Otto Warmbier appeared emotional at a news conference a month later, in which he tearfully confessed to trying to take the sign as a “trophy” for a US church, adding “the aim of my task was to harm the motivation and work ethic of the Korean people”.
Foreign detainees in North Korea have previously recanted confessions, saying they were made under pressure.
His parents Fred and Cindy told CNN in early May that they had had no contact with their son for more than a year.
In a statement, Fred and Cindy Warmbier said: “Otto has left North Korea. He is on a Medivac flight on his way home.
“Sadly, he is in a coma and we have been told he has been in that condition since March 2016. We learned of this only one week ago.”
They were quoted by the Washington Post as saying they had been told their son had contracted botulism, a rare illness that causes paralysis, soon after his trial in March 2016.
Otto Warmbier was given a sleeping pill and had been in a coma ever since, the newspaper said.
Rex Tillerson made no mention of Otto Warmbier’s condition in his statement, saying only that he was on his way home to be reunited with his family and would not make any further comment, out of respect for the privacy of the family.
The US has in the past accused North Korea of detaining its citizens to use them as pawns in negotiations over its nuclear weapons program.
The arrests have come at a time of heightened tension between North Korea and the US and its regional neighbors.
Dennis Rodman is a friend of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and has made several visits to the country in recent years.
There was some speculation that Dennis Rodman might plead the case for the American detainees, but en route to North Korea the basketball star told reporters “my purpose is to actually see if I can keep bringing sports to North Korea”.
A number of long-forgotten deadly microbes have been uncovered in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) laboratories in recent weeks, including the deadly toxin ricin and the bacteria that cause plague.
The highly poisonous substances were found in a hunt triggered by the accidental discovery in July of vials of smallpox at a lab near Washington.
They included vials of ricin and pathogens that cause botulism, the plague and a rare tropical infection.
The substances, some dating from nearly a century ago, have now been destroyed.
Officials from the NIH said some of its laboratories were cleared to use poisonous substances and were checked regularly.
A number of long-forgotten deadly microbes have been uncovered in the NIH laboratories in recent weeks
However, the recent finds were from historical collections that were once allowed to be stored without regulation.
They included a bottle of ricin, a highly poisonous toxin, found in a box with microbes thought to be 85 to 100 years old.
“NIH takes this matter very seriously. The finding of these agents highlights the need for constant vigilance in monitoring laboratory materials in compliance with federal regulations on biosafety,” a memo from the agency said.
The authorities said the newly discovered toxins had been improperly stored but were in sealed containers and no employees were in danger of infection.
The search for unregulated toxic substances was initiated after the discovery of long-forgotten vials of smallpox in July.
The virus, believed dead, was located in six freeze-dried and sealed vials. It was said to be the first time unaccounted-for smallpox has been discovered in the US.
The smallpox disease was officially declared eradicated in the 1980s.
New Zealand’s dairy giant Fonterra has been fined $NZ300,000 ($255,000) after it admitted four food-safety violations during a 2013 botulism scare.
The scare led to a worldwide milk product recall and to several countries blocking imports of New Zealand dairy products.
Testing later found there had been no problem with Fonterra’s products.
New Zealand’s dairy giant Fonterra has been fined $NZ300,000 after it admitted four food-safety violations during a 2013 botulism scare
Fonterra had faced a maximum fine of $NZ500,000 for the charges, relating to breaches of an animal products act.
It had admitted the four charges in March.
Fonterra is the world’s largest exporter of dairy products and had said it would not contest the charges.
The botulism scare related to a milk product used widely in infant formula.
The milk product, which is used by several multinational companies, was suspected of containing a bacteria that could cause botulism which is a severe form of food poisoning.
Fonterra was sentenced by Judge Peter Hobbs in a district court in Wellington, New Zealand, on Friday.
“New Zealand’s reputation for high-quality dairy products was shaken,” Australia’s Fairfax News reported Judge Peter Hobbs saying on Friday.
Judge Peter Hobbs said he accepted that the scare resulted from carelessness and failure to follow procedure, rather than any deliberate action, but said Fonterra could and should have done better.
New Zealand has announced that Fonterra dairy products at the centre of a global contamination scare did not contain botulism-causing bacteria.
The scare had triggered a recall and import bans from some countries.
However, the Ministry for Primary Industries said that tests indicated the presence of a different type of bacteria that does not cause botulism.
Fonterra is the biggest dairy firm in New Zealand, which is the world’s largest exporter of dairy products.
Fonterra dairy products at the centre of a global contamination scare did not contain botulism-causing bacteria
“The bacteria found in the whey protein concentrate (WPC) manufactured by Fonterra is not Clostridium botulinum,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The organism is confirmed as Clostridium sporogenes. It is therefore not capable of producing botulism-causing toxins.”
Earlier this month, Fonterra had said that some of its products were contaminated by a dirty pipe at one of its processing plants.
The discovery led to inquiries into the contamination, including one by PM John Key, and triggered concerns over the impact on New Zealand’s dairy sector.
Dairy exports account for about a quarter of New Zealand’s export earnings and the dairy industry contributes about 7% of the country’s gross domestic product.
Fonterra accounts for almost 90% of the country’s milk production.
The scare over its products led to import bans by China and some other countries.
The company was also criticized for delays in disclosing the contamination. Earlier this month the head of its New Zealand milk products, Gary Romano, quit the firm.
New Zealand dairy firm Fonterra has apologized for the distress caused to parents because of a scare over contaminated products.
Fonterra CEO Theo Spierings was speaking in China after it emerged on Saturday that batches of whey protein contained bacteria that can cause botulism.
Contaminated products, including infant formula, were exported to a number of countries, including China.
Botulism is an extremely dangerous form of food poisoning.
“We regret the distress and anxiety which this issue could have caused,” Theo Spierings told reporters in Beijing.
“Parents have the right to know that infant nutrition and other products are safe.”
Theo Spierings added that Fonterra was committed to China and was working with regulators to address the problem.
China and Russia have moved to ban imports of the contaminated products.
Fonterra said it had received confirmation that China had not imposed a blanket ban on its products.
Fonterra has apologized for the distress caused to parents because of a scare over contaminated products
Earlier on Monday, New Zealand PM John Key questioned why Fonterra, the world’s largest dairy exporter, delayed raising the alarm over the contaminated products.
John Key said concerns were raised after a series of tests in May 2012.
“When you’ve got a company that’s our largest company, our largest brand, our largest exporter that is the flagship for New Zealand and your whole business is about food safety and food quality you think they’d take such a precautionary view to these things and say if it’s testing for some reason in an odd way that it would just be discarded until they were absolutely sure that its right,” John Key said.
However, Theo Spierings addressed this by saying that the first sign of a problem only came to light after tests in March this year.
Fonterra said the bacteria came from a dirty pipe at a processing plant for whey protein concentrate.
It said the bacteria had been found in three batches of whey protein which had been used in Nutricia Karicare for infants.
Fonterra has exported the contaminated whey protein concentrate to China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Saudi Arabia.
So far, there have not been any illnesses reported related to the contaminated products.
China relies heavily on New Zealand for its imports of milk powder. The country experienced a tainted milk scandal in 2008 that killed six babies and made about 300,000 ill.
According to Chinese state media, nearly 80% of dairy products imported by China come from New Zealand.
New Zealand is the world’s largest dairy exporter.
China has banned all imports of milk powder from New Zealand, after its main dairy exporter, Fonterra, found in some of its products a strain of bacteria that can cause botulism.
China relies on New Zealand for almost all its imports of milk powder.
Imports are highly prized in China after a tainted milk formula scandal in 2008 killed six babies and made some 300,000 infants sick.
New Zealand’s trade minister described Beijing’s decision as “appropriate”.
Fonterra’s announcement that it had found the contamination led to a global recall of up to 1,000 tonnes of dairy products across seven countries, including China.
The potentially tainted products included infant milk formula, sports drinks, protein drinks and other beverages.
Botulism is one of the most dangerous forms of food poisoning, often leading to paralysis.
The bacteria were found in three batches of Fonterra’s whey protein used in infants’ Nutricia Karicare follow-on formula, Fonterra said.
China has banned all imports of milk powder from New Zealand
Nearly 80% of dairy products imported by China come from New Zealand, according to state media.
Any prolonged ban of imports could well lead to a dairy shortage in China
New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser said China’s action was “entirely appropriate”.
“It’s better to do blanket protection for your people then wind it back when we, our authorities, are in a position to give them the confidence and advice that they need.”
The Chinese authorities named four domestic companies that have imported potentially contaminated products from New Zealand. According to state media, these companies have begun a recall.
The whey product was produced in May 2012, with a dirty pipe at one of Fonterra’s processing plants in Waikato responsible for the contamination, the company said.
Fonterra – the fourth largest diary company in the world – said it had urged its customers to urgently check their supply chains.
The countries affected besides New Zealand and China include Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia.
Russia is also reported to have begun a recall of Fonterra products.
Fonterra said there had been no reports of any illness linked to the affected whey product.
The dairy industry powers New Zealand’s economy, with the country exporting up to 95% of its milk.
Fonterra, New Zealand’s main dairy exporter, has found a strain of bacteria causing botulism in some of its products, including infant formula and sports drinks.
It has led to a global recall of up to 1,000 tons of dairy products across seven countries, including China.
Fonterra has not named the eight companies affected.
Botulism is one of the most dangerous forms of food poisoning, often leading to paralysis.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Primary Industries confirmed on Saturday that the tainted products included infant formula, sports drinks, protein drinks and other beverages.
The bacterium was found in three batches of Fonterra’s whey protein used in infants’ Nutricia Karicare follow-on formula, Fonterra said.
The whey product was produced in May 2012, with a dirty pipe at one of its processing plants in Waikato responsible for the contamination, the company said.
Fonterra has found a strain of bacteria causing botulism in some of its products
Nutricia has locked down all five batches of formula believed to contain the tainted product and says none of its product was actually sold.
Fonterra – the fourth largest diary company in the world – says it has urged its customers to urgently check their supply chains.
“We are acting quickly,” Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings said.
“Our focus is to get information out about potentially affected product as fast as possible so that it can be taken off supermarket shelves and, where it has already been purchased, can be returned.”
The countries affected beside New Zealand include China, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia.
Fonterra said there had been no reports of any illness linked to the affected whey product.
The dairy industry powers New Zealand’s economy, with the country exporting up to 95% of its milk.
Fonterra is a major supplier of bulk milk powder products used in milk formula in China.
Chinese consumers have a special interest after a tainted milk formula scandal in 2008 killed six babies and made some 300,000 infants sick.
The Chinese authorities have already ordered domestic importers to recall all milk products that could be affected.
Fonterra’s chief executive, Theo Spierings, plans to fly to China on Saturday to deal with the fall-out.
Botulism is a rare paralytic illness caused by a toxin which is very poisonous to humans.
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