Video shows US soldier handover

4 June 2014 Last updated at 10:38

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The video shows Sgt Bowe Bergdahl being handed over to US forces

The Taliban have released a video showing the moment Sgt Bowe Bergdahl was handed over to US forces after five years in captivity in Afghanistan.

The footage shows him sitting in a pick-up truck, before being walked to a helicopter in Khost province.

The US soldier was freed on Saturday in exchange for the release of five Guantanamo Bay detainees.

The deal has caused controversy in the US, with Republicans warning it could put American lives at risk.

The army has said it would review the circumstances surrounding Sgt Bergdahl's capture in 2009.

The top-ranking US military officer, Gen Martin Dempsey, also raised the possibility that the soldier could be prosecuted if he had abandoned his post before his seizure.

Sgt Bergdahl, from Hailey, Idaho, is in a stable condition in a military hospital in Germany.

Bilal Sarwary, BBC News, Kabul

Local sources in Khost have told the BBC that members of the Haqqani network handed over Sgt Bowe Bergdahl in the remote valley of Betani, 40km (25 miles) from Pakistan's Waziristan region.

The area is controlled by the group and its commander, Mullah Tajmir, who served as a senior intelligence official during the Taliban regime, and has close ties to Sirajuddin Haqqani and Taliban leader Mullah Omaar.

The US has long described the Haqqani group as a major threat. The network - which has also links to al-Qaeda - has carried out a series of high-profile attacks against foreign troops in Afghanistan. The Pakistan-based militant network was designated a terrorist group by the US, making it subject to sanctions in 2012.

White flag

The video, released on Wednesday, shows the soldier dressed in traditional Afghan clothing as he sits waiting in the truck.

Several armed men with covered faces are seen standing next to the vehicle and on the hillside.

A Black Hawk helicopter then lands and the Taliban fighters - one of whom carries a stick with a white flag - lead Sgt Bergdahl to a meeting point where he is being taken away by US forces.

The exchange took place in Ali Sher district of Khost province near the Pakistan border.

Since Sgt Bergdahl's release, a growing chorus of opposition Republicans have criticised President Barack Obama's decision to agree to the prisoner swap.

They have described it as a deal with terrorists, and say the transfer of five Taliban senior prisoners from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Qatar, was endangering Americans.

Some also accused Mr Obama of contravening a law requiring the White House to notify Congress 30 days in advance of any transfers of prisoners from Guantanamo.

'Sacred rule'

But the president defended his decision, saying America had a "pretty sacred rule" not to leave soldiers behind.

"We don't leave our men or women in uniform behind and that dates back to the earliest days," he said.

The administration argued that delaying the soldier's transfer to comply with congressional rules could have put the deal at risk.

The circumstances of Sgt Bergdahl's capture remain unclear, with speculation he may have walked away from his base out of disillusionment with the US campaign.

"When he is able to provide the facts, we'll learn what happened," said Gen Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"Like any American, he is innocent until proven guilty. Our Army's leaders will not look away from misconduct if it occurred. In the meantime, we will continue to care for him and his family."

Sgt Bergdahl's parents - who have relentlessly campaigned for his release - earlier confirmed they still had not spoken to their son.

His father said the soldier would be flown to an army medical centre in Texas, following medical treatment in Germany.

Who are the freed Guantanamo detainees?

• Mohammad Fazl served as the Taliban's deputy defence minister during America's military campaign in 2001. Accused of possible war crimes, including the murder of thousands of Shia Muslims.
• Khirullah Khairkhwa was a senior Taliban official serving as interior minister and governor of Herat, Afghanistan's third largest city. Alleged to have had direct links to Osama Bin Laden.
• Abdul Haq Wasiq was the Taliban's deputy minister of intelligence. Said to have been central in forming alliances with other Islamist groups to fight against US and coalition forces.
• Mullah Norullah Noori was a senior Taliban military commander and a governor. Also accused of being involved in the mass killings of Shia Muslims.
• Mohammad Nabi Omari held multiple Taliban leadership roles, including chief of security. Alleged to have been involved in attacks against US and coalition forces.

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Tiananmen tense on rally anniversary

4 June 2014 Last updated at 10:41

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Carrie Gracie has been back to Beijing to find out what young people think today

Chinese security personnel have swamped Beijing's Tiananmen Square on the 25th anniversary of the Beijing massacre.

Foreign journalists were ushered away from the square and passers-by were searched and had their papers checked.

In recent weeks, the authorities have detained dozens of activists to ensure their silence on the anniversary.

The 1989 protesters wanted political reform, but the crackdown was ordered after hardliners won a power struggle within the ruling Communist Party.

The authorities classify the 1989 protests as counter-revolutionary riots and hold no memorial.

In Hong Kong, however, thousands are expected to take part in a Tiananmen remembrance rally.

Activist groups in Taiwan are also marking the anniversary by erecting a huge image of Tiananmen Square during the crackdown.

Both the Taiwanese and Japanese governments urged Beijing to use the memory of the protests to improve its attitude to human rights.

In the weeks before this year's anniversary, the Chinese authorities have detained lawyers, journalists and activists.

Rights group Amnesty International said in a statement that 66 people had been detained, questioned or had gone missing.

Internet search terms related to the 1989 massacre and the protests have been blocked, and access on Google has reportedly been restricted.

Relatives of those killed in the massacre were allowed to visit the graves of their loved ones under police guard.

The relatives, some of whom campaign for the massacre to be commemorated as part of the Tiananmen Mothers group, told the BBC plain-clothes police were guarding the graveyard and they were told not to talk to the media.

Nobel Peace Prize-nominated rights activist Hu Jia, currently under house arrest, said he regretted not being able to take part in commemorations.

"But it warms my heart that those events and those sacrifices have not been forgotten after 25 years," he told the Associated Press.

Tiananmen protests

• From 1978, China opened up its economy to the world, but Communists maintained total control over politics
• In 1989, hundreds of thousands gathered in Beijing's Tiananmen Square to call for political reform
• Protesters remained in the square for weeks while a power struggle raged within the ruling Communist Party
• Hardliners prevailed and gave the order to remove the protesters by force; hundreds were massacred in nearby streets

Timeline: Tiananmen protests

Why the protests still matter

Chinese media quiet on anniversary

In pictures: Tiananmen protests

The protests were the biggest rally against Communist rule since the People's Republic was founded in 1949.

Hundreds of thousands called for democratic reforms in a peaceful demonstration largely focused on a gathering in Tiananmen Square.

After six weeks of protests, the authorities responded on 4 June 1989 with a massacre of hundreds in the streets of Beijing.

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The protests were China's biggest against Communist rule

Did events in Tiananmen Square affect you? What do you remember of June 1989? How old were you at the time and what was the impact on you in the years to follow?

We want your stories - and pictures if you have them - to feature as part of BBC News coverage on the anniversary. Get in touch by emailing us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line "Tiananmen Square". Remember to include a phone number if you are happy to be contacted.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

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Blast targets rogue Libya general

4 June 2014 Last updated at 11:49

A suicide bomb attack at the home of a rogue Libyan general - who has been leading an offensive against government-funded Islamist militia - has killed three people.

General Khalifa Haftar, a former army chief of staff under Col Muammar Gaddafi, survived the blast in the city of Benghazi, officials say.

Several people were wounded.

Benghazi is at the centre of a two-week long campaign by Gen Haftar's forces against Islamist armed groups.

He accuses the government of supporting terrorism, which the authorities deny.

Gen Haftar's actions have been backed by an array of groups, including military forces in the east as well as some members of the air force.

Libya is still in turmoil three years after the fall of Gaddafi - with political, religious and political factions locked in disagreement about the country's future.

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Obama condemns Russian 'aggression'

4 June 2014 Last updated at 12:08

US President Barack Obama has condemned Russian "aggression" in Ukraine.

Speaking in Warsaw to mark 25 years since the fall of communism in Poland, he hailed Polish democracy as a beacon for neighbouring Ukraine.

"How can we allow the dark tactics of the 20th Century to define the 21st?" he said.

Earlier Mr Obama met Ukraine President-elect Petro Poroshenko, and pledged support for plans to restore peace to the country.

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US President Barack Obama: "We stand together now and forever, for your freedom is ours"

Mr Obama called Mr Poroshenko a "wise selection" to lead Ukraine, and said the nation could become a vibrant, thriving democracy if the world community stood behind it.

Mr Poroshenko, a billionaire sweet manufacturer, was elected in May and will be inaugurated as Ukraine's president on Saturday.

Mr Obama has said he will offer US support as Kiev tries to settle a gas bill with Russian supplier Gazprom, which has threatened to cut supply.

Ukraine's struggling economy has been in recession since 2012.

During a press conference after meeting Mr Poroshenko, Mr Obama also said the US would help train the Ukrainian law enforcement agencies and military, and provide equipment like night-vision goggles.

Symbolism

The BBC's Adam Easton in Warsaw says Mr Obama chose to come to Poland for its symbolic value.

In his speech, the US president said that Poland's long struggle against occupation and tyranny was mirrored in the plight of Ukraine today.

"We will not accept Russia's occupation of Crimea or its violations of Ukraine's sovereignty," Mr Obama said.

"As we've been reminded by Russia's aggression in Ukraine, our free nations cannot be complacent in pursuit of the vision we share - a Europe that is whole and free and at peace."

Mr Obama is on a three-country visit to Europe that takes him next to Brussels later on Wednesday for a meeting of the G7 major industrial nations.

It will be the world leaders' first gathering since Russia was removed from the G8 in protest over its annexation of Crimea in March.

Mr Obama is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in France on Friday, during 70th anniversary commemorations of the D-Day landings in Normandy.

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King Juan Carlos of Spain abdicating

2 June 2014 Last updated at 11:50

King Juan Carlos of Spain is abdicating, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has announced.

Juan Carlos, who is 76, has ruled since 1975, taking over after the death of dictator Francisco Franco.

The king's son, Crown Prince Felipe, 45, will take over the throne.

For much of his reign, Juan Carlos was seen as one of the world's most popular monarchs, but recently many Spaniards have lost confidence in him.

His reputation has been tarnished by a long-running corruption investigation into his daughter and her husband.

Support for the king fell further when it was discovered he had been on a lavish elephant hunting trip to Botswana in April 2012, in the middle of Spain's financial crisis.

"His Majesty King Juan Carlos has just informed me of his desire to renounce the throne and begin the process of succession," Mr Rajoy said in a short statement.

He gave no reason for the decision, saying the monarch himself would explain, but Juan Carlos' health is failing and he has had a number of hip operations in recent years.

Spain does not have a precise law regulating abdication and royal succession, and Mr Rajoy said ministers would hold a special meeting to discuss the process by which the prince would take over as Felipe VI.

The prime minister said Juan Carlos had been a "tireless defender of our interests".

"I'm convinced this is the best moment for change," he added.

Analysis: Ignacio de los Reyes, Spain

Juan Carlos is handing over the crown to Prince Felipe of Asturias and his wife, who have the highest approval ratings in the royal family.

But the main concern is whether they will be able to save a damaged institution.

On social networks, people are already asking whether it is time for Spain to become a republic.

Some parties are calling for constitutional reform and a popular vote to pave the way for this change.

But since the return of democracy four decades ago, the two main parties in Congress have remained loyal to the monarchy.

The main reaction from political leaders so far has been of gratitude for the king's service.

An online poll at El Mundo newspaper website showed 85% of support for the monarch's decision.

Pivotal role

When Juan Carlos took over from General Franco, he became Spain's first crowned head of state for 44 years.

But he soon ignored Franco's supporters, who wanted an extension to autocratic rule, and ushered in a new system of parliamentary monarchy.

As the years went on the king involved himself less in day-to-day politics, and became more of a figurehead.

He has been credited as a stabilising force for independence-minded areas such as Catalonia and the Basque region, and he also helped defuse an attempted coup in 1981.

Until a few years ago his popularity was high, but the hunting trip and corruption allegations involving his youngest daughter, Cristina, and her husband Inaki Urdangarin, led to calls for him to step aside.

The king's son and successor, Felipe, appears to have been untarnished by the scandal.

Felipe and his wife - former television presenter Princess Letizia - have recently taken on more important roles in ceremonial events.

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The king gave a rare interview in Jan 2013 on the eve of his 75th birthday

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US to unveil curbs on coal power

2 June 2014 Last updated at 05:45

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Aleem Maqbool reports from "coal country" in West Virginia

The US government is to unveil new rules for coal-burning power plants aimed at dramatically cutting emissions that contribute to global warming.

The proposals reportedly seek to cut carbon pollution from nearly 1,600 power plants by 30% by 2030.

China and India are among the nations that have made similar commitments to stem global warming.

But critics argue the new US rules will cause power plants to close and electricity prices to rise.

"I intend to make sure America is out front in a global framework to preserve our planet," Mr Obama said in a speech last week.

"American influence is always stronger when we lead by example. We cannot exempt ourselves from the rules that apply to everyone else."

By Matt McGrath, BBC environment correspondent

The use of shale gas, fracked from huge reserves in Pennsylvania, Texas and elsewhere has already helped the US to curb its carbon. But coal is still a major factor in energy production, accounting for about 40% of electricity.

After the proposals are announced, there will be a year-long consultation, followed by another 12 months in which states will have to submit their plans for review.

Despite these delays, international observers believe the new proposals will help re-establish the credibility of the US on the international stage.

US 'to take significant step' on climate

Details of the plan have yet to be revealed, but the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, quoting sources briefed on the plan, said the Obama administration would seek a 30% cut in carbon emissions by 2030 as compared with 2005 levels.

Administration officials have described the new rules as a step toward achieving a pledge Mr Obama made in his first year in office to make sizeable cuts in US carbon emissions by 2020.

Continue reading the main story

Mr Obama's stand is politically bold. The 'war on coal' will play hard in states like West Virginia and Kentucky, where mining is important and Democrats are in a fierce struggle with the Republicans"

End Quote

The Democratic president has been unable to persuade Republicans in Congress to act on climate change legislation.

A 2010 Democratic effort to pass a bill limiting carbon-dioxide emissions and allowing companies to buy and sell permits to pollute was blocked by Senate Republicans.

Now, the Obama administration will rely on a 2007 US Supreme Court ruling that gave the Environmental Protection Agency, part of the executive branch of the US government under Mr Obama's control, the ability to regulate carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act.

Once the new guidelines are issued, it will be left to each state to develop a strategy for meeting them.

These may include increasing nuclear or solar power, switching to natural gas, or moving towards an emissions-trading plan, known as cap-and-trade.

Are you in the US? What is your reaction to the new climate change guidelines? You can send us your comments by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line "Climate".

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France arrests Syria jihad suspects

2 June 2014 Last updated at 10:24

Four people have been arrested in the Paris region and southern France, officials say, on suspicion of recruiting militants to fight in Syria.

The raids came a day after it emerged a Frenchman was being held by police investigating the murder of three people at the Brussels Jewish Museum.

Mehdi Nemmouche, 29, was arrested at a station in Marseille on Friday.

Prosecutors say he has claimed responsibility for the attack and spent more than a year in Syria.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazaneuve told Europe 1 radio on Monday: "There are people who recruit jihadists. There are as I'm speaking arrests being made."

"We are acting everywhere. There will be no respite in the fight against terrorists."

There is no suggestion of a link between the four arrests on Monday and the detention of Mr Nemmouche during a random check on a coach arriving from Amsterdam in southern France on Friday.

But Mr Nemmouche is said to have had links with radical Islamists and served five years in jail in France for robbery before being released in December 2012.

When he was arrested, he had with him a Kalashnikov rifle and a handgun believed to have been used in the attack, the Paris prosecutor said.

He was also said to have had a white sheet emblazoned with the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a jihadist group fighting in Syria, and a camera with a 40-second video showing the two guns and a voice recording, claiming responsibility for the killings.

Speaking on French radio station RTL on Monday, the head of French Jewish association CRIF, Roger Cukierman, called for more resources to be given to the foreign intelligence service, the DGSE, to track militants returning to France from Syria.

He feared "they would become 700 time bombs when they return", referring to the estimated number of French-born jihadists in Syria.

Belgium has requested Mr Nemmouche's extradition from France and police have to decide whether to extend his detention until Thursday.

Three people died when a gunman opened fire at the museum in the busy Sablon area of the Belgian capital on 24 May. They were an Israeli couple in their 50s, and a French female volunteer.

A Belgian man, believed to be an employee of the museum, was critically injured.

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Ukraine border guard centre attacked

2 June 2014 Last updated at 11:54

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Unverified video purporting to show the battle has emerged

Hundreds of separatists in eastern Ukraine have mounted an assault on a border command centre near the city of Luhansk, the border agency says.

It says five militants were killed and eight wounded when the centre came under sustained attack. Seven border guards are said to have been wounded.

A Ukrainian military aircraft has been despatched to support the centre.

Meanwhile, Russia's Gazprom has given Ukraine more time to settle its gas bill after receiving a part payment.

The energy company had previously threatened to halt shipments of gas unless Ukraine paid its bill in full and agreed in future to pay in advance.

On Monday a spokesman for Ukraine's border agency, Oleh Slobodyan, said hundreds of militants had attacked the border centre with heavy weapons.

The agency says fighting is continuing and that the attackers are firing from residential buildings, which makes it difficult for Ukrainian troops to respond.

For weeks, Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine has been the scene of deadly clashes between government troops and pro-Russian insurgents who have taken over key buildings across the region.

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US police name drive-by killer

25 May 2014 Last updated at 07:10

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Elliot Rodger had recently been interviewed by police, after he threatened violent actions in a YouTube post, as Alistair Leithead reports

US police have confirmed that a man who killed six people in a rampage in California was 22-year-old Elliot Rodger.

The student was the son of Hollywood filmmaker Peter Rodger, who was assistant director on The Hunger Games.

At a news conference, police said Elliot Rodger had stabbed three male room-mates to death at his apartment.

He later went on a rampage through Isla Vista in a black BMW, shooting at people at random.

After exchanging gunfire with police, Rodger was found dead inside his crashed vehicle with a gunshot wound to the head, police said.

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Sheriff Bill Brown: "All of these weapons were legally purchased...and were all registered to the suspect"

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said Rodger apparently killed himself during a shoot-out with police officers.

At a press conference, he called it a "chaotic, rapidly unfolding convoluted incident" that involved multiple crime scenes.

Investigators are analysing a YouTube video in which a young man who identifies himself as Elliot Rodger sits in a car and says he is going to take his revenge against humanity.

In a so-called manifesto published online, Rodger said he was born in London and spent the first five years of his life in Sussex.

"This was a time of discovery, excitement, and fun. I had just entered this new world, and I knew nothing of the pain it would bring me later on," he wrote.

Sheriff Brown said that after leaving his apartment, Rodger had gone to a sorority house, which houses female students, and hammered loudly on the door.

They did not open the door but Rodger had then shot three women in the street, killing two of them, Sheriff Brown said.

Rodger then drove his car through the beachside community - which is near the University of California-Santa Barbara campus - targeting people at random, and the sixth victim was shot dead in a delicatessen.

Seven other people were wounded.

Sheriff Brown said it was "very apparent" that the gunman was "severely mentally disturbed", adding: "It's obviously the work of a madman."

He said authorities had recovered three semi-automatic handguns after Friday's shooting.

All the weapons were bought legally and were registered to Rodger, he said.

'Had trouble making friends'

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Ricardo Martinez: "[Christopher's] death has left our family lost and broken"

Earlier, Peter Rodger's lawyer, Alan Shifman, said that the "family believes the child was the perpetrator".

He said Mr Rodger's son had been "diagnosed at an earlier age of being a highly functional Asperger Syndrome child", had trouble making friends and had been receiving professional help.

Mr Shifman added that the family had contacted police about "recent posts on YouTube" by Elliot "regarding suicide and the killing of people".

The family is "devastated" and co-operating with police, he said.

"We offer our deepest, compassionate sympathy to the families involved in this terrible tragedy," Mr Shifman told reporters outside the family home in Los Angeles,

Ricardo Martinez, whose 20-year-old son Christopher was one of the victims, spoke of his grief.

"When will this insanity stop? Too many have died. We should say to ourselves 'Not one more'," he said.

The University of California-Santa Barbara said it was "shocked and saddened'' by the shootings and confirmed that several of its students had been taken to hospital.

Asperger syndrome

Asperger syndrome is a form of autism - a condition which affects how people make sense of the world, and interact with other people.

People with Asperger syndrome tend to have particular difficulty in communicating and interacting socially.

They can also have problems understanding or interpreting other people's thoughts, feelings and actions.

For instance, they have trouble picking up subtle meanings contained in facial expressions and body language.

They tend to like routines, and can sometimes develop obsessive interests.

However, they are often of above average intelligence, and do not have the learning difficulties associated with autism.

It is thought a combination of genetic and environmental factors cause Asperger syndrome, which together impact on brain development.

There is no cure for the condition, but therapy can provide significant help.

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Belgium boosts security after attack

25 May 2014 Last updated at 07:26

Security has been stepped up at Jewish sites across Belgium after a gunman shot dead three people at the Jewish Museum in the capital Brussels.

A man who was detained by police shortly after the attack has been released without charge. A manhunt has been launched for a different suspect.

A fourth victim remains in a critical condition.

Two of the dead were Israeli tourists, a couple in their 50s, Israel's foreign ministry said on Sunday.

The Belgian prosecutor's office said the victims were struck by bullets in the face or throat and Brussels Mayor Yvan Mayeur said he thought the shooting was probably a "terrorist act".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement strongly condemning the killings which he said were "the result of endless incitement against the Jews and their state".

Belgium has a Jewish population of some 42,000, about half of whom live in the capital.

Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders, who was one of the first people to arrive at the scene, said: "You cannot help think that when we see a Jewish museum, you think of an anti-Semitic act. But the investigation will have to show the causes."

Belbium's Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo said "everything has been mobilised that can be mobilised" to find the killer.

It is believed the shooter parked a car outside before entering the museum, firing and leaving the scene quickly.

The attack happened at around 15:50 local time (13:50 GMT) on Saturday in the busy Sablon area of Brussels, which was hosting a three-day jazz festival.

One person was detained after he drove away from the museum around the time of the attack, but Belgian police say the man has now been released and is being treated as a witness.

A second suspect left the area on foot and security camera footage is being studied to try to identify the person.

The BBC's Laurence Peter, in Brussels, says people are coming up and laying flowers and candles at the entrance to the museum.

While the authorities have said they cannot confirm the attacker's motives, Joel Rubinfeld, President of the Belgian League against Anti-Semitism, told the BBC: "There is no doubt this was an anti-Semitic attack. Yesterday a cold-blooded killer went into the streets with the clear idea of killing Jews."

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