Google’s Driverless Car Could Feature Air Bags On The Outside, Patent Filing Suggests

A Google self-driving vehicle drives around the parking lot at the Computer History Museum after a presentation in Mountain View, California May 13, 2014. Reuters/Stephen Lam

Cars typically have air bags on the inside to protect the driver and the person on the passenger seat from any incident that might knock them around inside the vehicle. But Google has come up with a unique idea, which could have the company’s driverless car feature air bags on the outside to protect nearby pedestrians.

In a patent awarded to Google Tuesday, the company explained a system for external air bags and bumpers, which is designed “for protecting a pedestrian during impact with a vehicle.” According to the patent filing, the air bags will be mounted on the outside of the cars, and will be deployed when the car senses that a collision with an object is imminent.

Here is how the patent explains the system:

A system… having a bumper adapted for attachment to an end of the vehicle, wherein the bumper is comprised of a plurality of air sacs, wherein the bumper has a horizontal thickness extends from the end of the vehicle, wherein at least some of the plurality of air sacs stretch and then burst during impact between the bumper and a pedestrian causing deceleration along the horizontal width of the bumper during the impact, wherein the bumper undergoes plastic deformation during impact with the pedestrian as the at least some of the air sacs burst during impact, and wherein the bursting of some of the plurality of air sacs reduces spring back of the bumper on the pedestrian.

The patent also notes that traditional air bags and car bumpers will not be useful when fitted outside the car as they may cause pedestrians to bounce off and injure themselves. The patent provides a solution for that -- bumpers made out of “visco-elastic material.”

A drawing of Google's driverless car with external air bags.  US Patent and Trademark Office

 

Although Google did not specify what that material could be, a report by Quartz said that the “visco-elastic material” could be “a consistency somewhere between that of an earplug and memory foam.”

Google is not the only company to work on external air bags. Swedish automaker Volvo is also experimenting with the idea of airbags-on-the-outside, Engadget reported.

Google announced in January that its self-driving car would be ready by 2020, and the California-based firm is in talks with major auto manufacturers as well as tech-based hardware companies as it prepares for mass production.

According to Google, the self-driving car will have a top speed of 25 mph, and will be capable of seeing up to two football fields in clear conditions.


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Nigeria Elections 2015: Goodluck Jonathan Reelection Could Mean Violence Among Northern Muslims

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan's victory in the upcoming elections could cause deadly violence and deepened distrust over the electoral process in Nigeria. AFP/Getty Images

With northern states rallying behind primary challenger Muhammadu Bahari, President Goodluck Jonathan and his long-ruling People’s Democratic Party are expected to face post-election violence and deepened distrust over the electoral process if he is reelected for a second term in Nigeria's presidential election on Saturday. The opposition All Progressive Congress party and its supporters are expected to dispute the election results after polls have predicted the tightest presidential campaign in Nigerian history.

“The possibility of a disputed outcome is very much there and it could be very dangerous,” said Jennifer Cooke, director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. “If there are allegations of rigging – even if it’s unproved – political tensions are so high and polarization is so deep right now, that could very well lead to violence.”

Allegations of ballot rigging is a dangerous narrative in Nigeria’s presidential election, and Jonathan is no stranger to such accusations. Jonathan secured an outright victory in his last presidential election against Buhari, a former military dictator, by winning about 59 percent of the vote. But the win was hotly contested in the north and post-election violence killed 800 people in 2011 and 75,000 others were forced to flee their homes.

Last month, Jonathan decided to postpone the presidential election from February 14 to March 28 because the Nigerian military said it couldn't ensure voter safety, particularly in the northeast, where Boko Haram militants have taken hold. The delay prompted further suspicion from Jonathan's critics of vote rigging.

But security forces have claimed some success against the terror group in the last six weeks, and electoral officials said they have had more time to distribute voting cards. As of Tuesday, about 82 percent of registered Nigerian voters had collected the cards required to take part in Saturday's election, Reuters reported. Attahiru Jega, chairman of Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission, said the commission is fully prepared and nothing can stop it from holding “flawless or near perfect elections” this year, the Daily Post in Nigeria reported.

Life in northern Nigeria has changed little under Jonathan. Electricity access remains limited and many people still live in mud and thatch houses. Modern energy sources are needed in these rural areas to improve health, education, transportation and commercial development, according to the Solar Electric Light Fund, a Washington-based nonprofit.

Jonathan, a 57-year-old southern Christian from the petroleum-rich Niger Delta region, could stifle post-election violence in the north by providing the region with real economic benefits such as building roads, raising incomes and improving electricity. Jonathan must also address the national security crisis by continuing to eliminate the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast, which has killed and displaced thousands of Nigerians.

“He’s going to have to do more than tokenist public appearances,” said Darren Kew, an associate professor of conflict resolution at the University of Massachusetts Boston and the executive director of the Center for Peace, Democracy and Development.
Nigeria is Africa's largest economy and lead oil producer, generating about $70 billion in state revenue each year -- more than two-thirds of which comes from exports in gas and oil. But very little revenue trickles down to help the rural population because more than 70 percent of the federal budget is spent on the salaries and benefits of a million public officials. Nigerian lawmakers make up to $2 million a year, according to Bloomberg News.

Critics have argued that government corruption has worsened under Jonathan's administration, and Nigerian lawmakers are in politics to get rich rather than improve the welfare of the Nigerian people. Nigeria's president plays a decisive role in dispensing state revenue, and both Buhari and Jonathan have pledged to combat corruption.

Buhari, a 72-year-old northern Muslim, has publicly spoken against violence and voiced his support for a peaceful election. But it's unclear if that will prevent tensions from escalating between the predominately Muslim north and the predominately Christian south if Jonathan wins a second term.

"Our hope is that there will not be any (violence). But political history shows there will be," said Jideofor Adibe of Nasarawa State University in Nigeria.

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Friends gather to remember Philly musician who died on Appalachian Trail

Friends and family gathered Wednesday to remember Jason Parish (left), 36, who was killed last Sunday when a tree fell and struck him on the Appalachian Trail in Maryland. Jess McDowell (right) played guitar during the gathering. (left: Facebook; right: Joseph Kaczmarek/For the Daily News)

THERE WAS nothing more Michael Sparks and Kelly Quain could do, so they grabbed their gear and hiked down a trail without their friend, the weight of what just happened too unreal to weigh them down yet.

It was Sunday morning, and they were heading out from the Washington County, Md., shelter where Philadelphia folk singer Jason Parish, 36, had just been killed by a fallen tree, and the two men stumbled upon something strange, stuck in the mud. It was a vinyl record, a compilation of Dixieland jazz pressed in 1957, and Sparks grabbed it and continued on toward the car, holding it under his arm.

On Wednesday afternoon, the record was playing in The Mermaid Inn in Chestnut Hill, and the bar was mostly empty except for Sparks and his wife and Quain and his daughter. The tunes - "Muskrat Ramble," "When the Saints Go Marching In," "At the Jazz Band Ball" and others - were upbeat, with wild flourishes from the trumpeters, music that rouses people out of their seats, or whatever else is holding them down.
Quain had tears in his eyes and Sparks had sunglasses on, but they were both smiling, staring down in disbelief at the record spinning around by The Mermaid's front window. They figured they'd hang the record on a wall.

"We cleaned it up and it's like . . . perfect," Sparks said. "Then, we found out that Jason had studied classical and jazz when he first got into music and I'm like . . . this is crazy."

The two men had come to The Mermaid Inn a few hours before friends, co-workers and fellow musicians gathered there to remember Parish, who'd had his release party for his CD, "A Mountain and a Hill," at the bar in January. Quain and Sparks knew they would retell a sad story all night, crying with friends and strangers for the next few hours and again today at Parish's services in Dover, Del., where he grew up.

"I just wanted to tell you about the record before everyone got here," Sparks said.
Parish worked as an engineer at Ewing Cole, near Independence Mall. Quain, 47, of Merion, and Sparks, 41, of East Falls, are also engineers, and they all met when the three of them worked together at Brooks Bruce & Associates, on Chestnut Street near 23rd. The three made a vow to get at least one weekend away a year, even if it was in winter. Last year, they took a frigid trip to Ricketts Glen State Park about 140 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

Parish's obituary said he played guitar, piano and saxophone and was a Philadelphia Eagles fan. He attended the University of Delaware and had two beloved mutts, Trixie and Vega, that are now with his parents.

Last Friday afternoon, the trio left Philly and planned to hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail, starting near Harper's Ferry, W. Va., north about 14 miles into Maryland. They ate vegetarian stew, touched a lot of poison ivy, and visited lookouts where the slate was stacked into thrones. They slept in the Ed Garvey Shelter, one of the best on the whole trail, where they swapped stories with other hikers around the campfire they managed to build despite the deluge.

On Saturday, a random goat came to visit them while they ate dinner.
"We called it the 'Western Maryland Mountain Goat,' " Sparks said, laughing.
They both recalled Parish mentioning how wonderful the smell of a campfire was, how it always stayed with him after the trip was over.

On Sunday morning, Quain and Sparks got up first and had coffee. Parish, the "rock star," was still in his sleeping bag, they said. Quain said he and Sparks were talking about the wind, about being mindful of the trees on the hike out. They didn't hear the tree fall.

"If it snaps you hear them. This one came from the root ball," Quain said.
Parish had no time to react, Sparks said, and he stopped himself from describing more details.

The tree that hit Parish was rotted, Sparks said, and tagged for removal, most likely by the volunteers he said maintain the trail. No one knew what kind of tree it was.

By 8 p.m., The Mermaid Inn was filled with dozens of people, and some made a line straight to Sparks and Quain when they learned they were the ones hiking with Parish. They often started crying before they got to them.

"I'm so, so sorry," musician Sarah Napolitan, 32, of Mount Airy, said to Sparks as they embraced.

Musicians who knew Parish through the Mermaid's open-mic night collaborated on "Circle be Unbroken" and "The Lonesome Valley" and many more sang the songs with them.

"He was a great songwriter, great guitarist, the whole deal," said musician Mike McNichol, 58, of Glenside. "You could hear it in his voice."

The Dixieland Jazz album spun for most of the night, although no one could really hear it amid the chatter and the acoustic guitars. Whenever it stopped, though, Sparks would make his way over to the record player and reset the needle.

Vin Diesel Named His Daughter After Paul Walker

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker (Getty Images)

Get ready to get a little teary-eyed: Vin Diesel announced on Today that he named his new baby daughter after his deceased Furious 7 co-star and pal Paul Walker, who passed away at 40 years old after a fatal car crash in late 2013.

Her name is Pauline.

"He was in the room," Diesel told Natalie Morales. "There's no other person that I was thinking about as I was cutting this umbilical cord. I just ... knew he was there."

After Walker died, Diesel expressed how much he valued his relationship to Walker. "I have a lot of friends and I have a lot of family, but my most prized relationship in some ways was always Paul," he told Access Hollywood," because we started as unknowns and we became iconic together over 15 years and dealt with the pressure of that and we were free people back in 2000 and then as the fame came, we both became more and more recluse."

And now Walker's memory can continue to live on through the Pauline.

Vin Diesel and Pauline (Facebook)

Pauline is the 47-year-old actor's third child with his girlfriend, Paloma Jiménez, 31. They are also parents to Hania Riley, 6, and Vincent Sinclair, 4.

Pauline may not be able to appreciate Furious 7 at the time of its premiere, but one day, she'll be able to watch it, and she'll definitely be able to hear Diesel regale her with stories of his friendship with Walker.


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12-Year-old Girl Tries to Poison Her Mom for Taking her iPhone Away

We all react differently to harsh punishments, but this story perhaps edges towards the more extreme end of the scale. After having her smartphone confiscated by her mother, a girl from Boulder, Colorado, decided poisoning her would be the best way of getting revenge. If that’s not insane enough, the girl is just 12-years old, and she tried it twice.

According to Fox31 Denver, and Commander Heidi Prentup, who is investigating the case in the area, the girl’s mother noticed a smell of bleach in a smoothie made for her by her daughter, but thought it was left over from the glass being cleaned. She apparently felt sick after drinking it, but naturally didn’t consider for a moment she was being poisoned.

However, that all changed a few days later, when a glass of water in her bedroom smelled exactly the same. She confronted her daughter, who in a shockingly honest manner, admitted she was trying to kill her, all because the iPhone had been taken away. Aside from the iPhone, the reports don’t state if there were other problems leading up to the poisoning attempt.

Despite drinking the bleach smoothie, the girl’s mother is fine, and hasn’t been admitted into hospital following the attempt on her life. However, the 12-year old girl is now in police custody, and facing two charges of attempted first degree murder.

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Ukraine to stop buying Russian gas from April 1: energy minister

Ukrainian Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine plans to stop buying Russian gas from April 1, Ukrainian Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn said in a briefing on Monday.

"At the moment we don't need to buy Russian gas. We will simply stop buying it," Demchyshyn said. 

On Saturday, he said that Ukraine was confident Russia would have to lower the price it charges Kiev for gas as increased imports from the European Union have greatly reduced Ukraine's reliance on supplies from Gazprom.

Russia and Ukraine are discussing a new pricing arrangement once the current package expires at the end of March.

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by David Goodman)

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Having Lost on Net Neutrality, Republicans Offer a Deal

Having Lost on Net Neutrality, Republicans Offer a Deal

When the FCC delivered a clear victory to advocates for net neutrality by announcing that it would treat the Internet as a common carrier, congressional Republicans reacted furiously. Speaker John Boehner denounced "overzealous government bureaucrats" for developing "a secret plan to put the federal government in control of the Internet." Senator Marco Rubio said the move "threatened to over-regulate the Internet." Other GOP lawmakers questioned whether President Obama had interfered with an independent regulator, since he had put out a statement endorsing net neutrality just a few months earlier. (At the time, Senator Ted Cruz compared the proposal to "Obamacare for the Internet.")

Yet nearly a month later, GOP lawmakers remain divided over how to respond; one proposal would explicitly block the agency's change through a "resolution of disapproval," while another would actually cut the FCC's budget and rein in some of its authority. Court challenges to the ruling are considered inevitable, and Republicans grilled FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler in a trio of hearings this week on Capitol Hill.
 
The most interesting possibility, however, is a bipartisan compromise that, according to its supporters, would legally bar the broadband industry from segmenting the Internet into "fast lanes" and "slow lanes" while also returning the web to its status as a communications service, not a common carrier, as it was for a dozen years before the FCC announced its change. While the difference may seem like a technicality, it has taken on great significance for activists concerned that powerful firms like AT&T, Verizon, or Comcast could block content based on their business interests, or favor one company over another by providing faster or slower loading speeds over its broadband network (streaming Netflix is a frequently-cited example of something that could be affected).

Proposing the new bill are some of the same senior Republicans—Senator John Thune and Representatives Greg Walden and Fred Upton—who long opposed the very concept of net neutrality but who have changed course as advocates for Internet freedom have gained momentum over the last year.

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Obama to announce $240M in new pledges for STEM education

President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is highlighting private-sector efforts to encourage more students from underrepresented groups to pursue education in science, technology, engineering and math.

At the White House Science Fair on Monday, Obama will announce more than $240 million in pledges to boost the study of those fields, known as STEM. This year's fair is focused on diversity.

Obama will say the new commitments have brought total financial and material support for these programs to $1 billion.

The pledges the president is announcing include a $150 million philanthropic effort to encourage promising early-career scientists to stay on track and a $90 million campaign to expand STEM opportunities to underrepresented youth, such as minorities and girls.

More than 100 colleges and universities have committed to training 20,000 engineers, and a coalition of CEOs has promised to expand high-quality STEM education programs to additional 1.5 million students this year.

Obama launched "Educate to Innovate," his effort to encourage the study of science, technology, engineering and math, in 2009.

More than 35 student teams will exhibit their projects at the White House Science Fair.

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France faces 'unprecedented' terror threat, say officials

French soldiers patrol in a shopping center in Lyon on January 16, 2015 (AFP Photo/Philippe Desmazes)

Paris (AFP) - The threat of a jihadist attack in France has reached a level "without precedent" and new attacks are inevitable, according to top counter-terrorism officials.

"The threat is permanent," said one high-level official in the defence ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity. 

"Not one day goes by without an alert, the discovery of a network trying to send people to Syria or Iraq, or an intervention (by the security services).

"The number of targets has exploded. There are two or three thousand, maybe four thousand, people identified or suspected of evil intentions."

Nor are they all amateurs, the source added -- many are highly educated. "They are pros, not drop-outs," he said.

Defence ministry specialists say the jihadists "use the best encryption and concealment techniques" and that security services are "playing catch-up". 

"Every time we get our hands on a network, we see they are each using seven or eight SIM cards, changing them constantly. And the most cunning don't go near phones at all -- they use messengers."

The biggest concerns relate to the estimated 200 individuals who have returned from training or fighting in areas held by the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

"They have lost all inhibitions about violence," said another top counter-terrorism official, also speaking on condition of anonymity. 

Security services place them under the tightest possible surveillance, but resources are limited and the authorities are also painfully aware that militants may wait years before acting. 

That was the case with the Kouachi brothers who carried out the attack on Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in January. 

They had long-standing links to jihadist networks in Paris, and one had travelled to Yemen for training back in 2011, but they had gradually fallen off the radar of security services after laying low for several years. 

- Deadly competition -

Officials also fear that competition between militant groups may drive them to ever-more brutal acts.

"Al-Qaeda needs to restore its prestige and will try to compete with IS with complex and major actions," said the official. 

He highlighted the threat from an Al-Qaeda sub-group known as Khorasan, which is still thought to be planning a major airline attack.

One of Khorasan's key members is a French explosives expert, David Drugeon, who is thought to have survived an attempted assassination by a US drone strike last year.

That compares with the more conventional military threat posed by IS, the official said, "which is in the process of training commandos and sending them onto our territory with high-quality equipment". 

Since the attacks in Paris in January that left 17 dead, France has been on the highest possible alert with thousands of police and troops deployed at sensitive sites, such as media headquarters and synagogues. 

But counter-terrorism officials say this will do little to prevent an attack.

Unveiling new surveillance laws on Thursday, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the jihadist threat was "constantly evolving," emanating as much from groups based abroad as from individuals present on French soil.

"The problem is not to know if there will be a new attack," said Valls. "It is to know when and where."

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Islamic State moves west to attack Syrian army in Homs: monitor

A view seen through the scope of a weapon belonging to a sniper and rebel fighter shows a building where forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad are stationed, as seen from a rebel-controlled area in the northwestern Homs district of Al Waer February 18, 2015. Picture taken February 18. REUTERS/Stringer

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Islamic State fighters attacked a military airport in Syria's Homs province on Monday as they pushed on with an offensive against government strongholds towards the west, a monitoring group said.

Skirmishes by Islamic State -- which is strongest in the northeast and east -- into the provinces of Homs, Hama and even Damascus pose a fresh challenge for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Syria's army has carved a bulwark of territory from Damascus through the cities of Homs and Hama to the western coast by defeating other, less powerful militias including rebels fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the violence through a network of sources in the country, said Islamic State attacked a military airport in Tadmur, a town in Homs province, early on Monday.

Syrian officials could not immediately be reached for comment, and the fighting was not reported on state media.

The offensive followed a three-day battle that erupted on Friday further west in Hama around Sheikh Hilal village, the Observatory said. Islamic State was trying to cut the road from Hama to Aleppo, once Syria's most populous city, it added.

Observatory head Rami Abdulrahman, said 74 soldiers in Hama had been killed by Islamic State, which he speculated launched both attacks to raise morale after losses to Kurdish forces in the northeast.

Around 200,000 people have been killed since 2011 in Syria's civil war, which pits Assad against a range of rebels including jihadist groups such as Islamic State and al Qaeda's Nusra Front. A U.S-led coalition is bombarding Islamic State in both Syria and Iraq.

Kurdish forces, backed by coalition air strikes, defeated Islamic State in the northern Syria town of Kobani this year and other areas in the northeast.

Syrian state television said Syria's army killed 19 Islamic State fighters on Monday in the eastern province of Deir al-Zor, one of the insurgent group's strongholds.

Government supporters posted a video on YouTube on Saturday showing trucks covered in the national flag carrying coffins of people said to have been killed fighting Islamic State in Hama province.

The footage was said to be taken in Salamiyah, a religiously-diverse town east of Hama that has been attacked by jihadist brigades.

An Islamic State fighter told Reuters on condition of anonymity that the Hama campaign aimed to eventually take Salamiyah. "The ultimate goal is liberate Salamiya and Hama but it will not happen before Islamic State is 100 percent ready," he said.

(Reporting by Oliver Holmes and Mariam Karouny; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

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Five key figures to watch in Nigeria's election

Nigerian President, Goodluck Azikiwe Ebele Jonathan

Lagos (AFP) - Africa's most populous country and top economy, Nigeria, holds general elections this Saturday -- the fifth since civilian rule was restored in 1999.

Here are five key figures whose actions could shape the outcome of the vote and its aftermath. 

- Goodluck Jonathan -

Nigeria's 57-year-old leader is seeking a second term after a tumultuous five years plagued by the dramatic rise in strength of Boko Haram Islamists and a widely criticised job performance. 

Critics say he has failed to tackle corruption or improve infrastructure, especially electricity supply, but Jonathan still has supporters, particularly in the mainly Christian south of the religiously divided nation. 

Nigerians have never seen power change hands through the ballot since independence from Britain in 1960 but Jonathan has repeatedly vowed to respect the will of the voters. 

If the election tilts in the opposition's favour, all eyes will be on the president to see if he keeps that promise.

Former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari (pictured on February 6, 2015)

- Muhammadu Buhari -

The former military ruler is taking his fourth shot at the presidency since democracy was restored in 1999, and has tried to position himself as Nigeria's top anti-corruption crusader. 

Buhari, 72, insists he will win this time, refusing to even discuss the prospect of another defeat. 

If Jonathan is declared the winner, Buhari's actions could prove crucial in avoiding widespread post-election unrest. 

Experts say the predominantly Muslim north is a tinderbox that may explode if Buhari, the region's favourite son, is perceived as having been cheated out of an electoral win. 

Buhari's moves as the results come in will therefore be closely watched. 

Screen grab taken on February 9, 2015 from a video made available by Islamist group Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau

- Abubakar Shekau -

Boko Haram's leader, a wanted criminal who is suspected of orchestrating crimes against humanity, has vowed to disrupt the polls, which the Islamist group views as "un-Islamic". 

That sinister pledge may turn out to be empty bluster but given Boko Haram's proven ability to sow chaos across northern Nigeria, the possibility exists of widespread attacks, including bombings, on polling day.

Chairman of Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Attahiru Jega

- Attahiru Jega -

The head of Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has faced fierce criticism from both the opposition and the ruling party during the campaign.

But impartial observers broadly see him as tough-minded, independent administrator committed to overseeing a fair and credible vote. 

The career academic cut his political teeth opposing the brutal military dictatorship of Sani Abacha in the late 1990s. 

Given his background, most experts believe Jega will seek to declare an accurate result as quickly as possible, regardless of any political interference he may face.

Police chief in the capital Abuja, Joseph Mbu

- Security chiefs -

The independence of Nigeria's military and police around election day will likely be crucial in ensuring the vote is respected nationwide. 

The defence ministry has issued clear statements declaring itself to be a completely non-partisan actor in the polls but troubling events in recent months have raised concern. 

Officers, believed to be from the police force, fired teargas on senior opposition lawmakers as they tried to enter parliament for a key vote in November.

The opposition has specifically identified the police chief in the capital Abuja, Joseph Mbu, as being an outspoken loyalist of the ruling party. 

Observers say that avoiding confrontation between the security services and political demonstrators should be a top priority.

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Islamists capture Syria regime helicopter crew

 
Beirut (AFP) - Islamist rebels captured four crew members of a regime helicopter which crashed in Idlib province of northwest Syria on Sunday, while a fifth serviceman was killed, a monitor said.

"A regime helicopter was forced to land in the region of Jabal al-Zawiya in the northwest, which is a bastion of (Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate) Al-Nusra Front," Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP.

"Four of the crew were captured and a fifth man was killed by armed men in a neighbouring village," he said.

Abdel Rahman said the Al-Nusra Front held two of the servicemen, including the helicopter's pilot. 

Official Al-Nusra Front accounts on Twitter published photos and videos with the caption "Helicopter pilot in the hands of jihadists." 

The images depict the bandaged pilot sitting in front of Al-Nusra Front's official flag.

"To the Muslim children, to their mothers, who died two days ago because of their chlorine attack," a bearded fighter says in the video, pointing to the pilot. 

On March 17, a family of six died in Idlib province after a regime gas attack on the village of Sarmin. Opposition forces accused the regime of using chlorine, a toxic agent that can be considered a chemical weapon. 

Two other servicemen from the helicopter crash were captured by another Islamist group, and at least one more crew member was believed to be on the run, Abdel Rahman said. 

Regime helicopters are often used to drop crudely constructed barrel bombs on rebel-held areas.

Pictures provided by the Observatory showed groups of men gathering around a damaged helicopter lying on its side on a rocky hilltop.

Syrian state television confirmed a military helicopter had crashed in Idlib, saying it was due to a technical failure and that search efforts were underway to locate the crew.

In the southern province of Daraa, opposition fighters and forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad clashed in the ancient town of Busra al-Sham, the Observatory said.

At least nine opposition fighters were killed, but the casualty toll on the regime side was not immediately known.

The town has both Sunni and Shiite Muslim residents, with control divided between regime and rebel forces.

Abdel Rahman said opposition groups shelled the Shiite neighbourhoods heavily on Sunday, a day after regime forces had shelled rebel-held areas.

A regime helicopter also dropped at least one barrel bomb on the town Sunday, but Abdel Rahman had no immediate report on civilian casualties.

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Chadian helicopters bomb Boko Haram on Nigeria-Niger border: Niger army

DIFFA, Niger (Reuters) - Two Chadian army helicopters bombed Nigerian Boko Haram positions on Sunday, killing several dozen militants near a village on the border with Niger, a senior Niger military official told Reuters.

Niger and Chadian soldiers have been fighting the Islamist militants in a joint mission with Nigeria and Cameroon since March 2, in a bid to end Boko Haram's six-year insurgency in northern Nigeria that is threatening regional stability.

The helicopters destroyed several vehicles and motorcycles carrying fighters in the Nigerian village of Djaboullam, which lies east across the border from the Niger town of Diffa, the Niger officer said.

"Niger and Chad had received intelligence that a group of Boko Haram fighters had gathered in the border village," the officer said.

The Niger military officer, who requested anonymity, said Boko Haram fighters had moved to Djaboullam after they were chased from other towns by the Nigerian army. Militants were also gathering in other border towns from where they routinely launch mortar rounds into Niger, he said.

"We know they are massing in Malam Fatori, waiting for us to come," he said, referring to another northeast Nigerian town about three kilometres (2 miles) from Bosso, the nearest town across the border in Niger.

The regional offensive launched this year comes as Nigeria, Africa's most populous country and biggest economy, prepares to hold elections on March 28.

The offensive has succeeded in driving the militants from several towns and districts they previously held. Chad and Niger forces captured the town of Damasak from the militants last week.

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