Nigeria: Police Not Equipped To Fight Boko Haram

Police in Chibok have said they are not equipped to deal with another Islamist attack like the one which resulted in the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls.

Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford, who is in Chibok, said that despite an increased security presence, police felt under-equipped to serve as any sort of meaningful deterrent against further attacks.

One officer told her he felt unable to enter into a combat situation with the militants, many of whom are armed with heavy machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades. 

It has been over a month since more than 200 girls were seized by the militants.

Residents in Chibok, in Nigeria's northern Borno state, say they are in constant fear of further attacks, with abductions and killings taking place in the region on a regular basis.

The girls appeared in a video released by Boko Haram last week

Nigerian authorities are accused of being powerless in the face of the Islamist threat and too slow to respond to the schoolgirls' abduction. 

Speaking to Sky News, Nigerian presidential aid Dr Doyin Okupe denied the security forces were under equipped saying: "It is not correct at all."

He said there had been significant improvements in the kit provided to the police and army over the last three years and added that "slowly but surely we are equipping" them.

Frustration with the government rose further on Friday when President Goodluck Jonathan was said to have cancelled a visit to the region.

Parents have criticised the government's handling of the abduction

It was reported that his security team had advised him against a visit to Chibok on the basis that it was too dangerous. 

However, on Saturday morning, Dr Okupe denied that Mr Jonathan had cancelled the visit and said it was a "misconception". The president would be visiting Chibok, he said.

Crawford said the families of the missing girls were "very upset and very angry" at the president's apparent last-minute decision to pull out. 

She said: "As one father of an abducted girl told me: 'If it's not safe enough for the president of Nigeria to come to Chibok, how on earth does he feel about us residents of Chibok living here?'."

The Nigerian president is seeking a regional strategy to tackle Boko Haram

And added the community was still upset that the president had not yet visited, after the April 14 kidnapping.

The president instead flew directly from the capital Abuja to Paris, where he is due to take part in a summit with the leaders of Nigeria's neighbouring states later today.

Representatives from Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Benin will all take part in the half-day meeting aimed at forging a joint strategy to overcome the militants. 

Ahead of the summit, one French diplomat said: "Boko Haram represents a risk to the stability of every state in the region, and the leaders of these countries have to be aware of that."

British Foreign Secretary William Hague and US Secretary of State John Kerry are also scheduled to attend the meeting hosted by French President Francois Hollande.

Britain, the US and France are all taking part in the search for the missing schoolgirls.

Nothing was seen of the girls until last week when Boko Haram released a video appearing to show a group of about 100 of them who the group said had converted to Islam.

Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau said the girls would not be released until detained militants of the group were freed from prison.

The Nigerian government has reportedly ruled out negotiations on a prisoner swap.

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Nigerian President Under Pressure At Summit

Police 'Ill-Equipped' To Fight Boko Haram

Updated: 10:18am UK, Saturday 17 May 2014

Police in Chibok have said they are not equipped to deal with another Islamist attack like the one which resulted in the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls.

Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford, who is in Chibok, said that despite an increased security presence, police felt under-equipped to serve as any sort of meaningful deterrent against further attacks.

One officer told her he felt unable to enter into a combat situation with the militants, many of whom are armed with heavy machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades. 

It has been over a month since more than 200 girls were seized by the militants.

Residents in Chibok, in Nigeria's northern Borno state, say they are in constant fear of further attacks, with abductions and killings taking place in the region on a regular basis.

Nigerian authorities are accused of being powerless in the face of the Islamist threat and too slow to respond to the schoolgirls' abduction. 

Speaking to Sky News, Nigerian presidential aid Dr Doyin Okupe denied the security forces were under equipped saying: "It is not correct at all."

He said there had been significant improvements in the kit provided to the police and army over the last three years and added that "slowly but surely we are equipping" them.

Frustration with the government rose further on Friday when President Goodluck Jonathan was said to have cancelled a visit to the region.

It was reported that his security team had advised him against a visit to Chibok on the basis that it was too dangerous. 

However, on Saturday morning, Dr Okupe denied that Mr Jonathan had cancelled the visit and said it was a "misconception". The president would be visiting Chibok, he said.

Crawford said the families of the missing girls were "very upset and very angry" at the president's apparent last-minute decision to pull out. 

She said: "As one father of an abducted girl told me: 'If it's not safe enough for the president of Nigeria to come to Chibok, how on earth does he feel about us residents of Chibok living here?'."

And added the community was still upset that the president had not yet visited, after the April 14 kidnapping.

The president instead flew directly from the capital Abuja to Paris, where he is due to take part in a summit with the leaders of Nigeria's neighbouring states later today.

Representatives from Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Benin will all take part in the half-day meeting aimed at forging a joint strategy to overcome the militants. 

Ahead of the summit, one French diplomat said: "Boko Haram represents a risk to the stability of every state in the region, and the leaders of these countries have to be aware of that."

British Foreign Secretary William Hague and US Secretary of State John Kerry are also scheduled to attend the meeting hosted by French President Francois Hollande.

Britain, the US and France are all taking part in the search for the missing schoolgirls.

Nothing was seen of the girls until last week when Boko Haram released a video appearing to show a group of about 100 of them who the group said had converted to Islam.

Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau said the girls would not be released until detained militants of the group were freed from prison.

The Nigerian government has reportedly ruled out negotiations on a prisoner swap.

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India's Modi Poll Triumph Ushers In New Era

Thousands of jubilant supporters have lined the streets of Delhi to greet India's incoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his historic election win.

A victory parade has been held after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was swept to power in a landslide victory which will give the country its first majority government in 30 years.

Supporters danced, set off fireworks and handed out sweets in celebration as Mr Modi was showered with rose petals and crowds chanted his name.

Some 551 million people took part in the national election - more than the population of the US, the UK, Germany and Canada combined.

The outgoing prime minister, Manmohan Singh, has tendered his resignation

The resounding result saw the ousting of the Congress Party, led by the Ghandi family, which has long dominated Indian politics.

Outgoing prime minister Manmohan Singh tendered his resignation after 10 years in power.

Mr Modi, a Hindu Nationalist, is due to meet senior members of his party to discuss forming a new government.

He has pledged to take India forward "to fulfil the dreams of India's 1.2 billion people".

Speaking after his victory, which he proclaimed on Twitter, Mr Modi said: "There are no enemies in democracy, there is only opposition. I will take your love and convert it into progress before I return."

Mr Modi oversaw a modern campaign which utilised everything from holograms to WhatsApp.

He has been the top official in Gujarat state for a decade.

The 63-year-old is the son of a tea seller and played on his humble roots during the election campaign, with references to his mother riding a rickshaw to cast her ballot.

The 2014 elections pitted him against the 43-year-old Rahul Gandhi of the Congress Party.

Mr Ghandi's great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India. His grandmother Indira Gandhi and then his father Rajiv Gandhi also went on to lead the country.

Rahul's Italian-born mother Sonia Gandhi has been president of the Congress Party for the last 16 years.

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Co-Operative Members Back Radical Reform

Members of the struggling Co-op have unanimously backed a major overhaul of the group.

It paves the way for radical reforms proposed by former city minister Lord Myners to go-ahead.

A timetable for carrying out the changes will be agreed at a board meeting later this month, says the Co-op as it warned tough times lay ahead.

Lord Myners has said the Co-op is "not fit for purpose"

Some reforms will need rules to be altered, and so require further votes.

Co-op Group chair Ursula Lidbetter, who announced she will step down after a transitional period, said the mood at the AGM was "thoughtful and sober".

She hailed the vote as "a highly significant moment" for the group.

Sky's City Editor Mark Kleinman said no-one had been expecting a unanimous vote, and Co-op executives were "breathing a sigh of relief" at the result.

Lord Myners has proposed a major shake-up of the 150-year-old business which reported losses of £2.5bn for 2013.

The plans include sweeping away the existing 20-strong board of representatives from the Co-operative Group, who currently include an engineer, a plasterer and a retired deputy head teacher.

He wants to replace this with a slimmed-down "plc and beyond" structure staffed by professionally-trained directors.

The former Marks & Spencer chairman was appointed a director of the Co-operative Group in December but has announced he is to leave following this weekend's vote.

He has said it was apparent to him from the first time he attended a board meeting that not one of its members had the ability to address the complex issues faced by a group burdened with £1.4bn of debt.

Lord Myners believes that the Co-op will survive but faces the prospect of having to sell assets such as its £1bn funeral care business, in order to meet the demands of its lending banks, if it does not adopt reform.

Resistance to the changes saw chief executive Euan Sutherland leave the group earlier this year saying it was ungovernable.

The decision on the reforms was taken by representatives of its independent societies and affiliated organisations - who hold 22% of the vote - and others voting on behalf of its regional membership boards making up the remaining 78%.

Ms Lidbetter said: "This is a highly significant moment for the Co-operative Group and I am delighted that our members have made clear their commitment to far-reaching reform of our governance with this unanimous vote.

"There is a huge task ahead of us if we are to deliver the reforms necessary to restore the Group's reputation and return it to health but the board will work hand-in-hand with our members to ensure that we seize this opportunity.

"It is vital that the right changes are put in place as soon as possible to build a more effective organisation for our members, customers and colleagues."

More follows...

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Turkey Mine Tragedy Protesters Battle Police

Police in Turkey have used water cannon against protesters amid growing fury over the mining disaster which killed at least 282 workers.

Violence flared on the streets as grief turned to anger in the wake of the underground explosion at the mine in Soma, some 300 miles (480km) southwest of Istanbul.

The number of those killed is expected to rise as families lose hope of finding alive any of the estimated 150 miners still feared trapped, with the last survivor brought out more than 24 hours ago.

The first funerals have been held for those killed in the underground blast

Emergency workers have been fighting fire and toxic fumes in their frantic search at the scene.

Rows of graves have been dug to bury those killed in Turkey's worst ever mining disaster.

In the meantime, security was tightened at the site for a visit of the country's President Abdullah Gul, with officials anxious to avoid a repeat of the anger which greeted Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, when his car was mobbed by protesters.

A protester is kicked by an adviser to Turkey's PM during trouble in Soma

Pictures have emerged of that visit, showing Yusuf Yerkel, an adviser to the PM, kicking a demonstrator as he is held on the ground by police officers.

Miners are holding a strike in protest at the disaster in the face of mounting anger over poor industry safety standards.

The major accident has become a focal point of wider dissent against the ruling administration, which has been in power for 11 years, with violent clashes in Istanbul and the capital Ankara.

There have been fresh clashes in Turkey following the disaster

The government said 787 people were inside the coal mine at the time of the explosion, and 363 have been rescued including many who were injured.

But some families have cast doubt on the official figures.

Those still trapped are thought to be some 1.2 miles (2km) below the surface and 2.5 miles (4km) from the mine entrance.

Scores of graves have been dug close to the mine to bury the dead

As thousands of anxious relatives waited for news of Turkey's worst mining disaster, Mr Erdogan was accused of ignoring warnings over safety at the coal pit.

A convoy containing his car was attacked by crowds and he was forced to seek refuge in a supermarket, surrounded by police.

With feelings running high, protesters shouted for him to resign and said he was a "murderer" and a "thief".

And Mr Erdogan's attempt to downplay the disaster at a news conference did little to defuse tensions.

While he declared three days of national mourning and ordered flags to be lowered to half-mast, the Turkish leader said such accidents were not uncommon and happened in other countries, even highlighting cases in 19th century Britain.

The visit of Turkish President Abdullah Gul took place amid tight security

Mr Erdogan said: "These types of things in mines happen all the time.

"It's in its nature. It's not possible for there to be no accidents in mines. Of course we were deeply pained by the extent here."

The public backlash over the disaster could threaten Mr Erdogan's presidential ambitions ahead of the August election.

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Walkie-Talkie Skyscraper To Get Sunshade

A City of London skyscraper which was blamed for small fires and melted cars and tiles in a nearby street is to be given a shade to act as a permanent sun block.

The unusual design of 20 Fenchurch Street - nicknamed the Walkie Talkie because of its distinctive shape - reflected the sun's rays into the street, causing damage to people's cars and businesses.

On one occasion when heat on the tiles of the building hit more than 92F, a journalist even managed to fry an egg.

Now, developer Land Securities says it has been given planning permission for a "brise soleil" sunshade to replace a temporary system put in place last summer - work on the shade will start this month.

One Jaguar owner saw his wing mirror and panels melt

The developer was bullish in brushing off concerns about the effects such a problem would have on rentals.

In its financial results for 2013, the company said: "A solar glare issue drew attention to the building for the wrong reasons, but did nothing to deter lettings, with 200,000 sq ft taken up in the months after the problem materialised.

"Our brise soleil solution ... will not interfere with the customer fit-out or occupation. The cost involved has not altered our original estimated total cost of the building."

Passers-by were astonished at the heat the building generated

The 37-storey building was still being erected in September when angry business owners in Eastcheap blamed the £200m project, deigned by Rafael Vinoly, for blistering paintwork, causing tiles to smash and singeing fabric.

A local barber said the position of the sun at a certain time of the day caused a searing bolt of sunlight to start a small fire and burn a hole in his company's doormat.

Developers Land Securities and Canary Wharf agreed to pay for repair work and built a large screen to cut the risk of further damage to businesses from reflected sunlight.

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Missing MH370: Passengers Shun Malaysia Carrier

The scale of the backlash against Malaysian Airlines over the disappearance of flight MH370 has been laid bare by the carrier.

The company reported its biggest quarterly loss in over two years of £82.3m ($138m) on Thursday.

It said in its statement: "The tragic MH370 incident had a dramatic impact on the traditionally weak first quarter performance."

The flight had 239 people aboard - the majority of them Chinese - when it disappeared from radar screens on March 8.

It is believed to have crashed into the Indian Ocean off Australia's west coast but there has been no confirmed sighting of either the aircraft or debris, despite a frantic international search.

Malaysia, China and Australia have now agreed to re-examine all data relating to the flight to better pinpoint the search area, Malaysia's acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein said on Thursday.

Handling of the search for MH370 sparked protests in China

They will also undertake a survey to map the ocean floor and get more deep-sea search vehicles and other equipment to search it.

Officials have said that it could take a year to search the 23,000 sq mile (60,000 sq km) area where the plane is believed to have crashed.

The company's response to the mystery resulted in scathing criticism from relatives of those missing and now presumed dead.

It said it suffered high numbers of cancellations and a decline in long-haul travel, with sales in China slumping 60% in March alone.

The hunt for the aircraft in the Indian Ocean has so far proved fruitless

Even before MH370 went missing, the airline had lost a combined £770m ($1.3bn) over the past three years, partly due to intense competition.

The company had previously announced a "thorough review" of its business plan as it sought to shore up its finances.

This may include the partial sale of its engineering unit and an upgrade of its ageing fleet, Reuters reported last week.

Shares in the company have dropped 14 percent since MH370 went missing.

Meanwhile, one of the airline's planes was grounded on Thursday after a service vehicle struck its belly.

Malaysia Airlines said passengers on the Myanmar-bound plane were put on a later flight while a "thorough check" was being conducted on the Boeing 737-800.

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Rolf Harris 'Barked Before Groping Teenager'

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

Rolf Harris crouched on all fours and barked like a dog before groping a teenage waitress, a court has heard.

A woman who says she was molested by the entertainer when she was 13 or 14 years old told a jury she was working as a waitress at It's A Celebrity Knockout when she was asked to investigate a " barking dog noise".

The woman, who is 52 and cannot be named, said she went outside at the event - held in Cambridge in 1975 - and saw Harris on all fours barking at a dog.

She said she was "slightly awestruck" to see Harris and he came up to her and put "his left hand on my left shoulder".

The witness said: "I couldn't believe what was going on, this famous person was putting his arm around me.

"I was nervous then he moved and went up and down my back, over my bottom. It happened quite a few times. It was uncomfortable.

"I was to young to understand. It was like groping. Very firm. He squeezed it a few times."

The woman added: "I was completely frozen. I knew it was wrong. I didn't move. I was extremely embarrassed. He was not the slightest embarrassed."

She added she went to the police after the Savile revelations and after Harris' name emerged because "it happened to me and it would help back up someone else."

Earlier, a woman told the court how she threw away a Rolf Harris autograph in disgust after he allegedly indecently assaulted her when she was a young girl.

Harris, 84, is said to have touched the seven or eight-year-old girl's back, before running his "big, hairy" hand down her bottom and between her legs.

The woman, now 52, was among dozens of children who had queued to get his autograph after he performed his hit song Two Little Boys.

But she was left so shocked and scared after he touched her, she threw the piece of paper away after the incident at a community centre in Portsmouth, which she said happened in around 1969.

Speaking from behind a screen, the woman told jurors at Southwark Crown Court: "It was so quick, I thought 'what's just happened?' More or less instantly his hand was back again.

"Straight up between my legs, aggressively, forcefully, as if it didn't matter if it was going to hurt me, I knew then it wasn't an accident."

The woman went on: "I understood it was wrong. I wanted to get away. I wanted to scream out 'what are you doing?' but it wouldn't come out."

"He scared me. His eyes were fixed. He was carrying on as if nothing had happened," she said.

The woman said even now, years later, she still cried when she heard the song Two Little Boys.

She said she later told her husband and children that Harris was a ''dirty old man'' who had ''touched her up as a child".

Under cross-examination from Ms Sonia Woodley QC, she denied suggestions that Harris had not been to the community centre and that she had not been indecently assaulted by him.

Harris, of Bray, Berkshire, is accused of indecently assaulting four girls and women between 1968 and 1986 and denies the 12 charges.

The trial continues.

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AstraZeneca Takeover: MPs Question Bosses

The Government has looked at taking steps to intervene in the Pfizer-AstraZeneca takeover, the Business Secretary has told MPs.

Vince Cable said the Government could step in to try to block the deal between the two drugs giants if the law was changed, which was something being considered.

At present the Government can intervene on mergers only if it is in the public interest to do so, specifically matters of national security or financial stability - neither of which is the case with the Pfizer proposals.

However, Mr Cable told MPs on the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee that the law could be changed to include research and development allowing it to step in.

Pfizer claims the newly created giant will mean improved treatments

But, he cautioned, ultimately it would have to go to the European Commission, which considers mergers on the basis of competition and not jobs.

Mr Cable's comments came after the chief executive of Pfizer admitted that if the US drugs firm took over British-based AstraZeneca then there would be job cuts and the research and development budget would be slashed.

Ian Read told MPs there "would be some job cuts somewhere - that's part of being more efficient" and that he could not maintain the companies' joint research and development budget of $12bn (£7.1bn).

Pfizer chief executive Ian Read

There are significant concerns that Pfizer plans to asset strip AstraZeneca, bringing about job losses among the firm's 6,700 British workforce and causing huge damage to British scientific research capabilities.

Pfizer claims a takeover would mean the new firm would be able to bring better products to patients with improved treatments for conditions such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

The boss of AstraZeneca, Pascal Soriot, warned that a merger would cause such huge disruption it would put patients' lives at risk because it would affect drug production.

He told MPs: "What would we tell the person whose father died of lung cancer because on of our medicines was delayed because the companies were too busy saving taxes, saving costs?"

Labour's Adrian Bailey is chairman of the committee

Mr Soriot said Pfizer's £63bn takeover proposal did not reflect the value of AstraZeneca but that an offer at the right level would have to be considered. He said in the event of a hostile offer it would be for shareholders to decide.

Pfizer has offered a guarantee to base 20% of its total research and development workforce in Britain but Mr Read was unable to put a specific number of jobs on this.

He gave assurances that Pfizer would continue with the development of AstraZeneca's new research facilities in Cambridge, and that the newly-created £150bn firm would be domiciled in the UK, paying tax to the UK Government.

Under the Takeover Panel rules, Mr Read said these assurances would be legally binding for five years. 

The rules were toughened up after the 2010 takeover of Cadbury by Kraft where the American food giant abandoned jobs pledges after the deal was struck.

Pfizer faced criticism from MPs that the move to take over AstraZeneca was motivated by its tax advantages - by basing themselves in the UK they will pay just 20% in corporate tax rather than the 38% they currently pay in the US.

Union bosses voice concerns to MPs

Unions warned MPs that the move, which would be the largest ever takeover of a British firm by a foreign company, would be deeply damaging and urged caution.

They said Pfizer had cut 65,000 jobs at its sites across the world since 2005.

Tony Burke, of Unite, said the firm had a terrible track record and had been unwilling to engage properly with the unions when it had closed a UK base in Sandwich.

Under takeover rules, having indicated its interest to shareholders, Pfizer now has until May 26 to make a formal offer, although one is widely expected later this week.

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Oscar Pistorius Facing Psychiatric Tests

Oscar Pistorius faces having to undergo psychiatric tests after a forensic psychiatrist told the athlete's murder trial he has an anxiety disorder.

State prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued that the defendant's mental health should be examined more fully - a move that could delay the trial for up to a month.

Pistorius' lawyer Barry Roux says the prosecution request has "no merit"

It came after Dr Merryl Vorster told the court Pistorius has generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), and is a "distrusting and guarded" person who is "hyper-vigilant" about security.

But Mr Nel questioned the timing of the defence evidence.

Dr Vorster had been consulted and called only after Pistorius had given evidence to the court.

Mr Nel said: "Can it not be seen as a fallback position.

"The timing of the witness being called and the timing of the consultations is important."

If Pistorius were found to be suffering from a mental illness, he could be held not criminally responsible for his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp's death and found not guilty by reason of "mental illness or intellectual disability".

The law allows a person to undergo mental health observation for up to 30 days.

Mr Nel argued it was in the interests of justice that if there was any suggestion psychiatric factors had played a part in the killing, then the accused should be sent for observation.

He has applied to the court for a referral.

But Pistorius' defence team said the application had "no merit" and was premature.

Oscar Pistorius could undergo psychiatric observation for a month

The judge has adjourned the trial to consider the prosecution's application, and will announce her decision on Wednesday morning.

Earlier, in evidence to the court, Dr Vorster explained the nature of GAD.

She said: "It may impact on your capacity to live a normal lifestyle. By definition generalised anxiety disorder is a psychiatric disorder, so one can say it's a mental illness.

"But one has to look at the impact of that diagnosis on the individual's capacity to live and socialise."

When questioned by Mr Nel, the psychiatrist said: "He (Pistorius) was still able to function at a high level and he still did socialise.

"He had distress because of his anxiety disorder but he was at that stage, still able to continue with his life."

Dr Vorster also felt Pistorius was more concerned about personal safety than other South Africans, by locking himself in his bedroom at night.

Reeva Steenkamp's mother June attended the court hearing in Pretoria

But Mr Nel questioned why the defendant, if he had been anxious about security, had not repaired a broken downstairs window that did not have bars on it.

Pistorius is accused of killing Ms Steenkamp in a premeditated attack at his home in Pretoria, South Africa, on Valentine's Day last year.

He denies the charge and claims he shot his partner after mistaking her for an intruder.

The trial continues.

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