Last Two Bodies Recovered From Turkish Mine

The bodies of the lastl two miners killed in Turkey's worst industrial disaster have been recovered, bringing the final number of dead to 301.

The country's energy minister said the rescue operation at the mine would now be brought to a close as there were no further reports of missing people.

Families dispute the number of dead and have accused the Government of a cover-up to hide the true scale of the disaster.

Energy minister Taner Yildiz said there would be one final search through the mine at Soma, 300 miles south west of Istanbul, before the rescue effort was officially ended.

Vacant plots in a Soma cemetery

The tragedy has triggered a number of protests across the country over poor industry safety procedures with claims mining bosses are putting profit ahead of workers.

Turkey has one of the worst records for industrial accidents.

On Friday in Soma riot police used tear gas and water cannon on protesters as several thousands gathered amid intensifying anger with the Government.

Police use water cannon on protesters

There were further clashes in Istanbul and in the western city of Izmir, where scores of demonstrators were detained.

It follows footage which appeared to show Prime Minister Recep Erdogan slapping a man and his bodyguards then beating him during a visit to Soma.

Bosses at the mining company on Friday blamed a build-up of heat for causing the disaster, saying it caused a part of the mine to collapse which made a blaze spread rapidly under the surface.

Miners carry out the crime task of searching for their missing colleagues

Many claim the problem with the mining industry stems from Mr Erdogan's decision to privatise leases at the state-controlled mines.

They say businessmen, many with political connections, moved in determined to maximise profits at the expense of workers.

The Prime Minister's aide is seen to attack a demonstrator

The Government has said there had been 11 inspections at the mine in the past five years and denied there were loopholes in mining safety regulations.

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Utah May Bring Back Firing Squad Executions

A Utah politician wants to bring back firing squads as a method of execution after controversy over a botched lethal injection in Oklahoma.

Republican Representative Paul Ray believes death by gun is a more humane and cheaper form of execution, and wants it to be an option for criminals sentenced to death in his state.

He plans to introduce his proposal during Utah's next legislative session in January.

Lawmakers in Wyoming and Missouri tried to pass similar legislation this year, but both efforts failed.

Mr Ray believes firing squads may seem more acceptable now, especially after drug shortages complicated lethal injections.

The default method of execution in the US also came under heightened scrutiny last month when prisoner Clayton Lockett's vein collapsed and he died of a heart attack more than 40 minutes later.

"It sounds like the Wild West, but it's probably the most humane way to kill somebody," Mr Ray said.

Clayton Lockett died in pain after a botched lethal injection

"The prisoner dies instantly. It sounds draconian. It sounds really bad, but the minute the bullet hits your heart, you're dead. There's no suffering."

However, critics say things can go wrong with any method of execution.

They cite a case from Utah's territorial days in 1897, when a firing squad missed Wallace Wilkerson's heart and it took him 27 minutes to die.

Utah outlawed firing squads in 2004, citing the excessive media attention it gave inmates.

But those sentenced to death before that date still have the option of choosing it.

The last execution by rifle in the state was 2010, when five police officers used .30-caliber Winchester rifles to kill Ronnie Lee Gardner, who murdered a lawyer in 1985 while trying to escape from a courthouse.

Ray's proposal would give all inmates the option to be shot.

Opponents say firing squads are not necessarily a foolproof answer.

It is possible an inmate could move or police could miss, causing the inmate a slow and painful death, said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, which opposes capital punishment.

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Balkans: Worst Floods In A Century Kill 20

The worst floods to hit the Balkans in more than a century have killed at least 20 people, and there are fears that number could rise further as water recedes from deluged towns and cities.

Tens of thousands have fled their homes in Bosnia and Serbia after three months of rain fell on the region in just three days.

Boats and helicopters have been used to evacuate those affected by floodwaters, which reached the second floor of homes in some parts of Bosnia, where 12 have died.

Security Ministry spokesman Admir Malagic said approximately a million people, more than a quarter of the population, live in the affected area.

People receive food in the flooded town of Obrenovac

In the eastern town of Bijeljina, around 100,000 people were evacuated on Saturday after flood defences were unable to hold back the rain-swollen Sava River.

Mayor Mico Micic said: "We need everything, we are under water."

The rain has also caused almost 300 landslides, burying dozens of houses and cars.

Many have lost homes they have only just finished rebuilding after the 1992-95 war which killed 100,000 people and devastated the country.

Boats and helicopters are being used to rescue people

Mines from that conflict litter Bosnia's mountains, and many warning signs have been swept away, increasing the risk of deadly accidents.

More than 15,000 people have been evacuated in Serbia, where eight people have died.    

Most of those who have fled their homes have found shelter in schools and sports halls.

Soldiers and emergency crews are using boats and helicopters to rescue thousands of people trapped in the town of Obrenovac, near the capital, Belgrade.              

Many people have lost homes rebuilt after the 1992-95 war

The flooding there is threatening the country's biggest power plant, Nikola Tesla.

Capacity at the plant has already been cut after a coal mine nearby was submerged.

Residents of the nearby town of Baric have also been ordered to leave immediately, with many leaving on buses and military trucks.

There was a slight respite for some parts of the country on Saturday when the rain eased, but Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic warned a new flood wave on the Sava will hit on Sunday evening.

A man peers over at the high level of the Sava river in Sremska Mitrovica

"Our primary concern is to protect the power plant," he said.

"We are doing all we can."

Thousands of volunteers have been bused in from all over the country after responding to a government appeal to help build flood defences along the river.

Residents have used social media to help collect food, blankets and clothes for crisis-hit areas.

People build a dam of sandbags by the Sava river

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic has appealed for people to help. He wrote on his Twitter account: "Support for everyone! Let's help the endangered! Join the aid action!"

Both countries have appealed for international help and many European Union countries have sent equipment and emergency crews.

A Russian team has joined the rescue effort and a team fro the UK is expected to arrive by the end of the day.

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Coastal Town Battles Rising Erosion Threat

By Emma Birchley, East of England Correspondent

The coastal town of Hemsby is desperately seeking to shore up its erosion defences, three months after a tidal surge washed a number of houses into the sea.

Five patches of golden sand now break up the marram grass on the sand dunes in Hemsby where the houses once stood.

Angela and Tony Lewis's house, once set far back from the beach, now has a clear view of the horizon.

"You look at the sea view we never had and you think that view, lovely as it is, that is the view that is going to take our house away," said Mrs Lewis.

"We go to bed at night dreading there might be another storm and we dread what this winter is going to bring ... After this winter we don't know if we are going to have any houses left."

Even before the tidal surge of December 5, 2013, the quiet Norfolk resort had been fundraising for defences.

Some are questioning whether residents are fighting a losing battle

They had already put in place gabions - metal cages full of rocks - and vast bags of concrete at the base of the dunes. They think they helped, even though it is thought the dunes retreated 30 metres in places that night.

Many more defences have been added since, after fundraising reached £35,000.

But now the campaign group Save Hemsby Coastline is applying for much bigger sums of money from various grants, including lottery cash from the Coastal Communities Fund, in the hope of being able to afford a more sturdy and permanent solution.

Lorna Bevan-Thompson, landlady of the local pub and founder of the campaign, said: "We are trying to raise a good few million pounds to put in a preservation and protection scheme here.

"We want to make sure we can protect the remaining sand dunes we've got. This is our only barrier to the seas. If we don't protect them now, homes will be lost, businesses will be lost and we desperately need to protect what we have got left."

It is estimated that defences can cost as much as £10,000 per metre.

A notice erected by the people of Hemsby

Dr Alastair Grant, professor of ecology at the University of East Anglia, says the costs have to be weighed up.

"The sea is incredibly powerful. If you have enough resources you can build sea defences that will stay where they are but that is incredibly expensive and the decision needs to be made about the relative costs and benefits of defending a piece of coastline."

Tourism in the village, just north of Great Yarmouth, is said to make £80m a year.

But there is more than just business at stake and for the people whose lives revolve around Hemsby, giving into the sea is not an option.

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Surgeons Save Arm Severed In Pasta Machine

A 17-year-old restaurant worker whose arm was ripped off in a pasta machine has had his limb reattached in a complex series of operations.

Brett Bouchard was working in an Italian restaurant in Massena, St Lawrence County, New York, when the accident happened last month.

He was cleaning the machine when it was accidentally switched on, severing his right arm below the elbow.

The teenager quickly applied a tourniquet, recovered his forearm and was airlifted to Massachusetts General Hospital.

Doctors said normally with an accident that serious it would mean the loss of his arm for good, but they hope he will get feeling back in his fingers.

"It wasn't a sharp cut," said one of the surgeons, Dr Kyle Eberlin. "His arm had actually been sort of pulled off which makes it a more difficult injury to treat."

Brett hopes to leave hospital next week Pic: CBS Boston

Another surgeon on the team, Dr Curtis Cetrulo, said: "Because of his age he has a chance to re-grow his nerves very well, and have sensibility at the end of his replanted arm."

He added: "Our plan is to take a muscle from his groin that's sacrificeable and connect the nerve up so that when that muscle fires, he can move his arm."

Brett said: "I like to spend a lot of time outdoors and I'm very hopeful I can get back to all that stuff."

He is due to be released from hospital next week to start rehab before more surgery.

"It's given me a new outlook on life," he said. "It's making me appreciate things a lot more, and I never knew how much people cared."

His mother, Rebecca Martin, said: "He's not going to be a piano player, but he should have some function and feeling in that hand. And that's the goal."

Thousands of dollars have poured in to a web page set up to help his family with the medical costs.

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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 Gandhi 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 Gandhi'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.

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 annual general meeting was "thoughtful and sober".

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

Speaking ahead of the vote, Ms Lidbetter told delegates "catastrophic failure of governance" had taken place at the Co-operative Group but it was in its own hands to "make this business work again".

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

She said 2013 had been "a disaster waiting to happen".

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.

After the vote Lord Myners said: "My job, when I was asked by the board, was to do a thorough review of governance and I have done that.

"Quite forthright, that upset some people, but I think it was necessary to be frank and straight forward and people have obviously listened with care."

He has proposed a 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.

Euan Sutherland left the Co-op, saying it was "ungovernable"

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: "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.

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Nigeria Kidnappers Are 'Al Qaeda Operation'

Nigeria's president has said he was "totally committed" to finding the 223 kidnapped girls who were taken by Boko Haram from a school last month.

Goodluck Jonathan said the Islamist militant group was no longer a local terror threat but has become West Africa's al Qaeda.

Speaking at an international summit in Paris where Nigeria and its neighbours agreed an action plan to fight the rebels, he said Boko Haram was "acting clearly as an al Qaeda operation".

French president Francois Hollande said the plan will involve sharing intelligence, protecting borders, and a quick response in a crisis.

Francois Hollande greets Goodluck Jonathan

Mr Jonathan added: "We have shown our commitment for a regional approach. Without West African countries coming together we will not be able to crush these terrorists."

Chad's president said countries neighbouring Nigeria were ready to wage war against the militants as fears mount the group will spread beyond its borders and destabilise the wider region.

"There is determination to tackle this situation head on ...to launch a war, a total war on Boko Haram," Idriss Deby said.

Earlier, Mr Jonathan's aide Dr Doyin Okupe told Sky News the president would visit the town where the girls were snatched and said the disclosure he had cancelled a trip because of safety fears was a "misconception".

Nigerian security forces say they are not equipped to tackle Boko Haram

"We are committed to ensuring we get these girls released," he said.

The announcement by his office on Friday had prompted outrage among relatives of the girls, in a community already angry that is has taken the president so long to visit the town.

Mr Jonathan was on Saturday put under pressure from the international community to deal effectively with the problem of Boko Haram at the Paris summit.

He was urged by Foreign Secretary William Hague to improve significantly the security forces, who Mr Hague described as "not well-structured". Nigeria had to provide a "more effective response", Mr Hague said.

Mr Hague said Nigeria needed to work more closely with the neighbouring states of Cameroon, Niger and Chad, to create an "intelligence cell" to combat the insurgents.

Michelle Obama joined the #Bring Back Our Girls campaign

President Hollande said Boko Haram was linked to al Qaeda and was now a direct threat to the West.

It comes as Nigerian police told Sky News they lacked the equipment to prevent another attack by Boko Haram. There has also been mounting anger over missed opportunities to rescue the girls in the immediate aftermath of the school attack.

Leaders from Nigeria's neighbours were present at the summit along with Mr Hague, Mr Hollande and a senior official at the US State Department.

There have been long-running hostilities between Nigeria and Cameroon, which has significantly damaged the potential for joint action against Boko Haram.

However, with Mr Jonathan's attempt to drive the Islamist movement out, many have fled to the Cameroon border and the rebels have recently carried out several attacks in the country.

On Saturday, rebels attacked a Chinese plant in the north of Cameroon, killing one worker and abducting a further 10, according to reports.

The international community has galvanised efforts to find the girls, who were kidnapped on April 14, with Britain, France and US sending specialist teams and equipment.

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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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Brits Swelter As Parts Of UK Hotter Than Athens

Britain has enjoyed the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures beating those in Greece and Italy.

The mercury rose to 23.9C (74.66F) in Santon Downham in Suffolk, beating Friday's high of 23.7C (75.02F) recorded at Pershore College in Worcestershire.

It meant that the UK was warmer than Athens and Rome, which had temperatures of 21C (69.8F).

London, the South East, East Anglia and the East Midlands enjoyed the highest temperatures of between 23C (73.4F) and 24C (75.2F).

Sky News Forecaster Isobel Lang warned that the strong sunshine meant high UV levels.

And while for most the weekend will be warm with blue skies, parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland are likely to see rain.

Next week will become more unsettled with thundery showers expected all over the country although overnight temperatures are due to stay warm.

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