North Korea 'has miniature nuclear warhead', says Kim Jong-un

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has claimed that his scientists have developed miniaturised nuclear warheads that fit on ballistic missiles.

North Korean state media has said before that nuclear warheads have been miniaturised, but this is the first time Mr Kim has been quoted directly.

The notoriously secretive state said it detonated a hydrogen bomb in January, but experts dispute the claim.

The validity of the country's nuclear boasts has been widely questioned.

"The nuclear warheads have been standardized to be fit for ballistic missiles by miniaturising them," state media agency KCNA quoted him as saying as he inspected a nuclear facility.

can be called true nuclear deterrent," he added.

Mr Kim also inspected nuclear warheads designed for thermo-nuclear reaction - the type used in a hydrogen bomb - KCNA said. 

The UN Security Council imposed harsh new sanctions on the isolated state last week over the January nuclear test, which experts say was not likely to be a hydrogen bomb, as North Korea claimed.

In return, Pyongyang has stepped up its belligerent rhetoric through state media.

Last week, Mr Kim ordered his country to be ready to use nuclear weapons at any time in the face of growing threats from enemies.

Boris Johnson: EU referendum gag email was 'cock-up'

Boris Johnson says an email telling his senior staff to back him over the EU referendum has been withdrawn.

The London mayor, who is campaigning to leave the EU, said the memo to deputy mayors and senior advisers was "a cock-up, and not something I agree with".

It told them to "either advocate the mayor's position or otherwise not openly contradict it" when not at work.

The email was sent 24 hours before Mr Johnson accused pro-EU campaigners of trying to gag opponents.

It was sent by his chief of staff, Edward Lister.

"Nobody has been gagged, I was only made aware of this edict very late last night and it ceased to be operative as soon as I was made aware of it," Mr Johnson said.

"All I can say is it obviously hasn't been operative because my advisory team take a very different view from me."

'Project fear'

He added "it's a cock-up and not something I agree with", saying he was in favour of allowing - in the words of former Chinese leader Chairman Mao - "a hundred flowers to bloom".

The mayor said his staff were "producing all sorts of views completely different from my own", adding that the memo had been "wiped from the page of history".

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said while Mr Johnson was happy for his senior staff to argue for the UK's EU membership outside work, he was not able to withdraw statutory advice saying they cannot contradict him when carrying out official duties.

David Cameron and the government are campaigning to remain in the EU in the 23 June referendum. Government ministers have been told they can back either side, but conditions apply and they are not allowed to use Whitehall resources to help their campaigns.

The City Hall instruction, in an email sent on 4 March, was circulated before Mr Johnson accused pro-EU campaigners of trying to silence those arguing for Brexit who he claimed were being "crushed by the agents of Project Fear".

The email, revealed by Laura Kuenssberg, says it includes an attachment offering formal advice from the City Hall management team on what the Greater London Authority (GLA) can and cannot do during the referendum.

'Inclusive debate' 

The email highlights that the advice says: "Boris is entitled, as mayor, to adopt a public position on this issue and then, as with all other mayoral policies, to receive support from GLA officers in relation to that policy position.

"The advice also makes clear that GLA officers can, when not at work, express personal opinions (which be contrary to the mayor's views). Whilst this is the formal position for you also, I would expect, given your roles, you either to advocate the mayor's position or otherwise not openly contradict it."

The email also notes that because it is a referendum and not an election "you are all able to be involved in the campaign as you may wish (but without using the authority's resources for your personal activities)."

The mayor's official spokesman said: "The mayor is relaxed about any of his team of advisers in a personal capacity campaigning for or supporting either side in the EU referendum. 

"He wants to see an open and inclusive debate, and recognises that some of his advisors have differing views to those he holds.

"In his role as chief of staff Ed Lister advised the team that as official mayoral policy is now to support the case for leaving the EU they are requested to support that position when undertaking official City Hall business."

'Crystal clear'

The mayor's office said the advice was "in line with that issued by the GLA's statutory officers".

Although his deputy mayors and senior advisers are political appointees, they are technically officials of City Hall so not subject to the same rules as elected representatives.

The Britain Stronger in Europe campaign released a statement from London MPs Tom Brake and Chuka Umunna, accusing Mr Johnson and Leave campaigners of "trying to have their cake and eat it".

"Boris and his staff should immediately release new guidance making it crystal clear that everyone has the right to campaign for Britain to stay in Europe because they believe that is best for London," they added.

Fourteen Injured After Commuter Train Derails

Fourteen people were injured after a commuter train derailed and plunged into a creek in California.

A fallen tree is believed to have caused the train, which was carrying 214 passengers, to come off the tracks.

Alameda County Sheriff’s spokesman Sergeant Ray Kelly said crews had to battle against fast-moving currents to pull passengers out of the submerged carriage.

"It was dark, wet, it was raining. It was very chaotic. This is an absolute miracle that no one was killed," Sgt Kelly said.

Emergency services attend the scene. Pic: Alameda Country FD

The train was travelling from San Jose to Stockton when the first two carriages derailed in Sunol, Alameda County, about 45 miles east of San Francisco.

Images posted on Twitter by Alameda County Fire Department show the first rail car on its side half-submerged in the water.

A train official said six people and one member of staff were inside the carriage when it fell into the creek.

The second car also came off the tracks but remained upright and three more carriages stayed on the tracks.

Police said four people sustained serious but not life-threatening injuries in the incident, and 10 others suffered minor injuries.

An investigation is underway into what caused the tree to fall on to the tracks.

Inspirational Boston Marathon Bombing Survivor Killed in Dubai Car Crash

Boston Marathon bombingsurvivor, Victoria McGrath, was killed in a car crash in Dubai, officials confirmed Monday.

The 23-year-old Northeastern University student died along with classmate and friend Priscilla Perez Torres – both were set to graduate from the school this year.

“We are stunned, shocked and heartbroken,” Victoria’s mother, Jill McGrath, wrote to NBC News.

McGrath became a symbol of the 2013 tragedy after an emotional photo of Boston firefighter James Plourde carrying her bloodied body captured the hearts of Americans everywhere.

“It’s been said that I helped to save her life, but the truth is Victoria saved my life after the marathon as her love, support and friendship helped myself and my family deal with the acts of 4/5/13. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the McGrath and Perez Torres families as they deal with this unimaginable tragedy,” Plourde said in a statement.

During the bombing, the Weston, Connecticut, native suffered major damage to nerves in her left leg. She spent weeks recovering at Tufts Medical Center.

Her inspirational recuperation and positive strength three years ago encouraged other survivors to cope with the shock of the attack.

“She made a lasting impact on those who knew her,” Tufts Medical Center said in a statement.

In its statement, Northeastern University said Perez Torres was from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, and loved traveling and “working on issues related to nutrition and women’s health.”

The school identified both McGrath and Perez Torres as “kind, talented young women with exceptional futures before them.”

"Victoria and Priscilla were vibrant, beloved members of our community, and their passing leaves a grievous absence in our community and in our hearts,” the university said.

Mexican President Says Donald Trump’s Language Is Like Hitler’s

(MEXICO CITY) — Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto compared the language of Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump to that of dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in an interview published Monday, and said it has hurt U.S.-Mexico relations.

Asked about Trump, Pena Nieto complained to the Excelsior newspaper about “these strident expressions that seek to propose very simple solutions” and said that sort of language has led to “very fateful scenes in the history of humanity.”

“That’s the way Mussolini arrived and the way Hitler arrived,” Pena Nieto said.

Pena Nieto until now had avoided direct comments on Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the two countries’ borders. Trump also has said Mexican immigrants bring crime and drugs to the U.S. and are “rapists.”

But as the New York businessman has built a lead in the GOP primary, current and former Mexican officials have begun to publicly express alarm. Former Presidents Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderon also have alluded to Hitler in describing Trump.

In the interview with Excelsior, Pena Nieto said “there is no scenario” under which Mexico would pay for the border wall, as Trump proposes.

But he said he would work with whoever eventually wins this year’s U.S. presidential election and to maintain a climate “of mutual respect and joint agreements.”

In another interview published Monday, with the newspaper El Universal, the president said he would be “absolutely respectful” of the U.S. political process, but said, “It appears to me that (Trump’s comments) hurt the relationship we have sought with the United States.”

Turkey’s Biggest Newspaper to Publish in Exile After Government Seizure

Turkey’s highest-circulating newspaper has effectively gone into exile after the government seized control of the paper’s offices and began publishing flattering stories about President Tayyip Erdogan.

The opposition-aligned Zamanwould continue to exist in the form of its German edition, Sueleyman Bag, editor-in-chief of Zaman Almanya (Zaman Germany), told Reuters. “We will print an independent newspaper. We still have not addressed the question of how we do that. This is a new challenge for us,” Bag added.

Authorities took control of Zaman‘s Istanbul headquarters on Friday after a court ruled that the paper’s management must be replaced by court-appointed administrators. The move is part of a wider crackdown on domestic supporters of U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, a political opponent that Erdogan’s administration has branded a terrorist.  According to Al Jazeera, the front page of Sunday’s Zaman — the first edition published since the takeover — lead with a soft-ball story about Erdogan overseeing the construction of a bridge.

Nigeria hosts President Jacob Zuma

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has arrived on a two-day state visit to Nigeria, a move observers see as an attempt to improve soured relations between the two African giants. During the visit that began on Tuesday, Zuma is expected to address the Joint Session of the National Assembly of Nigeria, and will together with President Muhammadu Buhari address the South Africa-Nigeria Business Forum.   Clayson Monyela, South Africa's head of Public Diplomacy, told Al Jazeera the South African government believes the "historic visit" will "send a powerful political message to the continent".

"This will inject new life and energy into this important strategic relationship between the two countries and resolve the perceived tensions," Monyela said.Zuma said Nigeria-South Africa's relations were "underpinned by strong historical ties dating back from the years of the liberation struggle".

Relations have been strained over the past few years. South Africa's telecom giant MTN's Nigeria operation was handed a $3.9bn penalty in October 2015 for failing to disconnect 5.1 million unregistered SIM cards.

The company, which is trying to negotiate a settlement, has so far paid out $250m but its headline earnings for last year have taken a hit as a result. Other South African firms in Nigeria have reportedly complained of being targeted. There have also been official criticism of Nigeria's response to a deadly building collapse in Lagos in 2014. Eighty-one of the 116 victims were South African nationals. Pretoria said their bodies were not repatriated quickly enough. On the Nigerian side, there have been complaints about South African visa restrictions while in April last year the two nations became embroiled in a spat over the recall of Nigeria's two top diplomats.

In Abuja for a historic state visit. HE J Zuma is the 1st Head of State hosted by HE M Buhari since his inauguration. #SANigeriaRelations
— Clayson Monyela (@ClaysonMonyela) March 8, 2016

The return of the high commissioner to Pretoria and consul-general in Johannesburg came in the wake of xenophobia attacks, about which Nigeria said it was "deeply concerned". Zuma will be accompanied to Nigeria by his ministers of trade and industry, international relations, defence, home affairs, and mineral resources, as well as captains of industry.

Observers have taken the presence of a strong ministerial delegation as a sign of a desire to resolve mutual complaints and possible deals to help Nigeria diversify its economy away from oil. Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari's predecessor Goodluck Jonathan became Africa's leading economy after a re-basing exercise of the GDP. But the global fall in oil prices has slashed government revenues, severely weakening the naira currency and driving up the cost of living.