Kim Jong-Un Missing Due To 'Pulled Tendon'

Kim Jong-Un has missed celebrations of the anniversary of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, with one source suggesting he hurt himself taking part in a military drill.

Mr Kim has not been seen in public for over a month, leading to reports he was suffering from broken ankles, gout or diabetes.

His disappearance from public life - the longest since he came to power in 2011 - even sparked rumours he had been forced from power in a coup.

North Korean state media, which usually slavishly follows the leader's ever move on official visits, did not list Mr Kim among officials who made the annual pilgrimage to the mausoleum in Pyongyang housing the remains of his father and grandfather.

Instead, a floral tribute with his name on it was presented to the two statues of Kim Jong-Il and Kim Il-Sung in the Kumsusan Palace mausoleum.

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1. Gallery: Kim Jong-Un Inspecting Things

   Before recently disappearing from public view North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un was making regular public appearances across the country

2. The state media followed him as he enjoyed visits to factories, military installations and construction sites. Continue through for more pictures

Reuters news agency quoted a source inside North Korea saying Mr Kim was still in firm control of his government, but had hurt his leg taking part in a military drill.

"He ordered all the generals to take part in drills and he took part too. They were crawling and running and rolling around, and he pulled a tendon," the source said on condition of anonymity.

"He injured his ankle and knee around late August or early September while drilling because he is overweight.

Video: 8 July 2014: Kim Seems Unbalanced

"He limped around in the beginning, but the injury worsened." 

State television said last month that Mr Kim had an "uncomfortable physical condition". He was seen walking with a limp and appeared more overweight than usual.

North Korea strictly controls information about its government, so much of what happens in Pyongyang remains unknown by outsiders as well as North Koreans.

Video: Inside North Korea: Full Programme

But South Korea said Mr Kim appeared to remain in control of key affairs.

"It seems that Kim Jong-Un's rule is in normal operation," Unification Ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol was quoted by the Yonhap news agency as saying.

"With regard to his specific health conditions, our government has no information to confirm yet."

Video: The Defectors: A Special Programme

Mr Lim noted that a high-level North Korean delegation conveyed a greetings message to South Korean President Park Geun-hye during a surprise visit to South Korea last week.

Meanwhile, the North fired into the South after a group of activists sent up balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets.

The South Korean military returned fire across the border, according to the Yonhap news agency.

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'Extremely Powerful' Typhoon Threatens Japan

Japan is preparing for its strongest storm this year as super typhoon Vongfong threatens to wreak havoc when it makes landfall over the Okinawa Islands.

"There is no question that it is an extremely large, extremely powerful typhoon," said an official at Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

"It's the strongest storm we've had this year, definitely, although it has lost some strength from its peak."

The typhoon, which will be Japan's second in a week, was south of Okinawa, and moving north at 15 kph (9 mph) with winds of 185 kph (114 mph) on Friday afternoon, the agency said.

It was likely to be closest to Okinawa, an island chain 1,600 km (1,000 miles) southwest of Tokyo, late on Saturday or early on Sunday.

Video: Deadly Typhoon Hits Japan Islands

The typhoon was expected to weaken as it moved north, and likely to hit land on Sunday on the westernmost main island of Kyushu, before moving northeast towards Japan's largest main island of Honshu, where it is likely to weaken into a tropical storm. 

Government officials were due to meet on Friday night to plan their response, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.

"We are calling on all citizens to pay close attention to weather reports and respond promptly if the authorities advise them to evacuate," he said.

Vongfong was following the path of Phanfone, a typhoon that hit the mainland on Monday.

Video: High Waves Whipped Up By Typhoon

Japan's Kyodo news agency said nine people are now known to have been killed by Phanfone, including three US military servicemen in Okinawa who were washed out to sea. Their bodies have since been recovered.

Okinawa is home to about half of the 50,000 US troops stationed in Japan.

Two to four typhoons make landfall in Japan each year.

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Massacre 'Likely' If Islamic State Takes Kobani

More than 500 people trapped in Kobani could be "massacred" if Islamic State wins the fierce battle for the Syrian town.

Staffan de Mistura, UN envoy to Syria, made the warning as militants reportedly took more territory and shelled a border crossing to try to isolate the town.

He said 500 to 700 people - many of them elderly - were trapped in Kobani, with only a small area available for a possible escape through the fighting.

Staffan de Mistura says thousands are also trapped near the border

Mr de Mistura said a UN analysis showed 10,000 to 13,000 more people remain stuck near the border.

Since the siege began in mid-September, some 200,000 people have fled the Kurdish-dominated town into Turkey.

Video: Calls For Ground Forces In Kobani

Despite seven more US-led airstrikes, IS fighters could be close to seizing Kobani, according to monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

People still living there "will be most likely massacred" if the town falls, said Mr de Mistura.

The UN envoy urged: "When there is an imminent threat to civilians, we cannot, we should not be silent."

Video: IS Footage Shows Kobani Onslaught

Calls have been growing louder for Turkey to send ground forces to support the town's defenders but it has ruled out a ground operation on its own.

The US has said the Kurds "continue to control most of the city and are holding out against ISIL".

However, the situation could be approaching tipping point.

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1. Gallery: Protests Rage In Turkey Over IS

   Residents walk through a damaged street in central Diyarbakir following overnight clashes with police

2. Violence erupted in Turkish towns and cities, mainly in the Kurdish southeastern provinces, as protesters took to the streets to demand more be done to protect Kobani

3. Kobani, a predominantly Kurdish settlement, has been surrounded by Islamic State fighters for three weeks

6. Kurdish protesters set fire to a barricade set up to block the street as they clash with riot police in Diyarbakir

7. Flames are seen near a Turkish police vehicle in Diyarbakir during a demonstration of Kurds to demand more Western intervention against Islamic State militants (IS) in Syria and Iraq

9. Kurdish protesters set fire to a bank

10. The Halkbank branch was set ablaze

13. Kurdish protesters clash with Turkish riot police

14. Police used tear gas and water cannon in Istanbul

17. Smoke rises from the Gaziosmanpasa district in Istanbul

18. A public bus burned by Kurdish protesters is pictured in the Gaziosmanpasa district

UK-based SOHR said IS, also known ISIL or ISIS, now has "at least 40%" of Kobani after winning control of an local government area on Friday.

Deputy head of the Kurdish forces Ocalan Iso gave a different assessment and said IS was still bombarding the town from afar and probably only had 20% control.

Islamic State, which wants to expand its repressive Islamic 'caliphate', has already been accused of massacring minority populations in its push through Iraq.

Video: Sam Kiley On The Battle For Kobani

The US wants access to an air base in southern Turkey which could become a strategic stronghold in the battle against the militants.

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said US officials have raised the possibility of using the Incirlik air base during discussions this week.

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Ebola Hospital Staff Throw Gloves At Spain PM

Angry staff have been filmed throwing medical gloves and shouting "go away" at the Spanish prime minister after his visit to a hospital where a nurse has ebola.

Teresa Romero, 44, caught the deadly disease while treating a missionary there. He had flown to Madrid after becoming infected in West Africa and later died.

Questions have been raised about safety measures at Carlos III hospital where Mrs Romero is in a stable but serious condition.

Teresa Romero is in a serious but stable condition in hospital

There have been complaints from medical staff that they did not receive the appropriate training.

Nurses' union representative Paloma Panillas said nursing staff "don't trust this situation".

Video: Ebola Crisis: On The Front Line

Health officials revealed Mrs Romero had twice entered the missionary's room - once to change an incontinence pad and then to retrieve items after he had died.

She then accidentally touched her face while still wearing gloves used during the clean up.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who was leaving in his convoy when the medical staff shouted at him, said it was extremely unlikely the disease would spread in Spain.

Speaking outside the hospital, the leader said: "Our first priority is Teresa Romero - she is the only person that we know has the illness."

Video: How Can The UK Stop Ebola?

Mr Rajoy said he had set up a committee headed by the deputy prime minister to handle the crisis.

Seven more people have been admitted to the hospital in relation to Mrs Romero's case - taking the total number under observation or being treated to 14.

The new admissions included two hairdressers who had given her a beauty treatment before she was diagnosed and hospital staff who had treated her after she was admitted on Monday.

All went voluntarily to be monitored for signs of the disease, although none of the 14, including her husband, has so far tested positive for the disease except Ms Romero.

Video: How Doctors Should Deal With Ebola

She said she did not tell doctors she had been in contact with the virus and only found out she had the disease after reading the news online.

The nurse is the first person known to have caught the disease outside of West Africa in the current outbreak, which has killed thousands of people.

Meanwhile, a British man who died in Macedonia after suffering symptoms similar to ebola has been named as Colin Jaffray, according to Sky sources.

Public Health England said it was "unlikely" the death was caused by the virus.

Video: Ebola 'Could Become Next AIDS'

Prime Minister David Cameron has defended the decision to introduce enhanced screening for ebola at Heathrow and Gatwick airports and the Eurostar rail terminals, saying it was taken on "medical advice".

Questions have been raised about the checks with a Gatwick spokesman saying the airport had not been given any instructions about how the screening should be carried out.

The move has also been criticised by health experts, with one describing it as a "complete waste of time".

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Malala 'Honoured' To Get Nobel Peace Prize

Schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai has said she is "honoured" after winning the Nobel Peace Prize for the championing of girls' rights.

The Pakistani schoolgirl said a teacher told her she had won the prize while in a chemistry lesson at school.

And she told a press conference in Birmingham that the prize was an "encouragement for me to go forward" in her campaign for equal rights in education.

"My message for children all around the world is that they should stand up for their rights," Malala said.

More follows...

Video: 12 July 2013: Malala Addresses UN

Video: 18 October 2013: Malala Meets Queen

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The Apocalyptic Prophecy Fuelling IS Militants

An ancient prophecy that sees an "infidel horde" in a monumental battle with an Islamic army in the Syrian town of Dabiq has apparently been seized upon by IS fundamentalists.

The Sunni Muslim tale dates back more than 1,300 years and tells of the "horde" flying 80 banners before an Islamic triumph that triggers the end of days.

It has become a fundamental part of the philosophy that drives Islamic State militants.

Dabiq, the Islamic State magazine

Having captured Dabiq in August, the town's symbolic significance far outweighs its relatively minor strategic importance to the group, compared with cities it controls such as Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq.

But as the militants come under heavy bombardment from the air by the US and allies seeking to halt their march, Dabiq is increasingly becoming a rallying call.

Video: Sam Kiley On The Battle For Kobani

Shadi Hamid, a fellow at the Brookings Institute, said: "It raises morale.

"It is fair to assume that the vast majority of (IS) fighters believe in this type of talk."

The prophecy itself was made by the Prophet Mohammed, according to his companion Abu Hurayrah's report, or hadith.

Abu Hurayrah is described as the most prolific narrator of hadith - accounts of the Prophet Mohammed's deeds, teachings and sayings - in Sunni Islam, adding to the importance of the prophecy in the eyes of IS.

Video: Where Does IS Get Its Money?

Among IS supporters on social media, Dabiq has become a byword for a struggle against the West, with the US-led coalition portrayed as modern-day Crusaders. IS has even named its official magazine Dabiq.

One Twitter user in Tunisia recently wrote: "The lions of Islam have raised the banner of the Caliphate in Dabiq. Now they await the arrival of the Crusader army."

The prophecy has been passed down in different versions, but in all cases it features a great battle between a Muslim army and the forces of non-believers.

IS supporters have been interpreting a series of recent events as further evidence of its truth.

Video: Is Town 'About To Fall' To IS?

The US-led coalition's members now number more than 60 countries, with many watching closely in anticipation of when the prophecy's "80 banners" are reached.

Comments by US General Martin Dempsey on the possible need for ground forces have also been seized on by some as a signal, with supporters on Twitter using the hashtag: "It is Dabiq, by God."

In reference to the prophecy, one user simply posted: "When you despair of your air power, you will find us waiting in Dabiq."

Anjem Choudary, a radical British Islamist preacher who has expressed support for IS, said he did not believe Muslims sought to make the foretold battle a reality.

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1. Gallery: The Moment RAF Jet Attacks IS Truck

   The RAF carried out its first airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq on 1 October, 2014 (All pictures: MoD)

2. Tornados destroyed a heavy weapon position, which was attacking Kurdish forces, and an armed pick-up truck (pictured). The red circle shows the path of the missile fired at the vehicle

3. The strikes were the first since MPs voted to support aerial raids in Iraq last Friday

4. The targets were in the northwest of Iraq

5. The moment the truck, which had a mounted machine gun, was destroyed by a Brimstone missile

6. A plume of smoke rose above the area

7. The strike was successful, according to an initial assessment, said Defence Secretary Michael Fallon

8. The Tornados safely returned to their base at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus after the sortie

9. Six of the GR4 fighter jets are based on the island in the Mediterranean

10. The aircraft began their combat missions on Saturday

"It could happen now; it could happen in the future," he said.

"I don't think any Muslim strives to bring it about."

But many IS supporters are convinced of the prophecy's validity, with one writing on Twitter: "Dabiq will happen for certain.

"The US and its allies will descend on Syria once they see that the air campaign has failed. That is a promise by God and his Messenger."

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Canada Authorises Airstrikes Against IS In Iraq

By Sky News US Team

Following a request from the US, the Canadian parliament has voted to authorise airstrikes against the Islamic State militant group in Iraq.

The motion introduced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative Party passed 157-134 on Tuesday.

It allows airstrikes in Iraq for up to six months, and explicitly rules out using ground troops in combat operations.

The combat mission includes up to six CF-18 fighter jets, a refuelling tanker aircraft, two surveillance planes and one airlift aircraft.

IS forces launching an assault of Kobani

About 600 airmen and airwomen will be involved.

"The threat posed by ISIL is real," Mr Harper said in a statement, referring to the Islamic State by one of its acronyms.

Video: The Brutal Battle For Kobani

The US has been bombing IS in Syria for more than two weeks with the help of Arab allies, and hitting targets in Iraq since August.

European countries have joined the campaign in Iraq but not in Syria.

It is unclear how effective the airstrikes are in weakening the group.

IS appears close to capturing the strategically important town of Kobani near the border with Syria.

The White House welcomed Canada's deployment.

"Canadians and Americans have fought alongside each other in several major conflicts over the past century, and we are grateful for Canada's further contribution against terrorism," a White House statement said.

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Doctor Kills His Bride In Wedding Night Row

By Sky News US Team

A doctor shot dead his wife on their wedding night during an argument before turning the gun on himself, officials say.

George Samson, 54, opened fire on Kelly Ecker, 50, at their mansion in Terre Haute, Indiana, early on Sunday.

The row turned deadly shortly after their last guest left a post-reception gathering at the couple's home.

Ms Ecker was a nurse at the same hospital as her husband Pic: Facebook

Ms Ecker, a nurse, phoned emergency services to say that her husband, an anaesthesiologist, was "beating the s*** out of me".

By the time police arrived, she had multiple fatal gunshot wounds to the head and torso with a 40-calibre semi-automatic pistol.

He was found dead in the basement.

Ms Ecker's 10-year-old son from a previous relationship and an elderly couple were in the home at the time of the shootings, the Indy Star reported.

Vigo County Chief Deputy Sheriff Clark Cottom told the newspaper: "The investigation has revealed that there was a verbal argument between the couple toward the end of the reception, which carried over to the after-party at the couples' home."

It is not clear what the newlyweds were arguing about.

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Texas Ebola Patient Thomas Eric Duncan Dies

By Sky News US Team

Thomas Eric Duncan - the first man diagnosed with ebola in the US - has died, says the Dallas facility where he was being treated.

A release from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital said: "It is with profound sadness and heartfelt disappointment that we must inform you of the death of Thomas Eric Duncan this morning at 7:51am.

"Mr Duncan succumbed to an insidious disease, Ebola. He fought courageously in this battle."

The statement said the hospital staff were "grieving" his death and had sent condolences to his family.

The Liberian national picked up the killer virus in Liberia before flying to Texas where he was admitted to the Dallas hospital.

Video: Bodies Pile Up After Ebola Strike

US authorities are monitoring about 50 people who came into contact with him.

His family said they had visited him on Tuesday at the hospital, but declined to view him via video link because his condition was too "disturbing".

Mr Duncan's nephew, Josephus Weeks, said he and his mother had been unable to sleep after seeing Mr Duncan's face over video during a previous visit.

He was being treated with an experimental drug and had been on a breathing machine while receiving kidney dialysis.

There is no approved treatment for ebola and no vaccine against the virus.

Video: Suiting Up In An Ebola Hotspot

As news of Mr Duncan's death was released, Secretary of State John Kerry was making an urgent appeal for nations to "step up" their response to the outbreak of the deadly virus.

Speaking alongside British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Mr Kerry said more money, equipment and personnel are needed now.

He said it is essential for airlines to keep flying to West Africa and for borders to remain open to allow for the movement of assistance and medical staff.

The US meanwhile ordered security agents at airports and other entry ports to screen arriving travellers for signs of ebola.

People arriving from ebola-stricken countries in West Africa could begin facing mandatory screening measures as early as this weekend.

Video: 56 Being Checked For Ebola In Spain

Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas did not provide specifics on how the screenings would be conducted.

He said agents would observe all travellers for "general signs of illness".

Customs and Border Protection agents would also distribute fact sheets to arriving travellers that contain details of what symptoms to look for and directions to call a doctor if they become sick within 21 days, Mr Mayorkas said.

According to US media reports, the measures also call for some travellers to have their temperatures taken upon arrival.

The announcement comes just days after President Barack Obama signalled the possibility of tougher screening measures.

Video: Online Appeal To Save Ebola Dog

Mr Obama has been under pressure to act in the wake of first ebola diagnosis on American soil last week.

The current ebola outbreak in West Africa is the deadliest in history, and has already killed nearly 3,500 people.

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Airstrikes Target IS Fighters In Border Town

Two new airstrikes have reportedly been carried out against Islamic State (IS) targets around the Syrian border town of Kobani.

Thick black smoke could be seen billowing into the air from a hill on the eastern side of the town, according to the AFP news agency.

A second strike, a few hours later, sent a cloud of smoke above the northeastern side of the city.

They were the first airstrikes since a flurry of attacks yesterday, which some sources said had helped Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG) push back the IS militants.

Idris Nahsen, a Kurdish official from Kobani, said the airstrikes had been helpful.

"The situation has changed since Tuesday," he said. "YPG forces have pushed back IS forces."

Video: IS Footage Shows Kobani Onslaught

It comes after at least 12 people were killed during pro-Kurdish demonstrations in Turkey, with protesters claiming the country is not doing enough in the fight against Islamic State jihadists.

According to reports, five people have been killed in Diyarbakir, the largest town in Turkey's majority-Kurdish southeast region.

Several other deaths were recorded in other southeastern towns, including three in Mardin, two in Siirt, one in Batman and another in Mus.

Police have also used tear gas and water cannon to disperse angry protests in Istanbul and Ankara.

Video: Turkey Turns Water Cannon On Kurds

Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala accused the pro-Kurdish protesters of "betraying their own country".

"Violence will be met with violence," he said.

"This irrational attitude should immediately be abandoned and (the protesters) should withdraw from the streets."

The demonstrations called by the main pro-Kurdish party, the People's Democratic Party (HDP), stem from claims that Ankara is failing to intervene militarily against IS jihadists fighting for Kobani.

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1. Gallery: Assad's Forces Seize Area From Islamists

   Forces of Syria's President Bashar al Assad carry a Syrian flag as they head towards a spot where a flag of the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front is positioned on a hillside in Zor al-Mahruqa village

2. Assad's forces said they had regained control of the area and its surrounding hills, in the Hama countryside

3. The flag of the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front is burnt on the hill

5. The Syrian national flag is erected

6. Assad forces inspect military equipment, which they said were left behind by rebel fighters in Zor al-Mahruqa village

7. An abandoned base where caves were dug by rebel fighters in Zor al-Mahruqa village

10. Assad forces inspect an underground base where caves were dug by rebel fighters in the nearby al-Hareeqa village

12. A Polish army member hods the German flag in front of an Eurofighter aircraft during a visit of new NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg of Norway (not pictured) at Lask air base

13. NATO will stand by member state Turkey if it comes under attack as a result of the fighting in neighboring Syria, alliance Secretary-General Stoltenberg said

Some 400 people are believed to have been killed in the town and thousands displaced during weeks of fighting.

US, Saudi Arabian and United Arab Emirates jets had previously launched five attacks against targets south of the city.

In a statement, US Central Command said four armed vehicles, anti-aircraft artillery, a tank and a militant unit were hit during the strikes.

Reports suggest the fighting has become less intense following the coalition attacks.

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1. Gallery: IS Attacks Town Near Turkish Border

   Turkish army tanks take up position on the Turkish-Syrian border near the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa Province

2. Kurdish fighters vowed not to abandon their increasingly desperate efforts to defend the Syrian border town of Kobani from Islamic State militants pressing in from three sides and pounding them with heavy artillery

3. Despite the heavy fighting, which has seen mortars rain down on residential areas in Kobani and stray fire hit Turkish territory, a Reuters reporter saw around 30 people cross over from Turkey, apparently to help with defence of the town

4. An IS fighter walks near a black flag belonging to the Islamic State near Kobani

14. Kurdish refugees from Kobani sit in front of their tents in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc

15. Islamic State is trying to seize Kobani, which is predominantly Kurdish, and has ramped up its offensive in recent days despite being targeted by US-led coalition airstrikes aimed at halting its progress

16. Turkish Kurds look at Kobani as they stand on top of a house near Mursitpinar border crossing. Continue through for more pictures

Reporter Jenan Moussa, positioned just 500m over the border in Turkey, told Sky News: "I can still hear shooting and shelling but (it is) nothing compared to Monday.

"I heard and I saw three airstrikes. One on the western side and two on the eastern."

Meanwhile, officials in Baghdad say IS militants have downed an Iraqi military helicopter near the refinery town of Beiji, killing the two pilots on board.

A military aviation official said the militants used a shoulder-fired missile to take down the Bell 407 helicopter north of Beiji on Wednesday. The town is home to Iraq's largest oil refinery and is located about about 130 miles north of Baghdad.

It comes after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan warned Kobani was "about to fall".

Canada has also now agreed to join the coalition of forces carrying out airstrikes against IS in Iraq.

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