Freed US Soldier Was 'Held In Cage For Weeks'

Six Things To Know On Bowe Bergdahl

Updated: 11:11pm UK, Wednesday 04 June 2014

Everything you need to know about Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, the US prisoner of war released by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Bowe Bergdahl had a variety of hobbies including ballet and fencing

The 28-year-old grew up in the small mountain town of Hailey, Idaho, where he was home-schooled with his older sister, Sky.

His devout Calvinist parents, Bob and Jani, taught their children about ethics and religious thinkers.

By all accounts, Sgt Bergdahl was a bookish teenager with a number of pursuits from skiing to shooting. He performed ballet, took up fencing and studied foreign languages.

He also became interested in Buddhism and tarot cards.

Sgt Bergdahl once tried unsuccessfully to join the French Foreign Legion, according to his father. He worked as a barista in Idaho before joining the US Army in June 2008.

The soldier reportedly became disillusioned with the US role in Afghanistan

According to a report in a Rolling Stone magazine profile, Sgt Bergdahl wrote an email to his parents saying he was "ashamed" to be an American.

He wrote: "The horror that is America is disgusting."

Members of his unit said Sgt Bergdahl kept mainly to himself. The New York Times cites platoon members as saying he wrote Jason Bourne-type novels in which he made himself the lead character.

He is said to have learned Dari and Pashto in his spare time and was reportedly traumatised after seeing an Afghan child run over and killed by an American armoured vehicle.

Members of his platoon say he sent all his belongings, including a laptop, home before vanishing.

Members of his unit have accused him of desertion

According to soldiers in his platoon, Sgt Bergdahl abandoned his post while on guard duty, with only a compass, a knife, water, a digital camera, a diary and possibly also a phone.

The New York Times reports that he left a note in his tent saying he did not support the American mission in Afghanistan and was leaving to start a new life.

The Pentagon concluded in 2010 that Sgt Bergdahl had walked away from his unit before he was captured by the Taliban.

Sgt Bergdahl may have attempted to escape during his captivity

The Taliban released propaganda videos during Bergdahl's time in captivity in which the prisoner, looking under-fed, denounced US foreign policy.

In one clip, a bald and bearded Bergdahl said he was "scared" he would not be able to return home. In others, he was seen eating and exercising.

In one video, he shouted at the camera: "Release me, please! I'm begging you, bring me home!"

In 2011, he is thought to have escaped briefly. When he was recaptured, it reportedly took five militants to overpower him.

"He fought like a boxer," a Taliban fighter told Newsweek.

There are claims US soldiers were killed as a result of having to look for him

Former members of Sgt Bergdahl's battalion and military officials have claimed between six and 14 soldiers died in the search for him.

But the facts seem murky, as so often in the fog of war.

Two of the soldiers whose deaths have been blamed on Bergdahl's disappearance died inside a US military outpost that was under Taliban attack, not while out searching for him.

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has said: "I don't know of any circumstances or details of US soldiers dying as a result of efforts to get Bergdahl."

He will likely face a court martial for desertion

Some have called for Sgt Bergdahl, who is said to be in stable condition at a military hospital in Germany, to be shot for desertion.

But that will not happen, according to Yale Law School professor Eugene Fidell, a specialist in military legal affairs.

He told Sky News the last US soldier to be killed for desertion, Eddie Slovik, was tied to a post and shot in 1945.

Prof Fidell thinks it more likely Sgt Bergdahl will face a court martial, a short sentence of confinement and a punitive discharge.

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MH370 Families Offer Whistleblower Reward

What Next In Search For Missing Flight MH370?

Updated: 10:50am UK, Friday 30 May 2014

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

The news that teams searching for missing flight MH370 have finished combing the patch of Indian Ocean 1,000 miles off the coast of Western Australia is a huge setback.

The search focused on that area because four pings - or acoustic signals - were detected almost two months ago which were thought to have come from the plane's two flight recorders.

Nothing has been found and now it appears the noises did not come from the black box recorders at all.

It has been rumoured for some time they could have been caused by the search vessels themselves.

Now the US Navy's deputy director of ocean engineering has said much the same.

"Our best theory at this point is that (the pings were) likely some sound produced by the ship ... or within the electronics of the towed pinger locator," Michael Dean told CNN.

"Always your fear any time you put electronic equipment in the water is that if any water gets in and grounds or shorts something out, you could start producing sound."

The pings may have come from another source - sound plays strange tricks that deep in the ocean - and the US Navy has officially said the comments are "speculative".

Either way, it looks like the search is back to square one.

So now it moves to a new stage. 

All existing information and data will be re-examined and the whole of the 23,000 square mile 'southern arc' will again be in the frame.

A bathymetric survey will be carried out, essentially mapping out the sea floor.

It is work already partly underway by the crew of the Chinese ship Zhu Kezhen.

Commercial contractors will then be brought in to carry out the new deep sea search.

It's possible they won't start for a couple of months, and the job will be both long and expensive.

Australia has previously said this work could cost around £40m. It is not clear how expensive the search operation has been so far.

Scott Hamilton, managing director of US-based aerospace consultancy Leeham, said all the data will have to be re-examined "from start to finish".

However, he does not believe the search will be called off any time soon.

"I think it will be some time, perhaps years, before they completely throw in the towel," he said.

And for some, news the search has ended in the area which has been the focus so far is, in a way, welcome.

Sara Bacj, whose partner Philip Wood is among the missing passengers, told Sky News: "If they'd found the hull of the plane under the water then our loved ones would be dead for sure ... (but) most family members are not willing to accept that.

"They believe something else has happened to the plane so this is validation for them that keeping their hopes alive is not crazy."

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Fifa Feels Heat Amid Fresh World Cup Claims

By Paul Kelso, Sports Correspondent, in Sao Paulo

Qatar deployed its political connections and natural gas wealth to help win the 2022 World Cup, according to allegations published by the Sunday Times.

For the second week running the newspaper has published details of meetings and deals that it claims demonstrate former Fifa executive committee member Mohamed Bin Hammam broke bid rules as he lobbied on behalf of his country's bid.

The Qatar bid deny that Mr Bin Hammam, since banned for life from football, was directly linked to the bid or worked on their behalf.

Fifa sponsor Sony has called on world football's governing body to investigate the allegations thoroughly.

Qatar deny Bin Hammam was linked to the bid or worked on their behalf

"As a Fifa partner, we expect these allegations to be investigated appropriately," the company said in a statement to The Sunday Times.

"We continue to expect Fifa to adhere to its principles of integrity, ethics and fair play across all aspects of its operations."

In a statement on Sunday, the Qatar Supreme Committee said: "Consistent with Fifa's rules we have been asked to refrain from commenting on the investigation and we will comply with that request.

"Qatar has won the bid on its merits and we are confident that at the end of the appropriate process, the award of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar will stand."

World Cup sponsor adidas said in a statement: "adidas enjoys a long-term and successful partnership with Fifa that we are looking forward to continue.

Fifa's Sepp Blatter declined to comment on the matter on Saturday

"Having said that, the negative tenor of the public debate around Fifa at the moment is neither good for football nor for Fifa and its partners."

The latest allegations, gleaned from millions of documents in the possession of the newspaper, suggest Mr Bin Hammam was in contact with bid officials as he brokered meetings between senior Fifa officials and the Emir of Qatar.

The newspaper alleges Mr Bin Hammam met Vladimir Putin, then the Russian prime minister, weeks before the vote in December 2010, to discuss "bilateral sporting relations".

Putin was backing Russia's 2018 World Cup bid, which beat England on the way to winning the right to host the tournament.

It also alleges Mr Bin Hammam helped broker a natural gas deal between his country and Thailand.

It reports that an advisor to Fifa executive committee member Worawi Makudi met senior Qatari energy officials to discuss a deal.

Qatar won the right to host the World Cup in 2010

Asked by Sky News if he was concerned about the allegation Mr Makudi said: "No, not at all."

The Sunday Times also claims Mr Bin Hammam brokered meetings between the Emir and nine senior Fifa executive committee members, and distributed £1.7m from a slush-fund to Asian football officials.

It says its latest disclosures prove that Mr Bin Hammam was actively working for the Qatar bid.

Qatar re-stated the denial issued last week after the newspaper alleged that Mr Bin Hammam paid around £3m in bribes to African football officials.

"The Qatar 2022 Bid Committee always upheld the highest standard of ethics and integrity in its successful bid to host the 2022 Fifa World Cup.

"In regard to the latest allegations from The Sunday Times, we say again that Mohamed Bin Hammam played no official or unofficial role in Qatar's 2022 Bid Committee."

Fifa President Sepp Blatter declined to comment on the matter as a meeting of the executive committee concluded in Sao Paulo on Saturday evening.

The governing body has charged US attorney Michael Garcia with investigating the allegations, and he will not report until after the World Cup.

Mr Garcia will be in Sao Paulo this week to discuss his investigation with Fifa officials.

He is also expected to attend the Fifa Congress starting on Tuesday.

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Extremism Row: 'Firm Discipline' In Tory Ranks

Gove: 'I Am Not At War With Theresa May'

Updated: 2:00pm UK, Thursday 05 June 2014

Michael Gove has said he is not at war with the Home Secretary over alleged Islamic fundamentalism in Birmingham schools.

The Education Secretary insisted that "Theresa May is doing a fantastic job" when questioned about the spat between the two over the way extremism is being handled by the Government.

His comments come after David Cameron said he wanted answers on the row between two of his most senior ministers demanding "the full facts laid before him".

As the row unfolded on Wednesday, Mrs May and Mr Gove made significant efforts to show a united front and issued three statements saying they were "working together".

Mr Cameron was forced to intervene after it was disclosed on Wednesday morning the Education Secretary thought that Mrs May was failing to properly tackle Islamic fundamentalism.

Mr Gove is said to believe extremism is the gateway to more violent behaviour and that the Home Office has refused to tackle it until it can be linked to terrorism.

Mrs May responded by making public a letter written to the Education Secretary in which she accused the department of failing to act over radical Islamists apparently targeting Birmingham schools despite warnings dating back to 2010.

On Thursday morning Mr Gove was asked if he was at war with Mrs May and replied: "Certainly not, Theresa May is doing a fantastic job. There's a lot going on."

When asked if she was too soft on Islamic fundamentalism he said: "No, absolutely not. She's doing a very fine job."

Justice Minister Chris Grayling admitted there were "tensions and debates" within Government over how to tackle Islamist extremism but denied a rift between the two.

Mr Grayling told Radio 4's Today programme: "They were very clear yesterday. They issued a statement to say that they are working very closely together on this."

He said the rows in the coalition were nothing compared to the Tony Blair/Gordon Brown days.

When asked if Mrs May and Mr Gove got on during his weekly radio call in session on LBC, Nick Clegg, who is also reported to have fallen out with Mr Gove on a number of education issues, said: "Ask them".

Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt accused the ministers of being "asleep on the job" and said: "Instead of ministers rowing, we need leadership on how we confront the very serious and worrying reports about Birmingham schools."

Some 21 schools in Birmingham have been the subject of an Ofsted investigation after a letter, which is widely believed to be a hoax, referred to an alleged plot, known as the "Trojan Horse" plot, by hardline Muslims to seize control of governing boards in the city.

Earlier this week, Sky News disclosed one of the schools had been found to be "inadequate" after failing to protect pupils from extremism.

Inspectors found: "Students have a scant understanding of other religions, the focus is primarily on Islam."

Sky News also revealed senior leaders at three schools in Birmingham were so concerned about the influence of Muslim extremists in the 1990s they wrote a letter to education ministers, which was copied to then Prime Minister John Major.

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Tribute To Gareth Huntley Killed In Malaysia

A body found on Malaysia's Tioman Island is that of missing British backpacker Gareth Huntley, police have confirmed.

The 34-year-old, from Hackney, east London, disappeared on May 27 after going on a jungle trek.

His body was found less than 100m from the sea turtle conservation camp where he worked as a volunteer.

Mr Huntley's family said "no words can describe the void he will leave".

Mr Huntley with his mother Janet Southwell

And they thanked "everyone who came together in the last week to do everything in their power to help find Gareth".

Search personnel reportedly discovered the body in a pond close to a kayak storage unit at around 12pm local time on Wednesday.

Zakaria Ahmad, head of crime investigation in the eastern state of Pahang, said DNA tests confirmed the body was that of the Briton.

His girlfriend Kit Natariga also helped with the search

The cause of death has not yet been established.

Mr Huntley disappeared after trying to find a waterfall nearly four miles away from the camp in the jungles of the paradise island.

The backpacker had been volunteering in a turtle sanctuary on the island

He told friends at the turtle project he would be back by 2pm but failed to return.

His mother, Janet Southwell, and girlfriend, Kit Natariga, had travelled to the island off Malaysia's east coast to help with the search effort.

The family statement added: "There are no words that can capture the devastation we feel right now.

"No words that can capture the kindness, warmth and spirit that Gareth exuded; no words that can describe the void he will leave in all of the lives he touched.

"Gareth lived every minute of his life as fully as he could; never without a smile and always with others in his heart. You will never leave our hearts Gareth."

Search teams were backed by paramilitary commandos, multiple helicopters, speedboats and sniffer dogs in the latter days of the hunt following initial criticism of the Malaysian authorities' response.

Prime Minister David Cameron reportedly spoke to Malaysia's prime minister Najib Razak after receiving an open letter from Mrs Southwell in which she urged him to seek more resources for the search.

Mr Huntley, who was originally from West Yorkshire, was on a sabbatical from his job in the City.

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Parents To Be Punished For Kids' Bad Behaviour

Parents have been warned by Education Secretary Michael Gove they will face punishments for failing to ensure their children arrive at school "ready to learn and showing respect for their teacher".

Mr Gove has vowed to raise school standards "higher than ever before" as he set out an uncompromising vision to get rid of what he believes is a culture of low expectations.

In a speech to the Policy Exchange think tank, Mr Gove insisted mothers and fathers have to take responsibility for their children's behaviour or face sanctions.

He also hit out at teachers who "set children up to fail" by refusing to think they might be intellectually curious or capable of greatness.

Mr Gove said: "We need to ensure that those parents who don't play their part in ensuring their children attend school, ready to learn and showing respect for their teacher, face up to their responsibilities.

"We will, later this year, be outlining detailed proposals to ensure parents play their full part in guaranteeing good behaviour and outlining stronger sanctions for those who don't."

Mr Gove wants to eradicate what he thinks is a culture of low expectations

Sky's Darren McCaffrey said: "One idea Michael Gove is considering is deducting money from child benefit payments from parents who repeatedly refuse to pay fines imposed through persistent truancy.

"Although initially resisted by the Liberal Democrats, the Education Secretary wants to strengthen sanctions on parents to 'tackle the root causes of truancy and misbehaviour'."

The Education Secretary's approach has seen him clash numerous times with teaching unions, which have accused him of a "personal ideological crusade".

But Mr Gove rejected suggestions his reforms are too demanding, and added his reforming zeal would not diminish.

"I believe we have to embrace reform, lean in to the future, set standards higher than ever before," he said.

Mr Gove said he knew what "real barriers to success look like".

"I spent the first four months of my life in care," he said.

"Both my parents had to leave school at 15.

"My sister spent all her school career set apart from other children who were just as bright as her in a school for children with special needs.

"And I know what setting children up to fail looks like."

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Madeleine Police Identify New Search Area

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

The renewed search for clues into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann is to move to a new area outside of Praia Da Luz, Sky News has learned.

Portuguese police have told Sky News a new dig will begin on land somewhere between Praia Da Luz and the town of Lagos on Wednesday.

The development comes as search teams appear to have discounted parts of the site in Praia Da Luz where digging has been taking place all week.

Several areas of scrubland have been filled in

Officers used shovels and wheelie bins to fill in some of the holes they dug on scrubland as the search entered its sixth day on Saturday.

Some of the small yellow flags that were placed on areas of interest within the site earlier this week were removed.

Sniffer dogs from South Wales Police are again on site with their handlers working in different sections of the scrubland.

The search, not far from the holiday complex where the McCanns were staying in 2007, will continue throughout the weekend.

The search resumed in Praia da Luz on Saturday

Meanwhile, the family of missing Ben Needham have told Sky News their "thoughts and prayers" are with the McCanns as the investigation steps up in Portugal.

Some of the experts involved in the renewed search were also deployed to the island of Kos in Greece in 2012 when South Yorkshire Police led a review into Ben's disappearance.

Ben vanished in 1991 when he was 21 months old, after his mother and grandparents moved there from Sheffield.

Speaking to Sky News, the Needham family said: "Our thoughts are with the McCanns in this search for Madeleine.

Ben Needham (left) and Madeleine McCann (right)

"We ourselves know that this sort of investigation will be a very difficult time for the family.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with them."

Officers have been allowed to continue their work through the weekend in Praia da Luz after the Portuguese authorities granted them extra time.

The resort of Praia da Luz in Portugal

Forensic archaeologists, anthropologists, dog search teams and various specialist police officers from several UK forces have been working on the site.

The Metropolitan Police has not revealed why it has chosen to search the area of scrubland or any details of what it has found so far.

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Comedian Tracy Morgan Critical After Car Crash

US actor and comedian Tracy Morgan has been left in a critical condition after the limousine he was travelling overturned during a multi-vehicle pileup.

Police said the limousine crashed into five other vehicles on the New Jersey Turnpike at around 1am local time.

The 45-year-old 30 Rock star is being treated at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Centre in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Sgt Gregory Williams told Sky News that one other passenger in the limousine was killed. 

CCTV footage of emergency vehicles attending the scene (Pic: NBC)

He said their next of kin had been notified.

The condition of the vehicle's five other passengers is currently unknown. 

There is no word on what caused the accident, which also involved two tractor-trailers, a SUV and two cars.

Tracy Morgan found fame on the sketch-comedy show Saturday Night Live in 1996. 

He went on to play Tracy Jordan, a caricature of himself, on the hit show 30 Rock.

It was created by his Saturday Night Live co-star Tina Fey. 

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Seattle Campus Shooter Caught By Student

Police say a student pepper-sprayed and disarmed the Seattle campus attacker after he shot four people, one of them fatally.

The attacker, armed with shotgun and a knife, opened fire on students at Seattle Pacific University.

The gunman shot four students in the foyer of Otto Miller Hall before he was disarmed by a student security guard.

Police said the student, named in local media as 22-year-old Jon Meis, used pepper spray as the gunman paused to reload.

A police officer stands at the scene of the shooting

Other students then helped subdue the attacker until police arrived.

The man detained by police has been named as 26-year-old Aaron Ybarra.

Several students were rushed to the hospital with gunshot wounds.

Aid workers stand by

One, a 19-year-old man, died a short time later.

A 20-year-old woman who was seriously wounded is still in a critical condition after five hours of surgery.

Another man is in a "satisfactory" condition, while a fourth person has been released from hospital.

Police had initially reported that they were searching for a second suspect, but later said no one else was involved. 

Students have been left traumatised by the attack

As so often after US mass shootings, the motive is unclear.

A former janitor at a gym, Ybarra had recently landed a new job at a store, packing bags and cleaning, a friend told the Seattle Times.

"It makes no sense at all," Zack McKinley told the newspaper. "He's super happy and friendly. He's an awesome guy, someone who would never let you down."

Local pastor Tim Gaydos, left, prays with former student Chris Holt

The shooting came a week before the end of the academic year.

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said: "Today should have been a day of celebration at the end of the school year. Instead it's a day of tragedy and of loss.

"Once again, the epidemic of gun violence has come to Seattle, the epidemic of gun violence that's haunting this nation."

A bouquet of flowers rests near the scene

People packed into the First Free Methodist Church on campus for a service in the aftermath of the shooting.

Dozens who could not get into the packed church gathered on a lawn nearby and formed their own groups as the sun set.

One student told a local television channel, KIRO 7 TV, that he heard a loud bang from a nearby classroom which his teacher initially thought was a science experiment.

Students pray together outside the campus church

The student, identified as Blake, said someone went out and came back and said: "I think someone's been shot."

"I was scared for about a minute," he said, adding he heard shouting and someone running past the door.

Then "cops come in through another classroom which was connected to ours and they escorted us out".

Classes at the university have been cancelled for Friday

He added: "I just saw piles of blood on the ground, just scattered throughout the lobby.

"And I actually stepped in a puddle ... I saw someone was on the ground. Someone was on top of them, their hands behind their head."

Another student, Jillian Smith, was taking a maths test when a lockdown was ordered.

After being locked in the classroom for around 45 minutes, police officers came to lead them out of the building.

Ms Smith said that on the way out she saw bullet casings and what appeared to be blood on the lobby carpet.

"Seeing blood made it real," she said.

Around 4,000 students attend the Christian university, which is about 10 minutes from downtown Seattle.

Friday's classes and other activities have been cancelled.

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IMF Sees Housing Market Threat To Recovery

Osborne Should Heed IMF House Market Warning

Updated: 11:57am UK, Friday 06 June 2014

By Ed Conway, Economics Editor

What would you like first: the good news or the bad?

Well, if you're George Osborne, the good news is that the long battle with the International Monetary Fund - the one that began last year when chief economist Olivier Blanchard told Sky News the Chancellor was "playing with fire" on economic policy - is over.

We knew as much in Washington earlier this spring, when Blanchard acknowledged that the Fund's forecasts for Britain had been overly pessimistic.

But today the saga has come to its end, with the Fund also giving the Chancellor's fiscal plans (those precise plans Blanchard had criticised) a ringing endorsement.

"The planned fiscal adjustment this year is appropriate," the IMF says in its annual survey of the UK economy - the so-called Article IV report.

This is a shift from last year, when the Article IV recommended that the Chancellor bring forward spending plans to try to boost the economy. So cause for celebration at the Treasury?

Not altogether, for there is also some bad news. The criticisms of the Treasury's tax-and-spend plans may have dissolved away, but they have been replaced with concerns of another variety: about the housing market.

Such concerns are hardly new: the European Commission already recommended earlier this week that the Government take action to prevent a housing bubble.

However, the Fund is a touch more authoritative - and more specific. Its suggestions are as follows: The Bank of England should leave interest rates on hold for the time being; it should impose limits on how much mortgage companies can lend homebuyers in relation to their incomes; it should also consider outright caps on loan-to-income levels and loan-to-value ratios.

On top of this, the Government should "consider whether [Help to Buy] should be modified or even remains necessary for the full three years of the policy. And as the volume of high-LTV transactions rises, the FPC will need to evaluate if the program is contributing to financial risks."

Like the Commission (and, well, every economist out there), it suggests that Britain needs to build more homes. However, there are no silver bullets in this enterprise, and it acknowledges that all of the above "can only be temporary palliatives to an underlying problem."

The best it can suggest is that the Government reconsider "unnecessary constraints on brownfield and greenfield developments; tax policies that discourage the most economically-efficient use of property; and underdeveloped rental markets with relatively short lease terms."

Some might see the final point as a note of support for the rental reforms recently suggested by Ed Miliband. The problem for politicians of every stripe is that the housing market's structural problems are no secret: but mending them will take many years.

Reforms to the planning system have been desperately needed for decades, but only now are they being implemented; changes to green belt regulations are an economist's dream but a local politician's nightmare – so are unlikely to be implemented before the election, if at all.

However, it is clear that the Chancellor would be foolhardy to ignore the tone of the IMF's report. For there is a growing risk of a housing bubble, and with it the political risk that George Osborne could be remembered not as the austerity Chancellor who got it right, but the man who generated yet another housing market bust.

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