the average niger deltan. while they might be sitting on land that is producing billions of dollars of wealth, on a yearly basis, they're receiving no benefits from that. on average, there's al an oil spill every day. they are not of the size of the bp spill in the gulf of mexico let's say but this is a constant problem. you have infrastructure that is not only 50 years old. but it's in a place that's quite inhospitable. the dangers and the impact of being near the oil industry, sort of hit on a number of levels. first of all, the degradation of the land. another impact on the people is there's been very little infrastructure development. so for instance, schools, the electric -- the electricity grid, they're terribly lacking in that region. to look at a situation like the niger delta and say that's their problem, because the reality is, the united states takes almost half all of nigeria's oil and gas. so we have to realize that we are connected to these issues. we cannot turn a blind eye and say oh, that is s

some gi the border with cameroon and niger in particular is very pourous. and forth across the international border particularly with cameroon. the cameroonian government and cameroonian president in particular have recently been taking boko haram even more seriously than previously. and we are working with them and with the nigerians and chadians to assist them and make sure these countries coordinate with each other. >> thank you very much. senator flake. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you for the testimony. ms. friend, with our cooperation or assistance to the military, to what extent is it complicated by some of the rules and regulations we have about dealing with militaries that have human rights abuses lodged against them or have problems that way? what restrictions are we under and how does that limit our ability to work with them? >> so essentially, sir, under the leahy provision, any unit that we suspect of having committed gross human rights violations, we cannot provide military training or assistance to. the broader implications of your quest

some gi the border with cameroon and niger in particular is very pourous. we do know boko haram does operate back and forth across the international border particularly with cameroon. the cameroonian government and cameroonian president in particular have recently been taking boko haram even more seriously than previously. and we are working with them and with the nigerians and chadians to assist them and make sure these countries coordinate with each other. >> thank you very much. senator flake. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you for the testimony. ms. friend, with our cooperation or assistance to the military, to what extent is it complicated by some of the rules and regulations we have about dealing with militaries that have human rights abuses lodged against them or have problems that way? what restrictions are we under and how does that limit our ability to work with them? >> so essentially, sir, under the leahy provision, any unit that we suspect of having committed gross human rights violations, we cannot provide military training or assistance to

this follows complaints that niger did not benefit enough from the former agreement. under the terms of this new deal, they will pay more taxes on the minerals they extract. shares ended up trading more than 3% higher. french software company has offered to buy arrival for 620 million -- to buy a rival for 620 million euros. it is seen as a play by atos to strengthen its cyber security businesses. the american drug company, pfizer, pulling the plug on its attempts to buy rival astrazeneca. $119 million, which was said to be inadequate. towel,threw in the meaning it won't be able to form the billy -- world's biggest drug company together with astrazeneca. back to you wit. >> 90 for that business update. -- thank you for that business update. a close look at what is trending online on this monday. >> hello and welcome to today's "web news," where we take a look at some of the stories making the end line -- the online headlines. tweets deemed blasphemous in pakistan. and an incredibly lifelike pencil drawing. week, twitter granted the authority to request to block certai

in 2009 and spread to nigeria but now spread to chad and niger, etc.ow many people are in the group? what is the constitution or goals? >> boko haram, we don't have exact numbers. the most important thing is that it is an extreme manifestation of a kind of shared frustration among many young people all across sub-saharan africa. boko haram is a terrorist group but a terrorist group that was initially driven by a sense of disenfranchisement, a sense of disinvestment, a sense of being on the periphery of the central government that wasn't taking care of it. a lack of employment opportunities also drove this. and that is something you see replicated across sub-saharan africa are met is why did the rise of -- why the rise of boko haram is been so dangerous. unemployment all over the world has been the highest since they started taking measurements. in the wake of the invasion in libya, arms floating around across the sahara to the south nowali and chad and northern nigeria, you have a really dangerous combination. grouparam was an islamist that ash the nam

so, whatever the united states, france and china, the other countries surrounding nigeria, chad, niger, cameroon, benin, putting each battalion of troops on the ground to help locate these girls, it's going to hopefully do something to bring a resolution to this, but six weeks on, we still have no idea where these girls are. and for the parents waiting for some kind of hope, some semblance that these children will be back to them, they're going to have to be waiting for some time to come, john. >> again, we're talking about the new u.s. effort. the u.s. says these troops will stay there as long as their help is needed, but is there any sense right now that they're getting any closer to finding these girls? >> reporter: yeah, you know, intel reports suggest these girls may have been split up into smaller groups and trafficked into neighboring chad, cameroon, niger. you're talking about an area the size of west virginia, large area, very dense, essentially boko haram stronghold. these guys come armed to the teeth, rocket propelled grenade launchers, even antiaircraft weapons. so, this se

boko haram will no longer find safe haven in chad, niger or cameroon. it means that the jointness of the pact creates, enables the nations to work together and recognise that boko haram is an international phenomenon and need to be stamped. >> reporter: while men in nigeria support the outcome of the paris summit, they believe boko haram will only disappear when the government reduces poverty and unemployment in the north. >>> mali's prime minister deployed troops to recapture the northern town, warning that his government is at war with terrorists. dozens were killed in fighting between the army and rebels on saturday. we visit the region. six government workers and two civilians are among the dead. the united nations called for the release of 30 civil servants who have been taken hostage in the town. >>> syria's air force chief was killed in fighting. general hussein ishaq reportedly died on saturday after rebels attacked a defense base. he is one of the highest ranking commanders killed in the 3-year conflict. >>> a citizen journalist in syria told h

no longer find safe haven in chad, in niger or in cameroon.s that the jointness creates -- enables various nations to work together and recognize that boko haram is an international phenomenon and needs to be stamped. >> while many nigh yearians support the outcome of the submit, they believe the threat will disappear when the government here reduces chronic poverty and unemployment in the country's north. mohammed adow, al jazeera, abuja, nigeria. >> sri lanka is marking five years since the end of the civil war. people in the north and east are angry after they were banned from holding any events in memory of their dead. ano hernandez reports from atara. >> reporter: five years after the defeat of the tamil tigers by the sri lanka turtlenecks, the praised could not. the rural hartland, tens of thousands of people flock to catch a glimpse of their military heroes. the president sounded a positive note in his address. >> what has been billed as a few country is easier to make decisions when the unity and peace among ethnic groups is strengthen

ambassador to ni niger nigeria, robin sanders from nigeria's capitol. he addressed the claims that the kidnappings are made up. >> it is not a concocted story. there is enough evidence to really underscore that not only has this happened, but that there is enough reaction to the tragtee that shows that there is a commitment, a galvanization of the nigerian nation to try to get these girls back. >> while nigh i can't's -- nigeria'smist was supposed to be looking. boko haram attacks and is this an indication that the government has no control over the northern part of nigeria? >> i think that there is a number of things at play here one of the things to keep in mind is there are a lot of -- it's a big area. i think that some from the west, we tend to for get how large this area is. the military is stretched pretty thin in a number of places, and i think you have so many soft targets that they are going to have to really look at a way of trying to coalesce these soft targets so they all are better protected by police and by military. the situation here is,

they're saying that they believe that the girls are now probably in neighboring cameroon, chad or niger. and if you think about it, it makes sense. trying to hide 200-plus girls in the forest is going to be difficult. it's difficult to feed them. there are logistical issues. breaking them up into smaller groups and ferrying them across into neighboring countries is probably what is happening. and what the parents told us is, about three weeks ago, just a couple of days after the girls were kidnapped, they saw convoys filled with young girls and what they say were militants on a road leading from nigeria into neighboring cameroon. and so, right now, a lot of fears that they may be long gone and it would be very, very difficult to track them. >> vlad, what is the hope that u.s. officials can contribute to this particular search for these girls? we know that there are american personnel on the ground. what are they hoping that they can do and achieve? >> reporter: well, you know, anything that they offer is going to be more than what the people in chibok said they've been getting. what the

that their children, their girls would be taken out of nigeria into neighboring cameroon, chad and niger, very porous border between those countries, very little security. boko haram operates freely along that border. in fact, the sambisa forest, where it is believed they initially took the girls, is a boko haram stronghold. so, real fear for the parents that they may never seen these children again as they've been split up across three different countries, john. >> nevertheless, give me a sense of the current u.s. involvement in this effort, vlad. >> reporter: what we know, john, is that another seven u.s. military personnel are set to arrive either today or in the next couple days, joining a team of 11 that's already on the ground. eventually, with the experts, advisers that will be coming in, we're looking at a team of about 50 or 60. we're not talking combat troops, just in an advisory role to provide logistical support, intelligence, mapping technologies, and they're going to need it because this is an area where the nigerian military has not been very active. as i said, this is a b

told "theon official times" the pentagon is spending nearly $70 million to train and equip units in niger and maurita nia. on wednesday, obama is expected to give a speech at west point outlining a new foreign-policy direction that focuses more on training local forces. president obama made a surprise trip to afghanistan over memorial day weekend. speaking to troops at bagram air base, obama discussed plans to keep some u.s. troops in afghanistan beyond the 2014 pullout eight. >> and once afghanistan has sworn in its new president, i'm hopeful we will sign a bilateral security agreement that lets us move forward. and with that security agreement, assuming it is signed, we can plan for limited military presence in afghanistan beyond 2014. because after all of the sacrifices we have made, we want to preserve the gains that you have helped to win. >> afghan president karzai has so far refused to sign a deal to keep u.s. troops, but both candidates on the ballot in next month's runoff in afghanistan have expressed support for the deal. the obama administration has blown the cover of its own t

which means a lot of coming and going in areas with conflict - the conflict spilling over to niger. this allowed coming and going to cameroon, making boko haram to have a base of operations in cameroon, in niger. and there's an ineffectiveness of properly shutting the gaps and focussing sadly too much on the military aspect than on the proper all-round aspect, tactic, that includes mobile adapted strategies and credibility. >> yan saint pierre - c.e.o. of modern security consulting group. thank you for joining us. >>> the us state department case the officers for the main syrian opposition group will become the official diplomatic foreign mission to the united states. secretary of state john kerry is set to meet with the president of the syrian national coalition on thursday. the united states is giving $27 million more in nonlethal aid to help the s.n.c.'s fight against bashar al-assad. in march the state department forced the syrian government to shut embassies and consulates across the united states. >>> a report accuses the slens vens have been got -- venezuelan government of co

their action. >> boko haram will no long are find safe haven in chad, niger or cameroon. it means that the jountness that this particular part creates enables the various nations to work together and recognising that boko haram is an international phenomenon and needs to be stopped. >> reporter: while many nigerians support the outcome of the paris summit, they believe the threat of boko haram will disappear only when the government reuses poverty and unemployment in the country. >>> west african leaders want to work on intelligence and border i am sure. i asked the deputy director of the african programme at the international crisis group about the approach. >> the intelligence hearing will help in terms of identifying where the girls are kept. we maintain though that there is no military solution to the problem and the solution lies with nigeria's political elite. they need to support a comprehensive approach. they have the resources and the mann power to address the problem if they want to. the problem is that they have not generated the political will to do so at this

one notorious for giving cover to terrorists so much so the local papers call it the evil forest and niger krahn troops refuse to enter it. we'll show you where it is. it looks like willing almost nothing and that's the point. this is the forest reserve. this whole forest is about the size of the state of virginia. it's full of thorny brush six feet high in some places and filled with dangerous wildlife. local reports say two died from snake bites and 20 are reportedly sick. even if they find these girls there's no guarantee they can get them out safely. the terrorist group known as boco haram has reportedly beheaded leaders in the past and he's a proud killer. says, quote, i enjoy killing anybody god commands me to kill like i enjoy killing chickens and rams. what's the status of u.s. assistance over there, wendell? >> well, shep, secretary of state kerry says the team is hitting the ground now, about 20 people from the state department, the fbi skilled in hostage negotiation and diplomacy. th there's no mention of a team going in. it was suggested no effort short of an assault will be sp

fault is on the nigerian government. >> do you think the protests we have been seeing will have the nigeranuary government take more action? embarrassment? >> the hope is that the growing social media activism, the protest that occurred in lagos and the upcoming protests in new york, d.c. and london will create increasing pressure that forces them to act deliberately and coherently. >> best of luck with your efforts. these girls need whatever help they can get. so let's hope something happens to change them. thank you. good to have you with us? >> thank you for having me. >> let's see what's trending on the website. mela? >> we know the midge mum wage is a hotly contested issue. on thursday, mayor ed -- see a little mayor ed murray announced unprecedented proposal that wage. >> i want to get to 15. i want to change the lives of those people. i want to work on rebuilding the middle class. but i want to do it right. >> the plan would raise the city's minimum wage from $9.32 to $15 over the courts of three to seven years. how quickly employers have to comply would depend upon how many worker

he starts did not exhibit an increase of niger. he is. the team. a site that sometimes good last week. it happened. into this pizza faced bite. it was not meant to vacation. he made use of them. people often like you would just be all you. costs. the new ball was hit in its duration so whats the sky. i might be over soon and often management committee hall the next day. nobody. before you do see yesterday's post that's great. fine cool day geez my youtube. he was in sydney. all the fun. i'm moderating. lust. yun. peace peace peace. come to my house why should he die. so too is in today. peace peace peace concrete. no other reason is because in disgust and horror when a prison so am i right incentives and then use the circular file. he's going to do anything she says. did you. next to it. he's been getting into the memorial and was rejected. and so will use any written the making the wind. leading the team investigation was finished she's asked me to come in on the team needs that we can discuss it with an attendance at school. this is what you stat

does this has the potential to bring problems to chad, to niger and cameroon, countries that had not had. >> that is absolutely the concern. one of the challenges is that we're seeing members of boko haram already coming across the border. now one of the things, yes, boko haram has been listed by the united states as an international terrorist organization. we have not seen them take action across the borders yet. they use those neighbors more as safe haven. we hear about the girls being taken across the borders. we already are hearing of boko haram having su substantive ties with al-qaeda. that is the frightening that we see as well as scare-mongering, which we do not want to do, but we do see potential outside of its borders. >> we've been talking about the shortcomings of nigeria's response, but isn't the country much better placed than it's been in the past with some institutional left, regularly operating institutions to respond to some of this? >> yes, it's in a better place than it has been in the past, but everything is relative. i think we have to bear in mind that the resou

he said that he had reached out to neighboring countries, cameroon, niger, chad, all in an effort to try to bring these girls home. he sounded confident in saying that he would bring them home, but he also admittedly said he didn't know where they were, christine. >> unbelievable. all right, we'll continue to follow that. thank you very much, vladimir. >> the president's wife there in nigeria also ordering the arrest of several people who are arguing on behalf of the kidnapped students. a little bit strange, the government response there so far. we're hoping they will take it as seriously as possible. >>> moving now to ukraine, where the government this morning is stepping up its efforts to force pro-russian militants out of slovyansk. intense fighting in that city so far has left at least four people dead, many more injured. a government helicopter was shot down, and the streets right now a war zone. senior international correspondent nick paton walsh live just outside slovyansk with the latest. nick, give us a sense of the situation there this morning. >> reporter: well, it's calm

. >> hillary clinton was speaking yesterday and she among others has spoken about the fact that niger nigeria's government itself bears some responsibility. let's watch. >> the seizure of these young women by this radical extremist group, boko haram is abomb inable and criminal and criminal and act of terrorism and it really merits the fullest response possible, first and foremost from the government of nigeria. the government of night year i can't has been in my view somewhat derelict in its responsibility toward protecting boys and girls in northern nigeria over the last years. >> and in fact, raj, i'm told on very good authority that our government and other governments have had difficulty responding even now where the president of nigeria says he welcomes the involvement of the west, that there are so many factions in nigeria disputing whether or not the west should be involved, that our law enforcement and military don't really know yet what it is that we can contribute because they haven't disig natured wh e ed -- designt they'll accept. >> they need to be in the lead of a stron

sometimes on foot to niger. a few blamed boko haram.what about the nigerian military committing atrocities? poetry is always been known for brutality. the nigerian military has always been known for brutality. they have no respect for human rights. i'm not surprised we're hearing that. we are documents several of these indiscriminate killings of civilians. as a matter of fact, as i mentioned at the beginning of the program, boko haram became deadly because of this reckless extrajudicial killing of innocent leaders were innocent members -- were innocent members. by the time they were killing them, it had not become as deadly as we know now. >> i want to go back to ijeoma uduma. we have you on audio skype. what are you calling for right now? governmentking the to take it seriously. not -- theyy're think it is a political thing. they think we're doing it because we want to be against them. pardon my french, we could not care less about them. it is more about these girls. these are ordinary 16-year-old girls who should be at home gossiping

reports suggest that perhaps these girls have been split up, trafficked into neighboring chad, cameroon, niger. this is an area with very poor border security. it's a dense area that is known to be a stronghold of boko haram. they operate free lly between cameroon, nigeria and chad. you're talking about a terrorist also that has a very strong defensive fortification in these areas. they are armed to the teeth, rocket propelled grenade launchers, and for countries like the united states, flying manned and unmanned surveillance flights, they are known to have acquired antiaircraft weapons, christine. so, it's going to be very, very challenging. when you're talking about 20,000 nigerian soldiers on the ground and you're adding another 80, which most likely these are not combat troops. we must stress, these are not combat troops. these are mostly folks that are going to be maintaining the aircraft used to provide the surveillance flights, it's going to be a pretty difficult challenge. >> vladimir duthiers, we hope they can use all that technology to the fullest. thank you. >>> five minutes after t

niger is the world's least developed nation. bride price is part of african custom. asse people said as well locals wealthy nigerians are offering big money for beautiful girls. a goodview, it is not thing, this man said. girl can fetch thousands of pounds depending on her beauty. iss person has no job, separated from her husband. she would welcome a wealthy husband. >> many families do not have the choice. [indiscernible] ge ofe legal ai marriages 15. childhood vanishes. this person, it was the trauma of being forced to have sex at 13. >> [indiscernible] i did not think it was about marrying somebody i would be happy with. i was so young and did not have anybody to whom i could go for device. always trying to -- it was as if he had bought me. it was not because i wanted him, but because he had bought me. he missed treated me. one day he locked me in the bedroom. it is as if he raped me. writes there can also be -- for child brides there can also be traumatic medical consequences. gynecological condition that leads to infection. at 14, a person married another marrie

we've heard there have been clashes between the niger authorities and suspected members of boko haramindication members of boko haram are crossing into neighboring countries. >> thank you very much, indeed. and editor of the newspaper premium times, thank you to you as well. >>> a remind wesh people all over the world have been taking part in a social media campaign to highlight the story of those abducted nigerian girls. you can go to our facebook page at facebook.com/bbcworldnews. to see some of the images people have been posting using the # bringbackour, girls. british schoolgirl yousafzai among those posting. if you have a photo to share send it directly to our facebook page in the comments section or as a message as well. >>> you're watching "gmt" on bbc world news. let's go to aaron. >> let's go over to aaron. i've got big news from a very big company that's got the tech world abuzz once again. i'll explain. thanks very much, tim. hello, there. actually, in fact, it's set to be, could be, the biggest tech company debut in history. because after months of speculation, china's al

it spilled over into chad, cameroon, and niger, it's a pretty big mess. >> i saw the video of the manhe's the spokesman saying, we have taken your children, laughs and says we're going do sell them. who are these people? >> well, they're islamic militants and they have been very active in that entire region. they say that any schooling from western sources is anathema to the way people should live. they've been killing villagers who have been going to western education type schools -- >> especially girls. >> kidnapping the girls and killing everybody else. hundreds of deaths at the hands of this group. this latest event has propelled itself into the public consciousness because it's so extraordinary, taking more than 200 girls. these participants from the united states, the fbi,cry creigh, -- cia, others going to nigeria, the intelligence group, is probably thinking we're not only here to help nigeria find these girls. we're here to learn more about this group. because it's becoming more influential and more pervasive in this part of africa. >> one thing i didn't realize the local sch

. >> many niger yens have sharply criticized their president for his slow response. >> nigeria's president rejected international help for weeks. >> with three weeks before president goodluck jonathan said anything about the kidnapping publicly. >> jon: just want to be clear. goodluck jonathan is is the nigerian president's actual name. (laughter) they are not just saying-- the president of a corrupt divided country overrun with nut bag terrorists who have also infiltrated your military good did luck, jonathan, that's not it his actual name. not a modifier. so the president of nigeria took three weeks to speak publicly about one of the most horrifying atrocities any country could suffer. why is he telling us that. >> the abductions in nigeria were unable to-- but the story did not gain traction on-line until april 23rd. when two nigerians tweeted #bring back our daughters. within days a new slogan #bring back our girls was being shared around the world. >> jon: i owe twitter an apology. not just for casual-- (laughter) and the reason nigeria turned down any international assistance but now

this joint front by niger, chad, cameroon and nigeria is going to be something that helps in the long time. in the short-term, if they act quickly it can help in finding the location where the more than 270 were ab ducted were held and may be helped in rescuing them. this has been helped by many. how about the warning that there is need to look into the issues that have brought about boko haram in the beginning, including poverty and employment, and unfairness in the distribution of the country's wealth. >>> now, the veteran sudanese leader has been arrested. he was detained after blaming authorities for violence in darfur. there are fears his arrest will increase political tensions ahead of elections next jeer >>> the husband of a pregnant sued niece woman sentenced to death for aposta sis with convicted for allegedly abandoning is lame and marrying a christian. a judge ruled she should be hanged. her husband is a u.s. citizen but says he has refused no help from the embassy. >> translation: considering i'm an american citizen, i'm disappointed with america's position. i reported it

across the region, and that will expand counterterrorism operations with new bases in mali, chad, niger, and ivory coast. host governments are said to welcomed the move and francis hollande appears to have the backing at home for a long-term commitment. >> we understand, contrary to the americans, it's not just about the nature of victory, you need to make sure that the post conflict phase goes well. you need to stablilize and stick around for a long time. >> reporter: the french calculate intervention carries minimal risks. french casualties have been light, and despite the spending cuts it's something they can afford for now. as with any military operation with a vaguely defined goal, it's easy to send troops in, harder to know when to pull them out. >>> pakistan's prime minister says the country is on a war footing to deal with the spread of polio, and the army has been called in to help. the world health organisation has asked pakistan, cameroon and syria to ensure that all residents and long-term visitors are vaccinated for polio before travelling abroad. the who says the disease h

childhood, their right to education and opportunities according to unicef, in over 70% of marriages in niger girls are underage. in chad and bangladesh, it's over 60% and in mozambique, more than 50% of girls are married off before they turn 18. child marriage also has a very detrimental affect on the health of girls, who often become mothers at a young age. we take a closer look at this problem in mozambique. >> ilse guambe is 15 years old and a mother. that's nothing unusual in rural mozambique, where half of all girls are married before they're of legal age. one in five is married before the age of 15. their husbands' families generally just see them as cheap labor. >> after i had my baby, my parents sent me to my in-laws. all they did was insult me. i wasn't welcome there. >> and ilse was one of the lucky ones. she and her child are healthy. essita muhlanga lives far away from the nearest hospital. >> it happened during the birth. when it was over, i was incontinent. >> her husband works in south africa. just 14, essita was alone when she went into labor. her baby was too big, and the bi

. >>> in niger the pressure on the government is growing to find more than 200 kidnapped school girls and there could be a setback. >>> in mexico a crackdown on stow aways that ride the trains - is making

there are reports they've been split up and moved into neighboring chad, niger, and cameroon. to be sold as child brides for about $12. boko haram, by the way, actually stands for western education is forbidden. and brian, this has touched a nerve for women worldwide. and you can bet the protests will simply grow. >> certainly has. we'll stay on this story. ann curry, thanks for starting us off tonight. >>> in this country, a divided supreme court today weighed in on a matter of church and state and it's a big one. ruling that local governments do not violate the constitution by starting their meetings with mainly christian prayers which has long been a tradition in cities and towns across this country. not to mention the u.s. congress. we get our report tonight from our justice correspondent pete williams. >> we now have a moment of prayer. led by the deacon. in the name of holy jesus parish. >> reporter: the ruling is a victory for a rochester suburb where local clergy start monthly board meetings with a prayer that's nearly always christian. in a country with god on its cur

. >> boko haram will no longer find safe haven in chad, in niger or in camaroon. it means that the jointness that this particular part creates enables the various nations to wa work together and recognizing that boko haram is an international phenomenon and needs to be stopped. >> while many nigerians support the outcome of the paris submit, they believe the threat of boko haram will only disappear when the government here manages to reduce chronic poverty and unemployment in the country's north. mohammed adow, al jazeera, abuja, nigeria. >> heavily armed gunmen stormed the parliament building after attacking with anti-aircraft weapons and grenades. what you see there is heavy smoke billowing from the parliament building while gunmen shut down the nearby streets. former general khalifa haftar says his army is committed to wiping out militia groups groups that have been assassinating prominent libyan leaders. >> the battle that our national army had to launch to defend our nation, the people, and the lives of our officers that are being assassinated. this is not a

she called for the return of over 200 girls held captive in niger nigeria.n't allowed on the red carpet but promoted the cause anyway. >>> and look at the crowd there in that armored personnel carrier. the tank-like vehicle was packed with action legends like sylvester stallone, arnold schwarzenegger, and harrison ford. i don't know if they pulled the selfie thing. you know when the celebs get together -- >> i want to hear the stories on the set. >> what do they talk about? >>> host andy sandberg collaborated with pharrell williams with a little diddy about hugs on the "snl" season finale. ♪ i give more hugs my head on your shoulder ♪ ♪ hugs just a big game like a lasso ♪ ♪ you can't hug a rolling stone ♪ >> awesome. a whole new level. >>> i'm frances rivera. this is "early today." we hope it is your first stop of the day here on nbc. if you can't imagine quitting turkey, cold turkey. then you're what butterball calls a turketarian and their delicious every day selections are sure to satisfy. >>> leading the news on this monday in the new york times, south k

the same islamist terrorist group that kidnapped hundreds of niger jan school grows, boco haram, killed hundreds of people during a brutal attack. monday's attack was in northeast nigeria, the same area where the school girls were abducted. advisers from at least four countries including the u.s. are headed to nigeria to help in the search. the mass kidnapping has ignited a social media campaign. first lady michelle obama joined in tweeting it's time to bring back our girls. and malala yousafzai says the world must speak out. >> if we remain silent, this will spurt. it will happen more and more. if you want to stop it, then we have to speak. and i'm already very sad when i think so much time has passed and these girls are still in this hard situation. >> nigerian police have offered $300,000 reward for information leading to the school girls' rescue. debora patta reports from the capital. >> reporter: nigeria appealed for help for the first time since the kidnapping of the girls three weeks ago. after kidnapping of eight more girls, anger boiled over. after a slow response, the nigerian

. >> go to vladimir guttier in niger nigeria. >> reporter: right, the president saying everybody shouldand on deck to bring these girls home. they're acting as advisers, providing logistical analysis, going to look at aerial reconnaissance, providing some hostage negotiation techniques with law enforcement officials if it ever gets to that stage. today, fred, as a protest. a sit-in going on 11 days and we talked to a young mother who very much echoed the sentiments of michelle obama. take a listen. >> if 23 years ago somebody had abducted me, taken me away, it would have killed my dreams. i might be dead today. and for those kids, for nobody to care, the parents, some of the parents were here yesterday and one of them said they have nothing. all they have is the hope in the children. >> reporter: and there you go, fred. very much echoing the sentiments of michelle obama saying for these people in northeastern nigeria going through this without their children, their lives have no meaning. fred? >> and amnesty international in a report saying the nigerian government knew about this plot i