North Korea: Kim Jong-Un Official Speaks

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

A senior North Korean diplomat has told Sky News that the United States is to blame for the tense situation on the Korean peninsula but relations between the two countries could be "normalised" if Washington gave up its "hostile policy".

In an unprecedented interview, North Korea's ambassador to the UK Hyun Hak-bong also urged South Korea to cancel an upcoming joint military exercise with the US.

"It is high time for South Korea to cancel or to stop the military exercises. And it is advisable for the international community to try hard to prevent such a kind of dangerous military exercises," Ambassador Hyun said.

But he was not willing to predict how North Korea might respond if the exercise did go ahead.

He said: "It is not helpful for the United States to remain in South Korea.

"The US makes the situation tense all the time by bringing in military equipment and disrupts peace on the peninsula by pursuing hostile policies and threatening the DPR Korea with nuclear weapons.

"So I don't think the US is helpful unless it abandons its hostile policy towards DPR Korea."

The interview follows an open letter sent by Pyongyang to Seoul. The letter calls for "realistic measures to prevent impending nuclear disasters with concerted efforts of the Korean nation".

The ambassador gave an insight into the thinking of Kim Jong-Un's regime

The United States has insisted that North Korea stop all production of nuclear weapons before peace talks can begin again.

But the ambassador suggested that was not a step that his country was willing to take in the current climate.

He said: "DPR Korea has no option but to have the nuclear deterrent in order to defend the sovereignty of the country and in order to save the security and peace on the Korean peninsula as well as the lives of the people."

The Ambassador also explained in more detail than previously heard, the process behind the execution of Jang Song Thaek, Kim Jong Un's uncle.

He said: "Well Jang Song Thaek did lots of crimes. He made anti-party, anti-government crimes, and as well he abused his power in hindering the national economy and hindering the efforts of the national economy and for improving people's living standards.

"He spent 4.6 million euro in 2009 alone. He made tremendous crimes against the government, against the people, against the country."

The interview is a rare glimpse behind North Korea's pomp and propaganda

"Actually our party pardoned him on several occasions when he made wrong-doings in the past, but this time his crimes is beyond the level, is beyond the red line.

"So they enlarged a meeting of the party and handed (him) over to the legal system. So the special Military Court of the Ministry of State Security put him on trial, he confessed to what he did wrong and according to article 60 of the Criminal Code of DPR Korea he was executed."

"According to the laws by the criminal court he was sentenced to death. Well he was shot to death."

I challenged Ambassador Hyun to confirm the fate of the uncle's family after recent reports suggested they too might have been executed, along with anyone else loyal to the former General.

"This is the political propaganda by our enemies," he replied.

"I think that this fabricated report does not deserve my comment. I know he was punished but if his family were punished or not, I don't know."

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Madonna And Pussy Riot Pair To Share Stage

Madonna will introduce two formerly jailed members of the punk band Pussy Riot when they appear at an Amnesty International concert next week.

The pop queen will hail Maria Alyokhina, 25, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 24, as "fellow freedom fighters" before they speak at the event in New York on February 5.

It is their first trip to the city since being granted amnesty in December by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

They were jailed for nearly two years after being convicted in 2012 of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred when they stormed Moscow's biggest cathedral and sang a protest song against Mr Putin.

A third Pussy Riot member, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was freed on appeal.

"I am honoured to introduce my fellow freedom fighters Masha and Nadya from Pussy Riot," Madonna said in a statement after posting the news on Facebook.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova in prison last year

"I have admired their courage and have long supported their commitment and the sacrifices they have made in the name of free of expression and human rights." 

The singer has been outspoken in her support for the band. During two shows in Moscow and St Petersburg last year she donned a balaclava similar to those they wear and called for them to be freed.

"I know there are many sides to every story, and I mean no disrespect to the church or the government, but I think that these three girls - Masha, Katya, Nadya - I think that they have done something courageous," Madonna said to loud cheers from the crowd at Moscow's Olympiysky Stadium last August.

"I pray for their freedom," she said.

American alternative rock group Imagine Dragons, the Flaming Lips and R&B singer Lauryn Hill will perform at the Bringing Human Rights Home concert at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The event will resume a global concert series that Nobel Peace Prize-winning Amnesty International began 25 years ago, featuring rock greats such as U2, Bruce Springsteen, Sting and Lou Reed.

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Michael Schumacher 'Responding' - Sky Sources

Michael Schumacher is being brought out of his coma and is "responding to instructions", according to Sky News sources.

The seven-time Formula One champion has been in a Grenoble hospital with severe injuries since the accident on December 29.

His manager, Sabine Kehm, said in a statement that the 45-year-old was slowly being woken from his induced coma and Sky News understands he has been "responding to simple instructions".

"Michael's sedation is being reduced in order to allow the start of the waking-up process, which may take a long time," Ms Kehm said.

The slope on the Saulire Mountain where Schumacher had his accident

"For the protection of the family, it was originally agreed by the interested parties to communicate this information only once this process was consolidated.

"The family of Michael Schumacher is again requesting for their privacy, and the medical secret, to be respected, and to not disturb the doctors treating Michael in their work.

"At the same time, the family wishes to express sincere appreciation for the sympathy they have received from around the world."

Schumacher and his wife Corrina

Investigators probing the reasons for the accident in which Schumacher smashed his head against a rock have ruled out faulty skis, inadequate signage and excessive speed.

Schumacher appears to have skied on a partially-covered rock, lost his balance and fallen on another rock further down, according to the prosecutor in charge of the investigation.

The impact was so strong it split his helmet in two.

Schumacher dominated Formula One before retiring in 2012, winning more titles than any other driver and enjoying 91 Grand Prix victories between 1994 and 2004.

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Super Bowl Security Tightens Ahead Of NFL Finale

By Hannah Thomas-Peter, New York Correspondent

Security officials responsible for public safety at the Super Bowl in New Jersey have planned for a range of possible incidents, from a lone-wolf assault to a nuclear or biological attack.

In a briefing, officials said that the recent terror attacks in Russia in the run up to the Sochi Olympics were a "concern", and something that they had been watching closely.

New NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton insisted that no credible or specific threats had been made against the NFL season finale, which is due to start at 6.30pm local time on Sunday.

But Mr Bratton urged the public to be alert, using a phrase commonly heard by New Yorkers following the September 11 terror attacks.

He said: "If you see something, say something."

NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton asked the public to stay alert

Since the weekend, experts from 100 local, state and federal agencies have been manning a security centre underneath at the MetLife stadium in New Jersey.

A federal command centre is also now operational.

The area around the stadium complex has been locked down, and any vehicle arriving there has to go through thermal imaging.

The NYPD and New Jersey police, as well as the FBI, Homeland Security personnel and other agencies, have brought in hundreds of extra men and women to patrol the streets of New York, New Jersey and the transport hubs that will serve the stadium.

Around 700 state troopers will be deployed to the complex, and the NYPD is using bomb sniffing dogs, surveillance cameras and behavioural experts to detect potential trouble along the "Super Bowl Boulevard" street fair in Manhattan.

This is the first Super Bowl that is dependent on mass transit to shuttle most of the expected 80,000 fans and 10,000 workers to the game.

When people arrive at the stadium to watch the Denver Broncos take on the Seattle Seahawks they will be subjected to airport-style security.

The National Football League has banned large bags of any kind, as well as containers such as aerosol cans and bottles.

Officials are asking spectators to put possessions in clear plastic or vinyl bags.

Fans will enter through metal detectors and may receive pat downs.

NFL chief security officer Jeffrey Miller said that the level of cooperation between agencies involved was "unprecedented" and officials had prepared for anything.

He said: "You just don't know what you might face on game day."

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Missouri Man Executed After Appeals Denied

Missouri has executed a man convicted of killing a jewellery store owner during a 1991 robbery, after last-minute appeals were rejected.

Herbert Smulls, 54, was put to death with a lethal dose of pentobarbital, a fast-acting barbiturate.

He was pronounced dead at 10.20pm local time at a state prison in Bonne Terre, in what was Missouri's third execution since November and the third since switching to the new drug.

Lawyers for Smulls sought to block his execution on multiple grounds, arguing in part that the compounded pentobarbital drug Missouri used to kill him may not be as pure and as potent as it should be, which could cause undue suffering.

The US Supreme Court granted a temporary stay late on Tuesday but then revoked it, and cleared numerous appeals, including the final one that was filed less than 30 minutes before Smulls was pronounced dead.

The execution was brief: Smulls mouthed a few words to his two witnesses, who were not identified, then breathed heavily twice and shut his eyes for good.

Missouri and other states have turned to compounding pharmacies, which are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, to acquire drugs for executions after many manufacturers objected to their drugs being used in capital punishments.

The increasing use of untested drug mixes has brought renewed debate over the death penalty in the United States.

In 1991 Smulls called a jeweller to set up an appointment on the pretence that he wanted to buy a diamond for his fiancee. During the robbery, he shot dead the jeweller, Stephen Honickman.

Mr Honickman's wife, Florence, was also shot, but survived by faking death in a pool of her own blood until the assailants left.

"I felt pain and terror while I lay on the floor playing dead while the murderers ransacked our office," she said after the execution.

When police stopped Smulls 15 minutes after the robbery, they found stolen jewellery and weapons in his car.

Smulls' legal case was protracted over several appeals and over several years, finally ending in 2009 with the death sentence.

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Market Shockwaves Spread Over Fed Tapering

Global markets have reacted quickly to news that the US Federal Reserve would taper its monthly quantitative easing by another $10bn (£6bn).

Equities hit a 10-week low on fears of more emerging markets weakness, as investors headed towards the safer bond market.

Britain's FTSE 100 fell in early trading, the seventh time in eight sessions, and veered towards its lowest level since mid-December.

Problems in numerous emerging markets adversely affected investor sentiment.

Europe's main markets were also down as were shares in China and Japan.

Hong Kong shares ended close to a five-month low, on the back of the Fed decision and a survey of lower factory output in mainland China.

Turkey said it would not implement any sort of capital controls as it battles to defend the lira, amid capital flight, just days after it increased its base rate 5%.

But Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said an "out of the ordinary" economic reform might be brought into action.

India announced it would act quickly to ensure financial stability after the Fed cut.

"Both the government and the Reserve Bank of India will continue to remain vigilant and will take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that there is stability in the financial markets," the finance ministry said.

Meanwhile, Argentina continues to suffer from a sliding currency.

The peso has dropped around 15% against the dollar in recent days and inflation hovers at 30%.

Argentinians are increasingly hoarding dollars, stockpiling consumer goods or putting savings into property.

The shockwaves have spread after the second month of Fed reducing the bond-buying and growth stimulus, to help keep pressure on domestic interest rates.

In the US, shares dropped in after-hours trading while oil prices remained flat as the quantitative easing reduction offset a drop in heating oil supply. Fracking-sourced natural gas has soared in its place.

The Fed purchases now stand at $65bn (£40bn) a month and it said "growth in economic activity picked up" since its December meeting.

The US overnight interest rate was kept static on Wednesday night at the historic four-year low of 0.0%.

The decision for the continued tapering was approved by outgoing Fed chairman Ben Bernanke, who is replaced by Janet Yellen after he steps down later this week.

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Ukraine's President Yanukovich On Sick Leave

Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovich, who has faced protests calling for his resignation, has taken sick leave.

The embattled leader, who has an acute respiratory illness and high fever, has already lost his prime minister Mykola Azarov, who resigned on Tuesday.

It is not clear how long Mr Yanukovich, 63, will be away from his desk.

The president, who does not have a history of illness, has strong backing in the parliament, and his absence could create a power vacuum.

He has faced violent protests on the streets calling for early elections and other demands, and many state buildings have been occupied by anti-government demonstrators.

Protesters take to the streets in freezing conditions in Kiev

An attempt by parliament to resolve the crisis earlier this week, by repealing harsh anti-protest laws, failed to appease the opposition who said it did not go far enough.

On Wednesday, it passed a measure offering amnesty to some of those arrested on condition demonstrators vacated most of the buildings they occupy. However, the opposition quickly rejected the offer.

The demonstrations, being held in sub-zero conditions, began when Mr Yanukovich backed out of a long-awaited agreement to deepen ties with the European Union, instead turning towards Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered a $15 billion bailout deal.

But they quickly came to stand for a wide array of discontent over corruption, heavy-handed police and dubious courts.

One estimate puts the number of arrests at more than 300. Two activists have been shot dead in front of police lines.

Serhiy Arbuzov, who was Mr Azarov's first deputy, has stepped in as interim prime minister.

Serhiy Arbuzov pictured at Davos

Mr Azarov was deeply unpopular among protesters, whom he has referred to as "terrorists".  

The 66-year-old was considered a key figure in the government's decision not to sign the EU trade deal in November.

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Related Stories

1. Ukraine Protesters: We'll Hang Yanukovich
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Knox Says 'Heart In Mouth' Ahead Of Verdict

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

Amanda Knox has said her "heart will be in her mouth" as she awaits a new verdict expected in the Meredith Kercher murder case.

Knox told Italian television via Skype that she would be at home in Seattle with her mother and family and that her lawyer would inform her of the outcome.

Insisting she was not involved in the murder, she said: "The proof is in the facts. There is no proof that I was there when this happened. I remember Meredith as a person who gave me friendship from the very beginning.

"If I am convicted I understand that I will be seen as a fugitive but I will continue to fight until the end."

Patrick Lumumba lost his livelihood after Amanda Knox wrongly accused him

:: See the latest updates on the Knox and Sollecito verdict here.

In a final appeal to the court her lawyer Luciano Ghirga said his client should be cleared "because there is no proof she was at the scene".

"There is no blood from Meredith on the blade," he said.

Miss Kercher was found with her throat cut

He also added that it was "inadmissible and unfounded" that custodial measures should be imposed on Knox if she was found guilty.

It comes as Patrick Lumumba, the barman Knox wrongly accused of killing Miss Kercher in 2007, urged Knox to come to court "'if she is as innocent as she claims".

Mr Lumumba was held in custody after Knox told police she had ''covered her ears as he killed'' Miss Kercher in the student house the girls shared.

However, he was cleared after two weeks when a university professor provided a watertight alibi, while Knox was charged with murder and sexual assault along with her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito.

The pair's conviction was overturned on appeal but the Italian Supreme Court ordered a retrial of that appeal and the verdict is due this week. Sollecito was in court on Thursday for the fresh verdict.

Mr Lumumba, who lost his bar following Knox's allegations and is now an unemployed musician, wants to see the 26-year-old back in the courtroom.

Speaking ahead of Thursday's verdict, he said: ''If she (Knox) is innocent she should come to court for the decision. I will be there. If she is so sure that she had nothing to do with it, then she should be in court to hear the judge's decision.

''I think she is running away - I'm the one who has been left in a real mess because of what she said. My bar closed and my business folded - I have nothing now and no work.

Amanda Knox and Raffaelle Sollecito

''Because of what she said I was put in jail for two weeks and my bar was impounded by the police for four months. My friends tried to help me as best they could but it wasn't enough because they were all having a hard time as well.

''The false arrest had a real negative impact on my personal life and my business life - things have never really recovered and it's all because of what Amanda wrongly told the police. I haven't even been paid any compensation by her that I'm owed.''

As a result of the false accusation, Mr Lumumba was dragged from his home in front of his children and wife in a dawn raid.

Knox was convicted of slandering him and ordered to pay him €22,000 in 2011.

She and Sollecito, 29, were originally charged in 2007 after Miss Kercher was found semi-naked with her throat cut in the bedroom of her house in Perugia, Italy.

The house where Meredith was killed in 2007

Knox was sentenced to 26 years and Sollecito to 25 years but in 2011 the verdicts were overturned and both walked free.

The retrial began last September in Florence, 100 miles from where the murder took place.

Though Knox has remained in the US, she did email the court to protest her innocence in a statement read out by her lawyer in which she insisted she ''was not a monster".

Judge Alessandro Nencini described the emailed statement as unusual, adding that defendants ''should be in court if they wanted to speak".

It is not entirely clear if the Italian authorities would seek Knox's extradition even though a treaty exists between both countries.

To add to the confusion, any verdict will go to a further automatic appeal at the Supreme Court - so a final decision could be years away.

The retrial has shifted the alleged motive away from a sex game gone wrong to a simple bitter feud of jealousy between Knox and Miss Kercher - with the British girl uncomfortable at her American flatmate's untidiness and habit of bringing men home.

However, Knox and her lawyers insist the theory is rubbish, with Knox herself stressing that the two were ''good friends'' and that she has expressed several times a desire to visit Miss Kercher's grave and meet her family.

Miss Kercher's sister Stephanie and brother Lyle are expected to travel from their home in Coulsdon, Surrey, for the verdict - the third time in seven years they have attended a court trial.

Stephanie said the family "just want everything to be over", adding "we can only accept what the judges say and accept the Italian judicial system".

A third man, Rudy Guede, 27, described as a drifter from the Ivory Coast, is serving a 16-year sentence for murder and sexual assault and is expected to be released on parole next year. He, like Knox and Sollecito, has always protested his innocence.

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Hundreds Of Snakes Found In 'House Of Horrors'

Hundreds of snakes - many of them dead - have been removed from a "house of horrors" in California after neighbours complained of a strong stench of decay.

"The smell alone - I feel like I need to take a shower for a week," said officer Anthony Bertagna.

"They're pretty much in all the bedrooms - everywhere."

The teacher's collection of reptiles got out of control

Police have said they expect to find as many as 500 snakes, alive and dead, by the time they complete the search of the five-bedroom home in Santa Ana.

The owner, school teacher William Buchman, claimed his intention was to breed the snakes but his collection grew out of hand.

He has been arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty.

"It's definitely a house of horrors in there," said an Animal Services spokesman. "Just in one room alone we had 56 dead snakes, and 12 alive, and that's only one room.

Dozens of snakes were found in one room alone

 "I mean there's so many dead snakes ... ranging from dead for months to just dead.

"There's an infestation of rats and mice all over the house. There are rats and mice in plastic storage tubs that are actually cannibalising each other."

After clearing out two of the bedrooms, officers had recovered 66 dead pythons and about 50 live ones.

Rats and mice were found roaming the squalid interior of the house

The largest live python recovered was about 6ft long.

None of the snakes were crawling around loose but the house also was infested with rats and mice, some of which were brought in as food for the snakes.

The exterior of the house was well maintained with a manicured lawn - with only the smell giving away what was inside.

An animal welfare agency will try to re-home the surviving snakes at nature centres, museums and schools.

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Scarlett Johansson Quits As Oxfam Ambassador

Scarlett Johansson has ended her relationship with Oxfam after receiving criticism for her support of SodaStream, which has a factory in an Israeli settlement in the West Bank.

The actress's spokesman said the 29-year-old, who was an ambassador for the charity, has "a fundamental difference of opinion" with the humanitarian group which opposes all trade from Israeli settlements.

Oxfam says the settlements are illegal and deny Palestinian rights.

"Scarlett Johansson has respectfully decided to end her ambassador role with Oxfam after eight years," a statement  from the actress said.

"She and Oxfam have a fundamental difference of opinion in regards to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. She is very proud of her accomplishments and fundraising efforts during her tenure with Oxfam."

Oxfam said it accepted Johansson's resignation and that it is "grateful for her many contributions".

The charity said: "While Oxfam respects the independence of our ambassadors, Ms Johansson's role promoting the company SodaStream is incompatible with her role as an Oxfam Global Ambassador.

Johansson will appear in a Sodastream advert this weekend

"Oxfam believes that businesses, such as SodaStream, that operate in settlements further the ongoing poverty and denial of rights of the Palestinian communities that we work to support. Oxfam is opposed to all trade from Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law."

Earlier this month, the Her star signed on as the first global brand ambassador of SodaStream International, and will appear in an advert for the at-home fizzy drinks maker during the Super Bowl on February 2.

SodaStream has come under fire from pro-Palestinian activists for maintaining a large factory in an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, a territory captured by Israel in 1967 and claimed by the Palestinians.

In response to the criticism, Johansson said last week she was a "supporter of economic cooperation and social interaction between a democratic Israel and Palestine".

Oxfam took issue with Johansson, noting it was "considering the implications of her new statement and what it means for Ms Johansson's role as an Oxfam global ambassador".

Johansson had served as a global ambassador for Oxfam since 2007, raising funds and promoting awareness about global poverty.

She travelled to India, Sri Lanka and Kenya to highlight the impact of traumatic disasters and chronic poverty.

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