Free Republic

Outraged relatives of Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea expressed disbelief yesterday after seeing video messages from their loved ones claiming that they were happy to stay in the Stalinist nation.Three words: not bloody likely - Ivan In an attempt to thaw relations with the outside world, Pyongyang admitted last month that its agents abducted 13 Japanese between 1977 and 1983. It said eight had died, and five were still living in North Korea. This week the relatives were shown videos of the survivors saying they want to see their parents and siblings, but in North Korea rather than Japan....

· Bolts from points 'lying next to track' · Former BBC chief among victims Vandalism has been identified as a possible cause of the Potters Bar rail crash, in which seven people died, senior rail industry sources told The Observer last night. A 'sophisticated' act of deliberate damage to a set of points outside the station could have caused the derailment, according to the sources. The revelation raised the prospect of a police murder or manslaughter inquiry into the tragedy. Experts inspecting the points after Friday's crash found that the nuts securing the control rod to the points had...