A North Korean envoy rejected a Malaysian autopsy fi nding that VX nerve agent killed Kim Jong Nam, saying on Th ursday the man probably died of a heart attack because he suff ered from heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Th e death of Kim, the estranged half brother of North Korea’s ruler, has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. Th e autopsy is especially sensitive because North Korea had asked Malaysia not to perform one, but authorities carried it out anyway, saying they were following the law. Also on Th ursday, amid growing fallout from the killing, Malaysia announced it is scrapping visa-free entry for North Koreans. Malaysian offi cials say two women smeared VX nerve agent – a banned chemical weapon – on Kim’s face as he waited for a fl ight at Kuala Lumpur’s airport on February 13. Kim died within 20 minutes, authorities say. No bystanders reported falling ill. Th e women, who were caught on grainy surveillance video, have been charged with murder. Both say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank and did not know they were handling a lethal toxin. Malaysia’s autopsy fi nding that VX nerve agent killed Kim boosted speculation that North Korea orchestrated the attack. Experts say the oily poison was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory. Mr Macron has vowed to eradicate “confl icts of interest” 50 nations to meet over Trump ban on family planning funds Organisers say about 50 countries have signed up to attend a family planning conference convened to see how nations can make up for a funding gap left by President Donald Trump’s ban on US funding to organisations linked to legal abortion. Th e participants agreed to attend conference planned for Th ursday in Brussels on short notice. Belgian vice Premier Alexander De Croo said in an interview that “this should not be a moment where we are taking steps back into the Dark Ages”. Trump’s decision withholds about half a billion dollars in US funding from international groups that perform abortions or provide information about abortions. Offi cials in many European nations and around the world say the move will hurt women and girls who need family planning most. North Korea has denied any role and accused Malaysia of bias. Ri Tong Il, the former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, on Th ursday told a news conference that it made no sense to say the two women used such a deadly toxin without also killing or sickening themselves and people around them. Ri said Kim had a history of heart problems and had been hospitalised in the past. He said he understood that Malaysian offi cials found medication for diabetes, heart problems and high blood pressure in Kim’s belongings and concluded he wasn’t fi t to travel. “Th is is a strong indication that the cause of death is a heart attack,” Ri said. Malaysian police said the attackers knew what they were doing and had been trained to go immediately to the bathroom and wash their hands. Police can’t confi rm whether the two women may have been given antidotes before the attack. An antidote, atropine, can be injected after exposure and is carried by medics in war zones where weapons of mass destruction are suspected. North Korea does not acknowledge that it was Kim Jong Nam who died. Instead, it refers to the victim as Kim Chol, the name on the diplomatic passport he was carrying. Malaysia has confi rmed that the victim was Kim Jong Nam. Th e case has badly frayed once-warm ties between Malaysia and North Korea. While it isn’t one of North Korea’s key diplomatic partners, Malaysia has been one of the few places in the world where North Koreans could travel without a visa. As a result, for years, it has been a quiet destination for Northerners looking for jobs, schools and business deals. Th at could all change after Kim’s death. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the visa-free arrangement with North Korea will be scrapped starting on Monday for national security reasons. He also slammed the North Korean ambassador in Kuala Lumpur, who has accused Malaysia of “trying to conceal something” and “colluding with hostile forces.”