean Peninsula, tourists have been able to travel to North Korea.

A Sky News employee has just returned from a four-day trip. Journalists are strictly banned from the county without visas, which are rarely issued, so we are not revealing her name, but here is her story:

I flew from Beijing to Pyongyang. On the flight with me were lots of North Koreans with plenty of excess baggage: TVs, vegetables and meat.

Nothing felt abnormal. There was no feeling of tension.

Only when I arrived at the Demilitarised Zone were we prevented access to some of the buildings because of the current situation.

Throughout the four-day trip, which was organised by a Chinese travel company, we were assigned two North Korean minders.

One of them was more senior than the other. She watched us and watched her colleague too.

They did not want the war but were also determined to fight if the country decided to start a war. They emphasised to us that they believed in the country from their hearts.

We were not allowed to move freely. We could only do tourist things according to the guidance of the tour "guards".

We were not allowed to take photographs in the car or anywhere without the minder's permission. We were told not to photograph anything that looked bad or makes North Korea look bad.

"Don't bring bad impressions out of Pyongyang," they said.

People were very friendly. There was little traffic, so people would stare at our bus wherever we drove.

People there are very aware of the potential war.

Every time we arrived at the places of interest, the tour guides would always ask us in Korean (the minders would translate into Chinese) about the latest situation and our opinions about the situation, particularly our opinions about the US, as they all believe the tensions are the fault of America.

When we asked the minders what would happen if the war breaks out tomorrow, they said: "If the war breaks tomorrow, until midnight tonight, we are still building the socialist constructions."

We also asked them whether they know where Kim Jong-Un lives and works, as we explained to them that in Beijing, all the top leaders work and live in a place called Zhongnanhai. They all said they had no idea.

The two minders liked to sing. One of the songs they sang was apparently written by a South Korean musician to express his admiration toward Kim Jong-Il.

On one of the days we went to Myohyang San, a North Korean mountain. The six of us on the tour were locked in the restaurant because the North Koreans were so afraid that we would wander around.

There is a museum near the mountain, where gifts from foreign countries are displayed. A lot of them came from Japan.

We asked them how could they receive so many gifts from Japan given that North Korea considers the Japanese as enemies. They told us that the Japanese really admire the leaders, so they gave us many gifts.

We stayed in the Yanggakdo International Hotel, where we could watch international TV channels including the BBC, NHK, (Japanese TV), Phoenix (Hong Kong TV) and CCTV (Chinese TV).

The minders live on a specific floor where they only have three North Korean channels to watch. They never ate with us and when we asked what they had eaten, they always refused to tell us.

We were not allowed to use the local currency, and they never showed us their money. We could use Chinese RMB, US dollars or euros.

There were not many opportunities to see any ordinary North Korean people apart from the shopkeepers, tour guides or waitresses in the hotel.

There is a casino on the underground floor of the Yanggakdo International Hotel, where most of the staff members come from Liaoning Province over the northern border in China, and North Koreans are not allowed to enter.

The casino is managed by people from Macau. The staff there told us it was empty because the tensions mean far fewer people are travelling to North Korea.

Staff at the casino are all Chinese. When we asked to go to the casino, one of the minders said to us: "You must be non-communists, because communist members don't go to casinos."

Wherever we go to visit, they always asked us if we think their places or things are pretty. They only wanted to show us the good side of the country.

As soon as we travelled outside the capital city, it felt very like the real North Korea: rural, no tall buildings, only farmland.

We never felt the tension of war on our trip. On the streets, on our tour, in the hotel and even at a school we visited, the students were studying as normal.

The people we spoke to asked us if it was true that living in Beijing is hard. They think living in North Korea is the happiest thing in the world.

It feels as though those North Koreans who have travelled outside the country have never mentioned what the outside world really looks like.

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Thousands Of Mali Refugees 'Stranded In Desert'

By Lisa Holland, Foreign Affairs Correspondent

A leading charity has warned of a growing humanitarian crisis in west Africa, with around 70,000 refugees stranded in the Mauritanian desert with no hope of returning to their home country of Mali.

A woman and child next to their makeshift shlter the Mbera refugee camp

Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) is calling for an urgent aid operation to help them.

Their report, Stranded In The Desert, is based on testimonies collected from more than 100 refugees in Mbera refugee camp in Mauritania.

It tells of their isolation in the middle of the desert and their total dependence on outside assistance and humanitarian aid.

Tents set up by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Henry Gray, emergency co-ordinator for MSF, said: "More than 100,000 people from northern Mali are currently displaced within their country or have escaped abroad as refugees.

"Most of the refugees are from the Tuareg and Arab Communities. They fled pre-emptively often for fear of violence due to their presumed links with Islamist or separatist groups.

"Their home in northern Mali is still in the grip of fear and mistrust."

More than 100,000 people from northern Mali are currently displaced

In November 2012, MSF conducted a retrospective nutritional mortality survey that revealed a critical nutrition situation with mortality rates above the emergency threshold for children under two years old.

But since the crisis in Mali which saw French military intervention to push back Islamist militants in early 2013, MSF said the medical situation has got worse.

It said the military intervention triggered an influx of 15,000 new refugees.

The number of children with severe malnutrition has more than doubled

Consultations in MSF's clinics in the Mbera camp have increased from 1,500 to 2,500 per week.

The number of children admitted per week for severe malnutrition has more than doubled from 42 to 106 despite the nutritional status of the new refugees being generally good when assessed on arrival at the camp.

MSF said 85% of the children being treated arrived at the camp in January and February.

Malian refugee children attend a school in the Mbera refugee camp

Mr Gray said: "These statistics show that the refugees have grown weaker whilst in the camp, the very place where they should have been receiving assistance.

"There has clearly been a lack of preparation for this new influx of refugees. The situation has improved in recent weeks but it is still extremely precarious and aid organisations need to maintain their humanitarian response for as long as necessary.

"Shelter, clean water, latrines, hygiene and food must all reach those in need and be sustained at the minimum humanitarian standards."

A refugee and his family in front of their shelter

France intervened in Mali in January to help the weak Malian army recapture the vast northern desert region from Islamist militants.

The Islamist groups had formed an alliance with Tuareg separatists early in 2012 to capture territory from the government in the wake of the coup.

The alliance quickly collapsed and the Islamists drove out the Tuareg separatist group - the MNLA - from the main cities and towns in the north.

French military intervention against Islamist groups in Mali

France has meanwhile begun to withdraw troops it sent to Mali. Around 100 of the 4,000 sent to the west African nation in January have been withdrawn to Cyprus.

It told Europe it had to act to stop the Islamists gaining strength in north Africa and on Europe's doorstep. It intervened when the Islamist fighters threatened to march on the capital Bamako.

A regional African force has now arrived in Mali to boost its security.

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Horsemeat Scare: 50,000 Tons Of 'Beef' Recall

Dutch authorities have recalled 50,000 tons of meat which has been sold as beef across Europe because it may contain horsemeat.

Around 370 different companies in Europe and a further 130 in the Netherlands are affected by the recall because they bought meat from two Dutch trading wholesalers.

Firms have been told to "take it off the market as a precautionary measure" and "verify all products".

A small number of UK businesses may be affected, the Foods Standards Agency said.

The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) has taken the decision to recall the meat because its exact source cannot be established.

As a result, "its safety cannot be guaranteed", it said, ordering the immediate withdrawal of the beef from sale on Wednesday.

The horsemeat scandal has spread across Europe

The statement said there was no immediate suggestion of any danger to human health.

"The buyers have probably already processed the meat and sold it on," it said.

"They, in turn, are obliged to inform their own customers."

The Authority does not know where the meat has ended up, but it may have been used in frozen products.

The Dutch wholesalers involved are Wiljo Import en Export B.V. and Vleesgroothandel Willy Selten B.V.

Officials began a large-scale investigation into the country's meat industry in February following revelations across Europe that horsemeat was being sold as beef.

Inspectors examining Willy Selten's records found that the origin of the meat it supplied was unclear.

This makes it impossible for them to confirm whether slaughterhouses have been acting according to procedure.

"It might contain traces of horsemeat, but we don't know for certain at the moment if this is the case," a spokeswoman for the NVWA said.

Tests have been carried on products for contamination

The Authority has warned its foreign counterparts about the recall via a European rapid alert system.

Sky's Europe Correspondent Robert Nisbet said: "One of these factories that processes meat was raided on February 15.

"Prosecutors at the time said they believed that the management inside was shredding up horsemeat then adding it to beef and selling it on as 100% beef.

"What they (authorities) are saying is that they don't believe that there is horsemeat in all of this 50,000 tons - but they cannot be sure - therefore they want to take it off the shelves and subject it to more tests.

"If you remember the previous horsemeat scandal that was detected from Findus products that was made from Comigel in Luxembourg that was traced back to horsemeat from two Romanian abattoirs. That horsemeat was then sent to another processor in the Netherlands.

"So this would suggest that the Netherlands is an area that people are looking at very closely now in terms of oversight in this massively sprawling industry that runs across Europe.

"Could it be there that many of the problems have originated since this horsemeat scandal blew-up back in January?"

A preliminary investigation by the Romanian government suggested paperwork from the two accused abattoirs was in order and that the livestock entering the facilities were accurately documented.

It also suggested that the meat which emerged from the slaughterhouses was properly labelled, and so therefore the substitution happened elsewhere in the food production chain.

The Europe-wide horsemeat scandal has seen many products pulled from supermarket shelves - damaging confidence in the continent's vast and complex food industry.

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Syria Airstrikes 'Targeted Civilians'

By Lisa Holland, Foreign Affairs Correspondent

The Syrian Air Force has been accused of repeatedly carrying out indiscriminate airstrikes against civilians.

A new report by the campaign group Human Rights Watch says in some cases government forces deliberately targeted civilians from the air.

HRW said the attacks were a serious violation of international human rights law and that those responsible were guilty of war crimes.

The report is based on visits to 50 government air strike sites in opposition-controlled areas of Aleppo, Idlib and Latakia, plus more than 140 interviews with witnesses and victims.

HRW said at least 152 civilians were killed in the air strikes they documented.

A network of local Syrian anti-government activists put the number at 4,300 civilians killed in air strikes across Syria since July 2012, although this cannot be independently substantiated.

A Syrian man walks amid destruction in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo

Ole Solvang, from Human Rights Watch, said: "In village after village we found a civilian population terrified by their country's own air force."

Mr Ole, who is an emergencies researcher and visited the sites, interviewing many of the victims and witnesses, added: "These illegal airstrikes killed and injured many civilians and sowed a path of destruction, fear and displacement."

HRW said it has gathered information which indicates government forces deliberately targeted four bakeries where civilians were waiting in bread lines a total of eight times. It claims other bakeries were hit by artillery attacks.

The report said there were aerial attacks on at least two hospitals. During visits by HRW, staff said the hospitals had been attacked a total of seven times.

HRW concluded in 44 other cases that airstrikes were unlawful under rules of engagement. It said methods used included unguided bombs dropped by high-flying helicopters which could not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

The report said civilians may have been deliberately targeted but more information is needed before that can be stated conclusively.

The campaign group said it only visited sites in opposition-controlled areas in northern Syria because the government had denied it access to the rest of the country.

It said whilst further investigation was needed, interviews with witnesses and victims of airstrikes in other parts of the country indicated a similar pattern of unlawful attacks had taken place.

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Ignorance And Minders: Life Inside North Korea

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are running high as Pyongyang increases its rhetoric, but the tourists crossing into the state was only closed on Wednesday.

I flew from Beijing to Pyongyang. On the flight with me were lots of North Koreans with plenty of excess baggage: TVs, vegetables and meat.

Nothing felt abnormal, there was no feeling of tension.

Only when I arrived at the Demilitarised Zone were we prevented access to some of the buildings because of the current situation.

Throughout the four-day trip, which was organised by a Chinese travel company, we were assigned two North Korean minders.

One of them was more senior than the other. He watched us and watched his colleague too.

They did not want the war but were also determined to fight if the country decided to start a war. They emphasised to us that they believed in the country from their hearts.

A newspaper article on Kim Jong Un

We were not allowed to move freely. We could only do tourist things according to the guidance of the tour "guards".

We were not allowed to take photographs in the car or anywhere without the minder's permission. We were told not to photograph anything that looked bad or makes North Korea look bad.

"Don't bring bad impressions out of Pyongyang," they said.

People were very friendly. There was little traffic, so people would stare at our bus wherever we drove.

People there are very aware of the potential war.

Every time we arrived at the places of interest, the tour guides would always ask us in Korean (the minders would translate into Chinese) about the latest situation and our opinions about the situation, particularly our opinions about the US, as they all believe the tensions are the fault of America.

When we asked the minders what would happen if the war breaks tomorrow, they said: "If the war breaks tomorrow, until midnight tonight, we are still building the socialist constructions."

We also asked them whether they know where Kim Jong-Un lives and works, as we explained to them that in Beijing, all the top leaders work and live in a place called Zhongnanhai. They all said they had no idea.

The two minders liked to sing. One of the songs they sang was apparently written by a South Korean musician to express his admiration toward Kim Jong-Il.

On one of the days we went to Myohyang San, a North Korean mountain. The six of us on the tour were locked in the restaurant because the North Koreans were so afraid that we would wander around.

Articles seen by the Sky News journalist

There is a museum near the mountain, where gifts from foreign countries are displayed. A lot of them came from Japan.

We asked them how could they receive so many gifts from Japan given that North Korea considers the Japanese as enemies. They told us that the Japanese really admire the leaders, so they gave us many gifts.

We stayed in the Yanggakdo International Hotel, where we could watch international TV channels including the BBC, NHK, (Japanese TV), Phoenix (Hong Kong TV) and CCTV (Chinese TV).

The minders live on a specific floor where they only have three North Korean channels to watch. They never ate with us and when we asked what they had eaten, they always refused to tell us.

We were not allowed to use the local currency, and they never showed us their money. We could use Chinese RMB, US dollars or euros.

There were not many opportunities to see any ordinary North Korean people apart from the shopkeepers, tour guides or waitresses in the hotel.

There is a casino on the underground floor of the Yanggakdo International Hotel, where most of the staff members come from Liaoning Province over the northern border in China, and North Koreans are not allowed to enter.

The casino is managed by people from Macau. The staff there told us it was empty because the tensions mean far fewer people are travelling to North Korea.

Staff at the casino are all Chinese. When we asked to go to the casino, one of the minders said to us: "You must be non-communists, because communist members don't go to casinos."

Wherever we go to visit, they always asked us if we think their places or things are pretty. They only wanted to show us the good side of the country.

As soon as we travelled outside the capital city, it felt very like the real North Korea: very rural, no tall buildings, only farmland.

We never felt the tension of war on our trip. On the streets, on our tour, in the hotel and even at a school we visited, the students were studying as normal.

The people we spoke to asked us if it was true that living in Beijing is hard. They think living in North Korea is the happiest thing in the world.

It feels as though those North Koreans who have travelled outside the country have never mentioned what the outside world really looks like.

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North Korea: South On Alert For Missile Launch

Visiting Secretive North Korea

Updated: 3:24am UK, Wednesday 10 April 2013

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are running high as Pyongyang increases its rhetoric, but the tourists crossing into the state was only closed on Wednesday.

I flew from Beijing to Pyongyang. On the flight with me were lots of North Koreans with plenty of excess baggage: TVs, vegetables and meat.

Nothing felt abnormal, there was no feeling of tension.

Only when I arrived at the Demilitarised Zone were we prevented access to some of the buildings because of the current situation.

Throughout the four-day trip, which was organised by a Chinese travel company, we were assigned two North Korean minders.

One of them was more senior than the other. He watched us and watched his colleague too.

They did not want the war but were also determined to fight if the country decided to start a war. They emphasised to us that they believed in the country from their hearts.

We were not allowed to move freely. We could only do tourist things according to the guidance of the tour "guards".

We were not allowed to take photographs in the car or anywhere without the minder's permission. We were told not to photograph anything that looked bad or makes North Korea look bad.

"Don't bring bad impressions out of Pyongyang," they said.

People were very friendly. There was little traffic, so people would stare at our bus wherever we drove.

People there are very aware of the potential war.

Every time we arrived at the places of interest, the tour guides would always ask us in Korean (the minders would translate into Chinese) about the latest situation and our opinions about the situation, particularly our opinions about the US, as they all believe the tensions are the fault of America.

When we asked the minders what would happen if the war breaks tomorrow, they said: "If the war breaks tomorrow, until midnight tonight, we are still building the socialist constructions."

We also asked them whether they know where Kim Jong-Un lives and works, as we explained to them that in Beijing, all the top leaders work and live in a place called Zhongnanhai. They all said they had no idea.

The two minders liked to sing. One of the songs they sang was apparently written by a South Korean musician to express his admiration toward Kim Jong-Il.

On one of the days we went to Myohyang San, a North Korean mountain. The six of us on the tour were locked in the restaurant because the North Koreans were so afraid that we would wander around.

There is a museum near the mountain, where gifts from foreign countries are displayed. A lot of them came from Japan.

We asked them how could they receive so many gifts from Japan given that North Korea considers the Japanese as enemies. They told us that the Japanese really admire the leaders, so they gave us many gifts.

We stayed in the Yanggakdo International Hotel, where we could watch international TV channels including the BBC, NHK, (Japanese TV), Phoenix (Hong Kong TV) and CCTV (Chinese TV).

The minders live on a specific floor where they only have three North Korean channels to watch. They never ate with us and when we asked what they had eaten, they always refused to tell us.

We were not allowed to use the local currency, and they never showed us their money. We could use Chinese RMB, US dollars or euros.

There were not many opportunities to see any ordinary North Korean people apart from the shopkeepers, tour guides or waitresses in the hotel.

There is a casino on the underground floor of the Yanggakdo International Hotel, where most of the staff members come from Liaoning Province over the northern border in China, and North Koreans are not allowed to enter.

The casino is managed by people from Macau. The staff there told us it was empty because the tensions mean far fewer people are travelling to North Korea.

Staff at the casino are all Chinese. When we asked to go to the casino, one of the minders said to us: "You must be non-communists, because communist members don't go to casinos."

Wherever we go to visit, they always asked us if we think their places or things are pretty. They only wanted to show us the good side of the country.

As soon as we travelled outside the capital city, it felt very like the real North Korea: very rural, no tall buildings, only farmland.

We never felt the tension of war on our trip. On the streets, on our tour, in the hotel and even at a school we visited, the students were studying as normal.

The people we spoke to asked us if it was true that living in Beijing is hard. They think living in North Korea is the happiest thing in the world.

It feels as though those North Koreans who have travelled outside the country have never mentioned what the outside world really looks like.

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North Korea: Putin In 'Chernobyl' Warning

By Mark Stone, Yeonpyeong island

Vladimir Putin said a war in Korea could be more devastating than the Chernobyl disaster - as Pyongyang was warned against another nuclear test.

The Russian President said he was "worried about the escalation on the Korean peninsula, because we are neighbours".

And Mr Putin, who also praised a US decision to postpone a planned missile test as part of efforts to reduce tensions, said he feared a situation worse than that in Chernobyl after a nuclear accident that was later linked to thousands of deaths.

"If, God forbid, something happens, Chernobyl which we all know a lot about, may seem like a child's fairy tale," he said.

"Is there such a threat or not? I think there is ... I would urge everyone to calm down ... and start to resolve the problems that have piled up for many years there at the negotiating table."

His intervention came after United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the North not to carry out a new nuclear test - saying it would be a "provocative" act.

South Korea raised fears that a fourth test was due amid reports of increased activity at the main atomic test site Punggye-ri, but later backtracked.

Its Defence Ministry said: "We found there had been no unusual movements that indicated it wanted to carry out a nuclear test."

North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un

Mr Ban said: "The Democratic People's Republic of North Korea cannot go on like this, confronting and challenging the authority of the (UN) Security Council and the international community.

"I am urging them to refrain from taking any further provocative measures."

China's Foreign Ministry also said it wanted peace on the Korean peninsula, not war, adding a proper solution to the crisis was the responsibility of all parties.

The Pentagon has already strengthened its missile defences in response to the repeated threats made by Pyongyang in recent weeks.

However, the New York Times has reported that a more thorough plan - setting out a limited but forceful response to any future provocation - has been drawn up by the US and South Korea.

It said US officials had outlined a "counter-provocation" plan that would see a "response in kind" that would hit the source of any North Korean attack with similar weapons.

Meanwhile, North Korea said it was withdrawing all workers and suspending operations at its joint industrial zone with South Korea, the only surviving symbol of inter-Korean cooperation.

South Korea has appealed for North Korea to allow access to the Kaesong joint industrial park, six miles inside its borders.

The North has banned South Korean managers and personnel from crossing the border to enter the complex since last Wednesday.

So far 13 of the 123 South Korean firms operating there have been forced to halt production due to fuel and raw material shortages.

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Syria: Car Bomb Explodes In Damascus

A car bomb has exploded in the business district of the Syrian capital killing 15 people and leaving at least 47 injured.

A government official said the explosion occurred at one of the capital's biggest roundabouts in Sabaa Bahrat, the city's main business district, which houses the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance.

A resident described the explosion as the biggest she had heard in the capital and said that large plumes of smoke were rising from the area.

A car bombing at the Baath Party headquarter in February

Footage on state television showed scenes of devastation, with plumes of thick black smoke billowing up around buildings in the area, and bodies being pulled from wreckage.

According to one broadcaster, the bombing happened near to a school and some of the dead were believed to be children.

It is the latest attack on government-held Damascus by Syrian rebels who have increased the number of mortar and car bomb attacks on the city in recent months.

Free Syrian Army fighters run for cover from snipers in Damascus yesterday

On March 21 an explosion ripped through a mosque in the city killing at least 49 people.

In February, a car bombing near the ruling Baath Party headquarters killed 53 people and injured 200 others. It was the deadliest attack in nine months.

The attack comes as the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, said that he had a team of chemical weapons inspectors ready to deploy to Syria within 24 hours to investigate claims of chemical weapon use by both sides.

Speaking after meeting with the head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague, Mr Ban said: "The use of chemical weapons, by any side under any circumstances, would constitute a crime against humanity."

Mr Ban said he is waiting for agreement from the Syrian government to allow him to send the team, which is currently awaiting orders in Cyprus, and urged Bashar Assad's regime to be "flexible" so the investigation could be launched as soon as possible.

Both the rebels and the government have claimed chemical weapons have been used in attacks and that each has the capability to deploy the devices in the ongoing conflict.

The Syrian-based human rights group, Violations Documentation Centre, reported that 9,000 government troops have been killed in the two years of fighting between President Bashar Assad's forces and the Free Syrian Army of rebels trying to overthrow him.

More than 70,000 people have died since the Syrian uprising started in March 2011.

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Egypt: Deadly Clashes After Coptic Funeral

One person has died and more than 60 others have been injured in clashes outside Cairo's Coptic cathedral following a funeral.

The memorial service at the cathedral, in the central Cairo neighbourhood of Abbassiya, was being held for four Christians who were killed in sectarian clashes on Friday.

Mourners, who were chanting against the Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, were pelted with stones and bottles by residents of the area as they left the funeral.

The Copts inside the church complex hurled objects back at the rows of Abbassiya residents.

Petrol bombs were also thrown during the violence.

Black-clad riot police intervened, firing tear gas at the cathedral, witnesses said, but not before one person had been killed.

"There is one fatality in (Cairo's) Demerdash hospital," health ministry official Ahmed al-Ansari told AFP.

Loud blasts could be heard, as clouds of smoke rose up into the sky and people ran in several directions.

The four Christians were killed in violence in El Khusus, north of Cairo

Mr Morsi, in a call to Coptic Pope Tawadros II, condemned the violence.

"I consider all attacks on the church as an attack on me personally," state television quoted Mr Morsi as telling the pope.

He also affirmed "the protection of all citizens, Muslims and Christians, is the responsibility of the state".

Hani Sobhi, a young Copt, said that live television coverage of the funeral service helped spark the violence.

"Inside the cathedral we chanted 'down with the Brotherhood rule' and that was aired live on television. At the exit (of the cathedral) the people were ready and waiting for us," he said.

In a statement, the interior ministry said "a number of mourners began to damage cars in the area which led to confrontations with residents of the area".

There was also renewed fighting on Sunday in the town, north of Cairo, where the four Christians were killed on Friday.

One Muslim was also killed in the sectarian violence which flared in El Khusus, a poor area in Qalyubia governorate.

The bitter clashes underscore the simmering tensions in a divided Egypt that has seen violent confrontations between Mr Morsi's main Islamist allies and a wide ranging opposition.

They also highlight sectarian tensions that have been brewing for several years.

Christians form between 6 and 10% of Egypt's population of nearly 83 million people.

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Afghanistan Nato Raid 'Kills 11 Children'

A Nato air strike has killed 11 children and a woman in eastern Afghanistan, according to local officials.

The strike targeted militants in the Shigal district of restive Kunar province, which is on the border with Pakistan.

"Eleven children and a woman were killed when an air strike hit their houses," said Wasifullah Wasifi, the spokesman for Kunar province.

They were killed when their houses collapsed on them, officials said.

Restive Kunar province is on the border with Pakistan

Six insurgents - two of them senior Taliban leaders - were also killed during the operation on Saturday.

Civilian casualties caused by Nato forces have been one of the most contentious issues in the campaign against Taliban insurgents, provoking harsh criticism from President Hamid Karzai and angry public protests.

Mr Karzai has banned his troops from requesting air strikes.

Shigal district governor Abdul Zahir said people had brought the children's bodies to the centre of the town.

President Hamid Karzai has condemned civilian casualties

A spokesman for the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Captain Luca Carniel, said they were aware of reports of civilian casualties and were assessing the incident.

He said ISAF had provided "air support" during the operation. The air strike had been called in by Nato forces, and not their Afghan allies, he continued.

Taliban militants have killed six Americans - including a young female diplomat - in the deadliest day in Afghanistan for the US in eight months.

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Nelson Mandela Leaves Hospital After 10 Days

Former South African president Nelson Mandela has been discharged from hospital after being treated for pneumonia.

The 94-year-old was allowed to return home "following a sustained and gradual improvement in his general condition".

An ambulance is understood to have taken him back to his residence in Johannesburg.

President Jacob Zuma's office said Mr Mandela would now receive "home-based" care.

Mr Mandela is believed to have been transported home in this ambulance

A statement said: "President Zuma thanks the hard working medical team and hospital staff for looking after Madiba so efficiently."

He also extended his gratitude to all South Africans, friends of the nation and to people around the world for their support.

Spokesman Mac Maharaj told Sky News: "We are all very happy with the news and grateful to the doctors and the hospital staff for looking after him so well.

"The doctors say that given his age, they have to monitor him very carefully and they have to remain cautious all the time.

"He is frail, and we need to take into account his age ... but Madiba is a fighter and he is not ready to say goodbye to us."

It has been the third health scare in four months for the anti-apartheid leader.

He was in hospital briefly in early March for a check-up and before that in December for nearly three weeks with a lung infection and following surgery to remove gallstones.

The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, who became South Africa's first black President in 1994, is a global symbol of tolerance and the struggle for equality.

Mr Mandela stepped down as President in 1999 and has not been politically active for a decade.

He has a history of lung problems dating from when he contracted tuberculosis as a political prisoner.

He spent 27 years on Robben Island and in other jails for his attempts to overthrow the white-minority government.

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Egypt: Five Killed In Sectarian Clashes

Five people have been killed and at least eight more wounded in clashes between Christians and Muslims in a town near Egypt's capital Cairo.

Security forces said the sectarian violence in El Khusus, north of the city, was some of the worst the country has seen for months.

Christian-Muslim confrontations have increased in Muslim-majority Egypt since the overthrow of former president Hosni Mubarak in 2011 gave freer rein to hardline Islamists repressed under his rule.

Four Christian Copts and one Muslim were killed when members of both communities started fighting and shooting at each other, sources said.

Residents claimed an angry crowd smashed shops belonging to Christians and a Reuters news agency reporter saw a burned-out Coptic day care centre and several damaged shops belonging to Christian traders. An apartment lived in by Muslims was also burned.

Residents said the violence started on Friday when a group of Christian children were drawing on a wall of a Muslim religious institute.

Muslim residents said the drawings had offended them because one looked like a cross.

Men inspect a room destroyed in the violence

"I saw the kids drawing on the wall after afternoon prayers so I grabbed them and told them to remove what they'd just written," said Mahmoud Mahmoud al Alfi, a Muslim resident.

Then another man arrived and started beating the children, drawing a large crowd, he said. The situation escalated when someone drew a gun and fired into the air, allegedly killing one boy with a stray bullet.

President Mohamed Morsi's office expressed condolences to the victims and vowed to fight any sectarian violence.

"The presidency ... totally rejects any attempt against the unity and cohesiveness of Egyptian society and will decisively confront any attempt to spark sectarian strife among Egyptian people, Muslim and Christian," according to a statement.

Muslim leaders were also quick to condemn the sectarian violence which comes as Egypt struggles with a severe economic crisis and high inflation after two years of political upheaval.

President Morsi, a Brotherhood leader elected in June, has promised to protect the rights of Copts, who make up about 10% of Egypt's 84 million people.

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