BBC news with Jerry Smith.
The only American soldier to be held captive by the Taliban in Afghanistan has been freed after being held for nearly 5 years.Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was released in exchange for five senior Taliban militants from Guantanamo Bay detention center.Our correspondent David Loyn is in the Afghan capital Kabul.
There are five Taliban captives in Guantanamo Bay who are on their way now across the Atlantic into the hands of the government Qatar.And the Taliban has been trying to secure their release for some years.They opened an office in Qatar last year,believing that would lead to a political process.It now turns out that secret talks have been continuing over the last few months.Sources close to the Taliban have told me tonight that they've been increasingly worried about the safety of Bowe Bergdahl.They moved him from place to place,they fear that he might be killed by other insurgents.They held on to him,and he has now been released securely.
The most senior official at Sudan's foreign ministry says the woman sentenced to death for renouncing Islam will be released in a few days time.Abdullahi Alazreg told the BBC that Sudan guarantees freedom of religion,and the government was committed to protecting the woman Meriam Ibrahim who'd married to a Christian.There's been international criticism of the death sentence against her.Abdullahi Alazreg said the Sudanese authorities were now working for her freedom.
Because there is a sentence from a court,this process is an attempt to the release.The decision of the court has to follow certain judicial and lawful procedures.It's not that .....
Turkish police have fired tear gas in Istanbul and Ankara to disperse thousands of protesters who were trying to mark the first anniversary of anti-government protests.Several protesters were detained.The Turkish prime minister had warned protesters that police would clamp down on anyone who defied the ban on demonstrations in Istanbul's Taksim square.James Renauld was there and saw the clashes.
Thousands of people gathered here on Istiklal,Istanbul's main avenue.One group headed towards a line of police,within seconds,the police charged forwards,and people started running away.The police fired tear gas,and protesters tried to disperse through side streets.As I speak now,the atmosphere is reasonably calm,I can hear a police helicopter going overhead.And many people all around me are holding handkerchieves to their faces to try to get over the tear gas.
The Italian navy says that in the past 24 hours it has picked up more than 3600 migrants coming from the north African coast.It represents one of the highest figures for a single day since the navy launched constant patrols several months ago.
World news from the BBC.
Colombian police have arrested 46 members of the Rastrojos criminal gang in what the president is calling the biggest blow against criminal organizations in the country in a decade.Police accuse the gang of extorting money from shop owners and selling illegal drugs in the coastal city of Barranquilla.They also say gang members have launched several grenade attacks against shop keepers who have refused to pay.
The chief minister of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has recommended a federal police investigation into the gang rape and hanging of two teenage girls in a village in his state.Police have now arrested five men in connection with the crime.XX in Dehli has the details.
The case has now been handed over to the country's top investigating agency,the central bureau of investigation.The girls aged 14 and 15 were found hanging from a tree early in the week.Their families alleged the police abused them,and turned them away when they approached them to look for their girls.All the suspects have now been arrested,three men and two policemen accused of dereliction of duty.But many people say the real issue is the attitude of those in power,and the way Indians treat crimes against women.
The new president of Malawi Peter Mutharika has said his priorities will be the economy and youth employment,and that he would not seek revenge over criminal charges he's facing.Speaking after his swearing in,he said he wanted private capital to play an important role in the economy.
New allegations of corruption are being made against the governing body of world football FIFA in connection with the controversial decision to award the 2022 world cup to Qatar.The London-based Sunday Times says it's obtained a large number of documents which the newspaper says confirms Mohamed Bin Hammam,a Qatari former member of FIFA's executive committee made payments totaling several million dollars to football officials.