Kidnapped Nigerian Schoolgirls Tell Of Escape

Schoolgirls who escaped from the Islamist militant group Boko Haram in Nigeria have told of their harrowing ordeal as the search for those still held captive continues.

One described being shot at as she ran from the gunmen when she was sent to fetch water.

Another spoke of how she and a friend jumped from a moving lorry as it slowed down, despite the threat of being killed, and spent a night in the bush before making their way to safety.

The schoolgirls gave their accounts to the distraught mothers of those still being held hostage.

One girl was shot at as she fled while another jumped from a lorry

"They took us away in a convoy of lorries," one of them said.

"We travelled through the night before reaching the final destination in the forest.

"The following day we were sent to fetch water. That was when we seized the opportunity and bolted.

"Even when they were shooting at us, we took the chance and God helped us arrive in Chibok two days later."

The other girl added: "They threatened to shoot anyone who tried to escape. As the vehicle slowed down along the road I jumped down with my friend.

"We spent the night in the bush and trekked back to Chibok the next day."

The girls' accounts came as it was reported the kidnapped girls had been split into four groups, complicating the search to find them and making any potential rescue more difficult.

The UK has sent a group of experts to offer advice and logistical support in the hunt for the 276 missing girls, who were kidnapped from a boarding school in the northern village of Chibok almost four weeks ago.

Air and satellite surveillance is to be extended to the neighbouring countries of Cameroon, Chad and Niger amid fears the girls may be trafficked across the border to be sold as slaves by their captors.

The leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, has threatened to sell the girls "on the market".

Their kidnap triggered international condemnation and led to a high-profile campaign calling for their release.

Prime Minister David Cameron told Sky News the abduction is "a ghastly situation, an act of pure evil".

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Nigeria Kidnappings: Michelle Obama 'Outraged'

How To Tackle Nigeria's Growing Insurgency?

Updated: 1:09pm UK, Friday 09 May 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

American "experts" have arrived. British "advisers" are on their way - phew. It may only be a matter of time before Nigeria's missing girls are found and rescued.

Baloney.

Boko Haram is not a new problem. It's been violently opposing Nigeria's governments since 2009, leaving 4,000 dead, laying waste to villages, and not long ago killing 58 schoolboys in their classrooms.

It's had links to al Qaeda in the Islamic Mahgreb (AQIM).

It kidnapped a French family in the Cameroons, and is reported to have netted $3m (£1.78m) for their safe release.

The militant Islamist group has achieved international notoriety over the abduction of the girls, all aged between 12 and 15  - but only after releasing a video threat to sell them into slavery.

But it has been closely monitored by Western security agencies for some time.

In 2012, British special forces troops were at the sharp end of a failed rescue operation in Sokoto aimed at releasing Chris McManus, a British engineer and his Italian colleague.

They had been held by Boko Haram for over a year. It was thought they were about to be moved or sold to an al Qaeda group operating in the lawless Sahel.

The connections to al Qaeda, which intelligence sources say extends all the way to Somalia but is more tightly entwined with AQIM, have meant that Boko Haram has been of considerable interest to the West.

This has been mostly manifest in sharing intelligence with and getting information from Nigerian agencies about the threat that the movement might pose beyond Nigeria's borders.

Dealing with the growing domestic insurgency has been seen as a strictly Nigerian matter.

Very often Western commentators will see the involvement of Western troops or spooks as a panacea to turmoil in a Third World nation.

They are not.

It took the British army half a decade to get to grips with the complex tribal structures that dominate Helmand in Afghanistan, where the UK sent some 10,000 troops.

American forces never got to grips with the complex world of Somalia's clan structures after its UN/US intervention there in 1991.

And Western allies have left chaos in their wake after their invasion of Iraq.

Foreign experts can, however, help with technical intelligence surveillance, planning, and perhaps even offering troops for a final assault on a complex target.

But all other matters must remain domestic issues because only locals can fully understand the complexities of the social landscape they live in.

There may, ultimately, be a useful military option involving a strike at the leadership of Boko Haram that the West can help with.

But Nigerians know that finding a solution to a growing insurgency involves far more complex issues.

Nigeria's economically-neglected north will need a greater share of the nation's annual oil revenues of $50bn (£29.8bn) if it's going to reverse the growing north-south schism that has always threatened the coherence of the former British colony.

Locally, Boko Haram's foot soldiers will need to be lured out of the bush with offers of amnesty and employment. Surviving leaders may need to be given a role.

But, of course, this "proves" the argument that politics in Nigeria can only be advanced through the barrel of a gun - the nation has suffered at least eight military coups since independence from Britain in 1960 and is now taking nervous steps along a democratic pathway.

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UK Soldier 'Posed With Dead Taliban Fighter'

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

The RAF has launched a probe after photographs surfaced appearing to show a serviceman posing with a dead Taliban fighter.

The pictures were apparently taken in the wake of an attack by 15 insurgents on Camp Bastion, the main British base in Afghanistan, in September 2012.

The insurgents breached the perimeter of the base, triggering a battle involving a British RAF regiment and US marines.

Two of the marines and 14 Taliban fighters were killed in the firefight, and UK troops were also injured.

The two photographs appear to show at least one member of the RAF giving a thumbs-up sign as he kneels next to the body of a dead insurgent.

The photos were taken after an attack on Camp Bastion in 2012

It is unclear if it is the same serviceman in both of the photographs.

Sky News has learned that the individual or individuals belong to 51 Squadron.

An RAF source said he was making "no excuses" for the behaviour but said it was important to consider the context.

"This was a long, extensive firefight against a well-drilled, well-armed enemy who was trying to kill them," the source said.

He said it was an "unusual adrenaline fuelled situation" in which "foolish" things could happen.

Camp Bastion is the main British base in Afghanistan

The investigation will focus on whether the airman broke the rules by "mistreating" the enemy.

They may also be reprimanded for simply having and using photographic equipment.

Another photograph shows a burned-out plane in a hangar - six US Harrier jets were destroyed in the attack.

The images first appeared on the website Live Leak.

An RAF spokesman said: "The RAF is treating this incident extremely seriously and has launched a military police investigation.

"As this incident is subject to an ongoing investigation it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."

Joanne Mariner, Director of Law and Policy at Amnesty International, said: "These pictures ... are appalling.

"They violate international humanitarian law standards, including common article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit the disrespectful and degrading treatment of the bodies of dead combatants.

"There must be a thorough and impartial investigation into this incident; it is encouraging to learn that the UK military has instigated one."

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Ukrainian Self-Rule 'Would Destroy Country'

Hague's Whirlwind Diplomatic Tour Of Europe

Updated: 10:57am UK, Saturday 10 May 2014

By Tim Marshall, Diplomatic Editor

When you travel with the Foreign Office, you travel at speed.

Foreign Secretary William Hague lives his working life in blocks of time allocated according to timetables, worked out by staff, who liaise with their counterparts around the world.

For his trip around Eastern Europe they had arranged 21 meetings in four countries over four days.

To achieve that they had chartered a 13-seat charter jet. It's expensive, but the RAF planes sometimes used by government officials were unavailable or didn't have the range required.

The view was that if they travelled on scheduled flights they couldn't make all the meetings.

On board were the Foreign Secretary, several advisors, his private secretary, security men, and a two-person Sky News team including cameraman Pete Milnes.

We were inside what is called "The Bubble".

On Monday the first call was to Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, where we were met by various government officials and whisked into town in an eight-vehicle convoy, with lights flashing and sirens blaring.

The trip was about signalling to the countries he visited, but also to Russia. The message was that the UK will support Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia.

Britain sent a similar but stronger message to the Baltic States and Russia when it flew four fighter jets to Lithuania last month, but they are Nato members. On this tour he only had political and economic weapons at his disposal.

For the Moldova leg he had penned an article for a leading newspaper and acknowledged to Sky News that is was written for two audiences.

"You have to get through to the publics of the countries you visit, but you also know that the Russians are reading it ... Moscow needs to understand that there is a long-term price for violating the sovereignty of other nations," he said.

After a series of meetings, Mr Hague was back in his vehicle and preparing to return to the airport.

At this point it is essential all 13 of us, and the 30-odd pieces of kit and luggage, are all ready to move because the only people the convoy will wait for is the Foreign Secretary and his security detail.

After each meeting there is a flurry of activity with people throwing bags into cars, which occasionally might even be moving.

We get back to the plane and head for Vienna.

On board the protocol is that on the rare occasions a reporter is travelling with the Foreign Secretary he or she sits at the back, thus allowing the diplomats to spend the flight time working and talking privately.

Their area is for the duration of the flight their private office. Occasionally the Foreign Secretary will come back for a chat.

This is usually a mixture of everyday pleasantries, light humour over an incident which may have occurred at the previous location, and genuine insights into aims and strategies of HMG.

At dusk we land in Vienna and are two-thirds of the way through a 15-hour day.

In the Austrian capital the following morning Mr Hague attends the Council of Europe meeting on the Ukraine crisis.

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is present, but there is no meeting of minds.

Back at the airport the Foreign Secretary meets the acting Ukrainian Foreign Minister who is hitching a lift to Ukraine.

Mr Hague jokes: "We've thrown someone off to make room." He then takes the rare opportunity to spend the 90-minute flight to Kiev for a proper and private conversation with his opposite number.

When we arrive there is moment of light comedy.

The Minister, Andrii Deshchytsia, gets off first, followed immediately by Mr Hague, before the Ukrainian turns around, and as protocol demands, shakes hands with Mr Hague and welcomes him to his country.

The Bubble moves into Kiev where the Ukrainian Acting Prime Minister is in his own bubble which is running five minutes late.

For the first time in two days things slow down. We wait in a huge meeting room with the UK diplomats chatting to each other in a relaxed manner before the Prime Minister arrives and its back to business.

The following day the convoy passes the Ukrainian revolution The Maidan where most of the fighting during the winter took place. It's a reminder of just how serious the trip is.

Back on the plane I ask the Foreign Secretary what his favourite part of the job is and he replies: "It's knowing that we are not dealing with trivial stuff here. This matters, and it matters what we do."

On to Georgia, a country where a lot of people have long names, which for a native English speaker can present difficulties.

I ask Mr Hague if he ever forgets anyone's name.

"No, but then I've usually got people's names written down and I have a team of people to help me.

"If you are unsure, then the first thing you do when you land is ask the ambassador to take you through names and pronunciations."

Tbilisi is an attractive city with excellent wine and food, but Mr Hague can't concentrate on the architecture due to work, and says he's learned over the years not to enjoy the food too much.

Most meetings involve at least coffee and biscuits, and more usually a meal at which the host will pile up every local delicacy as a way of showing off their country's food.

Towards the end of day four we end up back in London after a five-hour flight. During the flight, the Foreign Secretary was slightly more relaxed for the first time.

He was still working but his mind was now clear of the 21 meetings. As we approached RAF Northolt the focus was returning.

On the tarmac, under grey skies, he greeted an air force officer with the words: "What have you done with the weather while we were away."

The sunshine of the previous weekend had given way to a chilly breeze, but in Ukraine the temperature was rising.

I worked out that most of us had, by Thursday afternoon, worked for about 55 hours so far this week.

I was now out of The Bubble and so drove home. The Foreign Secretary got into another car, in another convoy, and headed for the Foreign Office.

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Pistorius Trial: Witness Plays Part Of Reeva

A weapons expert has recreated the moment Oscar Pistorius' girlfriend was shot dead by playing the part of the former model in a court reconstruction.

Thomas Wolmarans was being questioned about the injuries Reeva Steenkamp suffered on Valentine's Day last year, when he asked to enter a mocked-up version of Pistorius' bathroom.

As he stood behind the door, he mimicked the movements he believes Ms Steenkamp made when the bullets struck her body.

The judge looks on as Mr Wolmarans plays the part of Ms Steenkamp

It came after Judge Thokozile Masipa and lawyers huddled around the door as a court official used a spray to reveal a laser beam set up by prosecutors to show the trajectory taken by one of the bullets.

Earlier, Pistorius sat with his head in his hands as Mr Wolmarans spoke in detail about the wounds Ms Steenkamp suffered.

As the trial entered its 29th day, the witness, called by the defence, also talked about the various bullet fragments found in the bathroom of the athlete's home on a luxury development in Pretoria.

Pistorius denies murdering his girlfriend Ms Steenkamp. Pic: Stimulii

During an intense cross-examination, Mr Wolmarans admitted altering one of his reports but insisted the only changes he made were grammatical corrections.

Asked exactly what he had corrected, however, he replied: "I can't remember."

Mr Wolmarans also revealed he supervised a sound test involving a gun and the cricket bat Pistorius says he used to break down the bathroom door, even though he is not an expert in the field and has tinnitus, which causes a ringing noise in his ears.

Mr Wolmarans faced an uncomfortable day of questioning

He said he had "never" discussed the case with Pistorius, even when he went to remove a piece of the athlete's prosthetic leg for forensic examination.

On Thursday, the court heard from a social worker and probation officer, who claimed Pistorius was "not putting on a show" - a reference to allegations he had been taking acting lessons.

Yvette van Schalkwyk, who sat with the 27-year-old at the time of his initial court hearings, said he vomited twice and told her he shot Ms Steenkamp accidentally.

"What I saw ... was a man who was heartbroken," she said. "He cried, he was in mourning, he suffered emotionally."

Pistorius denies a charge of premeditated murder, claiming he mistook his partner for an intruder.

The trial was adjourned to continue on Monday.

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Brazil World Cup Stadium Worker Electrocuted

An eighth construction worker has been killed while building one of Brazil's World Cup stadiums.

Muhammed-Ali Maciel Afonso was installing communications equipment at the Arena Pantanal in the western city of Cuiaba when he was electrocuted.

The 32-year-old's death, which caused building work to be halted temporarily, is the latest setback in rushed preparations for the tournament.

The Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba, western Brazil, holds 40,000 people

Several stadiums have been delayed, often by telecoms work, as organisers struggle to get wi-fi and mobile phone networks up and running.

A number of key transportation projects have been abandoned altogether.

Four times as many workers have now been killed in preparations for the competition than in South Africa four years ago.

Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke and Brazilian sports minister Aldo Rebelo both sent their condolences to Mr Afonso's family, as well as his colleagues at Etel Engenharia.

Many of Brazil's World Cup stadiums are still not finished

The Arena Pantanal held a test match last month but the venue is one of the most-delayed of the tournament, with seating and wiring yet to be finished.

A fire in October caused structural damage, although that has since been repaired.

Four group stage matches will be played in the stadium, one of a dozen built by Brazil especially for the World Cup, which gets under way on June 12.

Critics warn the 40,000-seat venue could be one of the tournament's biggest white elephants, given that Cuiaba's biggest football team normally plays in front of crowds of just 2,000.

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Ukraine: Eight Killed As Putin Lands In Crimea

Eight pro-Russian militants have been killed in eastern Ukraine as Vladimir Putin landed in Crimea for his first visit since Moscow annexed the peninsular, say reports.

Ukrainian troops used large-calibre weapons as they tried to take an occupied police HQ in the southeastern port city of Mariupol.

Sky's Katie Stallard, in Mariupol, said there is black smoke over the city and heavy fighting.

She said the police HQ was taken by pro-Russian gunmen on Thursday night, and Ukrainian forces are now trying to retake it.

Mr Putin joined veterans at the annual Victory Day parade in Moscow

The building holds one of the largest armouries in the city, and separatists are using the weapons to defend their position.

The bloodshed occurred as Mr Putin attended an event in Sevastopol to mark Soviet victory over the Nazis in World War Two.

His visit - just three days ahead of a controversial referendum in eastern Ukraine - was condemned by Kiev as a "provocation".

Around 11,000 troops are taking part in the Victory Day parade

A similar Victory Day parade - marking 69 years since Nazi Germany surrendered its forces - took place in Moscow's Red Square on Friday morning.

About 11,000 servicemen took part in the annual event, which began with troops marching to the sound of brass bands as Mr Putin watched from the stands, flanked by veterans.

"This is a holiday when all-conquering patriotic force triumphs, when we all feel especially strongly what it means to be true to the Motherland and how important it is to be able to stand up for its interests," he told troops to shouts of "Hurrah!"

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (right) salutes during the event

Some 150 military vehicles and 70 combat aircraft also took part in the show.

Pro-Russians in eastern Ukraine are pressing ahead with plans to hold referendums on Sunday, despite calls from the Kremlin to postpone them.

There are fears the vote in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk could spark further violence between Ukrainian troops and separatists.

Militants have seized government buildings in about a dozen cities in the east of the country.

Mr Putin wants the vote postponed so talks can take place with the Kiev government.

However, many in the east say the referendum is the only way to prevent war against what rebels and Moscow call the "fascist" politicians in the capital.

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Nigeria Kidnap: PM's Anger Over 'Ghastly' Act

Experts from the UK and the US sent to Nigeria to help authorities find 276 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram have arrived in the capital Abuja.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said the British team, which includes officials from the Ministry of Defence, would now "advise and support" the Nigerian government.

"The team will be considering not just the recent incidents but also longer-term counter-terrorism solutions to prevent such attacks in the future and defeat Boko Haram," he added.

Prime Minister David Cameron described the situation as "ghastly" and described the kidnapping as "an act of pure evil".

The government has faced criticism of its response

The British group's arrival came after US military and intelligence experts touched down in Nigeria, more than three weeks after Islamist militants struck at a boarding school in the village of Chibok.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said: "Our inter-agency team ... (will) do everything it can to return these girls to their families and their communities.

"We're also going to do everything possible to counter the menace of Boko Haram."

The US team includes experts in intelligence, law enforcement and hostage negotiations but fewer than 10 soldiers are among them.

Washington is also considering a request to provide surveillance aircraft and intelligence, a senior US official told the Reuters news agency.

Goodluck Jonathan speaks at the World Economic Forum in Abuja

Earlier, a parent of one of the schoolgirls pleaded with countries from around the world to send more help.

Speaking to Sky News' Special Correspondent Alex Crawford, Shettima Haruma, whose daughter was among those taken, said he was "angry" with the Nigerian government's response.

"We need the government to get American people to come and help us," he said.

"We beg Nigerians, those in another country like America or (Britain) ... it's three weeks, nearly one month ... (and we haven't) seen any letters from our daughters."

The leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, has threatened to sell the girls "on the market" and some of the group have already reportedly been trafficked to neighbouring Chad and Cameroon.

Protesters march near the Nigerian embassy in Washington

A further 11 girls, aged 12 to 15, have also been abducted from the northeastern village of Warabe.

The search for the missing schoolgirls is focused around the huge Sambisa Forest - the "hideout" of Boko Haram, whose name is said to figuratively mean "Western education is forbidden".

Mr Jonathan said the abduction would be the "beginning of the end of terror" in the country, adding: "By God's grace we will conquer the terrorists".

A social media campaign backed by a number of celebrities has sought to raise awareness of the girls' plight.

The Twitter hashtag #BringBackOurGirls has been promoted by the likes of US First Lady Michelle Obama and actress Angelina Jolie, who told Sky News: "These men thought that they can get away with this, that they could abuse them in such a way, sell them, rape them, take them as property, because so many people have gotten away with this in the past because of this culture of impunity."

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Separatists Set To Defy Putin On Ukraine Vote

Pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine plan to hold a vote on independence this weekend despite President Vladimir Putin's call to delay it.

The co-ordinating committee of the self-proclaimed 'Donetsk People's Republic' announced it would have a referendum as planned on Sunday, following a meeting.

But some people fear the vote in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk could spark further violence between Ukrainian troops and the pro-Russia militants.

The separatists have already seized government buildings in about a dozen cities in the east of the country.

President Putin wants the independence vote postponed

Russian leader Mr Putin wants the vote postponed so talks can take place with the Kiev government.

However, many in the east said the referendum was the only way to prevent war against what the rebels and Moscow call the "fascist" politicians in the capital.

Head of the rebel elections commission Denis Pushilin said the suggestion to put off the vote "came from a person who indeed cares for the people of the southeast" of Ukraine. "But we are the bullhorn of the people," he said.

The Russian stock market fell on the news and Kiev officials promised to continue with their "anti-terrorist campaign" to retake control over Donetsk and Luhansk regardless of the poll decision.

Pro-Russia activists stand guard during a rally in Luhansk

The European Union said the rebel vote has "no democratic legitimacy" and can "only further worsen the situation".

Mr Putin's comments appeared to be an attempt to try to defuse the row with the West over Ukraine.

The president also declared that Russia had pulled its troops away from the Ukrainian border.

Nato and the US said they had seen no signs of this.

Mr Putin also spoke more positively about the Ukrainian interim government's plan to hold a presidential election on May 25.

He called it a "step in the right direction," but reiterated Russia's view that there should be constitutional reforms beforehand.

Also, Russia's defence ministry said Ukraine had assembled 15,000 troops on its border with Russia.

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Oscar Pistorius 'Is Not Putting On A Show'

Oscar Pistorius was not "putting on a show" and seemed genuinely heartbroken after shooting his girlfriend dead, the athlete's murder trial has heard.

Social worker and probation officer Yvette van Schalkwyk said she came forward as a witness on Tuesday after reading reports that the athlete had been "taking acting classes" and that his tears in court may not be real.

Ms van Schalkwyk, who was asked in February 2013 to assist Pistorius at his first court appearance, said he "cried 80% of the time" when she was with him.

She told the court: "What I saw from the first time I saw him was a man who was heartbroken... he cried, he was in mourning, he suffered emotionally."

She said that when she sat with Pistorius in the cells at the time of his initial court hearings he vomited twice and told her he shot Reeva Steenkamp accidentally.

Ms van Schalkwyk denied feeling sorry for Pistorius, saying: "After 24 years in probation you've got empathy. There's a difference."

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said her evidence should be inadmissable because it did not relate directly to the charges - but Judge Thokozile Masipa turned down his objections, pointing out that he had earlier questioned the Paralympian's sincerity.

Anaesthetist Professor Christina Lundgren cast doubt on prosecution claims that Oscar Pistorius had a late-night argument with Ms Steenkamp before he shot her.

State Pathologist Professor Gert Saayman has previously testified that food found in Ms Steenkamp's stomach had been eaten no more than two hours before she was shot dead at 3am on February 14, 2013.

His evidence challenged Pistorius' claim that she ate early the previous evening and suggested she was awake when a neighbour said she heard what sounded like a woman arguing in the house where Pistorius shot her.

But Prof Lundgren said the prosecution case that Ms Steenkamp's stomach should have been empty if Pistorius was telling the truth was "purely speculative".

She explained that before surgery patients are typically told not to eat for six hours to ensure their stomachs are empty.

Pistorius arrives at court ahead of the trial's 28th day

But she said some ingredients in a chicken stir-fry Ms Steenkamp ate, such as vegetables and fatty foods, could take longer to digest, while her yoga session before going to bed could also delay the process.

Mr Nel worked to eliminate the factors that could have delayed the digestion process in Ms Steenkamp's case, saying that she had not drunk alcohol, smoked or taken medication and did not have an eating disorder.

He said that made Prof Saayman's evidence more probable.

The witness acknowledged to Mr Nel that if Ms Steenkamp had been involved in a long argument that caused her anxiety before her death, the gastric emptying process could have been delayed.

Forensic and ballistics expert Thomas Wolmarans said he found a bullet fragment in the toilet bowl in Pistorius' bathroom that police had missed during their examination.

He told the court about the devastating nature of the bullets fired by Pistorius - describing how they "mushroom" when they hit soft flesh, causing "a permanent cavity".

Mr Wolmarans gave reasons why assumptions about the trajectory of the bullets that killed Ms Steenkamp may not be accurate, suggesting the wooden toilet door could have changed their course by several centimetres.

Pistorius is accused of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, but he claims he shot her by accident.

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Huge Explosion Destroys Hotel In Syria

A huge explosion has destroyed a hotel being used by the military along with several other buildings in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo.

Bashar al Assad's troops had made the hotel, the Carlton Citadel, their base, state media and activists said.

There were believed to be casualties among the troops.

The Islamic Front rebel group has claimed responsibility for the blast.

The country's official news service also reported that terrorists - a term the government uses for rebels - had dug tunnels below the hotel and planted explosives in the attack in the ancient district of the city.

The rebels are believed to have detonated the explosives remotely.

Aleppo, Syria's largest city, is divided into rebel-held and government areas after the rebels launched an offensive there in 2010.

The attack is a blow to the Assad regime in the north as his troops prepare to regain control of the rebel stronghold of Homs.

Rebels on Tuesday relinquished control of the central city, the cradle of the Syrian uprising, marking a significant victory for the government.

The Islamic Front is an alliance of several Islamic groups fighting to oust Assad.

Many of its fighters have joined the Front after splitting from the Western-backed Syrian Free Army last year.

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Girls' Kidnap Will Be 'End Of Nigeria Terror'

The abduction of more than 200 girls in Nigeria will be the "beginning of the end of terror" there, says Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Nigerian capital Abuja, he also thanked the international community for its support and said "by God's grace we will conquer the terrorists".

Mr Goodluck has been criticised for his response to the kidnapping, and for not acting sooner to recruit help.

His words come as military and intelligence experts from around the world head to Nigeria to help in the search.

Michelle Obama has joined the social media campaign to free the girls

The UK, France, China and the US are among the countries lending their support.

Britain is sending a small team of advisers - possibly including some military officers - to help with planning and coordination. However, they will not take part in operations on the ground.

The US is flying out a group including experts in intelligence, law enforcement and hostage negotiations, with fewer than 10 military troops going.

Prime Minister David Cameron told Parliament the kidnapping was "an act of pure evil".

Many people in Nigeria are angry at the government's response

"There are extreme Islamists around our world who are against education, against progress, against equality and we must fight them and take them on wherever they are," he said.

The 276 girls were abducted from a boarding school in the village of Chibok in Borno state, north Nigeria, on April 14.

Islamist group Boko Haram claimed responsibility and its leader, Abubakar Shekau, has threatened to sell the girls "on the market".

Some of the group have already reportedly been trafficked to neighbouring Chad and Cameroon.

A further 11 girls, aged 12 to 15, were taken from the northeastern village of Warabe on Sunday.

The search is focussed around the huge Sambisa Forest - the 'hideout' of Boko Haram which extends to some 60,000 square kilometres - three times the size of Wales.

Boko Haram is also thought to be behind the killing of up to 300 people reported to have been killed on Monday in the northeastern Nigerian town of Gamboru Ngala.

Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the abduction

A witness told the AFP agency that fighters in armoured trucks and motorcycles overran the town, leaving it "littered" with bodies.

A social media campaign to raise awareness of the kidnapping has ramped up in recent days, with the Twitter hashtag #BringBackOurGirls being promoted by the likes of US First Lady Michelle Obama.

Malala Yousafzai, the schoolgirl who survived being shot by the Taliban for promoting girls' education, has also spoken out over the kidnapping.

The girls were taken three weeks ago in the village of Chibok

The Nigerian government has now put up a 50m Nigerian naira (£182,000) reward for information leading to the location and rescue of the female students.

Sky News Special Correspondent Alex Crawford, in the Nigerian capital Abuja, said the situation is likely to be a key concern for politicians at the World Economic Forum, currently being held in the city.

"It's very poor advertising for Nigeria. This international outcry, the fact it's taken so long for the Nigerians to react is not going to play well.

"There's going to be a lot of whispering and diplomatic chat behind the scenes to try to galvanise them into action.

"Of course, there is a great deal of anxiety and anger right here in Nigeria against the government and what's perceived to be their sluggish response."

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Australia Shark Cull: More Than 170 Caught

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

More than 170 sharks have been caught off the coast of Western Australia as part of a controversial policy to reduce attacks on humans.

Between January 25 and April 30, 50 of the biggest sharks caught by baited lines were killed. However, none was a great white, which are thought to be responsible for the spate of human fatalities which prompted the cull.

Seven people have been killed in the last three years. The largest shark was caught in February at the popular Floreat Beach and measured four-and-a-half metres.

Western Australia's Fisheries Minister Ken Baston has called the shark mitigation policy a success, saying: "While, of course, we will never know if any of the sharks caught would have harmed a person, this government will always place greatest value on human life."

Protests earlier this year against Western Australia's shark cull

The programme is part of the WA government's $22m (£12m) shark policy, which includes aerial and jet-ski patrols, rapid-response initiatives, research, and the Surf Life Saving WA Twitter feed, a service which alerts people when tagged sharks are near popular beaches.

But the Labor opposition fisheries spokesman, Dave Kelly, told the ABC the policy was far from successful.

"The policy is very unpopular, it has hardly caught any of the sharks it was destined to catch and the Government hasn't produced any scientific evidence to say the policy is working," he said.

Figures also showed there were fewer beach closures in 2013-2014 due to shark sightings,  when it fell to 93 from 131 closures in 2012-13, the minister said.

The state government hopes to extend the programme for another three years, but activists have vowed to keep up the pressure on the scheme.

Various high-profile celebrities including Ricky Gervais have given their support to the anti-cull message.

Environmentalists believe there are better ways of reducing attacks, that the policy is cruel and that it may even cause more harm to humans, with the bait encouraging sharks to swim closer to shore.

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The £140bn Web Giant Unknown By Most In West

By Tom Cheshire, Technology Correspondent

It's the tech company whose founder doesn't really like technology - a $245bn (£144.3bn) e-commerce giant that doesn't actually sell anything.

Now, though, Alibaba has filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in New York - potentially the biggest in history, even topping Facebook's $16bn (£9.4bn) flotation two years ago.

So what's the story behind the biggest company you've never heard of?

Alibaba is China's e-commerce giant - equivalent to an amalgam of Amazon and eBay.

It does not sell its own goods directly but works as a marketplace for more or less anything.

Alibaba CEO Jack Ma was rejected by Harvard 10 times

You can buy everything from lawn mowers to Prada handbags.

Categories include agriculture, automobiles, chemicals, electronics, food, minerals and mechanical parts.

The company operates mainly in China, which is why few people in Britain have heard of it.

But because there are so many internet users (and keen shoppers), Alibaba is huge.

Last year, nearly 231 million users traded £146bn worth of goods through the platform - more than Amazon and eBay put together.

Alibaba's cut meant revenues of £3.8bn for the company and a profit of £1.84bn.

Compare that with Amazon, which made £44bn in revenue but only £161m in profit.

CEO Jack Ma, a former English teacher who was rejected by Harvard 10 times, founded Alibaba in 1999 but says he does not spend much time online.

Instead he gets an assistant to download movies for him to watch on his iPad and says he prefers Tai Chi and traditional medicine.

He told a crowd at Stanford University last year: "That you don't know about technology, doesn't mean you don't respect technology."

It has certainly not held him back. In the filing, Alibaba said it "will be a company that lasts at least 102 years".

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Hamza Trial: 'Cleric Helped Yemen Kidnappers'

One of 16 Western tourists kidnapped in Yemen in 1998 has told Abu Hamza's New York terror trial how she feared they would all be killed.

Retired Margaret Thompson, who was shot during a rescue bid and now walks with a heavy limp, was testifying against the hate preacher, who is accused of providing the kidnappers with a satellite phone and paying for credit to use it.

The group of British, US and Australian workers, mostly aged between 45 and 60, was seized on December 28, 1998, while driving to the port city of Aden.

The hostage-takers from the Islamic Army of Aden, who were armed with rifles, hand grenades and rocket-propelled grenades and claimed they were opposed to air strikes in Iraq, drove them into the desert and stripped them of cash and jewellery.

Ms Thompson told how the hostages were caught in a gun battle and used as human shields by their kidnappers when the Yemeni army mounted a rescue attempt the following day.

The former oil company employee said that as the gunfire got more frequent, one of them told the Westerners: "It's goodbye to you all."

Asked what she thought that meant, she replied: "I hoped it meant they were getting ready to release us but I feared it meant we were going to die."

Three of the hostages were grabbed by their shirts and had rifles shoved in their backs as they were made to walk forward towards the gunfire, she told the court.

The hostages were seized in the port city of Aden

It was then that Thompson was shot in the left leg from behind, a bullet shattering her femur. She fell backwards and slid down into a bush.

She tried to staunch the bleeding with a scarf before the Yemeni soldiers rescued them and took her to a clinic.

Four of the hostages were killed in the operation.

Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, 56, better known in Britain as Abu Hamza al Masri, has pleaded not guilty to all the charges in the Manhattan federal court.

Blind in one eye and with both hands blown off in an explosion in Afghanistan, he has sat quietly day after day in tracksuit bottoms and a T-shirt, taking notes.

Paul Sykes, 54, who works for the communications company that sold Hamza a satellite phone, told the court the defendant phoned him at 9am British time on December 29 to top up the phone's credit.

But his first two credit cards were declined, causing him to become agitated. Ten minutes later he offered a third card that worked, Sykes said.

Hamza is also charged with conspiracy to set up an al Qaeda-style training camp in Oregon in late 1999, of providing material support to al Qaeda, of wanting to set up a computer lab for the Taliban and of sending recruits for terror training in Afghanistan.

He was indicted in the United States in 2004 and served eight years in prison in Britain before losing his last appeal against extradition in 2012.

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Hague 'Frustrated' By Speed Of Nigeria Rescue

Nigerian Kidnaps: What Can Really Be Done?

Updated: 2:46pm UK, Tuesday 06 May 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

The temptation to "do something" is almost overwhelming. Some 270 school girls abducted, many already raped, dragged into the bush and now threatened with being sold into slavery.

Of course the "do something" instinct comes to the fore.

In fact it's only really become an international cry since the leader of Boko Haram, which means Western education is sinful, delivered a 57-minute diatribe in Hausa, Arabic and English, threatening the girls with slavery this week.

Inside Nigeria, the government has been under growing pressure to "do something".

Dr Sakyimah Akilu, a presidential adviser and spokeswoman on national security, told Sky News that it was true that there was a general impression that the Nigerian government had failed to react to the mass abductions.

"The truth is that we are pursuing every lead we have had. But you have to understand that they have been taken into the Sambisa forest and perhaps into the mountains in Cameroon - there are many places to hide," she said.

This fatalism may explain why the Nigerian administration of Goodluck Jonathan appears to have been flat footed in hunting down the radical Islamist group which is now threatening the girls with a most un-Islamic torment.

William Hague said: "Using girls as the spoils of war and the spoils of terrorism is disgusting and immoral. It should show everybody across the world that they should not give any support for such a vile organisation …

"Britain is offering assistance, but of course the primary responsibility will rest with the Nigerians, and I hope they will do what is necessary to reunite these girls with their families."

The British Foreign Secretary is vague on what that "assistance" could be.

In all likelihood, it would take the form of Special Force advice on how to track the girls. Perhaps some help, too, with surveillance.

But both would be limited. More of a gesture than anything else.

Special Forces from South Africa, Britain, the United States and other Western nations have been on the trail of the similarly horrible Lord's Resistance Army in the Central African Republic for decades.

Their analysis has been that while they could probably kill the leadership of the LRA, a capture operation would be almost impossible.

A similar military analysis would emerge on Boko Haram - finding and saving the missing girls would be almost impossible - slaughtering elements of Boko Haram would not.

But killing won't solve the problem.

The sad truth is that Nigeria's missing children are likely to stay that way.

Efforts to negotiate a peace deal with Boko Haram's leader Abdulbakar Shekau over the last four years - while 4,000 Nigerians died - have come to nought.

Now he has the attention of the whole world, he won't want to give up on the limelight the missing girls have given him.

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Nigeria Schoolgirl Kidnap: Britain Offers Help

Slave Trade Numbers In Sub-Sahara Africa

Updated: 1:31pm UK, Tuesday 06 May 2014

As Nigerian authorities continue to look for hundreds of abducted schoolgirls, statistics show that sub-Saharan Africa accounts for more than 16% of the 29.8 million people in modern slavery.

Mauritania

Estimated slaves: 140,000 - 160,000
Mauritania has highest proportion of people in slavery in the world - up to 20% of the population may be enslaved
Slavery is primarily chattel

Benin

Estimated slaves: 76,000 - 84,000
Women and children trafficked for sexual exploitation, domestic work or forced labour
It is estimated more than 40,000 children are trafficking victims - they are used for domestic service and agriculture

Ivory Coast

Estimated slaves: 150,000 -160,000
The Ivory Coast is a source, transit and destination for women and children subjected to forced labour and sexual exploitation
The majority of victims are children who end up in agriculture, mining, fishing, construction and domestic work
Children also forced into work as street vendors and shoe-shiners

Gambia

Estimated slaves: 13,000 - 15,000
Main types of slavery are forced begging, child marriage, domestic servitude and forced prostitution, including child sex tourism
Women, girls and boys are trafficked into the country for commercial sexual exploitation

Gabon

Estimated slaves: 13,000 - 14,000
Gabon is a destination and transit country for victims from other parts of West and Central Africa
The country has a relative healthy economy which attracts young people who can end up becoming domestic/sexual slaves

Niger

Estimated slaves: 120,000 - 130,000
The practice of wahaya - taking on a fifth wife - sees women and girls of "slave caste" being bought and sold as unofficial wives
Men are officially allowed five wives

Nigeria

Estimated slaves: 670,000 - 740,000
Some 40,000 girls and women have been trafficked to nearby West African countries to serve as sex workers, according to the National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic in Persons

WORLDWIDE FIGURES

India

Estimated slaves: 13,300,000 -14,700,000

China

Estimated slaves:  2,800,000 - 3,100,000

Pakistan

Estimated slaves:  2,000,000 - 2,200,000

Total number of people in modern slavery: 29.8 million

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China Station Stabbing Rampage Leaves Six Hurt

A knife-wielding gang left six people wounded in a stabbing rampage at a Chinese railway station - the country's latest in a series of mass attacks.

Reports say up to four people launched the assault in Guangzhou, southern China.

No reason has been given for the stabbings, but fears over militancy have grown in China after a car burst into flames on the edge of Beijing's Tiananmen Square in October and 29 people were stabbed to death in March in Kunming.

The government blamed militants from the far-western region of Xinjiang for both those attacks.

Guangzhou police said officers "arrived quickly on the scene" after the stabbings began on Tuesday and shot one of the attackers.

"After verbal warnings were ineffective, police fired, hitting one male suspect holding a knife and subdued him," the force said in an online statement.

People look on as officers investigate the scene of the attack

Police did not identify the attackers and it was not clear if the number of wounded included the assailants.

State-run newspaper the Nanfang Daily said police had captured a suspect who fled from the scene after the attack.

The Guangzhou Journal newspaper reported the attackers carried half-metre (20-inch) knives, wore white clothes, including white hats, and launched their assault as passengers were leaving the station.

Some other reports on Chinese media outlets said there were four attackers in total.

Photos circulated online in state media showed police cordoning off an empty plaza, with an ambulance parked nearby and spots of blood on the ground.

Chinese officials blamed religious extremists for a bomb and knife attack at a train station in Urumqi, regional capital of Xinjiang, last Wednesday that killed one bystander and wounded 79.

The government called the attackers "terrorists", a term it uses to describe Islamist militants and separatists in Xinjiang who have waged a sometimes violent campaign for an independent East Turkestan state.

In March, another hacking attack that left 33 people injured at a train station in southwest China was blamed on separatists in the country's far west.

Exiles and many rights groups say the real cause of the unrest in Xinjiang is China's heavy-handed policies, including curbs on Islam and the culture and language of the Muslim Uighur people.

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Plane Smashes Into House But Pilot Is Unhurt

A pilot whose light plane crashed into a house in Colorado has walked out of the wreckage virtually unhurt.

The man even tried to put out the fire with a garden hose before he was forced away by burning fuel, authorities said.

The house near Denver was unoccupied at the time of crash on Monday afternoon.

The pilot suffered minor injuries.

Five teenagers were playing soccer at a nearby track when they saw the plane.

"We were over at the field when it started going down. We said, 'That plane is way too close,'" said 15-year-old Ryder Munera.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the aircraft was an agricultural and pest control plane.

It was towing a banner for an insurance company and was supposed to fly over a Colorado Rockies baseball game when the crash occurred, according to Tom Mace, who said he hired the pilot.

Mr Mace said the engine apparently malfunctioned and the pilot ditched the banner before the crash.

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Oscar Pistorius Neighbours 'Did Not Hear Reeva'

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, in Pretoria

Oscar Pistorius' next-door neighbour has told a court he heard "very loud" cries from someone "desperate for help" on the night the athlete's girlfriend was shot dead.

But Michael Nhlengethwa, whose house is just 11 metres from the bathroom where Reeva Steenkamp was fatally injured, said he did not hear a woman screaming.

It appears to contradict the claims of an earlier witness, who said she heard "blood-curdling screams" on Valentine's Day last year, despite living further away from Pistorius' home.

The trial also heard from Mr Nhlengethwa's wife, Eontle, who was asked to repeat the noise she heard while her husband was searching their house for intruders after the couple were awoken by a loud bang.

Oscar Pistorius arrives at court in Pretoria for day 27 of his trial

She made a loud shrieking noise - at which point Pistorius leant forward, covering his ears with his hands - but insisted the "vibrating, high-pitched noise" was the sound of a man crying, not a woman screaming.

The prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, has suggested Ms Steenkamp ran into the toilet to take refuge after a furious row with Pistorius.

It is claimed she was facing the toilet door, talking to the runner, when he fired four shots.

However, the Nhlengethwas told the court they did not hear sounds of any argument.

Ms Steenkamp was shot dead on February 14, 2013. Pic: Stimulii

Instead, they said, they heard wailing coming from a man who sounded like he could have been in danger.

"The cry we heard was from someone who was desperate for help," Mr Nhlengethwa said. "It was very loud."

When asked during cross-examination whether he heard the sounds of a woman screaming, the witness replied: "No, not at all."

Another neighbour, Rita Motshuane, also imitated the noises she heard, hunching her shoulders and letting out a series of loud, painful wails.

She said the sound, which was so haunting it left her unable to move from her bed, came from a man, not from a woman.

The Nhlengethwas were originally on the state's list of witnesses but neither were called by the prosecution.

Mr Nhlengethwa said Pistorius, who always greeted him by walking over to talk and shake hands, once introduced Ms Steenkamp as his fiancee and said he was moving out of the Silver Woods estate in Pretoria to Johannesburg in order to be closer to her.

The witness said he expressed regret that his neighbour was leaving but added: "If it's for her, then it's worth it. That one's for keeps."

It was the first time the court had heard evidence the couple were apparently engaged.

Mr Nhlengethwa also spoke about the moment he arrived at Pistorius' house after the shooting and peered through the front door to find Pistorius kneeling over Ms Steenkamp.

"What I saw is difficult to explain," he said, telling the court he chose to wait outside as the scene was so distressing.

Pistorius, 27, denies murdering Ms Steenkamp in a premeditated attack, claiming he mistook her for an intruder.

The case was adjourned at lunchtime and will resume on Thursday after a public holiday in South Africa.

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Oscar Pistorius Trial: Athlete Was 'Frantic'

One of Oscar Pistorius' former neighbours has told the athlete's murder trial how he "begged" her to save his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp's life.

Carice Viljoen, who raced to the 27-year-old's home after he called her father for help, said the distressed athlete was "frantic" from the moment she stepped inside his house on Valentine's Day last year.

Pistorius covered his ears with his hands as an emotional Ms Viljoen told the court: "He was saying, 'Please, please'. He was begging me to put her in the car and take her to the hospital.

"I was kneeling at Reeva's side and there was blood everywhere."

Ms Steenkamp was shot dead on February 14, 2013. Pic: Stimulii

Earlier, Ms Viljoen's father, Johan Stander, who worked on the luxury estate in South Africa where Pistorius lived, recalled the desperate phone call from the sprinter in the early hours of the morning.

He told the court: "He said, 'Please, please, please come to my house, please. I shot Reeva. I thought she was an intruder. Please, please come quick.'"

He said he arrived at Pistorius' house around three minutes later to find the athlete "broken", "screaming" and carrying Ms Steenkamp's body down the stairs.

"Oscar was crying, really crying," he said. "He was in pain. He asked us to help him. He wanted us to put Reeva in a car and take her to hospital.

"We tried to calm him down. He was broken. He was screaming, crying, praying."

Ms Viljoen said that after getting Pistorius to lay his girlfriend on the floor, she ran upstairs, grabbed a handful of towels and used them to try to stop the bleeding.

"Oscar was holding pressure on her hip," she said. "He had his finger in her mouth, trying to help her breathe.

"He just kept asking me, 'Where's the ambulance, where's the ambulance?'

"We tried our very best to keep her alive."

Mr Stander, who used to look after Pistorius' dogs while the athlete was competing overseas, told the court his neighbour was "committed" to saving Ms Steenkamp.

Mr Stander said he found Pistorius carrying his girlfriend down the stairs

The witness, a former administrator at the Silver Woods estate in Pretoria, also said Pistorius would ask to be kept abreast of local crimes when he returned from his travels.

In one incident, he said, thieves broke through a fence and used a ladder to gain access to a house - a scenario the athlete has previously said he was concerned about.

A woman was tied up by intruders during another break-in, he added.

Pistorius' legal team are set to call ballistics, audio and psychological experts over the coming days, as the trial enters what is likely to prove a critical phase.

Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford, in Pretoria, said: "The defence has to counter several prosecution claims - not least that there was a pause between shots which, crucially, would have given Ms Steenkamp time to shout out in anguish before the fatal head shot."

Pistorius admits shooting his partner but denies a charge of premeditated murder, claiming he mistook her for an intruder.

The trial continues.

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Pilot Dies As WWII Plane Stunt Ends In Flames

A vintage biplane has crashed in an upside-down stunt at a California air show, killing the 77-year-old pilot.

Edward Andreini was flying his plane low over the tarmac at Travis Air Force Base when the aircraft crashed.

The 1944 Stearman biplane caught fire, with a thick plume of black smoke seen in video of the aftermath.

Nobody else was injured.

The plane was flying close to the tarmac.

Mr Andreini had been flying since he was 16 and was a veteran of air shows in the US.

The plane was trying to perform a manoeuvre known as "cutting a ribbon" where it inverts and flies close to the ground so that a knife attached to the plane can slice a ribbon just off the ground, Colonel David Mott, 60th Operations Group commander at the base, told the San Francisco Chronicle.

A witness, retired photo journalist Roger Bockrath, said Mr Andreini was flying into a sometimes gusty wind on Sunday afternoon.

The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting an investigation

"He got down too low and hit the tarmac. He skidded about 500ft and just sat there," Mr Bockrath told The Sacramento Bee.

"The plane was essentially intact, just wrong side down," he said, adding that by the time fire crews arrived the aircraft was enflamed.

Remaining events at the Thunder Over Solano show, attended by an estimated 100,000 spectators each day over the weekend, were cancelled.

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Cornered 'Drugs Dealer' Shot In Face In Gang Hit

An alleged drug smuggler has been shot and killed in a busy Dublin street in a suspected gangland hit.

Christopher Zambra was shot in the face while cowering in a garden after abandoning his car close to the city centre, according to reports.

Zambra had been driving along Cooley Road, Drimnagh, at about 3pm on Sunday, when he was hemmed in by a Nissan Qashqai and a silver saloon car.

Six shots were then fired from a handgun into his Audi A4 before he got out of the car and sought cover, the newspaper said.

He ran along the pavement and into the garden of a house three doors away where his attackers caught up with him and shot him two or three more times.

Cooley Road, where Christopher Zambra was shot dead

The hitmen then made their escape and abandoned the Qashqai a short distance away on Benmadigan Road, where they set fire to it with the handgun inside.

The gun was later recovered and police are now examining it and the remains of the vehicle.

Forensic specialists have been at the scene of the shooting where a number of spent cartridges were seen littering the ground.

RTE said a post-mortem on Mr Zambra was due to be carried out but he is believed to have been hit several times by gunfire.

The Irish Independent claimed Zambra, from Drimnagh, in south Dublin, was aged 39 and a full-time drug dealer.

The Irish Times referred to him as a well-known gang figure who was known to associate with another man suspected of ordering the 2012 murder of a member of the Real IRA.

Zambra had been tried for the murder of another known trafficker John Carroll but was acquitted.

He was also an amateur musician who promoted his music on his own website.

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Nigerian Girls' Kidnapper: 'I Will Sell Them'

The Islamist kidnapper of more than 200 Nigerian girls missing since April 14 has vowed to sell them, AFP reports.

Abubakar Shekau claimed in a video obtained by the news wire service that a buyer for the schoolgirls would be found.

He said: "I abducted your girls. I will sell them in the market, by Allah."

At least 223 youngsters were seized by suspected militants during a raid in the village of Chibok, in Borno state, north Nigeria, three weeks ago. 

Reports had previously circulated that some of the girls missing have already been sold as brides across Nigeria's border with Chad and Cameroon for as little as £7 ($12).

Police and the families say the number still being held is as high as 276.

The brazenness of the school attack - during which the girls were rounded up and put on to trucks - has shocked Nigerians accustomed to atrocities in a five-year conflict with insurgents.

The girls were abducted from Borno state three weeks ago

President Goodluck Jonathan took to the radio and TV on Sunday night to respond to claims his government was not doing enough to recover the girls.

He said: "We promise that anywhere the girls are, we will surely get them out."

The president said he had asked US President Barack Obama, Britain, France and China, for help to counter the activities of the Islamic terror group Boko Haram.

And he dismissed claims his government was negotiating with Boko Haram.

He also pleaded for the parents of the missing girls and their local communities to co-operate with the rescue efforts during what he described as a "trying" and "painful" time.

It came amid claims that Nigeria's First Lady - Goodluck Jonathan's wife Patience - had ordered the arrest of two leaders of a protest demanding more action from the government.

First Lady and President of Nigeria Patience and Goodluck Jonathan

One of the protest leaders said Patience Jonathan abused them, expressed doubts there was any kidnapping and accused them of belonging to Boko Haram.

Saratu Angus Ndirpaya said Mrs Jonathan accused them of giving Nigeria's government and her husband "a bad name", at a meeting at the presidential villa in Abuja. 

Ms Ndirpaya said State Security Service agents then drove her and another protest leader Naomi Mutah Nyadar to a police station, before later releasing Ms Ndirpaya.

AP journalists waiting outside the police station in Abuja where Ms Nyadar was apparently being held, saw the protest leader bundled into a presidential car and driven away.

Ayo Adewuyi, spokesman for first lady Patience Jonathan, told AP there was a meeting but he was unaware of any arrests.

"The first lady did not order the arrest of anybody, and I'm sure of that," he said.

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Thirty-Seven Al Qaeda Militants Killed In Yemen

Thirty-seven al Qaeda militants have been killed in fighting in Yemen, the country's state news agency Saba is reporting.

A military source was quoted as saying most of those killed in the southern province of Shabwa were Saudis, Afghans, Somalis, Chechens and other nationalities.

The army destroyed a number of vehicles and weapons belonging to the fighters, the source added.

Yemeni forces launched a major offensive against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants last week.

General Ahmed al-Yafie, commander of the Third Military Region, was quoted by Saba as saying the army is "unprecedentedly ready to face this terrorist organisation".

Soldiers stationed in Shabwa province

He added the "al Qaeda elements will not escape death" and soldiers will fight them "until they are uprooted from Yemen which cannot be a home for terrorism".

It is also being reported that a suicide car bomber has killed six Yemeni soldiers and wounded 20 more in the province.

On Friday, soldiers and warplanes killed five suspected militants in the same area as Sunday's fighting. 

AQAP took advantage of the 2011 uprising that forced President Ali Abdullah Saleh out of office to seize large parts of southern and eastern Yemen.

The group is a merger of al Qaeda's Yemeni and Saudi branches.

The United States considers it to be the deadliest branch of the organisation's global network.

More follows...

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Victim Of South Africa's 'Rich Man's Justice'

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent

There are two types of justice in South Africa: one for the rich and another for those without money and privilege, a human rights group in Johannesburg has claimed.

The Wits Justice Project, which investigates miscarriages of justice within the criminal system, has discovered that a paraplegic man accused of fraud waited in jail for 28 months before being given bail.

Ronnie Fakude was finally granted bail of 10,000 Rand (about £500) on April 12 and became the country's first remand detainee to be electronically tagged.

Mr Fakude is still waiting for a date for his trial

Mr Fakude, who is paralysed from the waist down, claims that during his time awaiting trial he has suffered a string of human rights abuses.

"The South African justice system has failed me," he said.

Mr Fakude, who is still waiting for a date for his fraud trial, says he endured so many indignities during his incarceration in Bloemfontein's Grootvlei Prison that he longed for death.

"Death was the best I could come up with. It was the same thing ... I was dead while I was alive."

He says the prison authorities failed to provide him with a wheelchair for the first year of his confinement and he had to drag himself through the jail using crutches, or relying on the help of other prisoners.

This extended to begging for help from other detainees for help in changing the adult nappies he has to wear.

Mr Fakude with Sky's Alex Crawford

"I believe I was tortured ... tortured in many ways," he said.

"I couldn't go to the toilet. I couldn't climb into bed by myself. I have to have a special diet and I couldn't get the right food."

Carolyn Raphaely, from the Wits Justice Project, said she was shocked when she heard Mr Fakude's story.

"This case is symptomatic of what is increasingly being called 'a rich man's justice' in this country'."

She said her investigations showed how those with money and privilege appeared to fare far better under the South African justice system.

She compared the Fakude case with that of the Olympian Oscar Pistorius.

Pistorius was granted 1 million Rand bail within days of being accused of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. His trial was set just over a year after the shooting. It is due to resume on Monday.

Official national statistics show about a third of South Africa's estimated 157,394 prisoners are on remand or awaiting trial.

About 15 to 20% of them are in jail because they cannot afford bail.

Most have been accused of relatively petty crimes but will be housed with murderers or rapists in overcrowded, desperately difficult conditions, according to the Wits Justice Project.

Mr Fakude is now determined to fight for the many others with disabilities who are languishing in South Africa's prisons.

The government's department of correctional services insists it has a clear policy for prisoners with disabilities, but has admitted to the Wits Justice Project that it has no idea of the numbers incarcerated with disabilities.

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Landslide Buries Village: Rescuers Lose Hope

Rescue teams have abandoned the search for survivors after a landslide buried a hillside village in northern Afghanistan, killing at least 350 people under a tide of rock and mud.

Local people and emergency workers using shovels tried in vain to find victims trapped under the massive landslide that engulfed Aab Bareek village in Badakhshan province.

There are fears of further landslides in the area

Officials said that the final death toll could rise as high as 500 after Friday's disaster, updating earlier information that 2,500 people were feared dead.

"Based on our reports, 300 houses are under the debris," Badakhshan governor Shah Waliullah Adeeb said at the scene.

"We cannot continue the search and rescue operation anymore, as the houses are under metres of mud. We will offer prayers for the victims and make the area a mass grave."

Thousands of people have been displaced

The tragedy came after heavy rain earlier in the week.

The community in Badakhshan province which borders Tajikistan in the country's northeast, has been buried in more than 300ft of mud (100 metres).

Gul Mohammad Bedar, the deputy governor of Badakhshan, said: "The first figure (of 2,500 feared dead) that we announced was obtained from local people, not from our technical team.

"We think the death toll will not rise beyond 500."

Local people and dozens of police officers equipped with only basic digging tools began searching for survivors from first light on Saturday.

But it quickly became apparent there was no hope of finding anyone.

Afghan National Army troops in Kabul load supplies for survivors

The United Nations says the focus is now on the thousands of people who have been displaced by the disaster.

A memorial service was planned, and the site is expected to be designated as a mass grave, according to UN spokesman Ari Gaitanis.

He added the survivors need water, medical support, counselling, food and emergency shelter.

British charities are mobilising teams to help with the rescue effort. Save the Children sent five ambulances to the scene and are planning to distribute blankets and give medical assistance.

Other charities are monitoring the situation and stand ready to provide assistance if necessary.

The US and the Nato-led coalition in Afghanistan have offered to send help

There are also fears that another section of the mountainside could collapse, threatening the homeless and hundreds of rescue workers.

The Afghan military flew rescue teams to the search area on Saturday because the remote mountain region is served by only narrow, poor roads that have been damaged by more than a week of heavy rain.

Nato-led coalition troops are ready to assist, but have not yet been asked for help by the Afghan government.

US President Barack Obama has also offered to send help.

Seasonal rains and spring snow melt have brought destruction to large parts of northern Afghanistan, killing more than 100 people.

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Kiev Forces 'Making Advances' In Eastern City

Ukrainian government forces say they have reclaimed a television tower as they continue efforts to suppress pro-Russian activists in the east of the country.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said on his Facebook page that armed forces and the National Guard had launched the raid in Kramatorsk at dawn.

Insurgents set alight buses in the city on Saturday in an effort to ward off attacks.

A rebel blockade burns in the city of Kramatorsk

Russian television claims that 10 people have already died in violence.

Armed personnel carriers were seen driving through Kramatorsk on Saturday but appeared to later return to their airfield base on the edge of the city.

Ukraine's efforts to fight the pro-Russian insurgency has so far concentrated on the nearby stronghold of Slavyansk, where they launched an offensive on Friday and reportedly seized a number of checkpoints.

Separatists in Luhansk have been bolstering barricades, fearing an attack

The rebels have seized government buildings in around a dozen cities as they push for autonomy from Ukraine, with some ethnic Russians fearing oppression by the authorities in Kiev and calling on Moscow to intervene.

Ukraine, which was plunged into crisis following the ousting of President Yanukovych in February, says it is fighting "terrorists" who are being encouraged and helped by the Russian regime.

A deadly fire in the southern city of Odessa on Friday pushed tensions to a new high.

A wrecked tanker blocks the road in Kramatorsk

At least 31 pro-Russian activists died when a trade union building was petrol-bombed during fighting with groups loyal to Kiev.

Witnesses say some people were overcome by smoke, while others were killed jumping from windows in desperate attempts to escape. Police have been accused of standing by and doing little to prevent the tragedy.

A total of 42 people died in the violence, according to the Interior Ministry.

Flowers at the scene of the deadly fire in Odessa

Russia said it was "outraged" and denounced the "criminal irresponsibility" of the pro-Western authorities in Kiev.

Sky News Correspondent Katie Stallard, in Odessa, said people are still bringing flowers to lay outside the building during a second day of official mourning.

"There are real fears about where this goes from here," says Stallard.

"There is already talk of pro-Russian separatists publishing names and contact details of who they say are pro-Ukrainian protesters, who they accuse of being involved in the violence."

Some people died when they jumped from the building

Separatists are also gearing up for a government attack in Luhansk, close to the Russian border.

Pro-Russians have been pictured fortifying barricades and have imposed a curfew on the city's population of 400,000.

Ukrainian forces were also killed on Friday when two helicopters were shot down in Slavyansk during the government's operation to take over the checkpoints.

Kiev claims the aircraft were downed by sophisticated rocket launchers, contradicting Russia's repeated claim that it is not secretly helping the separatists.

Russia currently has tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine's border, and Kiev says its neighbouring country is preparing to invade under the pretext of protecting ethnic Russians in the east.

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