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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Cop Suspended Over 'Inappropriate Behaviour'

The chief constable of Avon and Somerset police has been suspended following allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards female officers and staff.

Nick Gargan has been taken off duty while an investigation is carried out by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), according to the force's crime commissioner Sue Mountstevens.

She said a number of serious allegations have been made against the police chief.

Ms Mountstevens added she had decided to suspend Mr Gargan, whom she appointed as chief constable in March last year, to "protect the integrity of the investigation".

She said: "I have decided to refer the matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), who will now conduct an independent investigation."

The deputy chief constable John Long will act as temporary chief constable and all officers and staff have been informed of the decision.

Mr Gargan gave evidence at inquest into death of Diana, Princess of Wales

Ms Mountstevens went on: "I would like to assure the communities of Avon and Somerset that the constabulary remains a high-performing force.

"Both police officers and staff are committed to ensuring the area remains a safe place to live, work and visit."

Mr Gargan was awarded the Queen's Police Medal in the New Year's Honours List 2012.

He started his career with Leicestershire Constabulary in 1988 after a degree in French and politics at the University of Leicester.

He worked on the investigation into the fatal crash involving Diana, Princess of Wales, and gave evidence at the inquest into her and Dodi Fayed's deaths.

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AstraZeneca Takeover: MPs Question Bosses

Pfizer-AstraZeneca Takeover Explained

Updated: 4:04pm UK, Tuesday 13 May 2014

Pfizer has expressed an interest in taking over AstraZeneca but what does that mean for Britain and British jobs, and what can the Government do about it?

:: So is there a bid or isn't there?

It's more of a proposal than a bid, really. Pfizer has made it clear it wants to buy British-based AstraZeneca and that it will pay £63bn for it but there's no official bid.

AstraZeneca has made it plain it's not interested, at least not for that amount, and the management haven't even held talks.

:: If it doesn't want to be bought isn't that the end of the story?

No. Pfizer can raise its bid or launch a hostile takeover offer in which it appeals directly to AstraZeneca's shareholders to sell up – which they may do thinking it is a better deal. Kerching.

:: Why does Pfizer want AstraZeneca so much?

It's made it pretty clear that buying AstraZeneca would allow it to be domiciled in the UK so it can pay tax to the British Government.

Corporation tax in the UK is 20% from next year but in the US companies pay 38% of profits in similar taxes.

:: What will it mean for the 6,700 British AstraZeneca staff?

Uncertainty and potentially job losses - Pfizer's boss has admitted this.

There are real fears Pfizer will asset strip AstraZeneca leading to significant redundancies and substantial damage to British scientific research capabilities.

:: But I read Pfizer had guaranteed jobs

No, it has guaranteed it will base 20% of its worldwide research and development staff in Britain – not quite the same thing.

It won't say how many people or where in the UK they will be based, although it has said it will keep AstraZeneca's new Cambridge research facility.

:: Are the guarantees worth the paper they are written on?

In a way yes, in a way no. Under the Takeover Panel rules the guarantee is legally binding for one year although Pfizer insists it will honour its pledges for five years.

However, crucially, there is a clause that says these obligations could be changed "should circumstances significantly change" ie plenty of wriggle room.

In addition it takes 10 years for a drug to get from the lab to the doctor's surgery so a five-year guarantee means little to Britain's scientific researchers.

:: Can't the Government do something?

Ultimately no. The Enterprise Act only allows it to step in under the public interest test ie if it affects national security or financial stability – which it doesn't.

Business Secretary Vince Cable has suggested the law could be changed to include scientific research and development as public interest.

In any event the final say goes to the European Commission and it will make the decision based on competition.

:: And what about competition?

Don't forget while Pfizer is bigger than AstraZeneca, neither are small concerns. A merger will create a huge firm. It will represent the biggest ever takeover of a British firm by a foreign company.

There are very real concerns such big "big pharma" will completely ruin small science research outfits.

Remember AstraZeneca and Pfizer have sites all over this world, this is not just about the UK and US politicians have also raised concerns over jobs.

:: So what are the positives of a takeover?

Well Pfizer will be paying tax to the Government and investing in Britain - all good.

And it says that the combined power of both companies will bring improved treatments for conditions such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

In addition, it is investment in science, which is key to the Government's economic strategy.

:: What next?

MPs on House of Commons committees have been hearing from the firms and from unions worried about job cuts but ultimately that is just talk.

Under Takeover Panel rules having indicated its interest on April 26, Pfizer has until May 26 to make an official bid.

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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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Rolf Harris 'Victim' Denies Sexual Chemistry

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

A woman who says she was assaulted by Rolf Harris has told a court she did not "flirt" with the veteran entertainer.

The 49-year-old, who says Harris indecently assaulted her when she was 13, denied there was "sexual chemistry" between them and that she consented to a sex act after she turned 16.

Under cross-examination, the woman said she was "shocked and upset" after Harris allegedly groped her.

The woman - a childhood friend of the entertainer's daughter Bindi - gave evidence about attacks she says took place while she was on holiday with the Harris family in 1978.

She said she could remember that an alleged assault happened at "four-ish" in the afternoon because she had been sunbathing and then gone for a shower.

She told the court that after Harris assaulted her as she got out of the shower she thought: "My God, did that just happen?" 

The woman said she did not record the alleged attacks in her diary and told the court: "If someone saw my diary I wouldn't want them to think I'd had an awful time."

The witness was asked by defence counsel Sonia Woodley QC why she had gone on holiday with Harris if she was so ''scared'' of him, as she has previously said.

She told the jury at Southwark Crown Court: ''I wanted to be with Bindi and I knew he wouldn't be around all the time.''

When pressed about the alleged shower assault, the witness said she had ''no recollection'' of how Harris got into the bedroom and where he had been previously.

Ms Woodley also questioned her about a time where she says Harris groped her on a beach within view of his wife Alwen and Bindi.

She asked the witness: ''You must have been shocked and upset ?''

She replied that she was and was then asked how Alwen and Bindi could not have noticed.

The woman replied: ''Because I didn't want to show it.''

Ms Woodley referred to an incident on the M4 when the court has heard that a sex act took place.

The witness denied Ms Woodley's version and also insisted that an indecent assault that had taken place in the pool of Harris' home in Berkshire.

Earlier in her cross-examination the witness denied defence suggestions that in more than six hours of police interviews and statements, she had plenty of time ''to rehearse'' what she was going to say.

She also denied Ms Woodley's claims that she was ''strong minded, wilful and argumentative'' although she agreed that as a child she had gone through a phase of eating ''just marmite on toast".

Harris, dressed in a silver grey suit, shirt and tie listened to proceedings via a hearing loop and his wife Alwen was also in court along with other family and friends.

The TV presenter and artist denies 12 counts of indecently assaulting her and three other girls from 1968 to 1986.

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Claudia Lawrence Disappearance: Man Arrested

Missing Claudia: Timeline Of Events

Updated: 4:58pm UK, Tuesday 13 May 2014

Here is Claudia Lawrence's last known movements and the investigation since her disappearance:

2009

March 18

:: 5.57am - Miss Lawrence is seen on CCTV arriving for work at the University of York's Goodricke College.

:: 2.31pm - The chef leaves work to walk the three miles to her home on Heworth Road.

A female colleague sees her as she drives past in her car and gives her a lift, dropping her off outside her house.

A short time later, Miss Lawrence leaves her house and walks past the Nags Head pub. She has a brief conversation with a woman with a pram.

:: 3.05pm - The last sighting of Miss Lawrence as she walks back to her house.

:: 8.10pm - Miss Lawrence has a telephone conversation with her father, Peter, and then another with her mother, Joan.

:: 8.23pm - She sends a text message to a friend.

:: 9.12pm - Miss Lawrence receives a text on her mobile phone but it is not known if she read the message.

March 19

:: 6am - Miss Lawrence fails to arrive for her shift at work.

:: Later in the evening, Miss Lawrence fails to keep an arrangement to meet her friend, Suzy Cooper, at the Nags Head pub.

Ms Cooper discovers her friend did not attend work and rings Mr Lawrence, who contacts North Yorkshire Police.

March 23

:: Mr Lawrence, a solicitor from Slingsby, North Yorkshire, makes an emotional appeal for information about his daughter at a news conference in York. He describes Miss Lawrence's disappearance as a "living nightmare".

:: Police say they cannot rule out the possibility that the chef has been abducted.

March 25

:: Detective Superintendent Ray Galloway, leading the investigation, says he believes Miss Lawrence may have come to harm after meeting someone she knew.

He confirms around 100 police officers are involved in the search and says North Yorks Police are bringing in officers from other forces to help.

CCTV footage of the chef's last known movements is released.

March 30

:: Detective Superintendent Galloway makes an appeal for information on BBC1's Crimewatch programme.

April 7

:: Mr Lawrence holds his first weekly press conference at his home and appeals for anyone protecting his daughter's possible abductor to come forward.

April 16

:: Police say they are investigating "significant" new lines of inquiry, including a couple seen arguing near a car on Miss Lawrence's route to work the day after she was last seen and two men apparently trying the front door to her house in the week before she disappeared.

April 24

:: Detectives say they are treating Miss Lawrence's disappearance as a suspected murder investigation and Crimestoppers offers a £10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible.

Detective Superintendent Galloway also reveals new information received from members of the public. He says one witness reported seeing a man and a woman walking near the University of York between 6am and 6.30am on March 17 and March 19.

Another witness saw a man and a woman, possibly matching Miss Lawrence's description, at 5.35am on March 19 on Melrosegate on the chef's route to work.

April 29

:: Mrs Lawrence releases her first statement through police describing her daughter's disappearance as "every parent's worst nightmare"

May 6

:: Police reveal they have received more than 1,000 calls about Miss Lawrence's disappearance since March 22 and have taken 1,096 statements and reports.

Officers involved in the investigation have visually searched around 1,270 properties, including gardens and outbuildings and student halls of residence at the University of York.

May 15

:: Police release CCTV footage of a man seen near Miss Lawrence's home in the early hours of March 19.

Detective Superintendent Galloway says the number of searching officers has been scaled-down and police are now only carrying out intelligence-led searches.

June 2

:: A reconstruction of Miss Lawrence's last known movements and possible witness sightings is screened on BBC1's Crimewatch programme.

Detective Superintendent Galloway tells the show that Miss Lawrence was involved in relationships of "complexity and mystery" and appeals to anyone who had ever been in a relationship with the chef to come forward.

August 19

:: Police say an external review of the investigation by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) is "extremely positive" and the force are acting upon a list recommendations.

September 18

:: Detectives reveal they have extended their investigation to Cyprus.

2010

March 18

:: Police reveal Ms Lawrence spent the night with a mystery boyfriend just two days before she went missing. It was "critical" they spoke to the man, a detective adds.

March 24

:: Detectives search an area near York University following new information.

May 25

:: Police confirm they have spent two days searching a house about 10 miles from Claudia's home as a result of a "recent development".

July 29

:: Police confirm they are scaling back the number of officers dedicated to the inquiry.

Assistant Chief Constable Tim Madgwick says 100 officers were dedicated to the investigation at its height.

A year after Miss Lawrence disappeared, this figure had dropped to about 20 to 30 and there were now 16 detectives involved. Mr Madgwick says they will be cut cut to seven officers the following month.

August 8

:: A man arrested on suspicion of burglary has been spoken to about the case, North Yorks police say.

But he is described as  "one of many people spoken to during the course of the investigation" and there still have been no formal suspects identified by the inquiry team.

September 20

:: Mr Lawrence speaks of his "devastation" after it is revealed that a cash reward for information was being dropped.

The decision means the North Yorks Police will remove their appeal posters from fleet vehicles because they refer to the reward.

2011

March 18

:: On the second anniversary of Miss Lawrence's disappearance, Detective Superintendent Galloway reveals that he could have "potentially" spoken to her killer.

December 13

:: Detectives say they are pursuing a new lead which could be "significant".

2012

March 16

:: Peter Lawrence speaks of his daily pain over his daughter's disappearance and makes a plea for anyone who may still harbour a sense of "misguided loyalty" to come forward and help with the police investigation.

July 10

:: Martin Dales, spokesman for Mr Lawrence, says a former private detective has contacted him to say he spotted someone with a striking resemblance to Claudia a week earlier in Amsterdam.

2013

February 27

:: Family and friends of Miss Lawrence make an emotional appeal for help to find her on what would have been her 39th birthday.

October 29

:: Police announce a new forensic search of Miss Lawrence's home is to begin as they launch a fresh review of the case.

2014

March 17

:: Mr Lawrence, speaking ahead of the fifth anniversary of his daughter's disappearance, says not knowing what happened to his daughter five years after she disappeared is like a "cancer" eating away at him.

March 19

:: Police say a new forensic examination of Claudia's house has uncovered the fingerprints of people who still have not come forward five years after she disappeared. They say they are seeking to trace two men and two vehicles seen near her home.

April 17

:: North Yorks Police say 121 people have come forward to help their inquiry since a national appeal was made to coincide with the fifth anniversary of her disappearance. They say taxi drivers may have important information about the case.

May 13

:: A 59-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of murder by detectives investigating the disappearance.

:: A police spokeswoman says Miss Lawrence has not been found and they cannot rule out the possibility of further arrests in the future.

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Cornwall Coach Crash: Two Dead And 13 Injured

Two people have been killed and seven others seriously injured after a coach smashed into a wall in Cornwall.

Police were called at around 1pm to the A387 at Morval, around three miles from Looe, after reports that a coach had hit a wall.

Four air ambulances from Devon and Cornwall, ambulances, fire crews, doctors and paramedics were sent to the scene as police declared a "major incident" and the road was closed.

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) said 54 "mostly elderly" passengers were on the coach at the time of the smash. 

The scene of the crash on the A387. Photo: Sam Blackledge/Plymouth Herald

Neil Chevalier from SWASFT told Sky News the coach had been travelling down a steep hill when it crashed.

Eight people were seriously injured and were taken to Plymouth's Derriford Hospital, two of them by air ambulance while four were classed as walking wounded after checks by paramedics.

A number of people who were trapped after the impact have since been freed from the vehicle.

The coach had been travelling from the Plymouth direction towards Looe between Sandplace and Widegates when the crash happened.

One local resident told the Cornish Guardian the vehicle appeared to "lose its brakes" at the top of a hill.

The coach was heading towards Looe on the A387

She said: "It is dreadful. The coach lost his brakes on the top of the hill at the Snooty Fox and careered down the hill.

"As it did so it turned on its side and all the windows blew out and it lost all the glass.

"All the neighbours have been rushing around making tea for them. We spoke to a few of the people who were coming out of the wreckage. It was a bus full of older people.

"The passengers from the other side of the coach were deeply shocked by it all."

A 69-year-old resident told the paper: "People use the road too fast. Although there are 'slow' signs, people just don't follow them.

"The road is quite bendy, and can be tricky, particularly for big vehicles."

Local MP Sheryll Murray said the crash was "absolutely tragic".

She told Sky News: "I send my deepest sympathies to the family of the person that's died and all those people that are very worried because they have relatives that have travelled to Looe."

More follows...

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Turkish Coal Mine Blast: At Least 200 Trapped

Some 20 coal miners are feared dead and hundreds 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.

However, as many as 400 miners are thought to be trapped in shifts and tunnels.

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

Fresh air is being pumped into the mine to help trapped workers struggling to breathe, it added.

Sky's Foreign Affairs Correspondent Lisa Holland said: "That's a positive development compared to, for example, the Chilean mine collapse in 2010, when dozens of workers were trapped for two months."

A rescue mission is under way with teams from across Manisa sent to Soma to help.

Mining accidents are not unheard of in Turkey, where workers sometimes endure poor safety conditions.

The country's worst mining disaster was in 1992, when a gas explosion killed 270 workers near the Black Sea port of Zonguldak.

More follows...

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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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Nigeria Girls' Parents Spot Daughters In Video

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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