Mubarak To Face Retrial Over Protester Deaths

By Tom Rayner, Middle East News Editor in Cairo

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

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

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

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

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

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

More than 800 died during the uprising against Mubarak

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

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

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

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

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

Anti-Mubarak protesters in Tahrir Square

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Miss Russia Reveals Shock Over Racist Vitriol

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent

The newly-crowned Miss Russia has told Sky News she is still proud to represent her country, even after racial slurs accusing her of not being Russian enough.

Elmira Abdrazakova's father is Tatar, one of Russia's oldest ethnic minorities, and she was born in Kazakhstan, but she was brought up in Russia and considers herself thoroughly Russian, as do the authorities.

The 18-year-old has been targeted by critics online and received so many vitriolic messages after winning the competition she was forced to temporarily close her social networking sites.

One fairly typical message, still posted on a Russian news site, describes her as an "ordinary Azeri parsley seller" and says the user would not even glance in her direction.

Another says she is "an ordinary market stall worker" and would be considered "a real beauty among sheep".

The new Miss Russia told Sky News she had been shocked to read the messages.

Elmira Abdrazakova has rose to fame but not without a price

"The nationality question - I don't really understand it, I don't understand why men would write to a young girl offensive things about her nationality.

"It humiliates first of all not me, but those people who write it.

"It was bizarre for me when men were writing things like that to me, I was surprised we have people of that sort here."

Ms Abdrazakova comes from a small coal-mining town in Siberia and there is an almost fairy tale quality to her rise to fame.

She says she only entered the competition to get the chance to try new experiences and visit the capital, Moscow, and that she never dreamed she had a chance of winning.

She now hopes to inspire other young girls and to prove that you can achieve success in Russia without a wealthy background.

She explained: "For many teenage girls Miss Russia will become a role model, a measure of beauty.

The beauty queen says she will try to represent Russia as best as possible

"Maybe some girls will look at me and get inspired by my experience to grow, to develop, to work hard. I hope they can see that in life you can reach something without big money."

"I wasn't expecting to win, to get this crown. The host announced that Elmira Abdrazokova won and I remember standing there and thinking, what a lucky girl who won it. Then it dawned on me - that's me.

"All that evening I couldn't believe it, only when I got back home I sat down and realised - I'm Miss Russia!"

Miss Russia 2013 might not conform to the Slavic ideal still expected by some here, but she will now go on to compete for Russia at the Miss World contest.

Ms Abdrazakova told us it was a great honour, and that she would try to represent her country as well as she could, even if not everyone in that country believes she truly represents them.

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North Korea Missile Alert After Japan Blunder

A Japanese official mistakenly announced the launch of a North Korean missile instead of sending an alert about a strong earthquake.

An official at the western Osaka aviation bureau emailed 87 airport offices to say a North Korean missile had been launched, Japan's transport ministry said.

The official was trying to send a message to check on possible airport damage immediately after the 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck near the southwestern city of Kobe, injuring dozens of people and destroying several homes.

But instead the official dispatched a pre-prepared alert ready to go in the event of a North Korean missile launch.

The incorrect message was retracted six minutes later but at least one domestic flight was delayed due to the mistake.

Japan is on full alert ahead of an expected mid-range missile launch by North Korea, with Patriot missiles stationed in its capital to protect the 30 million people who live there.

In addition to PAC-3 batteries, Aegis destroyers equipped with sea-based interceptor missiles have been deployed in the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

On Wednesday officials in the Japanese city of Yokohama were left red-faced after mistakenly announcing the launch of a North Korean missile to 40,000 followers on Twitter.

Saturday night's earthquake was in the area where a magnitude 7.2 quake killed more than 6,400 people in 1995.

The Meteorological Agency warned there may be aftershocks for about a week.

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Thousands Of Mali Refugees 'Stranded In Desert'

By Lisa Holland, Foreign Affairs Correspondent

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

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

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

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

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

Tents set up by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The number of children with severe malnutrition has more than doubled

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

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

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

Malian refugee children attend a school in the Mbera refugee camp

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

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

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

A refugee and his family in front of their shelter

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

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

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

French military intervention against Islamist groups in Mali

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

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

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

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North Korea: Defector Reveals Harrowing Escape

Visiting Secretive North Korea

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

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

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

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

Nothing felt abnormal. There was no feeling of tension.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People there are very aware of the potential war.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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North Korea: Missile Test Could Occur 'Any Time'

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent, In Seoul

US Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in the South Korean capital Seoul as tension mounts over a possible missile test by North Korea.

The crisis on the Korean peninsula is bound to dominate talks between Mr Kerry and his South Korean counterpart, Foreign Minister Yun Byung Se.

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

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

"On the agenda for their talks would be the topics related to the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, how to cope with North Korea's threats and how to deter the North's provocations," foreign ministry spokesman Cho Tai-young said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Syria Airstrikes 'Targeted Civilians'

By Lisa Holland, Foreign Affairs Correspondent

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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South Africa Rhinos Under Threat From Poaching

By Alex Crawford, At Kruger National Park, South Africa

Officials at South Africa's National Parks say they are "under siege" from rhino poachers and if the killings go on at the current rate the animal will be extinct within decades.

Despite a range of tactics like deploying the army, mounting helicopter patrols and even using drones in the past few months to try to pinpoint the poachers, the killing of rhinos for their horns is continuing at an alarming rate.

More than 200 rhinos were killed in South Africa in the first three months of this year.

The total for 2013 therefore looks set to top last year's figure, which was a record with more than 600 rhinos being slaughtered. And the 2012 figure was a dramatic increase on the previous year's record of 448.

The worst hit by far is the country's flagship Kruger National Park which shares a long 221-mile (356km) border with Mozambique, from where the vast majority of the poachers come.

Kruger saw more than 70 incursions last month by heavily-armed teams of poachers crossing from Mozambique.

Typically the teams are made up of between two and five hunters who find it very easy to slip across the border illegally.

About 20,000 white rhinos are believed to remain in the wild

They arrive carrying multiple weapons according to SANParks (South African National Parks) officials and can spend up to a week in the park, which is more than two million hectares - roughly the same size as Israel.

Ken Maggs, Chief of Staff of Operation Rhino at Kruger told Sky News: "This is a war we are fighting - against an enemy which has no rules."

He was talking whilst overseeing a training exercise which involved teams of armed rangers in camouflage gear using sniffer dogs to track down the poachers.

"We have very specific rules of engagement and we do not operate a shoot-to-kill policy. We are not allowed to just shoot at a poacher. We have to physically grab him and bring him in for arrest," he said.

The poachers are becoming more sophisticated and audacious - using silencers on their weapons to try to avoid detection and recruiting help from within the park to establish where the rhinos are.

The increase in rhino poaching has been driven by demand from the Far East for rhino horn which is believed to have healing and other properties - and is now more expensive than gold on the black market.

"We want to get the message across that rhino horn is just keratin, like our finger nails," Ranger Andrew Desmet said.

"It has no such qualities at all."

Rangers search the carcasses for bullets to use as evidence

We trekked more than two hours into the bush with one of the Kruger's investigation teams who had been alerted to more dead rhinos. The animals had lain undiscovered in the park for four days.

We saw the vultures first, circling overhead, and then as we approached, we noticed the odour.

"That is the smell of a dead rhino," one of the rangers said.

The two carcasses lay 300m apart. We came across the bones of the calf first, stripped bare by scavengers, its hide left like a folded mat.

It did not take the investigations team long to find the cartridge of a bullet hidden among the bones. It was swiftly bagged. It could be crucial in securing a conviction later. The cartridge will be sent to the University of Pretoria's Faculty of Veterinary Science which is building up a rhino DNA bank which could link the suspects to the dead animals.

Senior investigator Frik Rossouw moved onto the other carcass. This one was virtually intact - apart from a gaping hole where its horn had been.

Again, his colleagues used metal detectors in a circle around the dead animal, then over the animal itself. A beeping noise indicated metal inside the rhino's shoulder.

It took two of the investigations team, using knives to cut through the hide. They found what they were looking for: more evidence - this time a bullet which had remained lodged inside the animal.

"This animal didn't die instantly," Mr Rossouw said.

"The rangers who found them said there were marks indicating the rhino had probably been hit with her calf. She ran for her life before they caught up with her and fired again.

"These poachers just don't care. They want to get out of here as quickly as possible. They know if they get caught, they're in trouble."

The South African judiciary has handed out some tough penalties for rhino poaching recently.

Last year a Thai man was sentenced to a 40-year jail term for overseeing a racket which involved women posing as hunters so he could sell the rhino horn in powder form in the Far East.

SANParks is offering huge rewards, 100,000 South African rand (£7,300), for any information which could lead to the arrest of a poacher and one million rand if you can give police information which could bust a syndicate.

But so far, even the lure of a reward has not done enough to curb the poaching.

"When the sheer numbers keep going up daily, weekly, monthly, sometimes I am not so sure we are winning," special operations ranger Bruce Leslie said.

"It's a lot of pressure on us, our families, everybody involved in this war, but we have to do something and keep going because if we don't, if the world doesn't help, then the rhino will be gone forever."

Donations can be made to help protect rhinos at www.sanparks.org.

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North Korea's Missiles 'In Upright Position'

A North Korean missile launcher has moved into the firing position with rockets facing skyward, Japanese media has said.

The reports in the Kyodo news agency come as North Koreans celebrate the appointment of their leader Kim Jong-Un a year ago, and G8 foreign ministers discuss the crisis during a meeting in London.

The Japanese government has been on high alert ahead of the expected test-firing of a medium-range missile by Pyongyang, deploying Patriot missile batteries in Tokyo as a defence measure.

South Korean and US forces in the territory of Guam have announced an upgrade of their surveillance alert status.

Tokyo is "gathering a variety of information ... with a sense of tension", Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera was quoted as saying by Kyodo.

North Korea celebrates the appointment of Kim Jong-Un

North Korea is believed to have moved at least two Musudan missiles to its eastern coast.

The untested missiles have a range of 3,500km (2,180 miles), and can cover any target in South Korea and Japan, and possibly even US military bases on the Pacific island of Guam.

According to South Korean intelligence, North Korea has been moving multiple missiles around in an apparent bid to confuse outside intelligence gatherers ahead of the expected launch.

The missiles have been repeatedly moved in and out of a warehouse facility on North Korea's east coast, the intelligence analysis cited by Yonhap news agency said.

At least five mobile launch vehicles have also been spotted swapping places and positions.

US-South Korean joint drills have angered Pyongyang

Pyongyang has not announced plans to fire a missile, but has delivered increasingly belligerent rhetoric in recent weeks in anger over joint US-South Korean military exercises being conducted in the South through the end of April.

Citing the tensions, Pyongyang has pulled more than 50,000 workers from the Kaesong industrial park it shares with South Korea - the only remaining symbol of economic cooperation between the nations.

It has warned that "thermo-nuclear war" was imminent and urged foreign tourists and diplomats in South Korea to take cover.

However, there has been no sign of diplomats leaving. The European Union said there was no need for member states to evacuate or relocate their diplomatic missions, but it called on North Korea to "refrain from further provocative declarations or action".

Patriot batteries have been deployed in Japan

Most observers say Pyongyang has no intention of starting a war that could bring its own destruction. But they have warned of the risks of miscalculation on the highly-militarised Korean peninsula.

North Koreans were celebrating Mr Kim's appointment to first secretary of the Workers' Party a year ago.

Mr Kim took up a slew of top titles in the months following the death of his father, Kim Jong-Il, in December 2011 - highlighting his family's grip on power in the reclusive nation.

A flower show, art performances and public parties are scheduled over the next few days in the lead-up to the nation's biggest holiday, the April 15 birthday of its founder Kim Il-Sung, grandfather of the current leader.

John Kerry, US, and Fumio Kishida, Japan, at G8 foreign ministers talks

Sky News' Asia correspondent Mark Stone said that the missiles' upright position on their launchers suggests a test-firing might be imminent, though he points out that in the past missiles have sat on their launchers for some days.

He says: "There is no way Kim Jong-Un  is going to back down now. He's made quite clear he wants to test one of these missiles.

"If he was to back down it would show a huge amount of weakness abroad and more importantly at home. This whole crisis is about him shoring up his own legitimacy."

At their meeting in London, foreign ministers of G8 countries - United States, Britain, Germany, Russia, France, Italy, Japan, and Canada – are expected to press China to engage with Pyongyang and use its leverage to preserve the peace in that region.

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North Korea: South On Alert For Missile Launch

Visiting Secretive North Korea

Updated: 8:37am UK, Wednesday 10 April 2013

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

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

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

Nothing felt abnormal. There was no feeling of tension.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People there are very aware of the potential war.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Ignorance And Minders: Life Inside North Korea

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

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

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

Nothing felt abnormal. There was no feeling of tension.

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

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

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

A newspaper article on Kim Jong Un

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

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

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

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

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

People there are very aware of the potential war.

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

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

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

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

Articles seen by the Sky News journalist

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Yeonpyeong: The Island In Kim Jong-Un's Sights

Visiting Secretive North Korea

Updated: 8:37am UK, Wednesday 10 April 2013

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

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

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

Nothing felt abnormal. There was no feeling of tension.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People there are very aware of the potential war.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

14.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Canada Prostitution: Teen Girls Deny Pimping

Three teenagers have denied forcing other girls as young as 13 into prostitution in Ottawa.

Police say the girls, who were 15 and 16 years old when they were arrested last summer, operated a prostitution ring in the Canadian capital without adult guidance.

They allegedly used social media sites such as Facebook to lure victims to a house, where they were abducted and offered to adult clients.

The teenagers, who are charged with 74 offences, including human trafficking, forcible confinement and sexual assault, as well as making and distributing child pornography, appeared in court on Monday.

The court was told they encouraged or forced girls to take drugs before telling them they would become escorts.

It was claimed that if they refused, they were threatened with violence and blackmail.

One girl was allegedly forced kicking and screaming into a man's car at a petrol station. The court heard she escaped but was quickly caught and dragged back.

Another alleged victim was dropped off by her mother at the house of one of the accused, only to return home the next day wearing makeup, high heels and a coat that did not belong to her.

Prosecutors said one of the accused would send photographs of a new recruit to prospective clients from her mobile phone.

Girls would then be sent by taxi to strangers' homes to sell sex, it was claimed.

The names of the accused and their alleged victims cannot be released for legal reasons.

A fourth girl also faces charges in the case but her role has not yet been made clear.

The trial is expected to last four weeks.

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North Korea: Japan Deploys Missile Defence

Japan has deployed missile-defence systems in key locations around Tokyo as North Korea warned foreigners in the South to take evacuation measures in case of war.

The Patriot missile batteries were set up in the defence ministry headquarters and in two suburbs of the Japanese capital, officials said.

Tokyo also reportedly has warships with missile interception systems on alert in the Sea of Japan.

North Korea's latest warning to foreigners in the South came after it told embassies in Pyongyang it could not guarantee their safety.

"We do not wish harm on foreigners in South Korea should there be a war," the KCNA news agency reported, citing a spokesperson for the Korea Asia-Pacific PePPeace Committee.

North Korea has also suspended its operations at the Kaesong industrial complex, its last major economic link with the South, and recalled all 53,000 of its workers.

A Musudan missile, pictured in 2010

The work stoppage at a key source of hard cash for the North suggests Pyongyang is willing to hurt its own shaky economy in order to display its anger with South Korea and the US.

Amid rising tensions on the peninsula, the US and South Korea have also raised their defence postures.

North Korea is believed to have moved two missiles - possibly the medium-range Musudan - to its eastern coast on the  Sea of Japan, loading them on to mobile launchers.

The  Musudan missile has a range of about 3,000km (1,800 miles), meaning it is capable of reaching South Korea and Japan and perhaps also the US territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean.

North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong-Un, is seen as unpredictable

There has been speculation that Pyongyang might schedule a missile launch to coincide with the birthday of the country's late founder Kim Il-Sung in mid-April.

But US and South Korean defence officials have said they have seen nothing to indicate that Pyongyang is preparing for a major military action, in which it would be heavily outgunned.

 Foreign Secretary William Hague, though, has said the threat posed by North Korea must be treated "very seriously" and the US has delayed the testing of an intercontinental ballistic missile in an effort to defuse the situation.

North Korea is furious at UN sanctions imposed after Pyongyang conducted its third nuclear test in February, and at joint military exercises between the US and South Korea.

Seoul and Washington say those exercises are routine but Pyongyang has unleashed a torrent of threats against the allies.

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Serbia: Gunman Kills 13 In Shooting Spree

At least 13 people, including a child, have been killed after a man went on a shooting spree in Serbia, health officials say.

The 60-year-old suspect, identified as Ljubisa B, allegedly opened fire in the village of Velika Ivanca, near the capital Belgrade.

Six men and six women were among the dead and they were mainly relatives and neighbours.

The victims were killed in five houses but the motive for the attacks was unclear, said an interior ministry spokesman.

Twelve people died at the scene and one in hospital.

The gunman also tried to kill himself and his wife, according to Belgrade emergency hospital spokeswoman Nada Macura.

She said the pair were both seriously injured and another person was also hurt in the atrocity.

Police are investigating the apparently random killings 30 miles southeast of the city.

Ms Macura said the suspect was not believe to be mentally ill.

More follows...

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Afghanistan Nato Raid 'Kills 11 Children'

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

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

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

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

Restive Kunar province is on the border with Pakistan

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

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

Mr Karzai has banned his troops from requesting air strikes.

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

President Hamid Karzai has condemned civilian casualties

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

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

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

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North Korea: 'Signs' Nuclear Test Being Prepared

World Waits For North Korea's Move

Updated: 8:21am UK, Monday 08 April 2013

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent, in South Korea

The latest propaganda offering from North Korean state television is as bizarre as the rest of them.

Angry soldiers unleash German Shepherd dogs to attack mannequins representing South Korea's Defence Minister.

In another clip, the minister's face is pinned to a target, which the soldiers fire repeatedly at.

"Kim Kwan-jin is such a b****** and a defective human being. He doesn't even deserve to be our target," one of them screams.

This sort of propaganda loops on television sets in the northern half of the Korean peninsula.

It is designed primarily for domestic consumption: all part of the North Korean regime's attempt to justify its existence and shore up its own legitimacy by creating an external threat that doesn't exist.

To the outside world, the video offerings of soldiers and their museum-worthy equipment forms the less convincing part of Kim Jong-Un's game to be taken seriously.

Yet the country's December rocket launch and February nuclear test proved beyond doubt that North Korea is over the nuclear threshold. That prompted the UN sanctions in March. Mr Kim responded with rhetorical threats, propelling this crisis to where it is now.

And so the world waits for Mr Kim's next move.

The coming seven days will probably be critical. Several dates seem to hold significance.

April 10 was the date Western diplomats were told their safety couldn't be guaranteed from. It was also the deadline given for South Korean workers in the joint industrial plant at Kaesong to leave.

April 15 is the anniversary of the birthday of Mr Kim's grandfather and the founder of the nation, Kim Il-Sung.

So what is North Korea planning? An all-out assault or attempted invasion of the South is entirely improbable. That would signal a massive American military response and the end of a regime whose overriding aim is survival not suicide.

Much more likely is another missile test. Intelligence agencies tracked the movement of two mid-to-long range missiles last week. They believe they are now at a launch pad in the far north-east of the country.

So here is the most likely scenario: Mr Kim fires off a missile with great fanfare between now and next Monday. It soars into the skies east of the Korean peninsula, and then drops into the sea.

That will prompt the world to condemn the launch and the UN will levy yet more sanctions on the country.

Crucially though with this scenario, neither side will lose much face. Mr Kim survives and proves to his army and his people that he is strong and can launch missiles as he pleases.

America and her allies can claim that they avoided war and contained an extremely volatile situation.

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Bali Court Upholds Briton's Death Penalty

An Indonesian court has upheld the death sentence of Lindsay Sandiford, a British grandmother found guilty of trafficking cocaine.

The 56-year-old Sandiford was sentenced to the capital punishment by a court in Bali in January for taking almost 5kg (10.6lb) of cocaine on to the island.

A spokesman said the Bali High Court, sitting in the island's capital Denpasar, had confirmed the sentence.

She can now appeal to the Supreme Court. If the court rejects her initial appeal, she can seek a judicial review of the decision from the same court.

After that, only the president can grant her a reprieve.

Sandiford, from Cheltenham. Gloucestershire, was arrested in May 2012 at Bali airport when customs officers found the  drugs, worth £1.6m, in her luggage.

Sandifort after her arrest at Bali airport

She said she had been forced to smuggle the drugs into Bali from Thailand by a criminal gang, and has cooperated with the police and local authorities.

Her cooperation has led to other arrests.

The death sentence came as a shock because prosecutors had recommended a 15-year imprisonment.

Her lawyer has said the punishment was out of proportion.

More follows...

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North Korea: US Missile Test Delayed Amid Row

The US has delayed the testing of an intercontinental ballistic missile over the growing tensions with North Korea, according to a defence official.

A Pentagon source said the Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel decided to postpone the long-planned Minuteman 3 launch until next month because of concerns it would exacerbate the crisis.

North Korea's military warned this week it was authorised to attack the US using "smaller, lighter and diversified" nuclear weapons.

The US brought forward deployment of a Global Hawk spy plane to Japan

South Korean officials said the North has moved at least one missile with "considerable range" to its east coast - possibly the untested Musudan missile, believed to have a range of 1,800 miles.

The US has been carrying out joint military exercises in the area with South Korea involving warships and bombers.

Mr Hagel's decision comes as China's Foreign Ministry expressed "grave concern" about escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula and asked for assurances about the safety of its diplomats.

And Chinese President Xi Jinping appeared to up the pressure on Pyongyang when he said in a speech that no country "should be allowed to throw a region and even the whole world into chaos for selfish gain".

North Korea held its most recent nuclear test in February and in December launched a long-range rocket that potentially could hit the continental US.

It has been angered by increasing sanctions and the exercises which are scheduled to continue to the end of the month.

This week, the US said two of its missile-defence ships were being moved closer to the Korean peninsula and a land-based system was being deployed to the Pacific territory of Guam later this month.

And deployment of an unmanned spy plane to northern Japan was brought forward to boost US surveillance after North Korean threats.

The Global Hawk will be stationed at the US airbase in Misawa, northern Japan, according to the Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun.

Japan will further boost its defences by ordering its armed forces to shoot down any North Korean missile headed towards its territory, according to press reports.

The order may be issued by Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera in the coming days but would reportedly be kept secret so as not to alarm the public.

It comes after North Korea warned foreign diplomats they may not be safe in the country if war breaks out.

Pyongyang asked foreign embassies whether they were considering evacuating staff, saying the government could not guarantee their safety in the event of conflict from April 10.

The British Foreign Office dismissed the warning as "rhetoric".

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India Houseboat Murder: 'Dutch Man Confesses'

By Alex Rossi, India Correspondent, in Kashmir

Police sources tell Sky News that a Dutch man they have been questioning over the murder of a British woman has now confessed.

Sarah Groves, 24, was found in a pool of blood inside the houseboat she had been living on for up to two months on the Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir.

Officers have named the suspect as Richard de Wit, 43, and said he claimed to have been under the influence of drugs.

He had been staying on a neighbouring boat. When he was arrested 60 miles away he was carrying only his passport and was not wearing shoes.

The victim was staying on a houseboat on picturesque Dal Lake

Local police said Miss Groves, from Guernsey, had been stabbed at least 25 times with what was described as a "mountain knife".

The door to her room had also been forced open.

Her body is being sent for medical examination to determine whether she was sexually assaulted before being killed.

Deputy General Inspector Ahafadul Mujtaba told Sky News: "He has told us he killed the girl - we don't know why. He also says he had taken drugs, cannabis.

Shoes sit outside the door of the houseboat where Sarah Groves was staying

"We have taken his blood samples and have sent them away for testing. We have also not ruled out a sexual motive but there was no direct evidence at the scene. We are awaiting medical results."

Under Indian law a confession to a police officer is not admissible in a court of law.

The police say de Wit will be held in custody for the next 14 days whilst they continue to gather evidence.

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Nelson Mandela Leaves Hospital After 10 Days

Former South African president Nelson Mandela is spending his first day at home after 10 days in hospital being treated for pneumonia.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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