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The incorrect message was retracted six minutes later but at least one domestic flight was delayed due to the mistake.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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Thatcher's Ironclad Funeral Plans Revealed

Baroness Thatcher left instructions that the current prime minister should give a reading at her funeral, it has been reported.

Britain's first and only female PM will be given a ceremonial funeral with full military honours at St Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday, which will be attended by the Queen.

It is the same status as that accorded to the Queen Mother and Diana, Princess of Wales, although some Tories want a full state ceremony.

Her friends and family indicated that Lady Thatcher said she did not want such treatment; she did not want to lie in state and thought a fly-past would be a waste of money.

But there were far more details left by Lady Thatcher on how she thought her memorial service should be carried out, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Mark Thatcher greets his sister Carol as she arrives at their mother's home

They were said to include the choice of hymns - among them the patriotic I Vow to Thee, My Country - and readings from the Bible.

She specified that the prime minister at the time of her death should read a lesson from the Gospels.

Her choice of reading was John 14.1, which says: "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.

"I go to prepare a place for you."

Another lesson will be read by Lady Thatcher's 19-year-old granddaughter Amanda, the Telegraph said.

The service will also include readings from the Book of Common Prayer, including the burial prayer that begins: "Man that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live and is full of misery. He cometh up and is cut down like a flower."

The service will be held at St Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday

There will be the traditional reading for meeting the body arriving at a church, which begins: "I am the Resurrection and the Life, saith the Lord. He that believeth in me, yea, though he were dead, yet shall he live."

Among the other hymns selected by Lady Thatcher are John Bunyan's To Be A Pilgrim and Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.

It has also been announced that MPs and peers will be able to pay their respects to Lady Thatcher in Parliament's Chapel of St Mary Undercroft on the eve of her funeral.

The chapel will be open on Tuesday evening so members and staff from both Houses can visit the former prime minister's coffin.

Around 100 people, mainly family members and MPs, will also be invited to a short service led by the Dean of Westminster welcoming Lady Thatcher's body.

A painting of Lady Thatcher in the Downing Street study

Downing Street said she requested her body rested overnight in the historic chapel, and the Queen had given her consent.

Meanwhile, on Friday evening, Lady Thatcher's daughter Carol arrived at her mother's home ahead of the funeral.

Miss Thatcher flew in from overseas and was driven to the Belgravia townhouse in central London, where she was greeted outside by her brother Sir Mark.

Earlier Sir Mark said his family has been overwhelmed by the messages of support, as well-wishers continued to leave floral tributes throughout the day outside the Chester Square property.

He said his mother would have been very proud to know the Queen would attend her funeral.

She will be accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, and other heads of state and foreign dignitaries from around the world are attending.

The Queen will attend Lady Thatcher's funeral

The Queen also went to Sir Winston Churchill's state ceremony in 1965.

The funeral plans were revealed as Downing Street released two collections of photographs on the Flickr website documenting Lady Thatcher's time in office and her lasting influence inside Number 10.

The photos show renovations she ordered during her time in power, while her third general election victory is featured with her giving a three-fingered salute outside Number 10.

Lady Thatcher died at The Ritz in central London on Monday morning after suffering a stroke. She had battled ill health for a number of years.

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Thatcher: Daughter Carol's Personal Tribute

Baroness Thatcher's daughter Carol has spoken of the "tough and tearful week" ahead as she prepares for the former prime minister's funeral.

Ms Thatcher spoke publicly about her mother's death for the first time as she appeared outside the ex-leader's home in London.

With her brother Mark standing behind her, she thanked those who had sent messages which she said had given her strength.

But she admitted that the days ahead and the funeral on Wednesday would be difficult "even for the daughter of the Iron Lady".

Ms Thatcher wore a black shawl and black trousers and clutched a pair of sunglasses as she delivered the statement.

Mark Thatcher, wife Sarah, Carol Thatcher and her boyfriend Marco Grass

She said: "I would just like to say that I feel like anyone else who has just lost a second parent. It's a deeply sad and rather thought-provoking moment in life.

"My mother once said to me: 'Carol, I think my place in history is assured'.

"The magnificent tributes this week, the wonderful words of President Obama, and others of colleagues who once worked alongside her, have proved her right."

She thanked those who had sent messages of "sympathy and support", adding: "These have given me strength.

However, she admitted: "But I know this is going to be a tough and tearful week, even for the daughter of the Iron Lady."

Carol Thatcher with her mother at Wimbledon ladies' singles finals in 2006

Lady Thatcher died at The Ritz last Monday after suffering a stroke. She had been staying at the hotel since January.

Ms Thatcher flew in from Switzerland with her boyfriend ski instructor Marco Grass on Friday night after spending some days grieving privately.

Her brother Mark arrived earlier in the week and spoke of how his mother would have been "humbled" that the Queen would be at her funeral.

Police, ministers and family representatives have been meeting regularly to finalise arrangements for the ceremony.

Operation True Blue, as it has been dubbed, will see a huge security presence amid fears of anti-Thatcher protests.

Lady Thatcher with her husband Denis and their children in 1976

It has emerged that the former politician left very specific instructions for the service, to which more than 2,000 people have been invited.

She chose the hymns - including I Vow To Thee My Country - and selected the Bible readings, according to the Daily Telegraph.

She reportedly also made clear that she wanted the current prime minister to read a lesson from the Gospels. Another lesson will be read by her granddaughter Amanda.

It is officially a ceremonial funeral but the Queen's presence effectively elevates it to a state ceremony.

She has broken with protocol by deciding to attend.

The last former prime minister's funeral the monarch went to was Sir Winston Churchill's in 1965 which was a state event.

Other guests will include Lady Thatcher's old Cabinet foes, former prime ministers, TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson and singer Dame Shirley Bassey.

Some key players - including former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan's wife Nancy - cannot attend.

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Plane Plunges Into Water Near Bali Airport

A plane with more than 100 people on board has overshot a runway on the island of Bali and plunged into the sea.

Despite dramatic pictures showing the Lion Air jet with a broken fuselage, officials said everyone on board had survived.

The brand new Boeing 737-800 came to rest in shallow water and bright yellow life jackets could be seen littering the shore.

Passengers spoke of screaming in terror it hit the water and "chaos" erupting amid fears they would drown before escaping.

"There was no sign at all it would fall but then suddenly it dropped into the water," Tantri Widiastuti, 60, told Metro TV.

Tourists and locals gathered on the shoreline after the crash

Dewi, who suffered head wounds, added: "The aircraft was in landing position when suddenly I saw it getting closer to the sea, and finally it hit the water.

"All of the passengers were screaming in panic in fear they would drown. I left behind my belongings and went to an emergency door. I got out of the plane and swam before rescuers jumped in to help me."

Passengers in life jackets could be seen in the water as police in rubber dinghies rowed out from the shore.

The plane came to rest just yards beyond the airport edge

Lion Air said there were 95 adults, five children and a baby on board - as well as seven crew. They included three foreigners - a Frenchman, a Singaporean woman and a Singaporean man.

Bali police chief Arif Wahyunadi told local TV One that everyone had been evacuated and taken inside Denpasar airport.

He said the jet had flown in from Bandung, the capital of West Java province.

Some 40 people were treated for injuries including broken legs, head wounds and shock, though only four were admitted to hospital, officials said.

Ignatius Juan Sinduk, 45, was treated for breathing difficulties after his chest was injured in the crash.

A passenger being attended to a hospital in Kedongan, near Denpasar

Speaking from his hospital bed, he said: "The plane plunged into the sea at high speed. Everybody screamed and water suddenly surged into the plane.

"Passengers panicked and scrambled for life jackets. Some passengers fell, some ran into others, it was chaos. I managed to grab one (a lifejacket) and slowly swam out of the plane and to the shore."

The twin-engined aircraft was operated by local carrier Lion Air, a budget airline whose operating base is in Bandung.

Company spokesman Edward Sirait said the jet had been delivered to Lion Air in Indonesia on March 18 and had come "straight from the factory".

It started operations a week later and the pilot had been flying for the airline for six years.

He refused to comment on the possible cause of the crash but said: "The plane broke into two pieces," adding that "judging from visual observation, the plane cannot be used any more."

Lion Air - the first private airline in Indonesia - was founded in 1999 by multi-millionaire brothers Kusnan and Rusdi Kirana.

Bali is a popular tourist destination in Indonesia

It started operating in 2000 with just one aircraft in its fleet but quickly expanded operations to more than 36 locations across the sprawling archiplego nation.

The airline also flies to foreign locations, including Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam, and uses a fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft.

Last month, it signed a $24bn (£18bn) deal with Airbus for 234 passenger jets and two years ago, it signed a contract with Boeing for 230 planes.

However, the rapidly-expanding carrier is reportedly banned from US and European airspace due to safety concerns.

Between 2004 and 2006, Lion Air suffered a series of six accidents, which all involved planes overshooting or missing the runway, although no-one died in those incidents. 

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Two-Headed Pig Born In Chinese Village

A picture has emerged of a two-headed pig born in a village in China.

The animal was photographed following its birth in Jiujiang, in east China's Jiangxi province.

A local vet said the creature was suffering from a rare deformity and would find it difficult to survive, but its owners have reportedly agreed not to slaughter it.

Many animals can be affected by the condition of having two heads, which is known as polycephaly.

In 2009, a snake with two heads was found in a drawer full of rubbish in the US, while a cat suffering the same deformity was born in Australia a year earlier.

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North Korea: US Urges China To Help End Crisis

The US and China have said they are committed to finding a peaceful means of ridding North Korea of its nuclear weapons.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said there had been enough confrontational language on North Korea and he did not want to get into a cycle of threats and counter-threats with the reclusive nation.

"We are determined to make that goal a reality," he said after a series of meetings with top Chinese officials, including the country's foreign policy chief Yang Jiechi.

"China and the United States must together take steps in order to achieve the goal of a denuclearised Korean peninsula. And today we agreed that further discussions to bear down very quickly with great specificity on exactly how we will accomplish this goal.

"We agreed that this is of critical importance for the stability of the region and indeed for the world and indeed for all of our nonproliferation efforts."

Mr Yang said China was "firmly committed to upholding peace and stability" in the region, and finding a peaceful way to ensure a nuclear-free Korean peninsula.

"To properly address the Korean nuclear issue serves the interests of all parties," he added.

The joint pledge follows talks between Mr Kerry and China's communist leaders, including President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and foreign minister Wang Yi.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-UN has vowed to beef up its nuclear arsenal

Mr Kerry arrived in Beijin from talks in Seoul with South Korean President Park Geun-Hye, where he warned North Korea a further missile test would be a "huge mistake".

He said the current situation on the Korean peninsula was at a "critical time" and called for Beijing's intervention to halt the escalating tensions with North Korea.

The US wants China - historically Pyongyang's ally - to increase its pressure on North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un to back down.

Tensions have soared on the Korean peninsula since December, when North Korea test-launched a long-range rocket. In February, it conducted its third nuclear test, which drew fresh UN sanctions.

Mr Kerry holds talks with China's President Xi Jinping

Without naming any countries, President Xi had said recently that "no-one should be allowed to throw a region and even the whole world into chaos for selfish gains".

In his opening remarks during Saturday's meeting, he assured Mr Kerry China's relationship with the US was "at a new historical stage" and had "got off to a good start".

According to state television, he went on to say that rising tensions in the region were in no-one's interests.

"All sides must bear responsibility for maintaining regional peace and stability and be responsible for the consequences," he was reported to have said.

Mr Kerry was first met by China's foreign minister Wang Yi in Beijing

The purpose of Mr Kerry's visit is to persuade Beijing to help rein in its aggressive ally and bring Pyongyang back to the negotiating table over its suspected nuclear aims.

"I think it's clear to everybody in the world that no country in the world has as close a relationship or as significant an impact on the DPRK than China," Mr Kerry said in Seoul before leaving for Beijing.

In the past few weeks, North Korea 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

China has backed North Korea since the 1950-53 Korean War and could wield tremendous leverage over the isolated communist regime thanks to the vital aid it provides, including almost all of its neighbour's energy imports.

North Korean soldiers seen at work today on Hwanggumpyong Island

It is estimated to provide as much as 90% of its neighbour's energy imports, 80% of its consumer goods and 45% of its food, according to the US-based Council on Foreign Relations.

But analysts say it is wary of pushing too hard for fear of destabilising North Korea, which could send a wave of hungry refugees flooding into China and ultimately lead to a reunified Korea allied with the United States.

After China, Mr Kerry will head to Japan, which is also deeply involved in the North Korea issue and which deployed Patriot missiles around Tokyo this week as anticipation of a missile launch by the North's mounted.

Mr Kerry said he hoped China, Japan and the United States would be able to find the "unity" required to offer a "very different set of alternatives for how we can proceed and ultimately how we can defuse this situation".

South Korean army soldiers standing guard on Unification Bridge in Paju

Last week the US brought forward its drone deployment to Japan and sent an unmanned spy plane to its airbase in Misawa, Northern Japan, after North Korea moved two missile launchers to its east coast.

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Psy Unveils Sequel To Gangnam Style Hit

South Korean rapper Psy has unveiled his follow-up to the global smash Gangnam Style.

The 35-year-old performed his latest single "Gentleman" at a stadium concert streamed live on YouTube.

Fans had been asked to wear white for the event in Seoul, which was a sell-out with 50,000 people in the audience.

It was streamed live so that the dance video could be seen by fans across the globe in the hope it will spark a new viral hit.

The single became available online at midnight on Friday, in a rolling release across 119 countries.

Posters advertising Psy's Seoul concert

The move surprised some industry experts and frustrated many fans because it was released without the video.

It was the YouTube video of Gangnam Style, and in particular Psy's signature horse-riding dance, that pushed him to global stardom last year.

A satire on the luxury lifestyle of Seoul's Gangnam district, it has become the most-watched YouTube video of all time, registering more than 1.5billion views since it debuted in July.

In South Korea and other Asian markets like Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, the new release went straight into the Top Five of their respective iTunes charts.

It could only manage 90th spot in the crucial US equivalent but in Britain, it rose quickly to number 25.

Psy performing at South Korean president Park Geun-Hye's swearing in

The song did not impress UK critics, with The Times saying it was "like a seven-year-old on a Casio" and The Guardian calling it "a fairly standard issue, pop-dance single".

The song - a satire of a self-proclaimed "gentleman" trying to woo women at a party - contains more English lyrics than Gangnam Style in a clear nod to the singer's newfound global audience.

"Let me tell you about myself. I'm such a charmer with guts, vigour and humour," Psy sings in Korean before launching into the song's English catch-line: "I'm a mother-father gentleman."

"Gonna make you sweat. Gonna make you wet. You know who I am? Wet Psy!" he sings in English.

Psy, real name Park Jae-sang, described the division of the Korean peninsula as a "tragedy" and said he wanted North Korean people to share in the "fun and happiness" of his music.

"Tonight me and 50,000 Korean people... we are going to sing out loud. We are going to shout out loud and we are really close to them, so they can hear," he said.

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Car-Lorry Collision: Toddler Among Five Dead

Four of the five members of the same family killed when their car was in a collision with a lorry have been named by police.

David Cockburn, 48, his daughters Carley Ann, 21, and Bethany, 18, and Bethany's 23-month-old daughter Lacie Jade Stephenson were among those who died.

The fifth family member is yet to be formerly identified, Humberside Police said.

They lost their lives after their Nissan Primera was involved in the head-on crash on the A18 near Grimsby at Friday lunchtime.

Three of the victims died at the scene, while two were taken to the nearby Diana Princess of Wales Hospital but died later.

Three ambulances and an air ambulance had rushed to the spot in Laceby, which was then closed until late on Friday night.

The family, from the Chester-Le-Street area of Durham, had been on their way to Butlins in Skegness with friends to take part in a dance competition.

The driver of the lorry - a light goods vehicle- is thought to have sustained minor injuries.

The Grimsby stretch of the A18 featured in a BBC television programme, Britain's Most Dangerous Roads, in 2011.

The programme claimed that the stretch of road was 25 times more dangerous than the average British motorway, with 20 crashes in the previous three years.

The fatal crash happened in Laceby

It was also found to be the UK's highest-risk stretch of road for car drivers in a nationwide survey conducted by the Road Safety Foundation in 2010.

Operations Superintendent Tracy Bradley, of Humberside Police, said: "Our deepest thoughts go out to the family and friends of those who were tragically killed in this collision which happened on the A18.

"We are working closely with relatives of those who lost their lives and are supporting them through what will be a very difficult time.

"Roads policing officers are working closely with our collision investigation team to piece together the evidence we have gathered in order to try and determine what led to this tragic incident taking place and took the lives of those travelling in the Nissan at the time.

"We have spoken to a number of key witnesses already, however, if anyone saw the incident but has not come forward I would ask them to do so."

Anyone with information should call Humberside Police on 101.

Relatives of the victims are being supported by family liaison officers and have asked to be left alone to come to terms with their loss.

Chris Baron, Resort Director at Butlin's Skegness, said: "We are all shocked and stunned by this tragedy and our thoughts go out to the extended families of the victims.

"Our team at Skegness is offering support and assistance to the other competitors and their families. We are working closely with the dance competition organisers."

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Newtown Shootings: Mum In Gun Control Plea

The mother of a boy killed in the Connecticut school shootings has made an emotional appeal for gun control, using a weekly address normally reserved for the US president.

Francine Wheeler choked back tears during the internet and radio address delivered from the White House, as she urged Americans to push for tougher gun laws.

"Thousands of other families across the United States are also drowning in our grief," she said.

"Please help us do something before our tragedy becomes your tragedy."

Ms Wheeler's six-year-old son, Ben, was among the 20 first-graders and six adults killed in the December 14 attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

"Sometimes, I close my eyes and all I can remember is that awful day waiting at the Sandy Hook Volunteer Firehouse for the boy who would never come home," Ms Wheeler said.

"But other times, I feel Ben's presence filling me with courage for what I have to do, for him and all the others taken from us so violently and too soon."

Her husband, David Wheeler, sat silently next to her as she made the recording in the White House Library.

The Sandy Hook massacre shocked the country

Both wore the small green pins that have become a symbol of the shootings.

The address, taped on Friday, was the culmination of a week of emotional pleas in Washington from families of the Sandy Hook victims.

The massacre has spurred President Barack Obama to propose new restrictions on guns, but he faces an uphill battle and opposition from powerful lobby groups like the National Rifle Association.

The president travelled to Hartford, Connecticut, about an hour's drive from Newtown, to make his case for action.

On the return trip to Washington, he brought back 12 of the victims' family members, who have been meeting senators.

The Senate is considering a Democratic bill backed by Mr Obama that would expand background checks, strengthen laws against illegal gun trafficking and slightly increase school security aid.

Gunman Adam Lanza, 20, was found dead after the massacre

The bill passed its first hurdle on Thursday, and senators will vote on amendments to the legislation in the coming week.

Ms Wheeler was the first person to deliver the address other than Mr Obama or Vice President Joe Biden since the two took office in 2009.

The White House said Ms Wheeler and her husband had written their address.

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Woman And Two Children Found Dead In Ruislip

Police are investigating after a woman and two children were found dead at a house in west London.

The bodies of a 34-year-old woman and two girls, aged nine and four, were discovered at a property in Midcroft, Ruislip, at 6.40pm on Friday.

Detectives from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command at Scotland Yard are investigating.

The deaths are currently being treated as unexplained.

Next of kin have been informed but the three have not yet been formally named.

The three were found dead in a house in Ruislip

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