Nigeria Boko Haram: 'Hundreds' attack Maiduguri

Nigeria under attack

Hundreds of militants have staged a multi-pronged attack on the northern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, witnesses say.

On entering the city, the attackers split into smaller groups - heading for the barracks, the university and an area where civil servants live.
"They set many houses on fire and killed innocent people," one resident told a local newspaper.
Militants suspected to be from Boko Haram have killed 500 people this year.
Local residents say there was a heavy exchange of fire near Giwa barracks, as the military tried to fight off the insurgents.

Ukraine crisis: US and Russia set for key London talk

US Secretary of State John Kerry's talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov are being seen as a last-ditch effort to reduce tension in Crimea and Ukraine

US Secretary of State John Kerry is in London for key talks on Ukraine with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, as a disputed referendum in Crimea looms on Sunday.

Mr Kerry is expected to warn Mr Lavrov that the referendum and Russia's military intervention in Crimea could trigger concerted US and EU sanctions.
He has warned of "very serious steps" if Russia annexes the region.
Russia insisted at the UN on Thursday it did "not want war" with Ukraine.
During an emergency meeting of the Security Council, Moscow's ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin defended the right of Crimea, which is predominantly ethnic Russian, to decide whether or not to join the Russian Federation.
Russia's military intervention followed the fall of Ukraine's pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych on 22 February.Ukrainian and Russian press reaction

The Kerry-Lavrov talks and Crimean referendum dominate the media, with Ukrainian commentators gloomy while Russian papers scent victory.
Leonid Kravchuk, Ukraine's first president, calls on the country to "immediately launch a bid to join Nato" and seek international peacekeepers, according to Den daily.
Pundit Stepan Havrysh writes in Hazeta that the referendum "will be rigged", as the "illegal Crimean authorities have simply decided to join Russia".
In Russia, Nezavisimaya Gazeta sees nothing to discuss. "Even the hottest heads in Washington now admit that the Crimea question is completely settled, a fait accompli".
Moskovsky Komsomolets tabloid draws historical parallels. "Serious people are trying to scare us by asking 'Do you realize how much it will cost to annex Crimea?' Well, how much did it cost Britain to send its navy to war with Argentina for the completely useless Falklands?"
Pro-government Izvestia sees the start of a "new ideology of reclaiming Russian lands", for which President Putin will be "forgiven everything and anything".
Russian historian Dmitry Shusharin is not so sure. "Crimea is a modern-day Pearl Harbour," he writes in the Ukrainian daily Den.

'Serious steps'

Mesut Ozil: Arsenal's record buy out for month with hamstring injury

Mesut Ozil's hamstring strain will keep him sidelined for at least four weeks, scans have revealed.

The Arsenal midfielder, 25, was injured in the second minute of Tuesday's Champions League exit at Bayern Munich but played on until half-time.
The club's £42.4m record signing will miss Sunday's trip to Tottenham, as well as games against Chelsea, Swansea, Manchester City and Everton.

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