Controversial director Paul Verhoeven to head Berlin Film Festival jury

Controversial director Paul Verhoeven has been named as president of the jury at this year's Berlin International Film Festival.

The Dutch filmmaker, famous for erotic thrillers Basic Instinct and Showgirls, will decide which film gets this year's Golden Bear Award at the prestigious festival.

"With Paul Verhoeven as jury president, we have a filmmaker who has worked in a variety of genres in Europe and Hollywood," organisers said.

"His creative, multifaceted boldness and his willingness to experiment are reflected in the spectrum of his works."

The 78-year-old director has made a successful return to filmmaking after being absent from the festival circuit for nearly a decade.

After making a name for himself in Hollywood in the 1990s with classics such as Robocop and Total Recall, Verhoeven now returns to his more traditional topics - sex and violence.

His new film Elle stars Isabelle Huppert as a businesswoman victim of sexual assault, who decides to take revenge on her attacker.

The film got rave reviews and was nominated for the Palme d'Or in next year's Cannes International Film Festival.

Elle has also been nominated for the European Film Awards in three categories, as well as in two categories for the US Critics' Choice Awards.

The Berlinale - the first of the year's major European film festivals - runs from 9 to 18 February.

Modern Family star Sofia Vergara being sued 'by own embryos'

Sofia Vergara is facing a lawsuit brought on behalf of two frozen embryos she created with an ex-partner.

The two embryos, listed as plaintiffs "Emma" and "Isabella", are the subject of a year-long legal battle between the Modern Family star and ex-fiancee Nick Loeb.

In papers filed with a Louisiana court this week, Mr Loeb ended a former lawsuit against the actress and replaced it with a new one.

According to the second claim, not allowing the embryos to be born is depriving them of their inheritance.

Louisiana is a pro-life state where embryos are given rights as people.

"Emma" and "Isabella" are currently frozen at a California fertility clinic, where Vergara wants to keep them indefinitely.

Mr Loeb said: "A woman is entitled to bring a pregnancy to term even if the man objects.

"Shouldn't a man who is willing to take on all parental responsibilities be similarly entitled to bring his embryos to term even if the woman objects?"

North Korea 'capable of attaching nuclear warheads to missiles'

North Korea is now capable of attaching nuclear warheads to missiles but has not mastered hitting a target, a senior US defence official has said.

Pyongyang has conducted a series of missile launches in the wake of its fourth nuclear test in January, despite international condemnation.

Experts have concluded North Korea is able to make nuclear warheads small enough to arm Scud missiles, but it is unclear if they can put weapons on larger rockets which travel further and can deploy warheads from space.

The defence official said: "Truthfully, they have the capability right now to be able to deliver a nuclear weapon, they are just not sure about re-entry, that's why they continue to test their systems out there."

He added that he believed North Korea can already "mate" a missile with a warhead.

The US is deploying an advanced missile defence system in South Korea in the wake of increased testing by North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un.

Aleppo locals say bombing goes on despite 'suspension'

Russia said the Syrian army was suspending fighting in Aleppo to allow for the evacuation of civilians from besieged rebel-held neighborhoods, but residents and rebels reported no let-up in bombing and shelling of the opposition's ever-shrinking territory.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking in Germany after talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry, said military experts and diplomats would meet on Saturday in Geneva to work out details of a rebel exit from Aleppo's eastern neighborhoods, along with civilians who wanted to leave the city.

Aleppo, once Syria's bustling commercial hub, has been largely divided between a government-held west and a rebel-controlled east since 2012. But government forces are now reported to be in control of about 75 percent of the east after a relentless three-week ground and air assault.

Lavrov said the Syrian army suspended combat late on Thursday to allow some 8,000 civilians to leave the city in a convoy spreading across a five-kilometre (three-mile) route.

But shortly after his announcement, residents told Al Jazeera that jets were still in the skies, machine gun fire could be heard and artillery shells were still falling on the remaining rebel-controlled districts in the southeast.

"The bombardment and shelling is … unbelievable. They are gaining areas every day. Until now the attacks are still ongoing in the city. Just half an hour ago there were two barrel-bomb attacks in Bustan al-Qasr… Warplanes are still in the skies," said Zouhir al-Shimale, a journalist in east Aleppo.

Although there are still many rural areas in rebel hands, Aleppo is their last major urban holdout. The prospect of its fall, following months of government gains elsewhere, has brought Assad closer to victory than at any point since the early months of a civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands and made half of Syrians homeless.

South Korea President Park Geun-hye impeached by parliament

South Korea's parliament has voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye and suspend her powers over a corruption scandal.

The constitutional court will now have to decide whether to uphold the motion and remove the president from office, or reject it and reinstate her.

Ms Park is accused of acting as a criminal accomplice for her friend Choi Soon-sil, who has been indicted on criminal charges including extortion and abuse of official power.

Ms Choi is accused of coercing more than $60m (£49m) from businesses and meddling in state affairs.

The chance of provocation from North Korea is high after the impeachment vote, said prime minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, now also the country's acting president.

He has told the defence minister the military must be prepared.

Massive protests have taken place in the capital Seoul every Saturday for the past six weeks to call for Park's resignation.

Opinion polls show overwhelming support for her to go, and the parliamentary vote also left no doubt and was passed 234 to 56.

Under the South Korean constitution, prosecutors cannot indict the president on criminal charges - except insurrection or treason - while they are still in office.

Park has previously denied any wrongdoing, but apologised to the nation.

She has not yet publicly commented on the impeachment vote, but will meet with cabinet ministers later

The five-year term of the country's first female leader was due to end in February 2018.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon 10 Years of Global Leader

For 10 years, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has served as the head of the United Nations and the world’s top diplomat. As his tenure comes to a close at the end of December, the United Nations Foundation is expressing our gratitude for his decade of global leadership. For the past 10 years, he has been a relentless advocate for sustainable development, climate action, gender equality, and a more peaceful, secure world. We have been privileged to work with him and look forward to continuing our support of the United Nations as António Guterres takes office in 2017. Here is a look at the legacy Secretary-General Ban leaves.

Social media helps fuel 14% rise in self-harm hospital admissions

Social media has contributed to a rise in incidents of self-harm among children, a charity has warned.

Data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act found 18,778 children aged 11 to 18 were admitted to hospital for self harm in 2015/16, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) found.

That figure represents a 14% rise on the 16,416 hospital admissions in 2013/14, the data from England and Wales shows.

Youngsters aged 13 to 17 were most likely to end up in hospital for self-harm, including injuries from cutting, overdosing on pills or burning themselves.

Figures from the Childline helpline run by the NSPCC showed it delivered 18,471 counselling sessions on self-harm last year - roughly 50 a day.

Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, said: "A frightening number of children and teenagers are being driven to self-harm as a way of dealing with unresolved feelings, tensions and distress in their lives.

"Knowing hospital beds are full of young people crying out for help should be a real wake-up call to all those that care for the well-being of the younger generation.

"It is vital we confront the fact that an increasing number are struggling to deal with the pressures and demands of modern-day life, to such an extent they are inflicting terrible damage upon themselves.

"It is clear from the thousands of calls Childline receives that we have a nation of deeply unhappy children."

He added: "We know this unhappiness is partly due to the constant pressure they feel, particularly from social media, to have the perfect life or attain a certain image which is often unrealistic.

"They tell us that the need to keep up with friends and the 24/7 nature of technology means they feel they can never escape or switch off, adding to the misery that many feel on a daily basis."

Childline president, Dame Esther Rantzen, added: "It is deeply disturbing that so many children and young people are ending up in hospital because they are injuring themselves so seriously.

"Self-harming is at epidemic level among young people - at Childline we hear from them every day."

Dr Max Davie, assistant officer for health promotion at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) said early intervention is essential.

He said: "One way of providing this early intervention is for all schools to deliver comprehensive Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE) education, teaching children about emotional well-being and addressing challenging mental health issues such as eating disorders, self-harm and suicide in addition to other important topics like positive relationships, sex education and the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse."

A Department of Health spokesman said: "We want children with mental health problems to get the help they need.

"That's why we are investing £1.4bn to help every area in the country transform services for young people with all mental health conditions, including self-harm."

:: Contact Childline on 0800 1111