Otto Warmbier 'was brutalised by pariah N Korea', parents say

The parents of Otto Warmbier, the US student who is in a coma after being freed this week by North Korea, say he was "brutalised" by a "pariah regime".

The 22-year-old is now being treated in hospital after the flight carrying him landed in Ohio on Tuesday.

Mr Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour for attempting to steal a propaganda sign from a hotel.

He was given a sleeping pill after becoming ill after his trial last year and did not wake up, North Korea said.

He is now being treated at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
How harsh is prison in North Korea?
"We want the world to know how we and our son have been brutalised and terrorised by the pariah regime," his parents, Fred and Cindy, said.
Former US ambassador and New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, who has previously served as special envoy to North Korea and in 2016 attempted to negotiate the release of the student, said the Warmbiers had updated him on their son's condition.
"In no uncertain terms, North Korea must explain the causes of his coma," Mr Richardson said.

The BBC's Stephen Evans in Seoul says it remains to be seen if Mr Warmbier's illness is the direct result of brutality in prison.
If it were, there might be pressure on President Trump to take action against Kim Jong-un's regime, he says.

Who is Otto Warmbier?

Otto Warmbier is an economics student from the University of Virginia, originally from Cincinnati, Ohio.
He was in North Korea as a tourist with Young Pioneer Tours when he was arrested on 2 January 2016.
He appeared emotional at a news conference a month later, in which he tearfully confessed to trying to take the sign as a "trophy" for a US church, adding: "The aim of my task was to harm the motivation and work ethic of the Korean people."
Foreign detainees in North Korea have previously recanted confessions, saying they were made under pressure.

After a short trial on 16 March, Mr Warmbier was given a 15-year prison sentence for crimes against the state.
His parents told CNN in early May that they had had no contact with their son for more than a year.

What is his condition now?

In a statement on Tuesday, Mr and Mrs Warmbier said: "Sadly, he is in a coma and we have been told he has been in that condition since March 2016. We learned of this only one week ago."

They were quoted by the Washington Post as saying they had been told Otto had contracted botulism, a rare illness that causes paralysis, soon after his trial in March 2016.
He was given a sleeping pill and had been in a coma ever since, the newspaper said.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made no mention of Mr Warmbier's condition in a statement, saying only that he was on his way home to be reunited with his family and would not make any further comment, out of respect for the privacy of the family.

Who else is detained in North Korea?

There are reported to be three other US citizens in custody in North Korea. They are:

• Kim Dong-chul, a 62-year-old naturalised US citizen born in South Korea, who was sentenced to 10 years hard labour in April 2016 for spying
• Korean-American professor Kim Sang-duk (or Tony Kim) who was detained in April 2017. The reasons for his arrest are not yet clear
• Kim Hak-song, like Kim Sang-duk, worked at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) and was detained in May 2017 on suspicion of "hostile acts" against the state

The US has in the past accused North Korea of detaining its citizens to use them as pawns in negotiations over its nuclear weapons programme.


The arrests have come at a time of heightened tension between North Korea and the US and its regional neighbours.

Why is Dennis Rodman in Pyongyang?

Mr Warmbier's release comes hours after US basketball star Dennis Rodman arrived in North Korea.
Mr Rodman is a friend of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and has made several visits to the country in recent years.

There was some speculation that he might plead the case for the American detainees, but en route to North Korea he told reporters "my purpose is to actually see if I can keep bringing sports to North Korea".

E3 2017: Mario caps Nintendo's triumphant comeback

The return of Super Mario is set to be the crowning achievement in what’s already been a remarkable year of recovery for Nintendo.

The loyal (and I mean loyal) fans weren’t worried, but rewind a year and many people - myself included - were questioning Nintendo’s ability to compete realistically with Sony and Microsoft in the console market.

The Wii U - a follow-on to the wildly successful Wii - had tanked, and the new console, Switch, seemed like it would be just too basic to make an impact.

Yet at E3 this year, the company is brimming with confidence. Its strategy has paid off.

"It seems to have brought back Nintendo’s mojo,” says Tom Phillips, news editor at Eurogamer.

"You look at where Nintendo are now compared to 12 months ago, it’s really night and day. They really turned things around.”

Eyeing the Wii

The Switch got off to a blistering start when it came out in March. It sold almost three million units in the first month, making it the company’s fastest-selling console. The first big release - Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - is now considered to be one of the best games created, with several million copies sold.

And so it serves as a timely reminder that to judge games consoles on processing power, or true-to-life graphics capability, would be like reviewing a film based solely on the quality of its CGI. What Nintendo continually delivers is creativity other publishers can’t match.

Make no mistake, the enduring appeal of titles like Mario (or Zelda) isn’t nostalgia, but reinvention.

• Super Mario readies for October release
• Sony teases virtual reality games at E3
• Microsoft unveils Xbox One X
• Xbox's vanishing virtual reality strategy

The Switch surpassed the company’s early expectations, so now the ambition is grander. The Wii sold more than 100 million units in its eight-year life. Can that be repeated?

“I’m not going to lie to you, the Wii is something that we’re looking at,” said Nicolas Wegnez, general manager for Nintendo in the UK, told the BBC.

"We would really love to go back to that growing path of really making many more people smile playing Nintendo products.”

Chubby plumber

To help in that aim, Nintendo will once again turn to its biggest star.

Super Mario Odyssey - whose October release date was announced on Tuesday - includes the chubby plumber's first foray into the “real” world as he, in at least one level, spends some time in what resembles a real city, modelled on New York.

You’re free to roam around and do tasks on your own - press on with the main story, or distract yourself with other missions. It’s just like Grand Theft Auto, but you’re helping people instead of shooting them in the face.

There’s a new gameplay mechanic that makes use of the Switch’s dual-motion controllers; a flick of the wrists flings Mario’s new hat - called Cappy - in any given direction as a way of defeating enemies or interacting with objects.

It’s impossible to get a real feel for the quality of a game in a noisy convention centre, so I’ll leave those more qualified than me to offer the true verdict of the game when it is released.

Until then, Nintendo will release Arms - a fighting game that had people flailing their arms all around us here - and Splatoon 2, a competitive paintball shooter featuring squids, which Nintendo is positioning as its e-sports headliner.

OK without 4K?

But Nintendo’s problem is one it has faced for over a decade now. Its console relies heavily on the games made by the geniuses within its own company. Third-party games, while growing in number, often feel like second-class citizens on Nintendo's platforms when compared to the treatment on the Xbox and PlayStation. As those consoles begin to offer full 4K visuals, that gap in quality will feel even wider.

“The [4K] resolution is one thing which is part of the project but for us there is a lot of innovation when you think about it in Switch," said Mr Wegnez.

"We’re going one way which is focused on new ways of playing, new gameplay experiences."

The gameplay experience on the Switch is innovative, but it’s not the dramatic shift we saw when the Wii came out, where games went from being about pressing buttons in your bedroom to waving swords in the living room with your nan.

That leap alone was enough to propel the Wii to incredible sales, but it’s unlikely the Switch can gather that much momentum with clever hardware alone - and without more third-party titles, there is arguably a ceiling to how successful the Switch can be.

"We are not such a big company as our competitors,” acknowledged Mr Wegnez.

"We need to do things differently. We really put a lot of love in our products."

BBC NEWS

Trump travel ban suffers new court defeat

A US appeals court has upheld a decision blocking President Donald Trump's revised "travel ban" on people from six mainly Muslim nations.

Ruling on a case brought by the state of Hawaii, the appeal judges found that the executive order violated existing immigration legislation

It is a further legal setback for the president's efforts to get the ban he promised his supporters.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he disagreed with the ruling.

"President Trump's executive order is well within his lawful authority to keep the nation safe."

He added: "Recent attacks confirm that the threat to our nation is immediate and real."

The dispute may end up being decided in the US Supreme Court.

Mr Trump's own tweet from 5 June was cited in the judges' ruling.

An earlier version of the travel ban, issued by Mr Trump just days after taking office, sparked confusion at airports and protests.

In the revised executive order, the 90-day ban was to apply to people from Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It also called for a 120-day ban on all refugees, but removed references to religious minorities.

During his election campaign, Mr Trump called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States".

Reacting to the latest ruling, White House spokesman Sean Spicer defended the executive order, saying "we need every available tool at our disposal to prevent terrorists entering the United States and committing acts of bloodshed and violence".

"We continue to be confident that the president's executive order to protect this country is fully lawful and ultimately will be upheld by the Supreme Court," Mr Spicer added.

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Trump's travel ban - the story so far

They said Mr Trump had failed to show that the entry of people from the six countries mentioned in the ban, as well as the refugees, would be detrimental to US interests.

• Five questions about the revised executive order
• WATCH: Why did a US veteran give a stranger his Purple Heart?

But the judges said the government was allowed to review the vetting process for people entering the US - something the earlier Hawaii ruling had blocked.

Mr Trump has repeatedly said that the ban is necessary to protect Americans from terrorism.

Significant recent attacks in the US were not committed by citizens of any other of the six countries named in the order.

The legal ruling comes on the first anniversary of the Orlando nightclub shooting, in which a US citizen shot dead 49 people at a Florida nightclub. It was the worst mass shooting in US history.GHG

May tells MPs: I got us into this mess and I will get us out

Theresa May has apologised to Tory MPs for the party's election performance, telling them "I got us into this mess I'll get us out of it."

Addressing a meeting of backbenchers, the PM reportedly said she would serve as "long as you want me to do".

One senior backbencher told the BBC that she had appeared "contrite and genuine but not on her knees".

It comes amid confusion over whether the Queen's Speech will be delayed as talks continue to form a government.

A senior minister has said he was "optimistic" that the Conservatives and Democratic Unionists will reach an agreement in the coming days to allow a proposed Tory minority government get its plans for the year ahead through the Commons, possibly as early as next Monday.

But First Secretary of State Damian Green said he could not confirm the Queen's Speech will proceed as planned on 19 June.

Labour said the government was "in chaos" and continued to be "in denial" about the message voters had sent about their opposition to an "extreme Brexit".

• PM survives first bout of battle for control
• Election fallout: May addresses MPs
• May stays in No 10: What you need to know
• Theresa May: The prisoner of No 10

Mrs May addressed a packed meeting of the 1922 Committee for 90 minutes after her failure to win the election outright prompted days of speculation about her future.

According to reports of the meeting, she accepted personal responsibility for calling the snap election and for the result, which saw her party lose its overall majority and have to rely on the support of others.

'DUP veto'

Mrs May, who earlier chaired a two-hour cabinet meeting, reportedly told the committee, a group of backbench MPs, that the DUP would not have a "veto" on the government's agenda, and there would be no watering down of equalities laws over which the two parties disagree.

The BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the PM's "colleagues were demanding contrition and sounds like they got it".

While calls for Mrs May to go had "faded", she said her authority was "extremely fractured" and had acknowledged she was not "calling the shots" any more.

Reacting to the meeting, Tory MP Julian Knight said that the prime minister had been "humble and steadfast and certain that we have to get on with the job of government and negotiating Brexit".

His colleague Sarah Wollaston tweeted: "Conservative MPs all said they were standing with TM. As far as I'm concerned that hasn't changed."

One Conservative ex-minister told the BBC that Theresa May "did brilliantly", suggesting that "the "Maybot" disappeared and we got a real leader back".

In the wake of Friday's setback, Conservative figures have said the party needs to learn the lessons of its failure to win an overall majority and change direction in some key areas.

Gavin Barwell, who lost his seat but has since been appointed Mrs May's chief of staff, said Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had "tapped into" public anger over Brexit and austerity, saying some voters were dismayed about the prospect of years of future public sector pay freezes.

• May's cabinet: Who's in and who's out?
• Immigration - the Brexit dividing line
• Did Gove really try to stop teaching climate change?

He told the BBC's Panorama his party had to listen to Remain voters about their concerns. Meanwhile his colleague George Freeman said it was time for the government to "drop a hard Brexit" message and return to a "message of hope" he said Mrs May articulated when she first became prime minister.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has said the priority of Brexit talks should be the economy and free trade and that other parties should be involved in negotiations.

After attending Monday's meeting of senior ministers and Tory officials, she said: "We do have to make sure that we invite other people in now. This isn't just going to be a Tory Brexit, this is going to have to involve the whole country."

Queen's Speech

Passing the Queen's Speech - which is written by ministers and presents an outline of its planned legislation for the next Parliamentary session - will be the first major test of Theresa May's proposed minority government.

If the government was defeated, it would be tantamount to a vote of no confidence.

• Tory-DUP deal 'a tremendous opportunity'
• Brexit offer 'could change' - Davidson

Mr Green cited the ongoing negotiations with the DUP when he was asked if next Monday's speech had been delayed.

"I can't confirm anything yet until we know the final details of the agreement," he said. "We know those talks are going well and also we know that, at this very important time, we want to produce a substantial Queen's Speech."

One of the reasons for the delay is also believed to be because the speech has to be written on goat's skin parchment, which takes a few days to dry - and the Tory negotiations with the DUP mean it cannot be ready in time.

BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith said there was an "ambiguity" about both what would go in it - with several manifesto pledges expected to be watered down or dropped - but also the need for the Tories to "nail down" DUP support.

The first formal meeting of UK and EU officials since the election has concluded without a date being officially set for the start of Brexit talks. The negotiations were due to start on 19 June but Brexit Secretary David Davis has indicated this timetable could slip by a few days amid events in Westminster.

The prime minister is continuing to reshuffle her government at middle-ranking level after Sunday saw only modest changes in the cabinet. Nick Hurd has become policing minister while Dominic Raab joins the Ministry for Justice and Mel Stride becomes financial secretary to the Treasury.

Mike Penning, Robert Halfon, Oliver Heald and David Jones have all left the government.

BBC NEWS

Man jailed for 'brutal' jogger murder in Preston

A man who admitted murdering a 67-year-old jogger in a "brutal and cruel" attack has been jailed for life.Nathan Richardson, 19, attacked Wenqing Xu on New Year's Day in Preston, Lancashire, after taking a cocktail of drink and drugs at a house party.Mr Xu, who was found near Plungington Community Centre, had been in "the wrong place at the wrong time", Judge Mark Brown told Preston Crown Court.Richardson, of no fixed address, must serve a minimum of 19 years.

Mr Xu, who was from China but had been staying with his daughter Diana, was left with 28 injuries to his head and neck as well as a laceration and bruising to his genital area, the court heard. Richardson was seen dragging Mr Xu along the street but ran off when he was disturbed by witnesses shortly before 08:30 GMT.Mr Xu was found wearing only a T-shirt and died in hospital.Francis McEntee, prosecuting, said the motive for the assault remained a mystery.Judge Brown said Mr Xu had been attacked "in a brutal, vicious and very cruel way.""I am satisfied he suffered additional degradation when you removed his lower clothing and dragged him along the street," he said.He said Richardson, who had been at a New Year's Eve house party, left his victim "dying in the gutter".

The court heard after the attack Richardson went to the house of friend Luke Jenkinson, 22, in nearby De Lacy Street, where he changed and washed his clothes.Mr McEntee said friends had reported Richardson telling them he had "kicked and stamped" on Mr Xu's head.

The court heard Mr Xu's wife and daughter were unable to complete a victim statement as they were too distressed.

John Jones QC, representing Richardson, said he was "a young man with the most disadvantaged background and upbringing" who had been diagnosed with a personality disorder and learning difficulties.

Jenkinson was sentenced to two years and nine months after earlier admitting assisting an offender.The court heard he did not know Richardson had murdered Mr Xu when he helped him.

BBC NEWS

Nurse Joseph Miller struck off for Rolex watch theft

A nursing manager who stole a £5,000 Rolex watch from a dying patient has been struck off.

Joseph Miller, 40, took the Submariner watch from 68-year-old David Davies at St Richard's Hospital, Chichester, in August 2014.

He was sentenced to 14 months in prison, suspended for two years, at Portsmouth Crown Court in August 2016.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council said the seriousness of the offence was incompatible with ongoing registration.

Miller, a married father of two, admitted theft but claimed he had taken the watch by accident and then panicked when he found it at home.

He placed it in a shed for months and, despite police appeals, tried to sell it 18 months later.

But the police had registered it as stolen and Miller was later arrested.

Following his conviction, the Nursing and Midwifery Council said he had caused "emotional distress" to the patient's family and had maintained his dishonesty over a "prolonged period of time".

The conduct and competence committee panel continued: "A patient, or a patient's family, should be able to have trust and confidence in a nurse... Honesty and integrity are basic tenets of the nursing profession."

It decided the misconduct represented a "significant departure from the code of conduct and involves a dishonest breach of trust which Mr Miller made efforts to cover up".

It agreed a striking-off order was in the public interest to maintain confidence in the profession.

The panel said that although Miller accepted he would not be able to work following a strike off, he hoped to return to nursing at some point in the future.

BBC NEWS

Jeff Sessions: Trump's attorney general to testify in public on Russia

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions will testify in public to the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday on his role in the Russia investigation.

Mr Sessions, who wrote to the Senate Intelligence Committee at the weekend, has asked that the hearing be open.

He will face questions about undeclared meetings with Russian officials and the president's firing of the FBI chief.

Media reports last week said Mr Sessions had offered to resign because of tensions with the president.

• Who is Jeff Sessions?

Mr Trump was angry that the attorney general had recused himself from the FBI's Russia probe, according to US media.

Tuesday's hearing has been scheduled for 14:30 local time (18:30 GMT).

America's top justice official will be the most senior government official to testify before the Senate committee, which is looking into allegations that Russia had tried to meddle in last November's election.

It is one of several congressional panels that, along with a special counsel, is also investigating whether any Trump campaign officials colluded with the alleged Kremlin plot.

The White House has rejected any collusion with Russia, which has denied meddling in the US election.

In his letter on Saturday, Mr Sessions said: "It is important that I have an opportunity to address these matters in the appropriate forum."

He had been due to appear before the Senate and House appropriations subcommittees on Tuesday, but said his deputy would attend those hearings instead.

Mr Sessions removed himself in March from involvement in any probe of alleged Russian election meddling after it emerged he had failed to disclose a meeting he had last year with Moscow's ambassador.

Democrats have questioned why, given his recusal, Mr Sessions was involved in the president's 9 May dismissal of FBI Director James Comey.

"There's a real question of the propriety of the attorney general participating in that in any way, shape or form," Democratic Senator Jack Reed told the Fox News Sunday show.

In testimony last week, Mr Comey suggested Mr Trump had fired him to undermine the Russia inquiry.

Trump-Comey row: What questions remain after testimony?

Mr Trump had himself attributed his dismissal of Mr Comey to the Russia investigation.

However, the Republican president has denied trying to impede the probe and said he would be willing to testify under oath about his interactions with Mr Comey.

The former FBI director's testimony provoked scorn over the weekend from his former boss, who dismissed him as a coward.

Mr Trump tweeted on Sunday: "I believe the James Comey leaks will be far more prevalent than anyone ever thought possible. Totally illegal? Very 'cowardly!'

 

BBC NEWS