PM And Putin To Meet Over Ukraine Violence

Is 'Chocolate King' What Ukrainians Fought For?

Updated: 11:51am UK, Monday 26 May 2014

By Katie Stallard, Sky Correspondent, in Donetsk

According to the national exit poll and the man himself, Ukraine has a new president.

Self-made billionaire Petro Poroshenko - the man they call the "chocolate king" - has declared himself the winner.

Yulia Tymoshenko conceded gracefully, if emotionally, in defeat.

Mr Poroshenko says his first priority is end war and bring peace.

To that end, his first official visit as president will be to the Donbas region in the east.

But he also said he has ruled out negotiations with separatists until they lay down weapons.

None of those we have spoken to here have any intention of doing so.

They burned ballot papers with Molotov cocktails in front of our camera on Sunday to make their point - as far as they are concerned this new president is illegitimate.

They do not recognise his authority, nor do they adhere to his demands.

And there are plenty of other people here not occupying buildings or burning ballots, but who feel the authorities in Kiev mean nothing and do nothing for them.

Uniting Ukraine might make for good campaigning rhetoric, but it's easier promised in a stump speech than delivered in real life.

There will also be questions about whether Mr Poroshenko is what those on the Maidan (the local name for the uprising on Kiev's Independence Square) fought for.

They didn't just want new politicians - they wanted a whole new politics, and the end of the influence of the oligarchy on those in power.

What they have got is one of the richest men in Ukraine, and a man who has been involved in national politics, on and off, and on both sides, for much of the last two decades.

Add to that the parlous state of the national finances, the austerity measures the International Monetary Fund is likely to insist are imposed very shortly, and the massive hike in the Russian gas price, and there are troubled economic times ahead.

Mr Poroshenko's election slogan was: "Live in a new way" -  people here are expecting life to get better, not worse.

But this election does formalise what happened on the Maidan this winter; no longer can it be said that an unelected, self-appointed government has seized power by force.

Whatever the separatists in the east and Russian television channels might say, millions and millions of Ukrainians have voted for a new president, and a man who has promised them a new European future.

It is an overwhelming endorsement of the demands of those who rallied on the Maidan demanding a move away from this country's Soviet past, towards Europe and the west.

There are many long difficult days ahead, but this presidential election is a start and a significant moment in the modern history of Ukraine.

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Boy, 6, Dies After Children Stabbed In Lift

A six-year-old boy has died and a seven-year-old girl is fighting for her life after the playmates were stabbed multiple times in a lift in Brooklyn.

Police are searching for a man in his 20s who fled the scene of the attack in Boulevard Houses, Schenck Avenue, East New York.

A police source said Prince Joshua Avitto and Mikayla Capers were in a lift in the building when the attacker, described as heavyset, pulled out a knife and stabbed the children several times in the torso.

He then ditched the weapon and fled the scene.

The boy's body was found inside the lift, while the girl managed to stumble outside and was found collapsed on the floor.

They were rushed to Brookdale University Hospital, where Prince Joshua, known to family and friends as PJ, was pronounced dead a short time later.

Police are searching for the attacker who fled the scene

News outlet NBC reported that the boy's mother was heard shouting: "They done killed my baby.

"His birthday was in 16 days. Lord, they done killed my baby!"

Seven-year-old Mikayla has been transferred to New York-Presbyterian Hospital where she has undergone surgery. She remains in a critical condition.

New York Daily News quoted her mother, Sherina Capers, 21, as saying: "This don't make no sense. This is kids. You don't do this to kids.

According to Inez Rodriguez, the president the Boulevard Houses Tenant Association, the playmates were on their way to buy a snack when they were attacked.

"They were just coming outside to get some ice cream and ices," she said.

"This is the worst thing that I've ever seen in this neighbourhood."

The attack came two days after an 18-year-old girl was stabbed to death nearby.

She was stabbed 32 times in the chest while on the way to a friend's house on Friday evening.

Police have not ruled out a connection between the two attacks.

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India Rape Protesters Clash With Police

Police in India used water cannon to disperse women protesting against the gang rape and hanging of two girls.

TV pictures showed jets of water being sprayed over the top of several hundred people who had gathered outside the Uttar Pradesh chief minister's office in Lucknow.

According to Zee and Aaj Tak TV stations, the protest had been organised by the BJP, who are in opposition in Uttar Pradesh.

The protesters were stopped by police from moving forward

The group, mostly made up of women, waved placards and shouted slogans for some time as police held them back before they started firing water cannon.

The demonstrators refused to move and attempted to continue making their point despite the soaking.

"We're not going to sleep, we'll be here, they have to stop this (violence against women)," one protester told the NDTV network.

BJP members are hit by water during the protest

The bodies of the two teenage cousins were found hanging from a mango tree in their impoverished village of Katra, in Badaun district, last Wednesday morning.

Tests showed they had suffered multiple sexual assaults.

The deaths were the latest in a string of violent attacks on women across the country, where many say not enough is being done to tackle the problem.

TV footage showed the protesters being soaked by the water jets

The girls are understood to have gone into the fields on Tuesday night because, like millions of families living in rural areas, they did not have toilets in their home.

Police have been accused of acting too slowly and two officers are among the five people arrested in the case. Family members say police ignored their pleas because they were of a lower caste. 

India revised its laws on sex attacks in the wake of the December 2012 gang rape of a student on a bus in New Delhi.

The girls' bodies were found hanging from a mango tree

But the tide of sex attacks has shown no sign of slowing down. It is claimed that a rape is reported in India every 22 minutes.

The chief minister in Uttar Pradesh is Akhilesh Yadav.

Four out of the five are from the Yadav community, a land-owning Hindu caste that holds political sway in Uttar Pradesh.

Asked at a news conference last week about the number of rapes occurring in the state, Mr Yadav told a female reporter: "You haven't been harmed, have you? No, right? Great. Thank you."

The head of Uttar Pradesh's ruling party, Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is also the chief minister's father, sparked uproar during the recent election campaign when he said rapists should not receive the death penalty because "boys will be boys".

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Spain's King Juan Carlos Abdicates For His Son

Juan Carlos Held Reins During Rocky Times

Updated: 1:48pm UK, Monday 02 June 2014

Juan Carlos may have been tainted by recent scandals, but he can abdicate knowing he has led his country through some very testing times.

One of the most testing was when he helped bring an end to a failed coup that nearly sent Spain - now a member of the EU - back to being ruled by a military junta in 1981.

Soon after politicians were pictured cowering under their benches as armed guards burst into parliament, Juan Carlos appeared on television in his green military uniform ordering an end to the revolt.

He said: "I have ordered the civil authorities and the chiefs of staff to take the necessary measures to maintain constitutional order."

It's now largely forgotten in Britain how close one of Europe's most powerful countries came to reverting to military dictatorship.

Juan Carlos kept his son Felipe, then aged 13, at his side throughout the crisis.

"I wanted him to see what one has to do when one is king," he said later.

For years, the Royal family remained popular as Spain emerged from being one of the EU's poorer countries to being one of its most powerful.

After the Madrid train bombings in March 2004, Juan Carlos and his wife Queen Sofia threw protocol aside at a memorial service when they comforted the families of some of the 191 people killed.

But, with the onset of the financial crisis in 2008, things began to change. 

Juan Carlos' image was dealt a blow after he went on a luxury elephant-hunting safari in April 2012 as his subjects struggled in a recession, during which one in four people was unemployed.

Then, his family became embroiled in a corruption investigation when a judge indicted former Olympic handball player Inaki Urdangarin, the husband of the king's youngest daughter Cristina, who has also been accused of involvement.

He has also suffered long term health problems, undergoing surgery nine times between 2010 and 2013.

But, despite the set backs, history may in time be kinder to him.

He is regarded as playing a determining role in Spain's modern history by stepping up as the first crowned head of state in 44 years, after the death of Franco.

He then defied the hopes of the Francoists for an extension of autocratic rule and instead oversaw the creation of a new system of parliamentary monarchy, with a new constitution that was approved by referendum in 1978.

Without his guiding hand, the country many people regard as their favourite holiday destination could have remained being run by those who followed a similar ideology to Adolf Hitler.

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Jewish Museum Shooting Suspect Arrested

Police investigating a shooting at a Jewish museum in Belgium that left four people dead have arrested a man.

Mehdi Nemmouche, a Frenchman with suspected ties to Islamic radicals in Syria, was detained in Marseille in southern France, investigation sources told the AFP news agency.

The 29-year-old, who is being held on suspicion of murder and attempted murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise, was allegedly found with a Kalashnikov rifle and a handgun.

Two women and a man were killed in the shooting in Brussels on May 24, which French President Francois Hollande said was clearly of "anti-Semitic character".

A fourth person who was injured in the attack died later in hospital.

The victims, who were shot in the face and neck, included two Israeli tourists who were visiting Brussels from Tel Aviv.

Following the attack, Belgian police released CCTV footage of a suspect dressed in sunglasses and a cap, who walked into the museum carrying two bags.

He can be seen removing an automatic rifle and shooting through a door before walking away.

Security around all Jewish institutions in Belgium was raised to the highest possible level in the aftermath of the shooting.

The country is home to about 42,000 Jews, half of whom live in Brussels.

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Prisoner-Swap Soldier's First Day Of Freedom

A US soldier held for nearly five years by the Taliban in Afghanistan is undergoing a medical examination in Germany before being flown back to the US for a reunion with his family.

Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, from Idaho, was freed on Saturday evening in exchange for America turning over five Taliban detainees held in Guantanamo, to Qatari custody.

Sources say he is "weakened, scared and vulnerable" after having been tortured, and is currently receiving treatment at a US military hospital in Landstuhl.

His release follows months of indirect contact with the militants, with Qatar acting as intermediary.

President Obama at the White House with Sgt Bergdahl's parents

According to a senior defence official, once Sgt Bergdahl climbed onto the noisy helicopter he took a pen and wrote on a paper plate, the letters "SF?" - asking the troops if they were special operations forces.

They shouted back at him over the roar of the rotor blades: "Yes, we've been looking for you for a long time."

Then, according to the official, Sgt Bergdahl broke down and cried.

The parents of the freed soldier, Bob and Jani Bergdahl, said they were "joyful and relieved".

"We cannot wait to wrap our arms around our only son," they said.

Speaking at the White House flanked by Sgt Bergdahl's parents, US President Barack Obama said: "The Qatari government has given us assurances that it will put in place measures to protect our national security."

Sgt Bergdahl was released in exchange for five Guantanamo detainees

He added: "Sergeant Bergdahl has missed birthdays and holidays, and the simple moments with family and friends which all of us take for granted.

"But while Bowe was gone, he was never forgotten."

Mr Obama expressed his gratitude to the Amir of Qatar for helping secure the soldier's release, and also the support of the Afghanistan government.

Sgt Bergdahl was taken prisoner in the Paktia Province of Afghanistan on June 30, 2009.

Mike Baker, a former CIA operations officer, told Sky News: "It's been a long time coming.

"It's been a very frustrating exercise over the years, in part because for quite along time it was not clear who we were supposed to be negotiating with.

"People are extremely happy here he's back."

There was a continuing campaign in the US to secure the soldier's freedom

On the US policy not to negotiate with terrorists and concerns the exchange could lead to further hostage-taking, Mr Baker said this was a consideration, but added: "We had to get our guy back.

"We have a very strict policy as does the UK, we don't leave people behind. This was just a festering wound for all of these years. It had to be dealt with."

The identities of the freed detainees have not been revealed, although reports claim they are senior Taliban figures.

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Pele's Son Jailed For 33 Years Over Drugs Money

One of Brazilian football legend Pele's sons has been sentenced to 33 years in prison for laundering money for drug traffickers.

Edson Cholbi Nascimento, nicknamed Edinho, denies the charges in the case, which date from 2005, and will reportedly be allowed to remain free pending appeal.

Edinho, 43, is accused of ties with a drug cartel led by Ronaldo "Naldinho" Duarte Barsotti.

But though he admits buying drugs from the cartel, he denies working with them.

Pele reacts during a 2005 news conference about Edinho's drug problems

Edinho had a relatively low-key career in the 1990s playing for Santos, the same club where his father shot to fame.

The Praia Grande criminal court in Sao Paulo also sentenced three other defendants to 33 years' jail and ordered the confiscation of all property seized in the police operation against them, including about 100 cars.

Pele, whose full name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, has seven children.

Considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, he won three World Cups with Brazil, in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

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India Girls' Gang Rape: Suspects Confess

Three suspects have confessed to the gang rape and murder of two teenage girls in northern India last week, police have said.

The 14 and 15-year-old cousins, from the lowest Dalit caste, were found hanging from a tree in the village of Katra, in Uttar Pradesh, after disappearing from their homes on Tuesday.

The three suspects detained so far in the attack are cousins in their 20s from an extended family, and they face murder and rape charges, crimes punishable by the death penalty.

The father of one of the victims covers his face

Police officer Atul Saxena said a search for two additional suspects is continuing.

Mr Saxena said officers were preparing identity sketches of the two missing suspects based on descriptions provided by the arrested suspects in Katra, in Baduan district, about 300km (180 miles) from Lucknow, the state capital.

Authorities have also arrested two police officers and suspended another two for failing to investigate when the father of one of the teenagers reported the girls missing.

Onlookers at the site where the girls were found hanged

Federal authorities are expected to take over the investigation into the crime this week.

India tightened its rape laws last year - introducing the death penalty for gang rape - following the fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus in New Delhi.

The case sparked nationwide protests.

A rape is committed every 22 minutes in India, a nation of 1.2 billion people - and activists say many more cases go unreported because of a culture of tolerance.

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Cameron: Meriam Death Sentence Is 'Barbaric'

David Cameron says the death sentence handed down to Meriam Ibrahim is "barbaric" and has called on Sudanese authorities to intervene.

The Prime Minister joined international condemnation of the 27-year-old mother's plight, saying he is "absolutely appalled" by the case.

"The way she is being treated is barbaric and has no place in today's world," he told The Times.

"I urge the government of Sudan to overturn the sentence and immediately provide appropriate support and medical care for her and her children.

"The UK will continue to press the government of Sudan to act."

Ms Ibrahim was found guilty by a Sudanese court of apostasy in renouncing Islam and adultery for marrying a Christian, Daniel Wani.

Husband Daniel Wani with his newborn baby in prison

She was sentenced to 100 lashes and death by hanging earlier this month.

Her death sentence has been suspended for two years so she can nurse her daughter Maya, who was born in prison on Wednesday.

Ms Ibrahim was forced to give birth to the child while shackled to a prison floor after guards at Omdurman Women's Prison refused to release her.

Both the UK and US governments have summoned the Sudan's charge d'affaires to discuss the case.

The US State Department has described Ms Ibrahim's incarceration as "horrific" and continues to press Sudanese officials to intervene.

US embassy officials have been attending Ms Ibrahim's public hearings and are monitoring the appeals process in Khartoum.

Mr Cameron's comments follow condemnation from former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and British politicians including Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg.

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Kenyan Farmers Threaten Violence Over Khat Ban

By Hind Hassan, Sky News Reporter

Kenyan khat farmers have threatened violent action against the British government following its decision to ban the stimulant.

FG Machuma, who says he represents the Miraa tribe, told Sky News the decision to make the plant a class C drug was a "declaration of war".

He added: "If they don't listen to us ... they have a military base in Nanyuki ... and they will have to leave.

"If they don't leave peacefully then we will take arms and deal with them in Kenya."

Men chew khat and drink coffee in London

In the UK, khat is popular among some members of Somali and Yemeni communities.

The latest figures from 2011-2012 put the plant's UK value at £13.8m.

Users chew the leaves then swallow the juice, which contains an ingredient similar to amphetamine.

After a few hours, users become talkative and experience feelings of alertness, euphoria and excitement.

But symptoms can include depression, lack of concentration and psychosis.

The majority of British trade comes from the town of Meru in Kenya.

A farmer plucking khat shoots off a tree on a plantation in Kenya

It provides a source of income for around 500,000 farmers belonging to the Miraa tribe, who say the ban threatens their livelihood.

Home Secretary Theresa May defied the Government's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to push through the ban, which was approved by the House of Lords on May 12.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "Drug misuse has a serious impact on society and the ban on khat will help protect vulnerable members of our community.

"It will also prevent the UK from becoming a single regional hub for criminals trying to make a profit, as countries across Europe have already implemented the same ban.

"Parliament has now approved the government's decision and khat will become a class C drug on June 24, 2014."

Users of the plant claim they are being unfairly targeted.

A van transporting khat meant for export to Nairobi

Mahamud Ahmed Mohamad - who owns the UK's largest khat warehouse in west London - insists that chewing khat is a Somali tradition.

He told Sky News: "It's like closing a pub ... will you feel happy if you close British pubs?

"Why don't you close alcohol which is affecting a lot of people? Why is it only khat that is a major issue?"

He currently employs around 40 workers and says they will be made redundant once the ban is implemented.

Mr Mohamad is challenging the ban in the Court of Appeal.

Farmer James Ntonyi chews khat leaves at his father's farm in Meru

Abukar Awale, a former user, insists the substance is addictive and psychologically damaging.

The anti-khat activist blames his former habit for a violent confrontation during which he was stabbed.

"Availability of khat and the legality of khat was attracting more young people," he said. "By banning it we are preventing young people from failing in society."

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