Luis Suarez bite ban: Uruguay President Jose Mujica insults Fifa

Uruguay's President Jose Mujica has called football's world governing body Fifa "a bunch of old sons of bitches" over Luis Suarez's four-month ban.

The 79-year-old described the punishment, which also included a suspension for nine international matches, as a "fascist ban".

Suarez received the harshest sanction in World Cup history for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini.

Mujica is renowned for his plain-speaking manner.

He made the comments to state TV at a reception for the Uruguay team, following their elimination from the World Cup last 16 by Colombia.

The president covered his mouth to feign shock at what he had said, but told journalists to "publish it" when asked if he wanted to rectify his remarks.

Mujica admitted that Suarez deserved to be disciplined, but said his suspension was too harsh.

"They could have punished him, but not given him this fascist ban," he said.

The former leftist guerrilla had previously said Suarez was being punished by Fifa because of his humble background.

He also denounced the ban in his weekly radio address as an "eternal shame" in the history of the World Cup.

Oscar Tabarez's side suffered a 2-0 defeat in their last-16 tie against Colombia after being forced to do without their star striker because of the ban.

Uruguay's football federation said it would appeal against Fifa's punishment.

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Warming threat to emperor penguins

There's a "goldilocks" point for ice and emperor penguins, say researchers

Climate change is likely to cut Antarctica's 600,000-strong emperor penguin population by at least a fifth by 2100, a study suggests.

The main threat to the penguins comes from changes to sea-ice cover in the Antarctic, which will affect their breeding and feeding.

Dynamics will differ between penguin colonies, but all are expected to be in decline by the end of the century.

Details are published in Nature Climate Change journal.

The US, British and Dutch researchers urge governments to list the birds as endangered. Such a listing could impose restrictions on tourism and fishing.

The team, led by Stephanie Jenouvrier of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, said the global population of emperor penguins would probably decline by between 19 and 33% from current levels.

Dr Jenouvrier said the penguins "face possible extinction throughout a significant portion of their range in the foreseeable future".

She added that emperor colonies in Antarctica's Ross Sea may experience population declines later than others because sea ice conditions are still suitable for them.

"Implementing a marine protected area in the Ross Sea could help buy time to avoid extinction and to put in place needed conservation and greenhouse gas mitigation strategies," she said.

To feed their young, emperor penguins leave the colony for months at a time and travel long distances across Antarctic ice to reach open water to find nourishment, such as krill.

They are dependent upon an optimal amount of sea ice cover for a variety of reasons, including refuge from predators while foraging.

Changes to the sea-ice cover can also significantly affect the abundance of krill, the emperor's primary food source and a critical species in the Antarctic food web.

More sea-ice is good for krill, but means that parents might have to waddle further to the sea.

"There is a goldilocks point for ice and emperor penguins," Phil Trathan, an expert at the British Antarctic Survey (Bas), told Reuters.

Mr Trathan said it was unclear if the ungainly birds could adapt by climbing on to land or higher ice. Four emperor penguin colonies had recently been found on ice shelves, above sea level where glaciers spill off the land.

Satellite measurements of Antarctic sea-ice extent show winter coverage to be at record levels. However, climate computer modelling expects this trend to be reversed in the future, as conditions in the Antarctic warm.

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Hobby Lobby case: Court curbs contraception mandate

The closely watched, highly politicised case drew lively demonstrations outside the court building in Washington

The US Supreme Court has ruled a Christian-owned company can claim a religious exemption to a law requiring employers to pay for their workers' contraception.

The owners of craft chain Hobby Lobby and others argued the mandate in President Barack Obama's healthcare law violated their religious beliefs.

The 5-4 decision applies only to "closely held" companies.

The court said the law offered other ways to ensure access to contraception.

In the landmark ruling on Monday, the Supreme Court found that some corporations can hold religious objections that exempt them from a legal requirement that companies with 50 or more employees offer a health insurance plan that pays for contraception at no charge to the worker or pay a fine.

The law was written into President Barack Obama's controversial health overhaul, which has been beset by legal challenges since it passed in 2010 over unanimous opposition from the Republican Party.

'A slippery slope'

The case, Burwell v Hobby Lobby Stores, turned in large part on whether the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) - which bars the US government from taking action that "substantially burdens the exercise of religion" - applies to for-profit companies.

"The plain terms of RFRA make it perfectly clear that Congress did not discriminate in this way against men and women who wish to run their businesses as for-profit corporations in the manner required by their religious beliefs," Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the court.

The decision marks the first time the Supreme Court has found a profit-seeking business can hold religious views under federal law, analysts say.

In a dissenting opinion, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg called the ruling a "decision of startling breadth".

"It discounts the disadvantages religion-based opt-outs impose on others, in particular, employees who do not share their employer's religious beliefs," she said in a dissent she read aloud from the bench.

The decision in the closely watched and highly politicised case prompted swift reaction.

Reproductive rights lobby group Naral Pro-Choice America called it a "direct attack on women and our fundamental rights".

"Allowing bosses this much control over the healthcare decisions of their employees is a slippery slope with no end," its president Ilyse Hogue wrote in a statement.

Tony Perkins, president of Christian conservative advocacy group Family Research Council, hailed it as "one of the most significant victories for religious freedom in our generation".

"All Americans can be thankful that the Court reaffirmed that freedom of conscience is a long-held American tradition and that the government cannot impose a law on American men and women that forces them to violate their beliefs in order to hold a job, own a business, or purchase health insurance," he wrote in a statement.

Supporters of the employer-paid birth control mandate rallied prior to the Supreme Court ruling

Anti-abortion demonstrators cheered as the ruling was announced on Monday

Naral Pro-Choice America called the decision "a direct attack on women and our fundamental rights"

The court decision allowed Hobby Lobby to opt out of providing emergency contraception for employees

Narrow application

The ruling is a blow to Mr Obama's health law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but it is unclear whether any women employees will actually lose birth control coverage.

As the court noted, the Obama administration has already devised a mechanism under which workers of non-profit organisations that object to the contraception mandate could keep coverage without the organisation having to pay for it.

The court also said its ruling did not apply to other forms of healthcare that some find morally objectionable, such as blood transfusions or vaccinations.

The challenge to the health law's contraception mandate was brought by Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialities Corp, a wood cabinetmaker owned by Mennonites.

Hobby Lobby, an arts and crafts chain, employs 13,000 full-time employees. Conestoga employs 950 people.

The owners of Hobby Lobby, David Green, Barbara Green and several relatives, describe themselves as "committed evangelical Christians", and said their religious beliefs barred them from paying for certain kinds of contraception that they deemed caused abortion.

The Affordable Care Act, known to critics and supporters as Obamacare, has been subject to countless legal and political challenges from Republicans and conservatives since its passage.

Considered the largest overhaul of the US healthcare system since the 1960s, it aimed to extend health insurance coverage to the estimated 15% of the US population who lacked it and to slow the growth of healthcare costs.

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Top China military official Gen Xu Caihou accused

Rumours about the investigation into Gen Xu Caihou had circulated for months

One of China's most senior military officials has been accused of accepting bribes and expelled from the Communist Party, state media report.

Gen Xu Caihou was once a member of China's elite decision-making body, the Politburo. He will now be handed over to prosecutors for a court martial.

He is believed to have been held under house arrest for several months.

Analysts say this could be the biggest military scandal China has seen for many years.

Xinhua reported that President Xi Jinping had presided over a Politburo meeting about military discipline and approved the decision to expel Gen Xu and hand him over to military prosecutors.

Rumours about the investigation into Gen Xu had circulated for months. Many believed poor health - he is reported to have been treated for cancer - would save him from prosecution.

But this move is being presented in state media as part of the government's battle against corruption.

Two other high profile figures were also expelled from the Communist Party for corruption on Monday - Jiang Jiemin, the former head of the state asset regulator, and Wang Yongchun, the deputy head of the state energy giant China National Petroleum Company (CNPC).

The spate of expulsions comes at a time when speculation is rife about the fate of one of China's most powerful politicians, former Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang, who is allegedly being investigated over allegations of corruption and abuse of power.

Jilin power

Tens of thousands of officials have been arrested since President Xi began an anti-corruption campaign in 2012.

The president has warned that the Communist Party's very survival is threatened by corruption and has vowed to root out every corrupt official, whether "tigers" or "flies".

Throughout his career, Xu Caihou rose steadily through the ranks of the military and the Communist Party.

He joined the army in 1963, and the party in 1971. A year after that he became the secretary and deputy chief of the political department of the military command in the north-eastern province of Jilin.

He spent most of his career in Jilin and the neighbouring province of Liaoning, where he was born, before taking up senior roles in the army's main political department in the 1990s.

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The Who say UK tour begins 'long goodbye'

Roger Daltrey (left) and Pete Townshend, seen here in 1999, have both spoken recently about plans for a world tour

The Who have announced a 50th anniversary UK tour that is likely to be their last.

The rock group, whose hits include Substitute and My Generation, announced the Who Hits 50 tour would include songs from across their career.

"This is the beginning of the long goodbye," said singer Roger Daltrey.

Guitarist Pete Townshend said: "We are what we are, and extremely good at it, but we're lucky to be alive and still touring.

"If I had enough hairs to split I would say that for 13 years since 1964 The Who didn't really exist, so we are really only 37.

Townshend said the show would include "hits, picks, mixes and misses".

Classic line-up: The Who during their 1966 German/Swiss tour (l-r) drummer Keith Moon, Roger Daltrey (vocals), John Entwistle bass) and Pete Townshend (guitar).

Daltrey and Townshend revealed the tour dates at a launch event at Ronnie Scott's jazz club in London, at which they played a short acoustic set.

The Who have sold more than 100 million records since forming in 1964. Their best-known albums include My Generation, and rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia.

The original line-up included drummer Keith Moon, who died from an accidental overdose in 1978, and bassist John Entwistle who died of a heart attack in 2002.

In 2013, The Who toured the UK with a full-length performance of 1973's Quadrophenia, which inspired the 1979 film of the same name.

Daltrey told Rolling Stone last year that The Who were planning a world tour for 2015 which would be their "last big tour".

He said: "We aren't finishing after that. We intend to go on doing music until we drop, but we have to be realistic about our age. The touring is incredibly grinding on the body and we have to draw a line in the sand somewhere."

The Who Hits 50 UK tour begins at Glasgow SSE Hydro on 30 November and ends at London's The O2 on 17 December.

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Jean-Claude Juncker 'will address UK concerns'

David Cameron congratulated Jean-Claude Juncker during a phone call on Sunday afternoon

Jean-Claude Juncker has told David Cameron he is "fully committed to finding solutions for the political concerns of the UK", No 10 has said.

The PM called the European Commission president-designate and the pair discussed working together to "make the EU more competitive and more flexible".

"The PM welcomed Mr Juncker's commitment of finding a fair deal for Britain," the No 10 spokesman said.

It comes after Mr Cameron was defeated in an EU vote over the new president.

Mr Cameron tried to block Mr Juncker's appointment by forcing a vote on the selection of the former Luxembourg prime minister, who is seen as a backer of closer political union.

But EU states voted 26-2 to appoint him, in what Mr Cameron described as "a bad day for Europe".

Analysis: Chris Mason, BBC political correspondent

The prime minister has this idea of reforming the UK's relationship with the EU - he wants to put a reformed relationship to a referendum in 2017, if he's still prime minister then. And one of the most important people he has to deal with in securing that is Jean-Claude Juncker (pictured).

It's clearly widely publicly known that he didn't want this man in the job - but he lost that argument so now he has to build a relationship with someone from - let's put it gently - not the best starting point, and that starts with this kind of conversation.

I suppose Downing Street would emphasise that in democracy sometimes you don't win but that means that you have to congratulate those that have - and you have to work with them.

They will also point to the fact that any prime minister will always have conversations with, and relationships with, political leaders with whom they don't share a huge amount with in the first instance.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "The prime minister called the Commission President-designate, Jean-Claude Juncker, this afternoon.

"The prime minister congratulated Mr Juncker on running a successful campaign and securing the council nomination. They discussed how they would work together to make the EU more competitive and more flexible.

"The PM welcomed Mr Juncker's commitment of finding a fair deal for Britain and Mr Juncker said that he was fully committed to finding solutions for the political concerns of the UK."

The phone call comes after Mr Cameron was criticised by other UK political leaders over the defeat.

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said Mr Cameron's failed bid to block Mr Juncker's appointment was a "catastrophe for Britain and the British national interest", adding: "I've never seen a negotiation so cack-handed."

"We won't be influential in the world, unless we are influential in Europe," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.

'Indispensable for Europe'

His comments came after Confederation of British Industry (CBI) director general John Cridland warned the success of the UK economy depended on it staying in the EU.

But Foreign Secretary William Hague insisted it was "far too early" to say if the government would fail in its bid to renegotiate Britain's agreement with Brussels.

Meanwhile Germany's finance minister has told the Financial Times a British exit from the EU is "unimaginable" and "absolutely not acceptable".

Wolfgang Schauble said his country would do everything in its power to keep Britain in the union

"Clearly, we have in many economic questions and regulatory questions a broad consensus," he said.

"Historically, politically, democratically, culturally, Great Britain is entirely indispensable for Europe."

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BIS: Central banks warned of 'false sense of security'

The BIS says it's time to start normalising policy

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has warned that ultra-low interest rates have lulled governments and markets "into a false sense of security".

The Basel-based organisation - usually dubbed the "central banks' central bank" - urged policy makers to begin to normalise rates.

"The risk of normalising too late and too gradually should not be underestimated," the BIS said.

Markets have rallied since January.

The FTSE all-world share index is up 5% so far this year, while the Vix, a measure of implied US market volatility known as the "fear index" , is at a seven-year low.

"Overall, it is hard to avoid the sense of a puzzling disconnect between the markets' buoyancy and underlying economic developments globally," the BIS said in its annual report.

It said that low interest rates had helped increase demand for higher risk investments on stock markets as well as in property and corporate bonds markets.

Disappointing growth

The BIS doesn't set policy but serves as a forum for central bankers to exchange views on relevant topics from the global economy to financial markets.

While global growth has improved, the BIS said it was still below its pre-crisis levels.

"Growth has disappointed even as financial markets have roared: The transmission chain seems to be badly impaired," the BIS said.

It said policy makers should take advantage of the current upturn in the global economy to reduce the emphasis on monetary stimulus.

'Behind the curve'

And it warned that taking too long to do this could have potentially damaging consequences, by encouraging investors to take too much risk.

"Over time, policies lose their effectiveness and may end up fostering the very conditions they seek to prevent," it said.

"The predominant risk is that central banks will find themselves behind the curve, exiting too late or too slowly," it added.

The BIS was founded in 1930 and is the world's oldest international financial institution.

Its 60-strong membership includes the Bank of England, the European Central Bank, the US Federal Reserve, the People's Bank of China and the Bank of Japan.

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"Growth has disappointed even as financial markets have roared: The transmission chain seems to be badly impaired”

BIS

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Nigeria: 'Boko Haram' attack villages near Chibok

Boko Haram seeks to create an Islamic state in northern Nigeria

Four villages in north-eastern Nigeria have been attacked by suspected Boko Haram militants who targeted at least one church.

The bodies of at least 40 civilians and six militants have been recovered, a local vigilante has told the BBC.

It is the latest assault on villages near Chibok, the town where more than 200 schoolgirls were abducted in April.

Hundreds of villagers have been killed in similar attacks in the region by Boko Haram in recent months.

A state of emergency is in force in northern Nigeria because of the group's increasingly violent campaign to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state.

Attacks in the Chibok area eight days earlier were feared to have left dozens of villagers dead.

The BBC's Will Ross: "We are hearing reports of totally deserted villages"

Bows and arrows

An eyewitness said Kautikari village, a short distance from Chibok, was almost deserted, with bodies of civilians and Boko Haram fighters on the streets.

The insurgents were there for at least four hours, setting fire to homes and shooting sporadically.

Vigilantes armed with bows and arrows and hunting rifles have been trying to defend the village from such attacks.

One of the survivors said some 20 men arrived in a pick-up truck and on motorbikes, Reuters reported.

"Initially I thought they were military but when I came out, they were firing at people. I saw people fleeing and they burned our houses," Samuel Chibok was quoted as saying.

"Smoke was billowing from our town as I left."

The BBC's Will Ross, in the commercial capital Lagos, says a Nigerian air force plane has been seen flying over the area.

However, residents of these extremely vulnerable villages often complain that there are not nearly enough soldiers deployed in the area and they have been calling on the government to arm the vigilante force, our correspondent adds.

AFP news agency named the other villages targeted as Kwada, Ngurojina and Karagau.

According to one account from Kwada, a number of churches there were attacked during Sunday services and worshippers killed before the militants went on to Kautikari.

Who are Boko Haram?

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has been designated a terrorist by the US government

• Founded in 2002
• Initially focused on opposing Western education - Boko Haram means "Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa language
• Launched military operations in 2009 to create Islamic state
• Thousands killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria - also attacked police and UN headquarters in capital, Abuja
• Some three million people affected
• Declared terrorist group by US in 2013

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Bulgaria's President Plevneliev to dissolve parliament

President Plevneliev (centre) said he would name a caretaker cabinet in August

Bulgaria's president has said he will dissolve parliament and appoint an interim government, amid concerns over the country's banking system.

Rosen Plevneliev's comments came after crisis talks with leaders of the main political parties.

Earlier, five people were arrested on suspicion of plotting to destabilise Bulgaria's banks.

They are suspected of spreading false information, prompting runs on two of the country's biggest banks.

'Money is secure'

On Sunday, President Plevneliev confirmed that the current parliament would be dissolved on 6 August, paving the way for early elections on 5 October.

There have been runs on two of Bulgaria's biggest banks in the past week

He also said he would name a caretaker cabinet in August.

The country's Socialist-led minority government of Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski has been in power for barely a year, and the main parties had already agreed to hold early elections.

And referring to the concerns about the banking sector, President Plevneliev said: "The money of the citizens and the firms invested in the banking institutions in Bulgaria is secure and guaranteed. The banks will continue working in a normal manner."

Bulgaria's central bank earlier said there had been a systematic attempt to undermine the country's banking system.

Last week, it took over Corporate Commercial Bank, Bulgaria's fourth-largest lender, following a run on deposits.

Speculation that the run could spread hit bank share prices towards the end of the week.

On Friday, depositors rushed to withdraw savings from First Investment Bank, the country third-largest lender. The bank was forced to close until Monday after depositors withdrew 800m lev (£328m) in a matter of hours.

Shares in the bank plunged 23% as a result.

In reality, commentators say the banking system is relatively safe.

"The banking system is stable... and the credit rating of the country remains high despite the current panic," said Petar Ganev of the Institute for Market Economics in Sofia.

"Bulgarian banks maintain liquidity, which is higher even than European banks."

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Facebook emotion experiment sparks criticism

Facebook said it conducted the study to gauge users' response to content

Facebook is facing criticism after it emerged it had conducted a psychology experiment on nearly 700,000 users without their knowledge.

The test saw Facebook "manipulate" news feeds to control which emotional expressions the users were exposed to.

The research was done in collaboration with two US universities to gauge if "exposure to emotions led people to change their own posting behaviours".

Facebook said there was "no unnecessary collection of people's data".

"None of the data used was associated with a specific person's Facebook account," the social networking giant added.

Cornell University and the University of California at San Francisco were involved in the study.

Ability to manipulate?

But some have criticised the way the research was conducted and raised concerns over the impact such studies could have.

"Let's call the Facebook experiment what it is: a symptom of a much wider failure to think about ethics, power and consent on platforms," Kate Crawford posted on Twitter.

Lauren Weinstein tweeted: "Facebook secretly experiments on users to try make them sad. What could go wrong?"

Meanwhile, Labour MP Jim Sheridan, a member of the Commons media select committee has called for an investigation into the matter.

"This is extraordinarily powerful stuff and if there is not already legislation on this, then there should be to protect people," he was quoted as saying by The Guardian newspaper.

"They are manipulating material from people's personal lives and I am worried about the ability of Facebook and others to manipulate people's thoughts in politics or other areas.

"If people are being thought-controlled in this kind of way there needs to be protection and they at least need to know about it."

However, Katherine Sledge Moore, a psychology professor at Elmhurst College, Illinois, said: "Based on what Facebook does with their newsfeed all of the time and based on what we've agreed to by joining Facebook, this study really isn't that out of the ordinary."

"The results are not even that alarming or exciting."

'Very sorry'

The research was conducted on 689,000 Facebook users over a period of one week in 2012.

According to the report on the study: "The experiment manipulated the extent to which people were exposed to emotional expressions in their News Feed".

The study found that users who had fewer negative stories in their news feed were less likely to write a negative post, and vice versa.

Adam Kramer of Facebook, who co-authored the report on the research, said: "We felt that it was important to investigate the common worry that seeing friends post positive content leads to people feeling negative or left out".

"At the same time, we were concerned that exposure to friends' negativity might lead people to avoid visiting Facebook."

However, he admitted that the firm did not "clearly state our motivations in the paper".

"I can understand why some people have concerns about it, and my co-authors and I are very sorry for the way the paper described the research and any anxiety it caused."

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"They are manipulating material from people's personal lives and I am worried about the ability of Facebook and others to manipulate people's thoughts in politics or other areas.”

Jim SheridanLabour MP

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Pakistan 'charity head' lambasts US sanctions move

Hafiz Saeed tells the BBC that Washington is unfairly targeting him

The head of a Pakistani charity group whom the US and India accuse of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai attacks has dismissed new US sanctions.

Hafiz Saeed told the BBC the US was only targeting Jamaat-ud Dawa to win India's backing in Afghanistan.

The US says the self-declared charity is a front for militant group Lashkar-e Taiba and has offered a $10m (£6m) reward for the arrest of Mr Saeed.

The Mumbai attack by Pakistani gunmen left 166 people dead.

Relations between India and Pakistan suffered badly in the aftermath of the three-day assault in the western Indian city.

'Propaganda'

Speaking to the BBC's Andrew North in the Pakistani city of Lahore, Mr Saeed said the US was targeting his organisation simply to please India.

The Mumbai attacks sent shockwaves across India and the world

"America always takes decisions based on Indian dictation. Now it's imposing this new ban because it needs India's help in Afghanistan.

"I had nothing to do with the Mumbai attacks, and Pakistan's courts said all India's evidence against me was just propaganda," he said.

The US last week declared Jamaat-ud Dawa a "foreign terrorist organisation" - a move that freezes any assets it has under US jurisdiction.

Both India and the US say they have extensive evidence that Mr Saeed orchestrated the attacks with the Pakistani government help. India has also repeatedly demanded that he be handed over for trial.

Despite this, Mr Saeed lives openly in Lahore, and it is clear that he has little fear of being arrested in Pakistan, our correspondent says.

But he adds that as long as Mr Saeed remains free, there is little chance of a breakthrough in relations between Pakistan and its longstanding rival India.

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North Korea to put two detained US men on trial

North Korea has arrested US nationals in the past, freeing them after visits from senior officials

North Korea says it will put two detained US men on trial, accusing them of "committing hostile acts".

Matthew Miller and Jeffrey Fowle had been investigated and would be brought before a court, the state news agency KCNA reported.

It said that suspicions about the two men had been confirmed by evidence and the pair's own statements, but gave no further details.

A US-Korean missionary, Kenneth Bae, is currently serving a 15-year sentence.

He was arrested in November 2012 and later convicted of trying to overthrow the North Korean government.

US attempts to secure his release have so far proved unsuccessful, despite fears over his health.

Bargaining chips?

Both of the US nationals to be put on trial entered North Korea on tourist visas.

Jeffrey Fowle entered North Korea on 29 April and was detained in early June as he was leaving the country, according to North Korean reports.

Jeffrey Fowle will be put on trial, North Korea says

Japanese agency Kyodo said Mr Fowle was arrested because he left a Bible at a hotel.

Matthew Todd Miller was detained on 10 April, KCNA reported.

The agency said he had torn up his tourist visa, shouting that he had "come to the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] after choosing it as a shelter".

North Korea has in the past been accused of using arrested Americans as diplomatic bargaining chips.

The US wants Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear ambitions in return for economic and diplomatic incentives, but talks on a deal agreed in 2007 have been stalled for several years.

Last year, North Korea carried out its third nuclear test and launched a three-stage rocket that Washington called a banned test of long-range missile technology.

The US has no formal diplomatic ties with North Korea. But in the past, senior US figures including former President Bill Clinton have travelled to the country to ensure the release of American detainees.

Other US detainees in North Korea

• Eddie Jun Yong-su: Businessman detained for six months in 2011, freed after a visit led by US envoy Robert King
• Aijalon Mahli Gomes: Teacher and Christian jailed in 2010 for eight years over illegal entry via China - freed after ex-US President Jimmy Carter visited Pyongyang
• Robert Park: US activist crossed into North Korea via China in late 2009 - freed in 2010 by North Korea
• Laura Ling and Euna Lee: Journalists jailed in 2009 for 12 years over illegal entry via the Chinese border - freed after ex-US President Bill Clinton met former NK leader Kim Jong-il

Religious activity is severely restricted in the North and missionaries have been arrested on many previous occasions.

Kenneth Bae, the highest-profile of the currently detained Americans, was sentenced to 15 years' hard labour in May 2013.

North Korea says he used his tourism business to form groups to overthrow the government.

The US has tried on at least two occasions to arrange a visit by a senior human rights envoy, Robert King, to discuss his case, but Pyongyang has cancelled both these visits.

Detainees from other nations can be treated differently - earlier this year, Pyongyang deported Australian missionary John Short, who was detained after apparently leaving Christian pamphlets at a tourist site.

Slander

Also on Monday, North Korea proposed a suspension in hostilities and slander between the two Koreas.

The proposal comes after a volley of short-range missile launches by the North, and just days ahead of a visit to Seoul by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China is North Korea's political and economic lifeline, but Mr Xi has pointedly chosen to prioritise a visit to the South, says the BBC's Lucy Williamson.

In January, North Korea published an open letter to South Korea calling for an end to all hostile military acts and slander.

But this reconciliation drive ended a few months later with sexual slurs and racist abuse directed at the presidents of South Korea and the US.

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