10 things you need to know today: March 30, 2013

North Korea issues more threats, the Vatican defends the pope's feet-washing, and more in our roundup of stories that are making news and driving opinion

Pope Francis waves as he presides over the Way of The Cross procession at the Colosseum on Good Friday March 29 in Rome.
(Image credit: Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

1. NORTH KOREA DECLARES STATE OF WAR WITH SOUTH KOREA

North Korea has said it is entering a "state of war" with South Korea in its latest escalation of rhetoric against its southern neighbor and the U.S. A statement promised "stern physical actions" against "any provocative act." North Korea has threatened attacks almost daily after it was sanctioned for a third nuclear test in February. It has also reacted angrily to annual U.S.-South Korean military exercises. The U.S. has condemned the North's "bellicose rhetoric", while China and Russia have called for an easing of tensions. North and South Korea have technically been at war since the armed conflict between them ended in 1953, because an armistice was never turned into a peace treaty. [BBC]

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Terri is a freelance writer at TheWeek.com. She's a graduate of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism and has worked at TIME and Brides. You can follow her on Twitter.