North koreas foreign minister describe President Trumps recent assertion that its leadership would not be around much longer as a declaration of war, and said pyongyang now had the right to shoot down american bombers even outside north korean airspace. The white house described that interpretation as absurd. Heres foreign minister ri translation this is clearly a declaration of war. All the Member States participating in the united nations, and the whole world, should clearly remember that it was first the United States that has declared war on our country. The un charter stipulates individual Member States right to self defence. Since the us declared war on our country, we have every right to take countermeasures, including shooting down us strategic bombers, even when theyre not yet inside the air space border of our country. The question of who wont be around much longer will be answered then. The white house had its regular press briefing not long afterwards and a reporter put the question were President Trumps tweets a declaration of war . Not at all. We have not declared war on north korea and it is never appropriate for a country to shoot down another countrys aircraft when it is over international waters. Our goal is still the same. We continue to seek the peaceful denuclearisation of the korean peninsula. Thats our focus doing that through both the maximum diplomatic and economic pressures as possible at this point. Lets get reaction from our north america correspondent david willis is in washington. How is this looking from there . Not terribly good. And rather dangerous, actually, as far as some observers, china among them, are concerned. The pentagon has provided options for President Trump in the event that north korea should choose to make good on any of its recent threat. This bellicose rhetoric is causing concern at the united nations. In south korea, of course. And, as i mentioned, amongst the chinese who have warned of the dangers of what they called fatal misunderstanding and they have called for calm saying the situation, as far as north korea and the United States is concerned, is dangerous and could lead to disaster. South korea are pointing out that so much depends on china and russia, north koreas biggest trading partners, neighbours and partners of the un security council. And as far as options are concerned, they would appear to be running out. There appears less and less chance ofa there appears less and less chance of a diplomatic solution to this crisis, given this heightened rhetoric. The United States had pinned its hopes on chinese intervention, trying to get the North Koreans to scale down their Nuclear Missile programme. That clearly hasnt worked. Neither have heightened sanctions and any hope of negotiation at hearing to recede, it does appear there has got to be some kind of military action, perhaps as a solution to this problem. Although, the american generals concede that that is not an ideal solution by any means for the simple reason that north korea will almost inevitably fire back quickly and that will impair the south korean capital seoul. Thank you very much. More on this to come. In germany, chancellor merkel says she wants to win back the voters who deserted her party for the far right afd in yesterdays election. She starts her fourth term in a weaker position and has to build a new coalition government. Our berlin correspondentjenny hill has been to mrs merkels home state in the east of the country, to talk to people who voted for the afd. Its not how Angela Merkel wanted germany to look. In a country so tainted by the past, much was unthinkable, unsayable. Not anymore. Its their time now. The many faces of afd. Teacher, pensioner, labourer, businessman. They used to vote conservative, social democratic, left party, green or, like birgit, this lady not at all. Translation the old people dont dare leave the house after 6. 00 and when i open the door the first thing i see are headscarfs and i get on a tram and i see groups of young men. And here in the old east support is particularly strong. Translation i was a dissident in east germany and experienced the propaganda methods of a totalitarian state. I now see how the main parties are using those kinds of methods. Violent division. Painful reminders. Afd would ban minorettes, close the german borders. Angela merkel, down, but not yet out. Many voters havent forgiven her for opening this countrys doors, though not all. Opinion polls ahead of the election showed very clearly that she has a lot of support in the german population. So more than 50 of respondents said if they could vote directly, they would vote for merkel, so thats really interesting to see. She commands respect and thats also seen in the christian democratic party. Afds already tasted power here in the splendour of the regional parliament. But this morning, the party is split at local and national level. Moderates walking out in disgust. Not this new mp. Afds first demand, he tells us, an inquiry into Angela Merkels refugee policy. Translation we have impact through publicity. We cant change laws, because the other parties will boycott us, though theyll often use our ideas later. So yes, we are important, because voters discuss our policies. A problem perhaps for the political power house of europe. Opposition to the euro, to further eu integration. Afds success indicates that the populism which has swept through europe in recent years is really taking root in this country. Germany is a place where people have tended to identify as european first, german second. But for the very first time, a significant proportion of people here are voting for a party which wants to claw back powers from brussels and regain its national sovereignty. It speaks to supporters of all ages. I support the afd because its the future of my friends, me of course, my friends, my school mates and so on and it will be a dark future if nothing really happens. Fear for the future, nostalgia for a country considered lost. Voices which wont be ignored. Jenny hill, bbc news, scheuring, germany. The furore from nfl players refusing to stand for the National Anthem is continuing in the us, with dozens of players and coaches joining silent protests. President trump has condemned players for taking a knee during the star spangled banner, saying it shows disrespect for the country. Joining me now is dr richard lapchick, director of the institute for diversity and ethics in sport at the university of central florida. Hes currently in portland, oregon. It is easier to understand this if it isa it is easier to understand this if it is a protest against the country but the press seems to ignore it is a protest against police brutality. It is also against racism in general in the United States. The most conservative owner in the nfl, jerry jones, actually knelt with his whole tea m jones, actually knelt with his whole team the cowboys and that solidified the position that the owners have come out against trumps statement and in support of the players and this is a time that will be remembered, for me, the most significant day in the sport in terms of using the power of sport to affect powerful change since Muhammad Ali Centre he wouldnt go to vietnam. That is quite significant. Significant that the owners are showing support of the players given some of them are trump donors . Nine of them have donated money to their trump campaign. All mine have come out against trump. The president has brought up that nascar drivers are not showing solidarity. There is dramatic difference in the racial breakdown between athletes in the nba or nfl and nascar, isnt there . The nfl is 67 African American and there is one nascar racer in a championship round. They are working hard to change that but right now, they found days is overwhelmingly white where is the nfls fan base is overwhelmingly diverse. Some of the fa ns overwhelmingly diverse. Some of the fans dont like this. How far can this go as an agent of social change . Verse of all, this didnt start with Colin Kaepernick. I think the death of my harm all muhammad ali last year and watching hundreds of people pour out onto the streets of people pour out onto the streets of louisville. The contributions muhammad ali made to society, the United States and around the world and the risk that he took to his careerfor standing and the risk that he took to his career for standing up for justice. Shortly after that, at espn in its most watched show, the sp awards, allowed the format nba superstars to open the show, speaking about police brutality, Community Relations between the police and racism in america and that also helped set the stage for a Colin Kaepernick to take any for the first time in september and now with a vast numbers of players we have seen taking action so far, i think they will feel really good about it. So many times we treat our athletes in the United States and i suspect globally, as people who simply use their bodies. Their injuries, what they think the outcome of the season will be, we dont ask about serious social justice issues as is happening right now. I think for athletes that feel they are seen as unidimensional. It will be a rich experience for those athletes that are experiencing it for the first time right now. Thank you very much indeed. Stay with us on bbc news, still to come one of the most spectacular ra cetracks one of the most spectacular racetracks on. Jockeys compete in the high mountains of the caucuses. Ben johnson, the fastest man on earth, is flying home to canada in disgrace. All the athletes should be clean going into the games. Im just happy that justice is served. It is a simple fact that this morning, these people were in their homes. Tonight, those homes have been burnt down by serbian soldiers and police. All the taliban positions along here have been strengthened, presumably in case the americans invade. Its no use having a secret service which cannot preserve its own secrets against the world. And so the British Government has no option but to continue this action, and even after any adverse judgement in australia. Concorde had crossed the atlantic faster than any plane ever before, breaking the record by six minutes. This is bbc news. Our main headline the white house has condemned north koreas claim that it now has the right to shoot down us bombers even if theyre outside its air space. Germanys chancellor Angela Merkel has said her party won the lurch to the right but will try to win back the right but will try to win back the i the right but will try to win back thei million voters the right but will try to win back the i million voters who voted for the i million voters who voted for the afb in sundays elections. Wont lurch. Well, lets stay with this story now and get a bit of analysis. Bonnie glazer is Senior Advisor for asia and director of the china power project at the centre for strategic and international studies. Shes in virginia. You were at the meeting where the south Korean Foreign minister was speaking, how dangerous is this . There has certainly been a dangerous escalation of words. Weve had state m e nts escalation of words. Weve had statements by President Trump that he would totally destroy north korea, eight week that said kim jong un would not be around much longer. Then we had statements by north koreas foreign minister earlier today, saying that in fact the North Koreans see themselves as the North Koreans see themselves as the target of a threat of war, that the target of a threat of war, that the us has declared war now on the United States. Excuse me, on north korea. Therefore north korea has the right to actually attack american planes, take them down if they are near or planes, take them down if they are nearor in planes, take them down if they are near or in north korean airspace. So this really is a very dangerous period. The one small step back that was taken today was that the white house spokesman did say that the United States has not declared war on north korea. So i think thats a positive development that may diffuse tensions a bit, although they are still really running quite high after the speeches at the un by both President Trump and the north Korean Foreign minister. Just to try to give this a bit of historical context, there have been previous occasions where north korea has shot down american aircraft, although it would be quite a different matter if it was in international airspace. Yes. There have been instances where aircraft have been shot down, including south korean aircraft by north korea in times when even the pueblo years ago was captured by north korea. I suppose you could say we have been in maybe even more dangerous places in the past, but at present we really do have an unpredictable us president who, in my view, doesnt really appear to understand the dangerous escalation dynamics, the potential for misunderstanding and miscalculation, and the fact that president. Or the leader, kim jong un, and the fact that president. Or the leader, kimjong un, really cannot back down. The nature of him and the system that he is in, if he is seen as being threatened and his regime is being seen as threatened, then there is a good chance that he will strike at the United States. Sounds like well be talking again. Bonnie glazer, thank you very much indeed. Thank you. Votes are being counted after an independence referendum in iraqs kurdistan region. The poll went ahead despite fierce objections from the Central Government in baghdad and from other countries with kurdish minorities. The referendum result is expectedly to be heavily in favour of independence, but it wont trigger an immediate attempt to break away. Our middle east correspondent orla guerin reports now from the city of irbil. Waiting patiently, as they have for generations. Kurds arriving before the polls opened, defying the International Community and the government in baghdad. First in line, 65 year old azahd. I came here at 6am, he told us. This is the greatest day of my life. And for many, its a day of remembrance, like the ali family, who lostjaffah, a proud peshmerga fighter, killed last year by the so called islamic state. His widow says the vote has brought him back. Translation its a very happy day for him and for us. We feel like he is right here. He sacrificed himself for this land. His blood was not shed in vain. Then, at last, time to cast her ballot. We hope that we are getting ourfreedom, she says. But this vote is being watched anxiously by neighbouring states and by the west. The fear is it could spark new conflict and not only in iraq. The kurds say that whats happening here today is about self determination, about democracy in action. Far from trying to stop them, they say the International Community should be giving them strong support. There is a real sense here of history in the making. And whatever comes next, the votes being cast today could reshape the middle east. Even before the result, kurds took to the streets in the city of kirkuk. We are free now the oil rich city is controlled by Kurdish Forces but also claimed by the Central Government in baghdad. And the divisions here are now all too clear. In arab neighbourhoods, we found a very stark contrast. No referendum fever here. Riyad abdul satar didnt vote and is worried about the future of iraq. Do you feel like you might lose your country . Yes, he says, we didnt before, but we do now. But for the kurds, tonight, time to celebrate. They say the referendum is a mandate for negotiations with baghdad. They wont be redrawing borders or declaring independence in the morning, but they have passed a point of no return. Orla guerin, bbc news, irbil. Venezuela has accused the us psychological terrorism, proposing travel in restrictions on some government officials and their families imposing. Officialsaid travel bans like the ones announced on sunday by washington were in incompatible with international law. The ban on eight countries included venezuela for the first time, as well as north korea and chad. The former us congressman Anthony Wiener has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for sending sexually explicit messages to a teenage girl in 2016. The scandal played a role in the president ial election, his wife huma abedin, of course, a senior aide to hillary clinton. A dog has been found alive in the rubble of last weeks earthquake in mexico city. The rescue by a team from japan was a glimmer of hope for mexicans with Search Operations now concentrated on ten sites in the capital. The dog was checked by red cross paramedics at the site and rescuers hope to reunite him with his family. Lets head to russia now and the republic of dagestan. It is an isolated region, high above sea level, and life can be pretty tough for the people who call it home. But the dagestanis are perhaps most renowned for one skill in particular. The bbcs tim allman reports now on the horsemen of khunzakh. These stark mount luna terrain of the northern caucuses mountainous. The people here, proud and resourceful. Their culture, ancient and devout. They are renowned for their equestrian skills. And what a venue this is for one of the most picturesque horse races on, galloping through this rugged land in celebration of their traditions and theirfaith. In celebration of their traditions and their faith. Translation this isa and their faith. Translation this is a very significant event because its held in honour of our dear mufti, the religious leader of the republic of dagestan. This carnival a showcase for local dance and local cuisine. But all eyes are on the race, a test for man and animal alike. Translation this far above sea level its hard for horses that arent local. The horse needs to adapt to lack of oxygen. They say here that the horse is a gift from god, a gift that is always welcome. Tim allman, bbc news. A 13 Year Old Girl from wales has become the first female in europe to complete a wheelchair backflip. Lily rice is trying to raise funds to take part in the wheelchair motocross world championships. Lily rice, just 13 that top story again. The white house has condemned north koreas claim it now has the right to shoot down american bombers evenif right to shoot down american bombers even if they are outside its airspace. The state department has stepped back from north koreas claim the us has declared war on north korea. Much more on that and all the news any time on the bbc website. And you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter, im bbcmikeembley. Thank you for watching. Hello. The week started on a fairly quiet note across many parts of the british isles. We had a weak weather front close by which really pepped up the cloud at cross central and eastern areas. Out west, different story. Some sunshine to be had but first thing on monday and again late on in the day, some areas were quite badly affected by fog. Theres the weather front gradually fizzling all the while as the pressure builds in from the continent. But there will still be a legacy of cloud first up and i think you will really notice it in the first part of the day. One, yes, leaden skies but look at the temperatures, 13 15 for many. Just a bit cooler where the skies have stayed clear for any length of time overnight. There could be some fog patches around. Leaden skies for many of us for the first part of the day but you get a sense from the big picture that as the day goes on, there is greater hope of seeing sunshine. One of the spots may be scotland. A little bit cloudy along the eastern shores. Just the chance of one or two isolated showers across the northern half of britain. Northern ireland, faring quite nicely away from the noticeable breeze. There is the chance, come mid afternoon, of seeing a few showers across the north and east midlands, maybe to east anglia as well. Many of those will tend to fade if you happen to see them at all come evening. Temperatures top 20 degrees or so. A little bit more in a way of breeze on wednesday across the north east quarter of scotland. The freshening wind and the cloud filling in all the while across northern ireland, and into the far south west of england and wales. The weather front works its way in from the atlantic. Generally speaking, the further east you are, the drier and finer your day will stay. Top temperature, again, not bad for this time of year. Cooler in the breeze in the far north east. Thankfully, the Fourth One Day International between england and the west indies is going to be at the oval in the south east corner of central london. That shouldnt be interrupted by the rain until perhaps very late on in the day because the front does make progress later on on wednesday. Indeed into the first part of thursday, it will still be producing quite a wet start to the day across eastern parts of the british isles. But once thats away, a pretty decent day for many. This is bbc news the headlines. The United States has condemned north koreas claim that it has the right to shoot down american warplanes outside north korean airspace. The comments, by the countrys foreign minister, were in response to a tweet by President Trump that the north korean leadership would not be about much longer. The german chancellor Angela Merkel has said that her party will not lurch to the right as she tries to win back the voters who had deserted her for the anti immigrant afd in sundays elections. She said she would try to regain the trust of a large number of people who, she said, had felt excluded. Votes are being counted after an independence referendum in iraqs kurdistan region. The result is expectedly to be heavily in favour of independence but it wont trigger an immediate attempt to break away. Iraqs Central Government, turkey and iran have all described the vote as unacceptable. Now it is time for hardtalk