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| U.S. soldier freed in Afghanistan, five Taliban prisoners leave Guantanamo | | Sunday, June 01, 2014 2:36 AM | |
|  By Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The last U.S. prisoner of war from America's waning Afghan war was handed over to U.S. Special Operations forces in Afghanistan on Saturday in a dramatic swap for five Taliban detainees who were released from Guantanamo Bay prison and flown to Qatar. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl had been held for nearly five years by Afghan militants and his release followed years of on-and-off negotiations. President Barack Obama hailed the release in a brief appearance with Bergdahl's parents, Bob and Jani, in the White House Rose Garden, saying that "while Bowe was gone, he was never forgotten." Bergdahl was on his way to an American military hospital in Germany, a U.S. defence official said. U.S. special forces took custody of Bergdahl in a non-violent exchange with 18 Taliban members in eastern Afghanistan, senior U.S. officials said, adding that he was believed to be in good condition.
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| Family, hometown celebrate U.S. soldier's release from Taliban | |  The parents of U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl said on Saturday they were ecstatic after being informed by President Barack Obama that their son had been freed after almost five years as a prisoner of the Taliban. "We were so joyful and relieved when President Obama called us today to give us the news that Bowe is finally coming home!" Bob and Jami Bergdahl said in a statement released through Idaho National Guard. "We cannot wait to wrap our arms around our only son." A senior U.S. defense official said the parents, of Hailey, Idaho, happened to be in Washington when they received the news that their son had been freed in a deal that resulted in five Taliban members held at the U.S. facility in Guantanamo, Cuba, being turned over to Qatar.
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| U.S. soldier free after almost five years captivity in Afghanistan | |  By Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, held for nearly five years by the Taliban after being captured in Afghanistan, has been released and is now in U.S. custody after years of on and off negotiations, U.S. officials said on Saturday As part of Bergdahl's release, the United States is turning over five Taliban detainees at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the custody of Qatar, the officials said. Bergdahl's freedom followed a renewed round of indirect U.S.-Taliban talks in recent months, with Qatar acting as intermediary, the officials said.
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| Erdogan to seek Turkish presidency, reign till 2023, aide says | |  Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan will be Turkey's next president until 2023 and parliament will change the constitution to bestow more powers on the office, a senior party official said on Saturday. Turkey's most dominant politician in generations, Erdogan has said he will run for office if his party asks him to, but has yet to announce his candidacy for an August election. The three-time prime minister is widely expected to become Turkey's first directly elected president after constitutional changes made in 2007. "Erdogan will continue to serve the people.
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| Thousands march in Cyprus' first gay pride, seeking equal rights | | | Thousands of people marched in Cyprus' first gay pride parade on Saturday, calling for equal rights in a country where homosexuality is still vehemently opposed by an influential Orthodox Church. "I'm here because I support the right of everyone to be who they are," said activist Magda Zenon. "I want to live in a society where everyone has equal access to resources and the law." Cyprus decriminalised homosexuality in 1998, five years after a lone activist won a damning judgement against the country from the European Court of Human Rights. Sixteen years on, activists say Cyprus still lags far behind its European Union peers in terms of rights for gay people, and has been slow in pursuing legislation on civil partnerships. |
| Muslims march in C.African Republic capital, call for evacuation | | | By Serge Leger Kokpakpa BANGUI (Reuters) - Hundreds of Muslims marched in their last major enclave in Central African Republic's capital Bangui on Saturday, protesting against a call by the president that they disarm and demanding their safe evacuation from the city. A tense calm has returned to Bangui following two days of violence ignited by an attack by Muslim gunmen on a church on Wednesday. In a televised address on Friday, Interim President Catherine Samba-Panza promised that those responsible for the church attack would be punished and that Bangui, including the Muslim-dominated PK5 neighbourhood, would be disarmed. "We are defending ourselves because we have no one," Ousmane Abakar, one of the march organisers told Reuters. |
| Sister of slain Pakistani woman says her husband killed her | |  By Mubasher Bukhari LAHORE Pakistan (Reuters) - The family of a pregnant Pakistani woman who was bludgeoned to death in broad daylight this week accused her husband of killing her, in stark contrast to his version of a story that has shocked people around the world. Police and witnesses said Farzana Iqbal, 25, was murdered by assailants including her own father outside a court building on Tuesday because she had married a man of her own choosing, Muhammed Iqbal, instead of a cousin they had selected for her. But on Saturday, Farzana's elder sister said it was Iqbal who had killed her. "Muhammed Iqbal and his accomplices killed Farzana, and her father and the rest of her family were wrongly accused of murder," Khalida Bibi told reporters in the city of Lahore.
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