North Korea threatens "strong steps" if UN acts

A North Korean diplomat has said that the isolated dictatorship will take "strong steps" if the UN security council votes to take action after the country's rocket launch on Sunday. He said that if the 15-nation body took "any kind of steps whatever, we'll consider this is (an) encroachment on our sovereignty and the next option will be ours...Necessary and strong steps will follow that."

US, Japanese and South Korean governments, along with others, condemned North Korea's launch of a missile last weekend, claiming that the firing of such missiles was prohibited by a UN Security Council Resolution. The resolution was created in 2006 in response to North Korea's nuclear test. In a rare appearance, Deputy Ambassador Pak Tok Hun, told reporters "It's not fair. It's not fair.While they themselves launch more than a hundred times the satellites ... we are not allowed to do that. That is not democratic."

The Security Council held an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss a response to the launch, however, no action could be agreed on other than to return to the issue at a later date. Russia and China, with three other council members, opposed the US and Japanese resolution which would have punished North Korea. A second meeting on Monday of the five permanent members of the Security Council; the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia, as well as Japan was held to discuss a compromise. However, this meeting with also unsuccessful with the Western powers unable to convince Russia and China that strong condemnation was required.

Video reveals police pushed G20 death man

Video footage has shown that the police pushed the man who died during last week's G20 protest to the floor. The footage details the minutes before the man died of a heart attack.

Ian Tomlinson, 47, is seen walking away from a row of riot police when one officer used his baton to hit Mr Tomlinson's leg. The officer then continues to push the man to the floor. The film as taken by a New York fund manager who came forward after he said that Tomlinson's family were not getting the answers they deserved and thought that this footage would help.

Mr Tomlinson, a newsagent, was not protesting when he collapsed and died in front of the Bank of England. His death has prompted an IPCC investigation and n IPCC spokesperson said: "The IPCC has been made aware of the footage broadcast on a national newspaper's website. We are now attempting to recover this evidence. We will be assessing this along with the other statements and photographs that have already been submitted." The incident adds to the mounting concerns about police conduct on that night, after campaigners have questioned the police's treatment of protestors and some linking this treatment to the death of Ian Tomlinsion.

Tomlinson's family have issued a plea for witness to come forward to help with the enquiry. A statement from the family said that "Ian was a massive football fan and would have looked distinctive in his Millwall top. He was probably on his way back from work to watch the England match and got caught up in the crowds."

UPDATE: 150 killed in Italian quake

The death toll in the Italian earthquake, which struck the mountain city of L'Aquila, has risen to 150. The quake has injured 1,500 people and made a further 50,000 homeless. Rescue workers are continuing their search for survivors into the night with the aid of floodlights. So far the 60 people have been reportedly been rescued from the rubble and are being housed in a 'tent city' which has been established on L'Aquila's tennis courts and football pitches.

Italian earthquakes kills 90

At least 90 people have been killed and 1,500 have been injured after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the city of L'Aquila. The quake struck at 03:30 (local time) this morning close to the mountain city of L'Aquila, 95 km North East of the capital, Rome.

Rescuers are desperately picking through the rubble in search of survivors whilst emergency teams are also erecting tents on tennis courts and football pitches to accommodate the 30,000 people who have been left homeless. After declaring a state of emergency, Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, announced that he would send a "record number of rescuers" to deal with the crisis. A speaker at the Italian Parliament, Gianfranco Fini, announced that "some towns in the area have been virtually destroyed in their entirety." Many of the renaissance and baroque buildings in the area were destroyed by the 30 second long quake, including the dome of the church in L'Aquila. Around 10,000 medieval buildings were damaged and many houses were reduced to piles of rubble. The earthquake also disturbed boulders, which rolled down mountain-sides destroying buildings and blocking roads.

North Korean satellite launch fails

North Korea has failed to launch a satellite into orbit, according to US and South Korean military sources.

The much condemned missile launch planned to place a communications satellite into orbit, however, many countries, including the US and Japan, believe that it is a cover for a long range missile test. A US military statement has reported that the missile's payload landed in the Pacific Ocean, whilst North Korean state media has reported that the launch has been successful and that the satellite is transmitting data.

Pyongyang gave prior warning of the launch saying that it was part of a space programme, which they are entitled to under international law. However, US President Barack Obama has called the launch a "provocative" action and added that "North Korea broke the rules once more by testing a rocket that could be used for a long-range missile," and that "this provocation underscores the need for action - not just this afternoon at the UN Security Council, but in our determination to prevent the spread of these weapons." A joint US-EU statement called for North Korea to end it's "policy of threats" which aim to "harm peace and security in North East Asia."

"A world without nuclear weapons"

On a trip to Prague for a meeting with EU leaders, US President, Barack Obama, held a rally to give his response to North Korea's missile launch. He said that this "provocative" violation of international laws and treaties highlighted the need for action on nuclear weapons.

Speaking alongside his wife. Michelle, President Obama said that America had "a moral responsipility" to lead the action as the only country to have used a nuclear weapon. Obama announced that he wanted to achieve "a world without nuclear weapons" to ensure international security and allow developing countries to harness nuclear power for peaceful energy production. He added that to maintain "common security we must strengthen our alliances". He told the 20,000 strong crowd that the de-armament programme may not be completed with in his life time and that the process would take "patience and commitment". He made a pledge to reduce America's nuclear arsenal and urged other leaders to follow his lead.

Speaking about North Korea's missile launch just hours before, Obama said that now was the time for "a strong international response" and that there must be consequences to breaking international rules. He added that "North Korea must know that the path to security and respect will never come through threats and illegal weapons."

The speech took place after a series of protests across the Czech capital were held against the proposed US defense shield. However, President Obama said that whilst the Iranian nuclear threat remained plans for the missile defense system would go ahead.