Kermiche Finally Buried After Muslim Leaders Shunned Priest Killer

One of the jihadists who killed a priest inside a church near the French city of Rouen has finally been buried.

But Adel Kermiche was buried more than 60 miles away in an area on the outskirts of Paris after local Muslim leaders refused to get involved.

Kermiche, 19, and his accomplice, Abdelmalik Petitjean, were shot dead by police after storming a service in July in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray and holding four hostages.

Adel Kermiche and Abdelmalik Petitjean pledged allegiance to IS

During the siege, they slit the throat of 84-year-old priest Jacques Hamel and seriously injured another hostage.

They had both pledged allegiance to Islamic State.

Kermiche was buried on Friday evening in a multi-faith cemetery in the Puiseux-Pontoise suburb, northwest of Paris, after Muslim leaders near Rouen had refused to grant Kermiche a Muslim burial.

A photo displayed at the funeral of Fr Jacques Hamel

An official said: "All we did was strictly apply the law. The family owns a crypt in the cemetery and the law guarantees the right to be buried regardless of the circumstances surrounding the person's death."

Muslim community leaders said they did not want to "taint" Islam by being associated with Kermiche.

The burial of the other attacker, Petitjean, remains the subject of a dispute.

The mayors of the two areas where he was born and where he lived are refusing to allow his funeral to take place on their turf.

Kermiche took four hostages during the attack on the church

France has faced a conundrum on where to bury jihadists responsible for a string of attacks in recent months.

There are fears that the graves of jihadists could become sites of pilgrimage for other extremists.

North Korea Calls London Diplomat Who Defected 'Human Scum'

North Korea has described a senior diplomat who defected to the South as "human scum", claiming he had been wanted for a number of crimes. 

Thae Yong Ho's move was announced by South Korea's Unification Ministry on Wednesday, saying that he had arrived in the city with his family.    

He had been North Korea's deputy ambassador in London.

:: North Korea Defection: The Diplomat Who Turned

In the North's first official response, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Mr Thae had been ordered to return home in June to be investigated for a series of crimes. 

The alleged offences include embezzling government funds, leaking confidential secrets and sexually assaulting a minor.

KCNA said Mr Thae "should have received legal punishment for the crimes he committed, but he discarded the fatherland that raised him and even his own parents and brothers by fleeing, thinking nothing but just saving himself, showing himself to be human scum who lacks even an elementary level of loyalty and even tiny bits of conscience and morality that are required for human beings".

It also accused Seoul of using Mr Thae's defection to insult the North Korean leadership.

Plus it denounced the British government for allegedly rejecting demands to extradite him back to North Korea.

It claimed Britain had tainted its image as a law-abiding country by "handing over the fugitives without passports to the South Korean puppets".

Sky's Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall, who had been on first name terms with the diplomat, says he always "came across as fiercely dedicated to Pyongyang, the ruling Workers' Party and the leadership of Kim Jong Un".

Mr Thae is the highest-ranking diplomat ever to defect to South Korea.

In 1997, the North Korean ambassador to Egypt resettled in the United States.

Technically, the North and South remain at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

According to the South Korean government, more than 29,000 North Koreans have defected to the South since then.

Pyongyang often accuses the South of kidnapping, or enticing its citizens to defect.

London Underground's Night Tube Service Starts

London Underground has launched its Night Tube service.

As London Mayor Sadiq Khan boarded the first train, there were cheers down the carriage.

"It's fantastic news. It'll benefit our economy so much. Industry experts think it'll support thousands of jobs and bring millions into our economy," said Mr Khan.

The first night seemed to get going without a hitch. The trains were fairly quiet, and despite cleaners preparing for the worst, passengers were well-behaved.

Those on board the first Night Tube welcomed the new service.

Sadiq Khan and other travellers descend into Brixton Station after 12.30am

"It's a great idea, London claims to be a 24-hour city, and this means it really is. You can have a night out and not worry about having to get the last tube," one passenger said.

Another added: "I work in the theatre. The hours are sometimes a bit strange and quite late, so this will really help me."

He's not the only one. There are thought to be over 700,000 night workers in London, from nurses and doctors, to security guards and bar staff.

Transport for London estimates 200,000 people will use the Night Tube every weekend once it's fully under way. 

Trains are currently operating on the Central and Victoria lines on Friday and Saturday night.

By the end of the year, the service will also include the Northern, Piccadilly and Jubilee lines.

Bitter disputes with the unions mean the Night Tube is nearly a year late.

Business groups say it's long overdue.

The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers represents many big bar chains.

Chief executive Kate Nicholls told Sky News: "It's hard in the current economic circumstances post-Brexit.

"And it's hard to estimate the benefits this will bring, not just to our customers, but also to our staff who can now safely get home."

An extra 100 police officers will be deployed on the underground to support the new service both on the trains and at stations. 

It's costing millions to implement, but could easily pay off.

London First, a group representing businesses, estimates it could add £77m a year to the city's night-time economy by 2029.

London Underground's Night Tube Service Starts

London Underground has launched its Night Tube service.

As London Mayor Sadiq Khan boarded the first train, there were cheers down the carriage.

"It's fantastic news. It'll benefit our economy so much. Industry experts think it'll support thousands of jobs and bring millions into our economy," said Mr Khan.

The first night seemed to get going without a hitch. The trains were fairly quiet, and despite cleaners preparing for the worst, passengers were well-behaved.

Those on board the first Night Tube welcomed the new service.

Sadiq Khan and other travellers descend into Brixton Station after 12.30am

"It's a great idea, London claims to be a 24-hour city, and this means it really is. You can have a night out and not worry about having to get the last tube," one passenger said.

Another added: "I work in the theatre. The hours are sometimes a bit strange and quite late, so this will really help me."

He's not the only one. There are thought to be over 700,000 night workers in London, from nurses and doctors, to security guards and bar staff.

Transport for London estimates 200,000 people will use the Night Tube every weekend once it's fully under way. 

Trains are currently operating on the Central and Victoria lines on Friday and Saturday night.

By the end of the year, the service will also include the Northern, Piccadilly and Jubilee lines.

Bitter disputes with the unions mean the Night Tube is nearly a year late.

Business groups say it's long overdue.

The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers represents many big bar chains.

Chief executive Kate Nicholls told Sky News: "It's hard in the current economic circumstances post-Brexit.

"And it's hard to estimate the benefits this will bring, not just to our customers, but also to our staff who can now safely get home."

An extra 100 police officers will be deployed on the underground to support the new service both on the trains and at stations. 

It's costing millions to implement, but could easily pay off.

London First, a group representing businesses, estimates it could add £77m a year to the city's night-time economy by 2029.

London Underground's Night Tube Service Starts

London Underground has launched its Night Tube service.

As London Mayor Sadiq Khan boarded the first train, there were cheers down the carriage.

"It's fantastic news. It'll benefit our economy so much. Industry experts think it'll support thousands of jobs and bring millions into our economy," said Mr Khan.

The first night seemed to get going without a hitch. The trains were fairly quiet, and despite cleaners preparing for the worst, passengers were well-behaved.

Those on board the first Night Tube welcomed the new service.

Sadiq Khan and other travellers descend into Brixton Station after 12.30am

"It's a great idea, London claims to be a 24-hour city, and this means it really is. You can have a night out and not worry about having to get the last tube," one passenger said.

Another added: "I work in the theatre. The hours are sometimes a bit strange and quite late, so this will really help me."

He's not the only one. There are thought to be over 700,000 night workers in London, from nurses and doctors, to security guards and bar staff.

Transport for London estimates 200,000 people will use the Night Tube every weekend once it's fully under way. 

Trains are currently operating on the Central and Victoria lines on Friday and Saturday night.

By the end of the year, the service will also include the Northern, Piccadilly and Jubilee lines.

Bitter disputes with the unions mean the Night Tube is nearly a year late.

Business groups say it's long overdue.

The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers represents many big bar chains.

Chief executive Kate Nicholls told Sky News: "It's hard in the current economic circumstances post-Brexit.

"And it's hard to estimate the benefits this will bring, not just to our customers, but also to our staff who can now safely get home."

An extra 100 police officers will be deployed on the underground to support the new service both on the trains and at stations. 

It's costing millions to implement, but could easily pay off.

London First, a group representing businesses, estimates it could add £77m a year to the city's night-time economy by 2029.

London Underground's Night Tube Service Starts

London Underground has launched its Night Tube service.

As London Mayor Sadiq Khan boarded the first train, there were cheers down the carriage.

"It's fantastic news. It'll benefit our economy so much. Industry experts think it'll support thousands of jobs and bring millions into our economy," said Mr Khan.

The first night seemed to get going without a hitch. The trains were fairly quiet, and despite cleaners preparing for the worst, passengers were well-behaved.

Those on board the first Night Tube welcomed the new service.

Sadiq Khan and other travellers descend into Brixton Station after 12.30am

"It's a great idea, London claims to be a 24-hour city, and this means it really is. You can have a night out and not worry about having to get the last tube," one passenger said.

Another added: "I work in the theatre. The hours are sometimes a bit strange and quite late, so this will really help me."

He's not the only one. There are thought to be over 700,000 night workers in London, from nurses and doctors, to security guards and bar staff.

Transport for London estimates 200,000 people will use the Night Tube every weekend once it's fully under way. 

Trains are currently operating on the Central and Victoria lines on Friday and Saturday night.

By the end of the year, the service will also include the Northern, Piccadilly and Jubilee lines.

Bitter disputes with the unions mean the Night Tube is nearly a year late.

Business groups say it's long overdue.

The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers represents many big bar chains.

Chief executive Kate Nicholls told Sky News: "It's hard in the current economic circumstances post-Brexit.

"And it's hard to estimate the benefits this will bring, not just to our customers, but also to our staff who can now safely get home."

An extra 100 police officers will be deployed on the underground to support the new service both on the trains and at stations. 

It's costing millions to implement, but could easily pay off.

London First, a group representing businesses, estimates it could add £77m a year to the city's night-time economy by 2029.

London Underground's Night Tube Service Starts

London Underground has launched its Night Tube service.

As London Mayor Sadiq Khan boarded the first train, there were cheers down the carriage.

"It's fantastic news. It'll benefit our economy so much. Industry experts think it'll support thousands of jobs and bring millions into our economy," said Mr Khan.

The first night seemed to get going without a hitch. The trains were fairly quiet, and despite cleaners preparing for the worst, passengers were well-behaved.

Those on board the first Night Tube welcomed the new service.

Sadiq Khan and other travellers descend into Brixton Station after 12.30am

"It's a great idea, London claims to be a 24-hour city, and this means it really is. You can have a night out and not worry about having to get the last tube," one passenger said.

Another added: "I work in the theatre. The hours are sometimes a bit strange and quite late, so this will really help me."

He's not the only one. There are thought to be over 700,000 night workers in London, from nurses and doctors, to security guards and bar staff.

Transport for London estimates 200,000 people will use the Night Tube every weekend once it's fully under way. 

Trains are currently operating on the Central and Victoria lines on Friday and Saturday night.

By the end of the year, the service will also include the Northern, Piccadilly and Jubilee lines.

Bitter disputes with the unions mean the Night Tube is nearly a year late.

Business groups say it's long overdue.

The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers represents many big bar chains.

Chief executive Kate Nicholls told Sky News: "It's hard in the current economic circumstances post-Brexit.

"And it's hard to estimate the benefits this will bring, not just to our customers, but also to our staff who can now safely get home."

An extra 100 police officers will be deployed on the underground to support the new service both on the trains and at stations. 

It's costing millions to implement, but could easily pay off.

London First, a group representing businesses, estimates it could add £77m a year to the city's night-time economy by 2029.