Rogen And Franco's Kim Jong-Un Film Is 'War'

North Korea has said the release of a Hollywood comedy about an assassination bid on leader Kim Jong-Un is an "act of war".

Pyongyang has threatened the US with a "resolute and merciless response" unless the authorities move to ban the film, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco.

The Interview - released in the US on October 14 - sees the actors playing two tabloid TV journalists who land an interview with Mr Kim in Pyongyang but are then tasked by the CIA with killing him.

In a statement carried by North Korea's official KCNA news agency, a foreign ministry spokesman said the film was the work of "gangster moviemakers" and should never be shown.

Seth Rogen (L) and director Evan Goldberg promote The Interview

The spokesman said: "The act of making and screening such a movie that portrays an attack on our top leadership ... is a most wanton act of terror and act of war, and is absolutely intolerable."

It is not the first time Hollywood has poked fun at a North Korean leader.

In 2004 satirical action comedy Team America, a puppet version of Mr Kim's father, Kim Jong-Il, was depicted as a speech-impaired, isolated despot.

In the official trailer for The Interview, a CIA officer calls North Korea the "most dangerous country on earth", and briefs the Rogen and Franco characters on the cult of personality surrounding the Kim family dynasty.

Kim Jong-Un's regime has threatened a "merciless" response

"Kim Jong-Un's people believe everything he tells them, including that he can speak to dolphins, or that he doesn't urinate or defecate," the officer says.

Played by Korean-American actor Randall Park, Mr Kim appears in the trailer as an overweight, cigar-chomping dictator, surrounded by security guards.

The scenes set in Pyongyang were filmed in Vancouver.

In a recent interview with Yahoo Movies, Rogen, who co-wrote the script, said the idea for the film came from a discussion over how journalists with access to world leaders might have the opportunity to act as assassins.

He said: "We read as much as we could that was available on the subject ... We talked to people in the government whose job it is to associate with North Korea, or be experts on it."

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US Troops Arrive In Baghdad On ISIS Mission

The first team of American military advisers has arrived in Iraq to help the country tackle the threat from Islamist insurgents.

About 40 of the 300 expected to be deployed to the Middle Eastern country were described by the Pentagon as having "started their mission".

Admiral John Kirby told reporters that two "initial assessment teams" have been deployed in Baghdad.

He said their role would be to assess the Iraqi army and not to engage in attacks on militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), who have seized several towns north of Baghdad.

Admiral Kirby said: "This isn't about rushing to the rescue.

"These teams will assess the cohesiveness and readiness of the Iraqi security forces ... and examine the most effective and efficient way to introduce follow-on advisers."

Pentagon spokesman Admiral John Kirby

In addition to the first 40, about 90 troops are thought to have arrived to set up a joint operations centre. Another 50 are expected to join them shortly.

It came as Iraqi air strikes killed at least 38 people in their battle to hold off the advancing ISIS forces.

Militants had launched a push to seize Iraq's largest oil refinery, located near Baiji, but the attack was repelled.

The refinery provides up to 50% of Iraq's demand for petroleum products until it stopped production as Sunni fighters launched attacks on the site.

Jihadists from ISIS have overrun several towns and cities in the north of the country.

Security forces, who turned and ran when the invasion started, are struggling to hold ground.

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The Seven Sins Of Bad Boy Striker Luis Suarez

The Liverpool striker is no stranger to controversy - with one incident leading him to be dubbed "the cannibal of Ajax".

Here are just a few of his misdemeanours:

Suarez described the handball as 'save of the tournament'

FEBRUARY 2007: He is sent off late on in his debut for Uruguay against Colombia after picking up a second yellow card for dissent.

Suarez dubbed the 'cannibal of Ajax'

JULY 2010: Suarez stopped a certain goal by Ghana in the World Cup quarter-final. He was sent off but Asamoah Gyan's penalty was saved and the Ghana lost the penalty shootout. After the match the striker said: "I made the save of the tournament."

NOVEMBER 2010:  He was dubbed the "cannibal of Ajax" after he bit PSV Einhoven's Otman Bakkal's shoulder in a Dutch league game. He was banned for seven matches.

Suarez refused to shake Evra's hand

OCTOBER 2011:  Alleged to have racially abused Manchester United's Patrice Evra during a Premier League match. He was later found guilty, banned for eight matches and fined £40,000.

FEBRUARY 2012: The Liverpool striker stirred up tensions after refusing to shake Evra's hand before their Premier League game at Old Trafford.

Liverpool striker munches on Ivanovic's arm

OCTOBER 2012: Celebrates a goal against Everton by diving in front of then manager David Moyes, who had earlier claimed that "divers" such as Suarez were putting fans off the game.

APRIL 2013: Suarez bit Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic's arm in a Premier League clash. He was banned for 10 games.

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Taliban Storms Sangin As US Troops Leave Base

Hundreds of Taliban fighters have reportedly swept into Afghanistan's Sangin district, just weeks after the last US troops left their post there.

More than 800 insurgents are believed to have been locked in a five-day battle with soldiers in the region, with 2,000 families forced to flee their homes.

Siddiq Siddiqi, a spokesman for Afghanistan's interior ministry, told the AFP news agency: "There was a major attack by the Taliban and their supporters.

"We're reinforcing Afghan national security forces and have suffered no major loss of territory.

"About 100 Taliban have been killed so far."

The number of dead was corroborated by the Iranian news agency Fars, which said 35 civilians had also been killed.

Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the Helmand provincial government, told AFP extra soldiers and police had been sent to restore security in Sangin, which has been a hotbed of violence throughout the 13-year battle in Afghanistan.

British forces suffered some of their heaviest losses of the entire war during a four-year mission in the region, with at least 100 soldiers killed during operations there.

An economic and transport hub, Sangin is strategically important for both the Taliban and the Afghan government.

It is home to vital power lines and some of Afghanistan's most fertile farmland.

The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force, known as Isaf, has fewer than 50,000 troops left in Afghanistan, including 32,800 from the US and 5,200 from the UK.

The last remaining British troops will leave within months, with Afghan authorities due to assume full responsibility for security by the end of the year.

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Fifa: Suarez 'Must Face Severe Sanction'

Luis Suarez "must face a severe sanction" if he is found to have bitten an Italian player during a World Cup match, a senior Fifa official has told Sky News.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior official from international football's governing body said the Liverpool star "must face a severe sanction. If we allow this where will it stop?"

Fifa has opened disciplinary proceedings against Luis Suarez after he was accused of biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini.

The striker and the Uruguayan FA have until 9pm UK time to "provide their position and any documentary evidence they deem relevant".

Uruguay trained in Natal on Wednesday morning, but Suarez and his teammates who played against Italy were given a day off to rest.

Suarez has already commented on the incident, declaring: "These things happen on the pitch."

The Uruguay striker has previous after biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic

The striker clashed with Chiellini in the 79th minute of his country's Group D match, a game they won 1-0 to advance to the last 16.

Television replays show Suarez moving his head towards Chiellini and apparently sinking his teeth into his shoulder, with Chiellini responding by swinging his arm.

Defending the alleged attack, Suarez said: "We were both just inside the area, he struck me in the chest with his shoulder and he hit me in the eye as well.

"These are things that happen on the pitch and you shouldn't attach so much importance to them.

"I'm very happy to have qualified. We are taking each game as it comes, we know that we're in a difficult situation, we're at our limits now."

Speaking to Rai TV after the game, Chiellini said: "It was ridiculous not to send Suarez off.

Suarez was sent off for a notorious handball in South Africa in 2010

"It is clear, clear-cut and then there was the obvious dive afterwards because he knew very well that he did something that he shouldn't have done."

Article 77 of Fifa's disciplinary code allows it to hit players with retrospective bans of up to two years if it decides there is a case to answer.

Daily Mirror football writer Darren Lewis told Sky News' Sunrise programme he believes Suarez faces a lengthy international ban, but is likely to escape punishment that would prevent him from playing for Liverpool.

Both Adidas and betting firm 888poker - two of Suarez's key sponsors - have announced they are reviewing their relationship with the player following the alleged bite.

Suarez served a 10-match ban last year for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.

Before his move to Liverpool in 2011, Suarez was suspended for seven matches by the Netherlands football federation after biting PSV Eindhoven's Otman Bakkal when he played for Ajax.

He also received a eight-match ban in 2011 after the Football Association found he had racially abused Patrice Evra seven times during a game against Manchester United. He has never apologised to Evra.

Professor Cary Cooper from Lancaster University told Sky News that if the forward is found guilty in this latest incident, he should get professional help.

He said: "For anyone in a job who's behaved in an anti-social way, they should be helped - you go to a clinical psychologist, a counselling psychologist and they would try to unwrap why you do that, and then channel that in a more positive way."

He said any ban should also include an order or encouragement for Suarez to get help for his behaviour.

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Jihadist's Mother Pleads For Him To Return Home

Faith Lost In Iraq PM Amid Political Limbo

Updated: 5:46pm UK, Friday 20 June 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor, in Baghdad

The US President, Shia politicians, Sunni chieftans and none other than the Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani has joined the clamour for Iraq's Prime Minister to move fast and form a government.

The nation has languished since elections on April 30 in a political limbo that arguably undermined faith in the central government, even among the Shia-dominated armed forces.

That might, partly, explain their rapid collapse in the face of far fewer forces from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) plus their allies.

But now that Iraq's supreme court has ratified the results of the elections what possible reason could Nouri al Maliki have for delay?

One explanation may simply be political.

His stewardship over previous years has entrenched sectarian divisions and seen an explosion in corruption.

His party bloc won 92 of the 328 seats in Iraq's parliament and he'll need 165 to form a coalition administration.

He, therefore, has to get involved in some serious horse trading with other Shia parties to build his coalition.

But they are now losing faith in him. Particularly in his apparent refusal to reach out to Sunni parties and offer them stakes in the central government - such as a security portfolio and a ministry which would give them access to patronage systems such as an education or public works - so that they feel both secure and that they have an investment in the future political structures.

A more conspiratorial thesis, fuelled by the conspiratorial utterances of lame duck ministers left over from the previous administration, is that Iraq's latest travails are the fault of external forces.

Jordan, Saudi Arabia (both Sunni countries), the US and others are being blamed for manipulating the Middle East and somehow creating ISIS.

There is evidence of Saudi individual, and possible state funding, for extremist militant groups in Syria, which may include ISIS.

And Jordan has played a significant role in trying to boost the fortunes of the non-extremist Free Syrian Army.

But Mr al Maliki may have calculated that he can either weather the latest storm - or let ISIS form an impoverished caliphate in the desert north of his country which would leave the Shia with Baghdad and the south.

It's the south, after all, that holds the lion's share of the world's second largest oil reserves.

It can ship its oil out through the Gulf, via Kuwait, or via Iran.

A Shia state or semi-state would not only be self-sufficient - it would be spared the burden of sharing Iraq's spoils with other sectarian groups like the Sunni and the Kurds (who already have their own autonomy and oil industry).

Such a move, or allowing events to drift to this reality, would place the south of Iraq firmly inside Iran's imperial embrace.

That is not something that Saudi Arabia would be able to tolerate in the long term as it vies with Iran for influence in the Middle East.

Nor is it anything that a rump Sunni 'caliphate' would be able to live with - the extremists within it would forever plot how to steal it back by force.

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S Korean Soldier Captured After Shoot-Out

A South Korean soldier who killed five members of his own unit has been captured in dense forest after a failed suicide attempt.

The 22-year-old, identified only by his surname Lim, shot himself in the stomach after his father and brother pleaded with him to surrender, according to a Defence Ministry official.

Some 4,000 soldiers, backed up by helicopters, had surrounded the conscript soldier during a 24-hour stand-off, which started when he was tracked down in the forest.

Lim had been hiding there for two days after launching the grenade and gun attack, which also injured seven, on Saturday at his base in Goseong, near the border with North Korea.

Thousands of soldiers hunted Lim after he fled the base in Goseong

After the attack he fled with his standard-issue K2 assault rifle and 60 rounds of ammunition. 

When troops tried to capture him, he stood his ground and opened fire. During the exchange, a platoon leader was wounded in the arm and another soldier was injured by friendly fire.

Officials had negotiated with him via a loud speaker to persuade him to surrender and threw him a mobile phone so he could talk to his father. They also threw him bread and bottled water. 

The soldier was reportedly in tears when he asked negotiators to hand their phone to his father.

Some 500 residents evacuated from nearby homes during the initial shootout

"He talked to his parents for several minutes, and they pleaded with him to surrender," an official said.

After being captured, Lim was rushed to hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Lim's motives remain unclear. He had been on a scheduled list to be discharged from the army in September and was described as an introvert who had difficulty adapting to military life.

He was on a list of "those who require special attention," said an officer, who added there had been concerns about his psychological health, but he was deemed fit to be deployed to the outpost after passing a test in November.

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Al Jazeera Journalists Jailed For Seven Years

Three Al Jazeera journalists have each been jailed for seven years in Egypt after being found guilty of aiding terrorism.

Australian Peter Greste, Canadian-Egyptian national Mohammed Fahmy and Egyptian Baher Mohamed watched from cages as they were convicted of spreading false news and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.

Mr Mohamed received an additional three years on a separate charge involving possession of weapons.

The case has provoked outrage from freedom of speech activists, who say it was politicised, while David Cameron was said by Downing Street to be "completely appalled" by the verdict.

Peter Greste was one of 14 defendants sentenced

The families of the men - who had denied all the allegations against them in Cairo - collapsed in tears as the sentences were read out.

Greste, a former BBC correspondent, had been in Egypt on a relief posting for just two weeks when the group was detained in December.

His brother Andrew, who will visit him tomorrow, told Australia's ABC 730 show he was "gutted" but that "we're not going to give up the fight".

Fahmy's brother Adel said: "This is not a system. This is not a country. They've ruined our lives. It shows everything that's wrong with the system: it's corrupt. This country is corrupt through and through."

Mohammed Fahmy gives evidence in court in May

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she was "shocked and deeply dismayed" by the outcome and would ask the Egyptian government to intervene. 

Her UK counterpart, William Hague, said he would also ask Cairo to review the case "as a matter of urgency".

Sky News and the BBC were among the media organisations to call for the trio's release prior to the verdict.

Sky's Middle East Correspondent, Sherine Tadros, who was in court, said: "Anyone who watched this trial has seen a complete farce. There was no evidence presented linking these journalists to a 'terrorist organisation' or the Muslim Brotherhood.

A protest in Lebanon against the detention of journalists in Egypt

"What we've seen time and time again these past few months is a judiciary that is less interested in justice than in exacting revenge."

Another 11 defendants were sentenced in absentia to 10 years, including Al Jazeera's British journalist Sue Turton.

"We really believed the judge would recognise these were politically motivated charges," she said.

"We don't understand what it is they're accusing us of. They're trying to stop anyone having an opinion that doesn't tally with the government's narrative.

Peter Greste had been in Egypt for just two weeks

"I don't want to think about, now they're back in their prison cells, how they're coping with what happened today."

Fellow Brit Dominic Kane was also among those to receive a 10-year sentence in absentia.

The Muslim Brotherhood has been protesting against the government since the army toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July. The Egyptians labelled it a "terrorist organisation" in December.

The Gulf state of Qatar, which funds Al Jazeera, backs the Muslim Brotherhood.

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Sudan's Meriam Ibrahim 'Freed' From Prison

A woman sentenced to death after being accused of converting from Islam to Christianity has been released from prison, according to her lawyer.

The case of Meriam Ibrahim, who is married to a Christian American, triggered an international outcry. She gave birth to a baby daughter, Maya, while in prison.

"Meriam was released just about an hour ago," Mohanad Mustafa told AFP.

Ms Ibrahim was convicted last month of apostasy and adultery and claimed she had always been a Christian, having been raised by her Ethiopian mother while her Muslim father had left when she was young.

The 27-year-old married Daniel Wani in 2011 and has refused to renounce her faith.

Daniel Wani with their son Martin

But a court in Khartoum insisted she was a Muslim, and in Sudan such interfaith marriage is forbidden.

She was sentenced to 100 lashes for adultery and to hang for apostasy.

Her death sentence was suspended for two years so she could nurse Maya. Ms Ibrahim also has a young son called Martin, who was also living in prison with her.

"The appeal court ordered the release of Meriam Yahya and the cancellation of the (previous) court ruling," Sudan's SUNA news agency said.

Mr Mustafa said Ms Ibrahim had been sent "to an unknown house to stay at for her protection and security".

"Her family had been threatened before and we are worried that someone might try to harm her," he said.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister David Cameron joined international condemnation of the mother's plight, saying he was "absolutely appalled" by the case.

Mr Cameron said: "The way she is being treated is barbaric and has no place in today's world."

Sudan introduced Islamic Shariah law in the early 1980s under the rule of autocrat Jaafar Nimeiri, a move that contributed to the resumption of an insurgency in the mostly animist and Christian south of Sudan.

The south seceded in 2011 to become the world's newest nation, South Sudan.

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US Offers Iraq 'Intense And Sustained' Support

Timeline: How The Iraq Crisis Unfolded

Updated: 10:23am UK, Monday 23 June 2014

A look back at the main events in the Iraq crisis, which has seen Sunni insurgents from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group move to within 50 miles of the capital Baghdad.

December 2011: US troops complete their withdrawal after the 2003 invasion which led to the removal of Saddam Hussein.

August 2013: More than 70 people are killed in attacks at the end of Ramadan. ISIS claim responsibility.

January 2-4, 2014: ISIS declares itself in control of the western city of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi following clashes sparked by the clearing of a Sunni-Arab protest camp.

February: al Qaeda formally disowns ISIS, which was at one time an affiliate, because of its extreme methods.

April: Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki wins the most seats in a general election.

June 10: ISIS seizes all of Nineveh province in the north, including the capital Mosul - Iraq's second city. Mr Maliki asks parliament to declare a state of emergency.

June 11: The militants launch a wave of attacks further south, taking Tikrit and freeing hundreds of prisoners in Baiji. An assault on Samarra, 70 miles (110km) north of Baghdad, is repelled by security forces.

June 12: Iraq's air force strikes fighters' positions near Mosul and Tikrit.

US President Barack Obama says he is looking at "all the options" to help the government, which fails to secure authorisation for a state of emergency.

The army abandons its bases in Kirkuk, leaving Kurdish Peshmerga troops to take control.

June 13: A top Shia cleric issues a call to arms, telling the population to take up arms and defend their country.

Mr Maliki claims government forces have started to clear cities of "terrorists" and implements an emergency plan to protect Baghdad.

President Obama rules out sending back troops to fight ISIS.

The rebels move into the towns of Saadiyah and Jalawla in eastern province of Diyala.

June 14: Iran offers to work with the US to tackle the crisis, as Britain pledges an initial £3m in emergency aid to help refugees fleeing the violence.

The Iraqi army's fightback continues, with forces retaking the towns of Ishaqi, al-Mutasim and Duluiyah in Salaheddin province.

Troops also regain much of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's home town.

US aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush is ordered to the Persian Gulf.

June 15: Photos emerge appearing to show an ISIS massacre of 1,700 captured government soldiers. Baghdad says number is exaggerated.

Reports say militants have overrun Tal Afar, the largest town in Nineveh province.

A bombing in central Baghdad leaves 15 people dead and dozens injured.

Former PM Tony Blair tells Sky News that critics who believe the violence is the result of the 2003 invasion are "profoundly mistaken".

June 16: Video footage purporting to show an ISIS fighter questioning and killing unarmed Iraqi soldiers draws condemnation.

ISIS takes control of Tal Afar and the al Adhim area of Diyala province.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says Washington is "open to discussions with Iran".

June 17: Britain announces it is reopening its Iranian embassy, with William Hague saying the "circumstances are right" as the West looks to improve relations to help tackle the crisis in Iraq.

Iraq's Shia leaders accuse Saudi Arabia of promoting "genocide" by backing Sunni militants.

June 18: Iraq's foreign minister asks the US to carry out airstrikes to help reverse the sweeping gains of Islamist militants in the country.

David Cameron warns that if Britain does not intervene in the Middle East crisis then terrorists will "hit the UK at home".

Insurgents are seen parading through the city of Baiji with captured vehicles after reports they have taken over three-quarters of Iraq's biggest oil refinery.

ISIS charts its brutality and tactics in annual reports called al-Naba - The Report, it emerges.

June 19: Iraqi authorities say government forces have retaken the Baiji oil refinery after fierce fighting.

Barck Obama says US troops will not return to combat in Iraq, but he would be prepared to take "targeted action".

The president also announces additional equipment and up to 300 additional military advisers could be provided to help fight the ISIS insurgency.

June 20: Iraq's senior Shia religious authority Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani calls for a new government for the country as it struggles to stop Sunni militants.

Barack Obama piles further pressure on Iraq's PM Nouri al Maliki, saying he needs to take urgent steps to heal the sectarian rift in the country, but stopping short of demanding he quit.

A video of British jihadists urging Western Muslims to join ISIS in Iraq and Syria emerges on social media.

June 21: The family of Naseer Muthana, 20, who appears in the ISIS recruitment video and younger brother Aseel, 17, who followed him to fight in the region say they are "devastated". 

The men's father Ahmed Muthana tells Sky News he believes his son Nasser was radicalised in a mosque in the United Kingdom.

In Iraq, dozens of Iraqi troops are killed as ISIS militants seize the crucial Qaim crossing into Syria.

A Shia preacher loyal to anti-US cleric Moqtada al Sadr warns that the 300 US military advisers en route to Iraq will be attacked.

June 22: Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei comes out in opposition of US intervention in neighbouring Iraq.

President Barack Obama warns ISIS could grow in power, destabilise the region and pose a threat to the US.

The mother of one of two Britons filmed in a militants' video calling for Western Muslims to fight in Syria and Iraq, Reyaad Khan, pleads for him to come home in an emotional Sky News interview.

A former head of counter-terrorism at MI6 tells Sky's Murnaghan programme up to 300 Islamist fighters from Iraq and Syria may have returned to the UK and it would be "impossible" to keep track of all of them.

June 23: Barack Obama warns ISIS could pose a threat to the US, hours after the Islamist militants make dramatic gains by capturing four towns in western Iraq.

US Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Baghdad for talks with Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki.

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