World News: North Korea warns drills could lead to nuclear war

The warning came as the South began artillery drills amid lingering tension nearly three weeks after the North's deadly shelling of a South Korean island.

The South's naval live-fire drills are due to run until Friday at 27 sites.

The regularly-scheduled exercises are getting special attention following a North Korean artillery attack on front-line Yeonpyeong Island which killed two South Korean marines and two civilians.

A South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff officer tried to play down the significance of this week's drills, saying they were part of routine military exercises and would not occur near the disputed western Korean sea border.

North Korea, however, lashed out at Seoul, accusing South Korea of collaborating with the US and Japan to step up pressure on Pyongyang.

That co-operation "is nothing but treachery escalating the tension between the North and the South and bringing the dark clouds of a nuclear war to hang over the Korean peninsula", Pyongyang's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper said.

Explosion death mine goes bust

The New Zealand company that operates the coal mine where 29 miners, including two Britons, died in a series of explosions last month, has been placed in receivership.

Accountant PricewaterhouseCoopers is expected to announce mass redundancies tomorrow.

Tennis legend tells of ordeal

Martina Navratilova has spoken of her agonising ordeal which put her in hospital after an attempt to climb Africa's highest peak.

The 54-year-old US tennis legend was carried down Mount Kilimanjaro after her lungs filled with fluid and she was unable to breathe.

Thaci claims election win

Prime minister Hashim Thaci has claimed victory in Kosovo's first general election since the province declared independence from Serbia as an independent exit poll put his Democratic Party of Kosovo ahead.

According to the exit poll, Mr Thaci won 31 per cent of the vote, with former coalition partners Democratic League of Kosovo trailing at 25 per cent.

If the results are confirmed it means Mr Thaci will have the upper hand in forming a government.

King stopped over ammunition

Boxing promoter Don King was stopped by security at Cleveland's Hopkins International Airport for having ammunition in his carry-on luggage last night.

Airport spokeswoman Jacqueline Mayo said he had ammunition for .38-caliber and .357-caliber firearms in his bag.

Fury as Israel takes children from homes

Israel: A human rights group said today police had arrested and illegally interrogated scores of Palestinian children as young as five over stone-throwing incidents.The report said some were taken from their homes at night and interrogated, sometimes without a parent present.United States: A powerful winter storm has roared across America's upper Midwest with high winds and mounds of snow closing roads in several states.