North Korea: American On Trial In Pyongyang

North Korea has said an American tourist detained for nearly six months will face trial for plotting to overthrow the government, a move that could further increase tensions in the region.

The case involves Kenneth Bae, who was arrested in early November. If convicted, he could face the death penalty, news reports said.

The trial comes amid weeks of heightened rhetoric and tensions pitting Pyongyang against Seoul and Washington.

On Saturday, South Korea pulled out most its workers from a joint industrial complex after Pyongyang rejected its ultimatum to begin talks on restarting the stalled operations.

Seoul said it would pull out all 170 remaining workers from Kaesong

The move plunged into doubt the future of the Kaesong complex - once a rare symbol of cooperation between the North and the South and a crucial source of hard currency for Kim Jong-Un's isolated regime.

Mr Bae, described as a Korean-American tour operator, was arrested in Rason, a special economic zone in North Korea's far northeastern region bordering China and Russia, according to official state media.

The 44-year-old was among a group of five people.

Young leader Kim Jong-Un has succeeded his father

The exact nature of his alleged crimes has not been revealed, but Pyongyang accuses him of seeking to overthrow North Korea's leadership.

"In the process of investigation he admitted that he committed crimes aimed to topple the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) with hostility toward it," the state-run Korean Central News Agency said.

South Korea-US joint drills have angered Pyongyang

"His crimes were proved by evidence. He will soon be taken to the Supreme Court of the DPRK to face judgment."

No timing for the verdict was given.

A number of US citizens of Korean descent have run into trouble in the North over the years.

In one famous case, former President Bill Clinton travelled to the reclusive nation in 2009 to win the release of two Americans.

Friends and colleagues described Bae as a devout Christian from Washington state but based in the Chinese border city of Dalian who travelled frequently to North Korea to feed the country's orphans, the AP news agency reported.

Under North Korea's criminal code, crimes against the state can draw life imprisonment or the death sentence.

Pyongyang is locked in a standoff with the Obama administration over North Korea's drive to build nuclear weapons.

The Kaesong complex was established in 2004

Washington has led the campaign to punish Pyongyang for launching a long-range rocket in December and carrying out a nuclear test, its third, in February.

North Korea says the need to build atomic weapons to defend itself against the US, which has 28,500 troops in South Korea.

Over the past two months the US has been holding joint military drills with South Korea that have included nuclear-capable stealth bombers and fighter jets, angering Pyongyang.

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Demo Against UK's Use Of Armed Drones

Anti-war demonstrators have marched from Lincoln to an RAF base to voice their opposition to the UK's use of armed drones in Afghanistan.

Members of the Stop The War Coalition, CND, The Drone Campaign Network and War on Want took part in the mass rally outside RAF Waddington.

The RAF began remotely operating its Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles deployed to Afghanistan from the Lincolnshire airbase earlier this week.

Previously operated from a US Air Force base in Nevada, the aircraft are used to support coalition ground forces in Afghanistan.

Drone missions over Afghanistan from British soil began this week

The hi-tech Reaper drones are primarily used to gather intelligence on enemy activity on the ground, but they also carry 500lb bombs and Hellfire missiles for precision strikes on insurgents.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the RAF said it had commenced supporting the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan ground troops with "armed intelligence and surveillance missions" remotely piloted from RAF Waddington.

The organisers of the protest march and rally are calling on the Government to abandon the use of drones, claiming they make it easier for politicians to launch military interventions, and have increased civilian casualties.

Commenting ahead of the protest, War on Want senior campaigns officer Rafeef Ziadah said: "Drones, controlled far away from conflict zones, ease politicians' decisions to launch military strikes and order extrajudicial assassinations, without democratic oversight or accountability to the public.

"Now is the time to ban killer drones - before it is too late."

Remote pilots can operate the drones and fire missiles

Chris Nineham, vice-chairman of the Stop the War Coalition, claimed drones were being used to continue the "deeply unpopular War on Terror" with no public scrutiny.

Calling for armed drones to be banned, Mr Nineham said: "They're using them to fight wars behind our backs."

The Ministry of Defence has defended its use of drones in Afghanistan, which it says have saved the lives of countless military personnel and civilians.

An MoD spokesman said: "UK Reaper aircraft are piloted by highly trained professional military pilots who adhere strictly to the same laws of armed conflict and are bound by the same clearly defined rules of engagement which apply to traditionally manned RAF aircraft."

Lincolnshire Police have held talks with the organisers of the protest to minimise disruption to the local community.

The route of the march from South Common along the A15 to the peace camp site opposite RAF Waddington will see the road closed in phases to limit inconvenience to drivers.

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Bangladesh Building Collapse: Five In Custody

Police in Bangladesh have arrested two clothing factory bosses based at the eight-storey building near the capital Dhaka that collapsed killing 348 people.

Two engineers - Imtemam Hossain and Alam Ali - involved in approving the design of the structure have also been detained for questioning.

Junior home minister Shamsul Haque Tuku said police had arrested Bazlus Samad, managing director of New Wave Apparels Ltd, and Mahmudur Rahaman Tapash, the company chairman. It is the largest of the five factories in the complex.

Police have filed a case against them for "death due to negligence", after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the owners forced the workers to return to work after cracks appeared in the building.

The wife of Mohammed Sohel Rana - the owner of the collapsed Rana Plaza building who has not been seen since the tragedy - has also been detained.

A survivor is carried to an ambulance on a stretcher

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association had asked the factories based in the structure to shut down on Wednesday morning, hours before the building came down.

"After we got the crack reports we asked them to suspend work until further examination, but they did not pay heed," said association president Atiqul Islam.

The arrests came after police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at thousands of clothing workers who took to the streets on the outskirts of Dhaka to protest over the deaths as clashes also erupted in the southeastern city of Chittagong.

There was no sign of the rescue operation being called off with authorities pledging to continue the search after 29 people were pulled out alive on Saturday - more than three days after the building came down.

With time running out to save workers still trapped in the collapsed building, rescuers have been digging through mangled metal and concrete to find more survivors.

They finally reached the ground floor from the top of the mountainous rubble through 25 narrow holes they drilled.

Protesters set fire to furniture from a police control room on Saturday

Brigadier General Ali Ahmed Khan, head of the fire service, said: "We are still getting a response from survivors though they are becoming weaker slowly.

"The building is very vulnerable. Any time the floors could collapse. We are performing an impossible task, but we are glad that we are able to rescue so many survivors," he added.

The rescued have described hearing a loud crack just before the eight-storey building collapsed, with each level pancaking on top of those below.

The building housed at least four factories producing clothes for leading Western retailers.

High street giant Primark confirmed one of its suppliers occupied the second floor of the building, and protesters targeted the group's flagship store in central London today to demand compensation for the workers who were killed.

Speaking outside Primark's Oxford Street store, Murray Worthy of the War on Want group said: "We're here to send a clear message to Primark that the 300 deaths in the Bangladesh building collapse were not an accident - they were entirely preventable deaths.

"If Primark had taken its responsibility to those workers seriously, no one need have died this week."

The Primark protest in central London

A Primark spokesman said: "The company is shocked and deeply saddened by this appalling incident at Savar, near Dhaka, and expresses its condolences to all of those involved."

Elsewhere in Bangladesh, hundreds of thousands of workers walked out of their factories in solidarity with their dead colleagues.

Some workers' leaders attacked Western firms, whom they accused of turning "a blind eye" while using Bangladeshis as "money-making machines".

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Late Tax Returns Mean HMRC Fines For Many

By Pete Norman, Sky News Online

More than half a million taxpayers are set to be hit with daily fines after failing to file their tax returns, Sky News has learned.

An estimated 650,000 to 850,000 self-assessment taxpayers still have not given HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) annual returns for the 2011-12 financial year.

The Tax Office cut-off date for the returns was January 31.

HMRC sent out automatic £100 penalties to around 850,000 people by February 20, boosting tax coffers by some £85m.

The defaulting taxpayers were then given three months to file their accounts.

However, it is believed that hundreds of thousands have still to complete their forms.

On May 1, three months after the January deadline, a new daily fine will be levied on those who have not processed the form.

In addition to the earlier £100 penalty they will be hit with the daily £10 fine, up to a maximum of £900.

An HMRC spokesman told Sky News: "Anyone who hasn't yet sent their 2011-12 tax return to HMRC will have already incurred a £100 late-filing penalty.

"Non-filers have to file to avoid further penalties or contact us to ask to be taken out of self-assessment, and provided they meet the criteria, we will take them out of SA and cull any penalties incurred."

Those who allow the filing delay to extend beyond six months are handed another £300 fine or 5% of the tax due, whichever is higher.

HMRC is then entitled to give those who fail to file within 12 months a tax demand up to 100% of the tax due instead.

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Max Clifford: Publicist Vows To Clear Name

Publicist Max Clifford has vowed again to clear his name - after being charged with 11 alleged indecent assaults, including one against a girl of 14.

Clifford stands accused of sexually assaulting seven women, all teenagers, between 1966 and 1985.

The publicist has denied the allegations, dismissing them as "nonsense" and "completely false" and insisting he has never indecently assaulted anyone in his life.

Clifford said on Saturday it had been "horrible" for his wife and daughter, but added he was grateful for the support he says he has been receiving from his clients and the public.

"I find it hard to accept that women, 30 to 40-odd years later, can make complaints like this and they remain anonymous," Clifford told Sky News outside his home.

"And, of course, you have got to prove that you're innocent."

Clifford says he has been living a 'nightmare' over the allegations

He noted his lawyers will now have access to all information about the claimants and said: "If nothing but the truth comes out, I will be absolutely fine."

Clifford's initial arrest in December 2012 was carried out as part of Operation Yewtree, which was set up to investigate allegations of sex abuse carried out by the late BBC host Jimmy Savile.

There is no suggestion that his alleged offences are connected with Savile's.

Clifford is accused of allegedly abusing the first girl, who was 14, in 1966.

A further three females, aged between 15 and 18, allegedly suffered five offences between 1974 and 1978.

Clifford is also accused of assaulting another three females, aged between 16 and 19, between 1981 and 1985.

He is due to appear in court on May 28.

Until then, the 70-year-old says he will try to live as normal a life as possible, keeping up his work and going to the children's hospices he is a patron of.

"I've had tremendous support from everywhere, not just people who know me and did know me, but my clients and also people I meet everywhere I go," Clifford said.

"All of my clients have remained loyal and I'm working with all of my clients on a regular daily basis," he said.

"That support is as strong as it has ever been, which I'm very grateful for."

Prosecutors said on Friday that they had concluded there was sufficient evidence for Clifford to be charged with 11 offences of indecent assault relating to seven complainants.

There were three more allegations but prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to authorise charges.

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Las Vegas Shooting: Suspect May Face Death

The suspect in the fatal shooting and fiery crash that killed three people on the Las Vegas Strip has been indicted on charges that could carry the death penalty.

A Clark County District Court grand jury indicted 27-year-old Ammar Harris on three counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and seven counts of discharging a weapon.

Harris, self-described pimp, is accused of shooting from a black Range Rover into a Maserati sports car that then slammed into a taxi that burst into flames in February.

The Maserati was being driven by Kenny Clutch

Taxi driver Michael Boldon, 62, and passenger Sandra Sutton-Wasmund, were killed. The Maserati driver, 27-year-old rapper, Kenny Clutch, died at hospital.

In an unexpected move, the grand jury also indicted Harris on a charge of robbery and three felony sex assault counts in a 2010 rape case that had been dismissed last year when the alleged victim refused to testify.

Prosecutor David Stanton said the second indictment did not represent double-jeopardy under Nevada law because the earlier case was dismissed without prejudice before a preliminary hearing.

Clutch, left, and cab driver Michael Boldon were killed

That let prosecutors seek new charges when the alleged victim, who now lives in Texas, testified before the grand jury in Las Vegas.

The rape charges could put Harris in prison for a minimum of 10 years. He could get two to 15 years on the robbery charge if convicted.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson has said he was considering the death penalty in the Las Vegas Strip incident but had not made a decision.

Harris is expected to plead not guilty in both cases at a court hearing on May 6.

The scene of the shoot-out was likened to a Hollywood film

The shooting, which was described by witnesses as being like something from a Hollywood film, happened at the busy intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road, which is flanked by Caesars Palace, Bellagio, Bally's and the Flamingo.

Another man in the Maserati suffered gunshot wounds and survived. Five other people in several other vehicles were injured.

Police said Harris and Mr Clutch, whose real name was Kenneth Cherry, had exchanged angry words at a casino valet stand before speeding away.

Investigators found no gun in the Maserati.

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Wolves Fans Invade Pitch After Burnley Defeat

Hundreds of Wolverhampton Wanderers supporters have invaded the pitch following a 2-1 home defeat to Burnley.

Some fans were seen kicking advertising hoardings and scuffling with stewards. Many were then seen running back towards the stands as a group of police officers moved towards them.

Wolves players were the target of some fans' frustrations, and one photograph showed striker Kevin Doyle being confronted.

The defeat leaves Wolves needing to beat Brighton - while hoping Barnsley and Peterborough both lose their final matches - to stay in football's second-tier.

Stewards attempted to hold back the hordes of supporters

The club was relegated from the Premier League last season, and could become the first side to drop from the top-flight to English football's third-tier in successive seasons since Swindon Town in 1995.

According to a local newspaper report, dozens of fans were waiting outside the club's Molineux Stadium.

It is the latest outbreak of unrest at English football matches.

A total of 27 people have been arrested in connection with clashes at the FA Cup semi-final between Millwall and Wigan on April 13.

That includes three men who were arrested in early morning raids on Tuesday, and a fourth who handed himself in.

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M62 Crash: Hen Party Minibus Victim Named

A woman who died when a minibus collided with a lorry on the M62 has been named as 18-year-old Bethany Jones.

Ms Jones, from Pontefract, died at the scene of the crash about 11.30am on Friday.

On Saturday her family released a statement saying that she would never be forgotten.

"Beth was a fun and bubbly girl who was caring and considerate to everyone she met. She was the apple of her grandad's eye and she will never be forgotten and sadly missed by everyone."

Her uncle, Anthony Jones, posted a message on Facebook in the wake of his niece's death.

The minibus collied with a Farmfoods lorry on the westbound carriage

"Thanking everyone on Facebook for there thoughts sympathy and condolences for the tragic of my niece Bethany Jones rip beth uncle tomy and family and all that new you god bless angle xxx xxx xxx".

Twenty-one people remain in hospital after the collision, which occurred as the minibus travelled to Liverpool for a hen party.

Among the injured is the bride-to-be, who has been named locally as Stefanie Firth.

Seven of those wounded in the collision are suffering serious injuries.

Also among those injured is Ashleigh Warner, who posted a photograph on Facebook with Ms Firth.

Ms Jones, from Pontefract, died at the scene of the crash

Before the accident, Ms Firth's friends had posted excited comments about the upcoming hen-do.

On Friday morning, Ms Warner wrote on Facebook: "Jumping on the Liverpool status bandwagon ......... Cos I'm sooooooo excited had my tshirt on since 8 this morning:))) hope Stefanie Firth has the best time xxxx".

The group had set off from South Elmsall, near Pontefract, West Yorkshire, when their vehicle collided with a Farmfoods lorry at junction 32 of the westbound carriage of the M62.

The driver of the lorry, a local man, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving but has since been released on bail.

In total 21 of the women were injured in the crash, which left the minibus on its side across a carriageway and luggage strewn across the motorway.

The collision occurred on Junction 32 of the M62

Six air ambulances were called to the scene, and four took casualties to hospitals nearby.

Firefighters called the crash "the worst they had seen in a number of years", Dave Walton, assistant chief fire officer at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said.

One patient, a woman in her 40s, suffered suspected serious chest injuries and was anaesthetised before being transported, while another was airlifted to hospital also with chest injuries.

Doncaster firefighter John Nichol was passing the scene of the accident as a passenger in his father's car.

Mr Nichol said: "I got out to see if I could help, and realised there was only me there.

"First I saw a lady at the back of the minibus and realised her leg was severely broken. Then I put my head through the roof and just saw a mass of bodies.

"I think there were 11 or 12 in there, with various injuries, and around five people were out of the vehicle, hobbling around.

"I tried to calm people down and, although a bystander had called 999, I called them back to say this was a major incident and that several resources and air ambulances would be needed."

Dr David Macklin, from Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said that crews were faced with "a very difficult scene with multiple seriously injured people", but he praised their "excellent and professional response".

Chartered accountant Pritpal Singh, 28, from Leeds, was travelling back to his office on the M62 westbound when the accident happened.

He said by 2.30pm everyone going in the same direction as the crash had got out of their cars and started walking around on the road.

"I was about a third of a mile back from where the accident was, I got out and walked up to the scene," he said.

"I could see a minibus which was on its side. It had quite a severe amount of damage on the right hand side.

"The lorry which had collided with it was on the main motorway."

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Ricin Letters Probe: Second Suspect Arrested

Federal agents have arrested a Mississippi martial arts tutor in connection with poison-laced letters sent to President Barack Obama and two other officials.

Everett Dutschke was taken into custody by FBI agents at his Tupelo home without incident, according to FBI spokeswoman Deborah Madden.

The FBI and the US Capitol Police, as well as members of an anti-terrorist response team from the Mississippi National Guard, had earlier searched the 41-year-old's home and former martial arts studio.

Authorities searched Dutschke's former martial arts studio

US prosecutors dropped charges on Tuesday against another Mississippi man, Elvis impersonator Paul Kevin Curtis, after a search of his home revealed no evidence linking him to three ricin-laced letters sent to Mr Obama, Senator Roger Wicker and Lee County, Mississippi, judge Sadie Holland.

Authorities then turned their attention to Dutschke, who they say has ties to the former suspect, the judge and Sen Wicker.

Dutschke's attorney, Lori Nail Basham, said earlier this week that her client was "co-operating fully" with investigators. Dutschke has insisted he had nothing to do with the letters.

The martial arts instructor and Curtis are acquainted, with Curtis saying they had discussed publishing a book together before they later had a feud.

Paul Kevin Curtis (in glasses) was cleared of charges last week

Questions over a possible framing attempt were raised after an FBI agent said authorities tracked down Curtis by using a list of Senator Wicker's constituents with the initials KC - the same initials in the letters.

The letters also contained lines posted on Curtis' Facebook page, including the phrase "I am KC and I approve this message."

Curtis' attorney, Christi McCoy, said they were "relieved but also saddened" following Dutschke's arrest.

She said: "This crime is nothing short of diabolical. I have seen a lot of meanness in the past two decades, but this stops me in my tracks."

The letters sent to the president and Sen Wicker were intercepted at government mail sorting facilities before reaching the White House and Capitol Hill.

Ricin - made from castor beans - can be deadly to humans and is considered a potential terror weapon, particularly if refined into an aerosol form.

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Afghanistan: Nato Deaths As Plane Crashes

A plane crash in southern Afghanistan has killed four members of the international military coalition, Nato has said.

The cause of the crash is still being investigated.

Nato did not say where the plane went down but initial reports suggest there was no enemy activity in the area at the time, the alliance said.

Mohammad Jan Rasoulyar, deputy governor of the southern province of Zabul, said an aircraft belonging to foreign forces crashed on Saturday afternoon in Shah Joy district.

He said the site had been surrounded by international forces.

Most international soldiers in southern Afghanistan are from the US, but the nationalities of the victims have not been disclosed.

A Nato statement said: "The cause of the crash is under investigation, however initial reporting indicates there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash."

There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the Taliban, who on Saturday announced the start of their annual "spring offensive" vowing a nationwide series of attacks as Nato troops withdraw from the country.

Earlier this month, two US troops were killed when a Nato helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan, while five US troops died in the southern province of Kandahar in May when their helicopter came down during a heavy rainstorm.

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