Nigeria Girls' Parents Spot Daughters On Tape

Several parents of schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria have been able to identify their daughters in a video released by the militants, according to local officials.

The authorities have been showing the film to the families but efforts to establish which girls are among the 130 in the footage have been hampered by electricity supply problems in Chibok, Borno state, where they were seized more than four weeks ago.

The authorities have been showing the film to the families but efforts to establish which girls are among the 130 in the footage have been hampered by electricity supply problems in Chibok, Borno state, where they were seized more than four weeks ago.

In the video, Boko Haram claimed the girls, who were shown apparently praying, had converted to Islam.

The co-ordinator of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, which has helped drive international pressure for action through social media and global street protests, said at least three parents had recognised their daughters.

"(Borno) Governor (Kashim) Shettima has now organised a screening in (the state capital) Maiduguri with audio and is bringing parents from Chibok to try to identify more girls," Hadiza Bala Usman said from the Nigerian capital Abuja.

Dumoma Mpur, chairman of the local parent-teachers association, said: "The video got parents apprehensive again after watching it, but the various steps taken by the governments and the coming of the foreign troops is boosting our spirit."

Meanwhile, former British prime minister Gordon Brown urged Boko Haram to release image so of the 276 schoolgirls they are believed to be holding in order to prove they are still alive.

Mr Brown, who has been visiting Nigeria in his role as United Nations special envoy for global education, said the snatching of the girls from their school in the northeast of the country was "every parent's nightmare".

"If we can track down and locate the girls and then release them, that would be a blow to the efforts of Boko Haram, who have killed almost 5,000 people in the last few years," he added.

However, a civil rights activist and former Boko Haram mediator called on the Nigerian government to open talks with the militants or risk the girls being killed. The kidnap of the schoolgirls has sparked international condemnation

Shehu Sani told Sky News: "Negotiation is the best way to get the girls out. We cannot contemplate using force because it will end up with their lives at risk.

"No doubt, any attempt to use force to rescue the girls and the insurgent group will kill these girls."

The group are offering to exchange the girls for prisoners, although this has been rejected by the Nigerian government.

The United States is flying manned surveillance missions over the region to assist the hunt for the schoolgirls and Britain has indicated it could also provide air support, including drones.

The former head of Britain's Special Forces has said military intervention may be necessary, although he admitted it would not be without risk.

Major General Jonathan Shaw told Sky News: "One of the problems of the press coverage of special forces operations over the years has been that they have special forces magic dust, there is no such thing, this is just advanced infantry tactics and sometimes they succeed and sometimes things go wrong.

"Sometimes you can do a neat surgical raid, and sometimes it has to be rather large and messy, so in our own minds I don't think we should have any expectation of any clean clinical finish to this."

A British team including counter-terrorism and intelligence experts in Nigeria has held talks with counterparts and political leaders as well as a group representing the families of the girls.

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Nasa Spots 'Square Hole' In The Sun's Surface

A near-perfect square 'hole' in the sun has been caught on camera by Nasa.

An updraft of solar winds ripped the shape in the sun's outer atmosphere, and the results were spotted by the agency's Solar Dynamics Observatory which monitors the star.

The dark spot is known as a coronal hole, and is made when solar winds pull away from the sun at incredibly high speeds.

It appears dark in ultraviolet light because there is less material to emit the wavelengths.

Nasa said: "A coronal hole is an area where high-speed solar wind streams into space.

"Inside the coronal hole you can see bright loops where the hot plasma outlines little pieces of the solar magnetic field sticking above the surface."

The shape of the coronal hole happened merely by chance, as they can come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

The hole occurred over two days but Nasa has condensed the footage into 14 seconds.

The event happened on March 29, but Nasa has only recently analysed the data.

In 2013 the sun's activity peaked as part of its 11-year solar weather cycle.

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Turkish Coal Mine Blast: At Least 200 Trapped

Some 20 coal miners are feared dead and as many as 300 trapped after an underground explosion in Turkey.

At least 20 workers have been rescued from the mine in Soma, a town in the eastern Manisa province, local MP Mazaffer Yurttas told NTV.

The blast was caused by a fire in a power distribution unit 2,000ft (610 metres) below the ground, the broadcaster reported.

Oxygen is being pumped into the mine to help trapped workers struggling to breathe and a rescue mission is under way, it added.

More follows...

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'Baby With Two Faces' Survives Against Odds

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

Twins have been born in Sydney, Australia, with one body and one head but two identical faces.

The girls, named Hope and Faith, were born last week and while they share the same body and internal organs, they have separate brains in the one skull.

Simon Howie and partner Renee Young learned the babies would be born conjoined early in the pregnancy but decided they wanted to go through with the birth despite advice from some doctors.

They were born six weeks prematurely by emergency caesarean at Blacktown hospital.

Speaking on the Australian TV programme "A Current Affair" Ms Young said: "If I only get two days with the baby I only get two days. I'll at least have some time with her."

The babies have a condition called craniofacial duplication or diprosopus, just dozens of cases of which have been recorded.

The babies have beaten the odds and are already breathing on their own

Speaking on the Channel 9 programme maternal foetal specialist Dr Greg Kesby warned the couple that even simple tasks will prove difficult for the twins.

"I think one of the biggest risks to this baby, in terms of surviving, is its ability to breathe on its own," Dr Kesby said.

"I think there are going to be a lot of challenges afterwards related to the way the brains develop.

"That's going to pose you lots of problems. That is the reality. The bub comes out and after a little while struggles, you've got to have that discussion, how far do you take things."

Now the babies are six days old the twins' parents say even the experts are impressed with their progress.

They have a clear, single heartbeat, are breathing unaided and are in a stable condition.

With so little known about the phenomena doctors can give few clues as to the babies' future.

For now their parents, who already have seven other children, are just making the most of each day.

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Warlock Warns Of 'Magical War' At World Cup

Mexico's self-proclaimed 'Grand Warlock' has predicted hosts Brazil will win the World Cup and that violent protests will continue during the month-long event.

Antonio Vazquez also claimed the World Cup would not only be a battle between football teams but a "magical war" between sorcerers trying to influence results.

Mexico's first game is against Cameroon at the 45,000-seater Arena das Dunas in Natal on June 13, the day after the competition kicks off.

Mexico kick off their World Cup at the Arena das Dunas

"It's evident that in addition to a football war there will be magical war," said Mr Vazquez.

"Imagine that on June 13, which is St Anthony's day, and that we have all the advantages to win against Cameroon, 3,000 warlocks that have paid to be there at the stadium. So we always need to counterbalance this situation."

He added: "Brazil is going to win. And all things have been made so it can be that way. I'm going to tell you something now: watch out for the social disturbances that will take place in Brazil. They will be strong."

Mr Vazquez warns "watch out for disturbances"

Helped by his assistants, Vazquez performed rituals to protect Mexico's team during the World Cup.

After Cameroon, Mexico will play Brazil on June 17, with their final group A game against Croatia on June 23.

The World Cup, which runs from June 12 to July 13, has been dogged by protests over the cost of staging it and delays to stadium construction.

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Canada Oil Train Disaster: Three Men Charged

Three employees of the railway company involved in an oil train disaster in Canada that killed 47 people are due in court later on criminal negligence charges.

The charges come 10 months after more than 60 tankers carrying oil from North Dakota came loose in the middle of the night and rolled almost seven miles downhill to Lac-Megantic in eastern Quebec where they derailed.

At least five of the tankers exploded, destroying about 30 buildings in the downtown bar area on July 6 last year.

The Quebec provincial prosecutor's office says 47 counts of criminal negligence have been filed against engineer Thomas Harding, manager of train operations Jean Demaitre, traffic controller Richard Labrie and Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway Ltd.

The charges represent one count for each person killed and are the first to be brought in the case. Criminal negligence that causes death can carry life imprisonment in Canada.

Rene Verret, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office, said the three men were arrested late on Monday afternoon.

Firefighters at the scene of the crash

Prosecutors said in a statement that they had decided to file charges after an analysis of the evidence gathered at the scene.

The railroad has blamed engineer Harding for failing to set the brakes adequately, allowing the train to run downhill to Lac-Megantic, a lakeside town of 6,000 people.

Harding had apparently left the train unattended after checking into a local inn for the night.

The arrests came just days before the $15.85m (£9.4m) sale of the bankrupt railway is due to be completed in the US.

Most of the proceeds will be used to repay creditors and eventually a fund will be set up to compensate victims and help with clean-up costs. Initial estimates suggest these could be as high as $500m (£297m).

The railroad's buyer, a subsidiary of New York-based Fortress Investment Group, is changing its name to Central Maine and Quebec Railway and says it has no plans to continue with oil shipments.

The crash, the worst railway accident in Canada in nearly 150 years, has led to intense public pressure to make oil trains safer in that country and the US.

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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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Ice Sheet Melt 'Past The Point Of No Return'

The huge West Antarctic ice sheet is melting at a faster pace than scientists had predicted and the thaw is irreversible, a new study has found.

The Nasa report said there is "nothing to stop the glaciers in this area from melting into the sea".

The study looked at 40 years of ground, airplane and satellite data.

Evidence shows "a large sector of the West Antarctic ice sheet has gone into a state of irreversible retreat", said Nasa glaciologist Eric Rignot, chief author of the study.

The development is likely because of man-made global warming and the ozone hole which have changed the Antarctic winds and warmed the water that eats away at the feet of the ice, researchers said.

"The system is in sort of a chain reaction that is unstoppable," Mr Rignot said.

"Every process in this reaction is feeding the next one."

The ice sheet melt will contribute to sea level rise. Pic: Nasa

This part of Antarctica would be a major contributor to sea level rise in coming decades and centuries, and the study sees eventually 4ft (1.2m) of sea level rise from the melt.

"It's passed the point of no return," Mr Rignot said.

"A conservative estimate is it could take several centuries for all of the ice to flow into the sea."

Curbing emissions from fossil fuels to slow climate change will probably not halt the melting but it could slow the speed of the problem, Mr Rignot said.

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British Troops Face Iraq Abuse Claims Probe

The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court is to hold a "preliminary examination" into claims of abuse by British forces in Iraq.

Attorney General Dominic Grieve, who announced the move, said the Government "completely rejects" allegations of "systematic abuse".

"British troops are some of the best in the world and we expect them to operate to the highest standards, in line with both domestic and international law," he said.

"In my experience, the vast majority of our armed forces meet those expectations.

Dominic Grieve: Britain's inquiry teams 'meticulous'

"Where allegations have been made that individuals may have broken those laws, they are being comprehensively investigated."

The preliminary examination Fatou Bensouda will carry out is not an investigation.

Instead, it will look at the systems the Government has in place to investigate allegations of abuse and to prosecute any soldiers found to have acted inappropriately.

Mr Grieve described Britain's inquiry teams as "independent, robust and meticulous".

They include the Iraq Historic Allegations Team, which was set up to investigate alleged offences ranging from murder to low-level violence in Iraq from 2003-2009.

It is led by retired senior police detective Mark Warwick and comprises 145 staff, including Royal Navy Police, civilian investigators and civil servants.

Mr Grieve said: "The Government has been, and remains, a strong supporter of the ICC and I will provide the office of the prosecutor with whatever is necessary to demonstrate that British justice is following its proper course."

The International Criminal Court, based at The Hague in the Netherlands, deals with the most serious crimes of global concern including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

The prosecutor's office is currently investigating allegations of crime in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, the Central African Republic, Kenya, Libya, the Ivory Coast and Mali.

As well as the alleged abuse in Iraq, it is also conducting preliminary examinations of crimes said to have occurred in Afghanistan, Colombia, North Korea, Georgia, Guinea, Honduras, Nigeria and Palestine.

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'Six Ukrainian Troops Killed In Kramatorsk'

Six Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and eight hurt in an ambush by separatists near Krematorsk, Kiev's defence ministry says.

Authorities say the troops were attacked outside the town in the east of the country by at least 30 insurgents using grenade launchers and automatic weapons.

Pro-Russia insurgents have been seizing government buildings and controlling towns and cities across eastern Ukraine for the last month.

It comes after two eastern regions, Donetsk and Luhansk, declared independence on Monday.

German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, speaking earlier at Kiev's main airport, said Germany supported Ukraine's efforts to arrange a dialogue between the central government and its opponents in the breakaway regions.

Official buildings have been captured across the country's east

He said he hope for the quick release of journalists being held hostage by pro-Russia insurgents and that the occupied buildings would be handed back soon.

Mr Steinmeier also stressed the importance of holding Ukraine's presidential vote as planned on May 25.

The Ukrainian government and the West have accused Russia of instigating the mutiny in the east to derail Ukraine's presidential vote and possibly grab more land.

Mr Steinmeier's trip is part of the road map for settling the crisis, as outlined by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a trans-Atlantic security group.

Russia called for a swift implementation of the OSCE plan, saying its demand to end violence means that the central government in Kiev should stop its military operation to recapture buildings in the east.

People standing in line for Donetsk's referendum on Sunday

Moscow also says the scheme should compel Ukraine to lift its blockade of cities and towns, pull its forces from eastern regions and release all political prisoners.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement: "We are demanding (they) stop intimidating civilians by using force or threatening to use it."

It added that it expects separatists in Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions to respond in kind if Kiev does all that.

"(The road map) creates conditions for launching a broad national dialogue involving all political forces and regions of Ukraine, aimed at reconciliation and a comprehensive constitutional reform intended to stop the nation from sliding further to catastrophe," the ministry said.

Russia also urged the United States and the European Union to persuade Kiev to prioritise talks over giving more powers to Ukraine's regions ahead of the presidential vote.

The separatists held a referendum on Sunday and claimed around 90% of those who voted in Donetsk and Luhansk backed sovereignty. The two regions declared independence on Monday and those in Donetsk asked to join Russia.

Ukraine's acting president called the vote a sham and Western governments, including the UK's, said it violated international law.

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