Assassination Plot DVD Ballooned To North Korea

Thousands of DVDs of a Hollywood film about a plot to assassinate the North Korean leader have been sent into the country via helium balloon.

North Korean defector-turned-activist Lee Min-Bok said he had undertaken four launches since January, the last being on Saturday.

Mr Lee's command centre from where he plans his leaflet attacks

Each time, he tied bundles of The Interview DVD and anti-Pyongyang leaflets to the balloons, and then released them from the back of a lorry.

"I launched thousands of copies and about a million leaflets on Saturday, near the western part of the border," Mr Lee told AFP news agency.

Video: 25 Dec - The Interview In Cinemas

Pyongyang has described the comedy about a fictional CIA plot to assassinate leader Kim Jong-Un, as a "wanton act of terror" .

Mr Lee carried out the launches secretly at night, in remote areas and, although he was watched by local police, he was not stopped.

"The police would have no right to stop me from doing this," Mr Lee said.

"I am always being tailed by police," he added.

South Korea has asked activists to avoid provoking its neighbour but insisted it cannot act against individuals who have the right to express themselves.

Video: Sony Hack Timeline

Its Unification Ministry said: "Our stance is that we continue to acknowledge the freedom of individuals to publicise their opinions." 

North Korea has been more proactive.

Border guards tried to shoot down one balloon launch last October resulting in an exchange of heavy machine gun fire with guards on the South Korea side.

North Korea have threatened "merciless retaliatory strikes" and issued their own condemnatory statement through their state-run news agency.

"The South Korean puppet authorities are egging despicable confrontational villains on to flock to the areas along the Military Demarcation Line and scatter leaflets slandering the DPRK.

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1. Gallery: 'The Interview' Film Pulled: Hollywood Takes to Twitter

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Prison Guards 'Staged Gladiator-Style Fight'

Prison guards allegedly created a "gladiator-like scenario" to let two handcuffed inmates fight before a corrections officer shot one dead and wounded the other.

The trainee officer at High Desert State Prison fired four shotgun blasts according to the lawsuit filed at a Nevada state court by the family of the dead prisoner, 28-year-old Carlos Manuel Perez Jr.

Lawyer Cal Potter, representing the family, claimed the shooting on 12 November was an execution.

He said guards had staged the fight by allowing two inmates to encounter each other in a shower hallway in administrative segregation (ad seg) - where prisoners are supposed to be kept apart for their safety.

"Officers know they will see a fight if they release ad seg inmates that are supposed to be in walk-alone status," he said.

"Defendants ... refused to intervene. On the contrary (they) created a gladiator-like scenario and allowed the inmates to fight."

The lawsuit names two corrections officers and a shooter, said to be a trainee, by their last names only.

It alleges wrongful death; excessive force; deliberate indifference to Perez's medical needs; negligent training and supervision; and intentional infliction of emotional distress. It seeks unspecified damages in excess of $30,000 (£20,000).

Perez was serving 18 months to four years for hitting a man in the head with a two-by-four piece of wood in downtown Las Vegas in 2012.

The Clark County coroner ruled his death a homicide, after finding he died of gunshot wounds to the head, neck, chest and arms.

The other inmate, Andrew Jay Arevalo, 24, survived with gunshot wounds to the face, according to his attorney, Alexis Plunkett. She said her client told her that he and Perez were handcuffed when they were shot.

Arevalo is serving two to six years in prison after being jailed in June 2013 for burglary.

Ms Plunkett said she planned to file an excessive force lawsuit over the coming weeks on Arevalo's behalf.

Mr Potter represents Perez's brother, Victor Perez, and mother, Myra Perez, both of Reno, and two children, aged 3 and 2.

The lawyer said Perez's family was given conflicting statements during initial meetings with prison administrators after his death, and were not told Perez had been shot.

"They were devastated three days later when they went to the mortuary and learned that Carlos had ... multiple gunshot wounds to his face and upper body," he said.

Deputy prisons chief Brian Connett has insisted the state Department of Corrections is a responsible steward of the safety and security of guards and inmates.

He has said the shooting came in response to two inmates fighting at the prison, which houses around 3,500 inmates. The three accused corrections officers remain on paid leave pending action by the attorney general.

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Hundreds Of Flights Cancelled By France Strike

Hundreds of flights to and from Britain have been cancelled due to a strike by air traffic controllers in France.

No frills airline Ryanair said it had axed more than 250 services while British Airways has warned of significant delays for the next 48 hours.

Departure and arrivals boards at Heathrow suggested most European flights were either delayed or cancelled, affecting tens of thousands of passengers during the Easter break.

Easyjet has axed 160 flights, including 36 to and from the UK. 

The airline said in a statement: "We can assure our passengers we are doing everything possible to limit the inconvenience of this strike on them."

British Airways said: "Unfortunately there will be some knock-on delays to other parts of our short-haul network as a result of the strike action, given how much airspace in Europe will be affected. We are sorry for any disruption to customers' travel plans."

Ryanair hit out at those on strike. In a statement the airline said: "It's grossly unfair that thousands of European travellers will once again have their travel plans disrupted by the selfish actions of a tiny number of French ATC workers."

Passengers voiced their frustration on Twitter:  

John Reynolds tweeted "Another great example of @Ryanair customer service - they tell you at 5.30pm that your flight is cancelled then close all comms down!"

While Darren Sutton asked Ryanair via twitter "my flight today has been cancelled and nothing available until Monday. What do I do now I'm stuck in Spain with no money or hotel?"

The effects of the strike have been felt far beyond France. Dave Garwood tweeted "daughter stranded in Marrakesh as Ryanair flight cancelled". 

The moves by airlines were a response to advice from the French aviation authority, the DGAC, which had urged companies to cut their flights to and from France by 40%.

Airlines have warned the action will have a knock-on effect for short and medium-haul flights across Europe, due to the large number of flights that normally use French airspace.

The strike has been called by France's largest Air Traffic Controllers union, the SNCTA, in a dispute over working conditions.

The union is planning further action on 16-18 April and 29 April to 2 May.

The SNCTA delayed a strike planned a strike for 25-27 March due to the Germanwings crash in the French Alps.

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Amazon Founder To Launch Spaceship This Year

Amazon's billionaire founder Jeff Bezos is to launch a spaceship which could one day take passengers into Earth's orbit.

His space firm Blue Origin has finished testing the rocket engine which will power the New Shepard craft - and if the test flights are successful then it could be used to fly three people to a height of 62 miles.

The liquid-oxygen fuelled rocket will be attached to the main capsule for the maiden voyage later this year, which will take off from the company's Texas facility near Van Horn.

Dozens of unmanned flights are likely to take place before paying passengers would be allowed on board.

Tickets for future suborbital flights are not yet on sale, and Blue Origin has not released any pricing information.

It is likely to begin flying commercially within 10 years.

Meanwhile Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo will resume test flights later this year after a fatal accident in California in 2014.

Other companies such as SpaceX are skipping suborbital space flight - part-way around the world - in favour of developing programmes for full orbital flight.

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White House System Hacked By Russians - Report

Russian hackers who compromised computers in the US State Department used the foothold to target the White House computer system, it is claimed.

Computer experts allegedly backed by the Russian government penetrated sensitive parts of the White House computer system, CNN and other US news networks cited senior officials as saying.

Information access reportedly included real-time non-public details of the president's schedule. The information is not classified but still highly sensitive.

The hackers routed their attacks through computers around the world to hide their origins, but investigators say tell-tale codes point to hackers working for the Russian government.

National Security Council spokesman Mark Stroh would not confirm the exact details of the case, but said "any such activity is something we take very seriously".

It is alleged that suspicious activity was noticed on the White House computer systems back in October.

One official was quoted by CNN as saying the Russian hackers have "owned" the State Department system for months despite efforts to lock them out.

The Obama administration admitted the State Department computer intrusion when it happened last year, but said it would not comment in detail on the new claims.

Last week Mr Obama signed an executive order approving the first sanctions programme against cyberattackers who pose a "significant threat" to American interests.

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Two Israeli Soldiers Injured In Stabbing

Two Israeli soldiers have been injured in a stabbing near a settlement in the West Bank, with the attacker killed shortly afterwards, the Israeli army has said.

An army spokeswoman said: "There was a stabbing attack near Shilo junction. Two people were stabbed and taken to hospital. The terrorist was targeted and killed by IDF (Israel Defence Forces) forces."

The incident happened on route 60, the main road linking the cities of Ramallah and Nablus.

Military sources told AFP one of the soldiers was in a serious condition after being stabbed in the neck.

The other soldier was said to have suffered light to moderate injuries.

Emergency services confirmed paramedics were called to a report of a stabbing near the entrance to the Maale Levona settlement near Shilo.

A statement said: "Paramedics are transferring a young man of around 20 to (Jerusalem's) Shaarei Tzedek hospital in serious condition with a stab wound to his upper body."

Palestinian security sources said they have sent an ambulance to pick up the body of the attacker.

There was a similar wave of attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem towards the end of last year, but the violence has mostly subsided.

Palestinians demand the West Bank, which was captured by Israel from Jordan in the 1967 war, as part of their future state and object to an Israeli presence there.

Soldiers and Jewish settlers are often targeted by militants.

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Gas Chamber Views Trigger Le Pen Family Rift

The leader of France's far-right National Front party, Marine Le Pen, said she will "oppose" her father standing in upcoming elections, in a major party and family rift.

The row emerged after a series of controversial comments by Jean-Marie Le Pen, including over Nazi gas chambers.

Marine Le Pen said her father's position appeared to sit somewhere "between a scorched earth strategy and political suicide".

She added she would oppose him standing in December's regional polls at a party meeting taking place on 17 April.

Mr Le Pen, the founder of the FN, last week reiterated his belief that gas chambers were a mere "detail" of the Second World War.

Video: Right-Wing Earthquake Across Europe

This is an assertion he has made repeatedly over nearly three decades, earning convictions for hate speech along the way.

Speaking of her "deep sadness," his daughter said she would call a top brass meeting at the party "to discuss with him how to best protect the political interests of the National Front."

"His status of honorary president does not allow him to take the National Front hostage, to make such crass provocations that appear aimed at harming me but which unfortunately hit the entire movement, its officials, candidates, members and voters very hard," she said.

Since taking over the FN in 2011, Marine Le Pen has sought to make the party a more palatable alternative for mainstream voters.

The strategy helped lead the FN to first place in last year's European elections in France and a quarter of the votes in the first round of local polls last month.

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Briton Held After Girl's Hong Kong Death Fall

The British father of a teenager in Hong Kong has been arrested after she plunged to her death from an upmarket apartment block.

Nick Cousins, and the girl's Filipina mother, were arrested on suspicion of "ill-treatment or neglect of a child or a young person".

Police emphasised that there was "no suspicious element" in the 15-year-old girl's fatal fall. 

Mr Cousins, 58, is the managing director of the Hong Kong office of British multinational Jardine Lloyd Thompson (JLT), one of the world's leading insurance brokers.

The girl's mother is a 53-year-old Philippine national, the consulate in the Hong Kong said, adding that they were still ascertaining her identity.

She is reported to be a former domestic helper, according to local media.

Mr Cousins has been released on bail but the teenager's mother was still in police custody on Wednesday afternoon.

The 15-year-old plunged from the 21-storey apartment block in upmarket Repulse Bay in the early hours of Tuesday morning, police said.

The teenager's mother has also been accused of overstaying her visa, while Mr Cousins was accused of aiding or abetting the overstay.

The couple were not married, Hong Kong police said.

JLT confirmed Mr Cousins had lost his eldest daughter "in tragic circumstances".

"We are giving Nick our full support through this difficult time and he will be on extended compassionate leave until further notice," the statement said.

Police said that the teenager was pronounced dead at the scene after a security guard found her lying on the ground.

"It was suspected that the subject fell from a height," police said without confirming which floor.

"We learned that the subject was probably upset about some daily life issues," the spokesman said in an email to the AFP news agency.

Local media reported that she had locked herself in a bathroom before her death.

Residents of the Repulse Bay neighbourhood expressed their dismay.

"I was shocked because she (the teenager) would always say 'Hi' to me. She was friendly," a domestic helper said.

She was often in the complex's playroom or at the pool with her younger sister, said the helper.

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Litvinenko Suspect: Death 'Suicide By Accident'

One of two ex-KGB agents suspected of using a radioactive poison to kill a former spy in London has said the victim may have accidentally poisoned himself.

Alexander Litvinenko died three weeks after after meeting the two agents at a London hotel on 1 November 2006.

Speaking at a Moscow news conference, Dmitry Kovtun said Mr Litvinenko may have already been contaminated before another meeting they had in October that year.

He suggested the former spy had accidentally poisoned himself, calling it a "suicide by accident".

Russia has refused to arrest Mr Kovtun and Andrei Lugovoi (pictured)

"I am sure he was dealing with polonium without realising," Mr Kovtun said.

"Maybe at some point there was a leak of this polonium and it was gradually storing in his body. There were outbreaks, like on 16 October when he was vomiting." 

Video: Poisoning Timeline

Sky's Moscow Correspondent Katie Stallard said people would find the suggestion hard to believe, particularly considering the coincidence around the timing of it.

Police have said a "massive trail" of radiation followed Mr Kovtun and his co-accused, Andrei Lugovoi, across London.

Traces were found in each of the hotel rooms they stayed in, restaurants they visited and even on their plane seats back to Moscow.

The former KGB agent did not deny he and his colleague had met Mr Litvinenko on 16 October 2006 at Itsu restaurant in London, but said Mr Litvinenko had told them he was feeling unwell and had been sick the night before.

Mr Kovtun suggested he had been contaminated when the group shook hands.

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1. Gallery: Police Photo Evidence From Litvinenko Inquiry

   A graphic showing the levels of contamination in the bathroom of room 848 at the Sheraton hotel in London's Park Lane where Andrei Lugovoi, one of the men suspected of killing Mr Litvinenko, stayed just days before he was poisoned

A photograph of the bathroom

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US Soldier Killed In Afghan Insider Attack

An Afghan soldier was shot dead after opening fire on American troops - killing one and wounding seven others - in a failed assassination attempt on a senior US diplomat.

The attack took place after a meeting between Afghan provincial leaders and Donald Yamamoto in the compound of the provincial governor in Jalalabad.

According to sources, a convoy was leaving the compound when the Afghan soldier opened fire on the last car using a vehicle-mounted machine gun.

Mr Yamamoto, who was recently appointed as special advisor to Afghanistan, had already left the compound by this stage and was unharmed.

General Fazel Ahmad Sherzad, police chief for eastern Nangarhar province, said American troops immediately returned fire, killing the Afghan soldier.

The motive for the attack was not immediately known.

An Afghan interpreter working with the US troops had previously said no American soldiers had died in the incident.

It is the second insider attack in the country this year, after an Afghan soldier killed three American contractors on 29 January.

The Western-backed Afghan government's 13-year war against the insurgents has intensified as both sides seek to strengthen their positions ahead of possible peace talks.

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