North Korea Renews Nuclear Tantrums Ahead of Chinese President's Seoul Visit

North Korea renews nuclear tantrums ahead of Chinese president's Seoul visitReuters

North Korea has yet again insisted it will press ahead with its nuclear programmes even as the Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit the isolated nation's neighbouring rival South Korea.

As part of its chest-beating exercise, Pyongyang said South Korea is in "stupid delusion" if Seoul thinks it can make North Korea abandon its contentious nuclear ambitions.

"If nuclear problems are to be resolved in the Korean Peninsula, nuclear threats and risks of attacking the North raised by the US and the South Korean puppet group of traitors should be eliminated first," said a report carried by the North Korean mouthpiece Rodong Sinmun.

It added: "Expecting us to make changes in our policies and stances is equivalent to anticipating that the sky falls."

The Chinese head of state is scheduled to be on official visit to South Korea later this week in order to discuss Pyongyang's nuclear programme.

China, one of the few close allies of North Korea, is increasingly distancing itself from the communist regime in recent years as Pyongyang is becoming a political burden for Beijing.

Xi is also expected to hold bilateral talks with his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-hye when he visits the latter's state on Thursday and Friday (3 and 4 July). This will be the first time a Chinese leader is visiting South Korea before touring North Korea, signalling a sharp change in Beijing's foreign policy affairs.

Meanwhile, in a separate development, North Korea's latest announcement has come when the country has said it will put the two detained American men on trial for their "hostile acts" against the state.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Miller Todd and Jeffery Fowle will face judicial proceedings.

"According to the results of the investigation, suspicions about their hostile acts have been confirmed by evidence and their testimonies," the KCNA said.

Fowle was arrested in April when he was touring North Korea while Miller was taken into custody after he tore up his tourist visa and sought asylum in the country.

Sunni Jihadists Declare Medieval Style Caliphate Straddling Iraq and Syria

A fighter of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) holds an Isis flag and a weapon on a street in the city of MosulReuters

Sunni Islamist jihadists, who made massive territorial gains in Iraq and Syria, have said they are establishing an Islamic caliphate extending from Aleppo in northern Syria to Diyala province in eastern Iraq.

The dreaded al-Qaeda offshoot, which waged a long campaign for the establishment of a hardline Sunni rule under the banner of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, has renamed their outfit as the "Islamic State" and named its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the "Caliph", according to a statement the group posted on the internet.

"He is the imam and khalifah (Caliph) for the Muslims everywhere ... Accordingly, the 'Iraq and Sham' (Levant) in the name of the Islamic State is henceforth removed from all official deliberations and communications, and the official name is the Islamic State from the date of this declaration," the group's spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani said in the statement.

“"Listen to your caliph and obey him. Support your state, which grows every day."”

- Isis spokesman

The ultra hardline faction, which sees Shia Muslims as heretics deserving death, has been disowned by the al-Qaeda leadership and is viewed by Sunni leaders in Gulf Arab states as a long-term security threat.

The rebels capitalised on the Iraqi Sunnis' deep sense of alienation under the Shiite-led administration of Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad to push their long-term goal of setting up a medieval style caliphate straddling Iraq and Syria.

They have called upon Muslims everywhere to pledge allegiance to the new ruler, Caliph Ibrahim, and "reject democracy and other garbage from the West".

The statement reveals the group's plan to extend its control over more territories. "The legality of all emirates, groups, states and organisations becomes null by the expansion of the caliph's authority and the arrival of its troops to their areas," the statement said.

"Listen to your caliph and obey him. Support your state, which grows every day."

Meanwhile, the battle for Tikrit raged for the second consecutive day even as the militants appeared to have repelled the security forces' efforts to wrest control of key areas.

The Iraqi army said it was in control of Tikrit University where it raised a government flag. "It is a matter of time before we declare the total clearing of Tikrit," army spokesman Qassim al Moussawi said.

Prince Harry Shows Off His Dance Moves at Children's Day Care Centre in Chile

Prince Harry showed off his best dance moves at a centre for mentally disabled children.AFP / Getty Images

It's not every day that a girl gets to dance with a real life prince, but for a group of children in Chile it was a dream come true.

Prince Harry showed off his best dance steps as he met with children at the Fundacion Amigos de Jesus day care centre in Santiago, during the third day of his royal tour of Chile.

The centre looks after children with mental and physical disabilities.

The party prince put his best foot forward to join the children for a dance on the steps of the day care centre, much to the amusement of it's patients and onlookers.

AFP / Getty Images

He stayed at the centre for the whole day, taking time to chat and play with the children.

Harry demonstrated the natural warmth and compassion for which his mother Princess Diana was famed as he interacted with the children.

In a series of heart-warming images the Prince is seen high-fiving a four-year-old boy named Russell.

And he broke into spontaneous laughter when seven-year-old Pascal Vasquez stole the microphone from him as began to make a speech.

AFP / Getty Images

Prince Harry was also seen bonding with teenagers in the centre and the staff, who were more than happy to hang out with the young royal.

On Friday (27 June) he visited the Sagrada Familia kindergarten school in Chile, where he spent an afternoon playing games and musical instruments with underprivileged children from the Mapuche indigenous community.

And while visiting a slum in the village of El Vergel yesterday, the prince revealed he's quite the handy man as he repaired a family's television set, just in time for them to watch the Brazil v Chile World Cup match.

AFP / Getty Images

The Prince went to the slums to view the rebuilding work in the area, which was devastated following a forest fire in April that destroyed nine in ten of the self-made homes.

Prince Harry embarked on the Royal tour of Chile to support the England football team.

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FIFA World Cup 2014: Brazil Fan Dies of Heart Failure During Dramatic Penalty Shoot

Neymar of Brazil walks forward to take his penalty in the shoot-out during the match between Brazil and Chile at Estadio Mineirao.AFP / Getty Images

A Brazilian fan has died while watching his country's World Cup penalty shootout victory over Chile.

While the match against Chile finished 1-1 after extra time, the hosts Brazil won 3-2 in a dramatic penalty shoot out.

The 69-year-old man was watching the match in a bar close to the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte.

During the game, he complained of feeling unwell, and died shortly after being taken to hospital.

It was reported that he suffered heart failure.

Health officials treated 100 people who were taken ill or over wrought by the excitement during the match.

This included a 50-year-old woman for a heart problem during the shootout and a young man whose nose was broken in a fight.

Fifa World Cup 2014: Brazil v Chile Match Leaves One Dead and 100 in Care

Brazilian fans react after the 2014 World Cup round of 16 game between Brazil and Chile, in Recife.Reuters

One Brazil fan died and almost 100 others needed medical treatment during Brazil's tense penalty shootout victory over Chile at the World Cup.

A 69-year-old man suffered heart failure during the round of 16 knockout match, which he was watching in a bar close to the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte.

The man complained of feeling unwell just before the penalties and was rushed to a local hospital, where he died a couple of hours later.

Health officials in the southeastern Minas Gerais region said he was diabetic and suffered from hypertension.

The State Health Secretariat added that another 98 people required medical attention during the Saturday afternoon clash.

At least 60 of those were fans who were watching the match live at the stadium, including a 50-year-old who had a heart attack during the shootout.

Brazil eventually made it to the to the quarter-finals of the World Cup, beating Chile 3-2 in the shootout at the end of an emotionally charged game, after the regular 90 minutes and 30 minutes' extra time finished 1-1.

Julio Cesar of Brazil saves a penalty by Alexis Sanchez of ChileBuda Mendes/Getty Images