Gareth Huntley: Jungle search stepped up for missing Brit

Gareth Huntley, pictured with his girlfriend Kit Nataringa, went missing during a trek

The Malaysian government has assured the UK it is using all available resources in the search for missing Briton Gareth Huntley.

Mr Huntley, of Cricklewood, north London, has not been seen since going trekking on Tioman Island on Tuesday.

After initial criticism, his family have said they are now "hugely grateful" for the search response.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond, who is in Malaysia, raised the matter with his counterpart on Sunday.

Mr Hammond "was assured that the Malaysian authorities would do all they could to locate him and had already deployed significant assets", the Foreign Office said in a statement.

On his official Twitter feed, the Malaysian Defence Minister Hishamuddin Hussein said he was helping to find missing Mr Huntley and included a picture of him meeting Mr Hammond.

The Malaysian defence minister said he was working with his UK counterpart to find Mr Huntley

Mr Huntley had gone to Malaysia as a charity volunteer for the Juara Turtle Project.

He was going to see a waterfall in the jungle when he went missing. His family fear he may have fallen and broken his leg or been bitten by a snake.

The terrain is said to be very difficult to navigate around on foot

       The police have been criticised for not helping sooner

His mother Janet Southwell, from Bradford, had written an open letter to Mr Cameron asking him to contact the Malaysian leader about the case. She is due on the island on Monday having left on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Huntley's girlfriend Kit Nataringa has now arrived on the island.

On Facebook, she wrote: "Every glance into the jungle I'm reminded he's out there on his own for the sixth day.

"It makes me anxious and I feel so helpless.

"The Malaysian and British governments are being more proactive but the reality is he's still out there, vulnerable, hungry, thirsty, tired, scared, alone and running out of time. Absolutely crucial to act fast and continue to push the authorities and rescue teams."

The family have been critical of the search efforts, with Mr Huntley's brother Mark claiming police did not initially join the search and for days it was only his friends and local people who were looking for him.

However, Malaysian police have rejected suggestions they did not take the search seriously.

A spokesman said the number of people looking for Mr Huntley had been increased to include 10 paramilitary operation commandos, five police officers, two dogs and a fire rescue team. A helicopter and patrol boats are also involved.

A local FCO diplomat has arrived to coordinate the rescue effort from the ground.

On Sunday, Mark Huntley said: "We're hugely grateful to Mr Cameron and Mr Hammond for their response and their assurances to support the local police with professional searchers who can ensure that GPS mapping and real coordination is available."

The search had been limited by rain showers and restricted to the hours of daylight.

BBC News correspondent Jennifer Pak, who is in Kuala Lumpur, said the area was a dense jungle.

"It's extremely difficult because they've been experiencing rainfall every night, [and there is] more to come in the coming days," she said.

"Also the search has been limited to daylight hours so as soon as it gets dark at 19:00 local time (12:00 BST) it has to stop.

"Even if the pathway he was using was well trodden, it's extremely wet, slippery, so it would have been very difficult."

The trek is said to take longer than the two hours mentioned on this map

Mr Huntley had been working at the Juara Turtle Project, pictured here three years ago

Earlier, Ms Nataringa spoke to BBC Breakfast.

When asked if it was out of character for Mr Huntley to go "off-track" during a trek, Ms Nataringa added: "He's adventurous but this is absolutely unusual for him because he's always in contact with somebody.

"He would never go trekking on his own with the intent of staying the night."

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Waterfall trek

Steve Riches, who has attempted the trek to the waterfall, said: "It says two hours but once you get beyond the rubber tree hinterland, you enter the jungle proper and the path is not clearly marked.

"We crossed a very boulder-strewn river bed and then realised we were lost and with some difficulty, we retraced our steps until we hit the track.

"It is slippery and you can take a fall - I did - and we just played safe and came back to the start. Others say they did it ok."

He added: "Once you've headed off one of the few tracks, and are away from the rubber plantation strip, you really are in difficult virgin jungle with rattan palm that can rip your skin to pieces.

"It can be so dense that even a companion 15m (50ft) away cannot be heard.

"I saw a python, and there were vipers, and you get covered with bloodsucking leeches, but frankly the greatest dangers are not from nature but from falling or just being completely lost without water."

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China denounces Japan and US over 'provocative' speeches

China's Wang Guanzhong said criticisms levied by the US and Japan were "unimaginable"

China has denounced the Japanese PM and US defence secretary for making "provocative" speeches against China at an Asian security forum in Singapore.

Chinese army general Wang Guanzhong said Chuck Hagel and Shinzo Abe's comments at the Shangri-La Dialogue were "unacceptable".

Mr Hagel had earlier said China was "destabilising" the South China Sea.

Meanwhile, Japan's PM Shinzo Abe had vowed to give greater support to South-East Asian countries.

The forum, which brings together the US and South-East Asian countries, comes amid growing tensions between China, Vietnam and the Philippines, with Japan-China ties also strained over disputed islands in the East China Sea.

'Unwanted criticisms'

Apparently deviating from his prepared speech, Mr Wang accused Japanese Prime Minister Abe and Defence Secretary Hagel of coordinating and encouraging each other to attack China in their remarks.

He said it was "unimaginable" to receive such "unwanted criticisms against China".

In a keynote address on Friday, Japan's Shinzo Abe outlined his vision for a more robust role in resolving territorial disputes in the region.

Vietnam accused China of sinking one of its fishing boats near the disputed Paracels Islands this week

Vessels from both countries have confronted each other in disputed waters in the South China Sea

He also offered to provide coastal boats to neighbouring countries wary of Beijing's tactics.

Chinese officials responded at the time by saying Mr Abe was using the "myth" of a China threat to strengthen Japan's security policy.

Chuck Hagel later weighed in, accusing China of threatening the region's long-term progress by undertaking "destabilising, unilateral actions asserting its claims in the South China Sea".

He warned the US would "not look the other way" when nations ignored international rules.

Tensions have flared recently, with China declaring an air defence zone in the East China Sea and adopting a more confrontational stance over the disputed islands in the South China Sea, correspondents say.

They say that although some Asean members will be reluctant to antagonise China because of their economic and political ties, others are likely to welcome an increased role from Japan.

Beijing claims a U-shaped swathe of the South China Sea that covers areas other South-East Asian nations say are their territory.

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Italian priests and Canadian nun 'freed in Cameroon'

Two Italian priests and a Canadian nun seized by gunmen in northern Cameroon in April have been freed, officials say.

The ex-hostages are said to have boarded a plane to Yaounde on Sunday.

The three were kidnapped by gunmen from the building where they were staying in the district of Maroua in the early hours of 5 April.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack but suspicion has fallen on militant Nigerian group Boko Haram.

Boko Haram Islamists kidnapped another priest as well as seven members of a French family in northern Cameroon last year.

'Joy'

Italy's foreign ministry confirmed the release of Gianantonio Allegri and Giampaolo Marta from Italy and Canadian nun Gilberte Bussier in a statement on Sunday.

It thanked Canadian and Cameroon authorities but gave no details of how the abduction ended.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said news of the release "fills us with joy".

The priests had been working on improving water supplies and fighting the spread of HIV Aids, as well as their religious duties, according to their diocese in the Vicenza region of Italy.

One of the priests had been in Cameroon for more than six years, while the other had arrived about a year before the abduction, Italian media reported at the time.

Cameroon announced it had deployed about 1,000 troops to its border with Nigeria on Tuesday to fight the growing threat from Boko Haram.

Thousands of people have died since Boko Haram began a violent campaign against the Nigerian government in 2009 and in the subsequent security crackdown.

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Cameron warned UK might quit EU over president - Spiegel

David Cameron and Angela Merkel appear at odds over who should head the EU commission

German magazine Der Spiegel says British PM David Cameron warned that the UK could leave the EU if Luxembourg ex-PM Jean-Claude Juncker became president of the European Commission.

It reported Mr Cameron as saying that the appointment could destabilise his government, which might bring forward referendum plans on EU membership.

Downing Street has not yet commented.

Mr Juncker's European People's Party won the largest number of seats in the European parliament in the May polls.

The centre-right grouping, which also includes German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, won 213 out of 751 seats in the Parliament and chose Mr Juncker as its candidate for the presidency to succeed Portugal's Jose Manuel Barroso.

But Mr Cameron and several other European leaders have voiced opposition to his appointment, which has received the backing of Chancellor Merkel.

Brussels warning

Correspondents say Mr Cameron, at an informal EU summit earlier this week, made his views clear - that he wanted a reformer to take charge of the EU executive.

Der Spiegel says the British prime minister issued the warning to Angela Merkel during the meeting in Brussels.

Quoting "sources close to the participants" of the summit, the influential magazine said Mr Cameron told Chancellor Merkel that selecting Mr Juncker could destabilise his government to such an extent that an in-out referendum on Britain's EU membership would have to be brought forward.

The magazine quotes Mr Cameron as telling the German chancellor that "a face from the 1980s cannot solve the problems of the next five years".

A senior government source told the BBC it did not recognise the language about destabilisation and that it is not something the prime minister would have said.

Jean-Claude Juncker

Jean-Claude Juncker's candidacy for EU president has the support of several national leaders

• Born in 1954, PM of Luxembourg from 1995-2013
• Veteran of EU politics who supports its social justice agenda
• Chaired Eurogroup of finance ministers during financial crisis
• Backs EU integration, played a big role in launch of the euro
• Defends EU subsidies for farmers
• Wants EU to reach a free trade deal with US

But the BBC's Chris Morris in Brussels says it is no secret that Mr Cameron opposes Mr Juncker and that the UK view is that the need for change is well-established.

The report comes a day after Angela Merkel made her clearest statement yet of support for Mr Juncker and leaves her in a difficult position, our correspondent says.

He adds that much of the German political establishment believes Mr Juncker should get the job because his party will be the largest political grouping.

EU leaders traditionally choose the Commission head on their own, but under new rules have to "take into account" the results of the European elections.

Downing Street has emphasised that it will be national governments - not the European parliament - which will have to agree on the president.

Mr Juncker's main rival is the Socialist candidate Martin Schulz.

Mr Juncker is known for his role in chairing the Eurogroup of eurozone finance ministers that had to make tough decisions about struggling debt-laden countries.

Mr Juncker is not thought to be amenable to a wide-ranging renegotiation of Britain's relationship with Brussels.

Other leaders opposing the appointment include Sweden's Fredrik Reinfeldt and Hungary's Viktor Orban.

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The handheld smartphone device which could spot cancer

A £240 ($400) handheld device which can analyse potential tumours is being developed in Tel Aviv.

The Mobile OCT device consists of a smartphone to take the images, a lens, some lights and a plastic handle.

The images are assessed by the device's operator and are then uploaded for review by a professional.

BBC Click's Spencer Kelly reports.

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Thailand troops deployed to prevent anti-coup protest

The BBC's Jonathan Head said the streets were deserted

Thousands of police and soldiers have been deployed around the Thai capital, Bangkok, to try to prevent anti-coup protesters from gathering.

Parts of the city centre have been blocked off to traffic, and train stations are closed.

Activists have been using social media to call for a nationwide protest.

The Thai army seized power on 22 May and detained senior politicians for several days, saying stability had to be restored after months of unrest.

'Avoid damage'

Demonstrations against the coup have taken place almost daily in Bangkok, despite a ban by the military authorities on political gatherings of five or more people.

Bangkok's commercial heart was almost deserted on Sunday, after the army sealed it off to stop what was expected to be a large show of defiance, reports the BBC's Jonathan Head in the city.

Plainclothes police officers arrested a possible protester amid the crackdown on Sunday

       Thousands of police and soldiers have been deployed

Deputy police chief Somyot Poompanmoung told Reuters that 5,700 police and soldiers were being sent to areas of the city, including shopping centres where previous rallies have sprung up.

"It's a business centre and we need to protectively avoid any damage if authorities need to break up a gathering," he said.

The coup leaders have repeatedly warned that they will take tough action against anyone opposing their authority.

So far there have been only minor scuffles between troops and protesters, although a number of alleged protest leaders have been arrested, our correspondent says.

Unrest

Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha announced on Friday that elections would not be held for more than a year, to allow time for political reconciliation and reform.

Thailand's military stepped in after six months of political deadlock as protesters tried to oust the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

At least 28 people were killed and several hundred injured during the unrest.

The coup comes after months of escalating tensions

Since taking power the military has summoned and detained dozens of politicians, including Ms Yingluck, as well as journalists and academics.

The current deadlock dates from 2006, when the military ousted Ms Yingluck's brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, in a coup.

Both have strong support in rural and northern areas, propelling them to successive election wins.

However, many in the middle class and urban elite, who comprise the heart of the anti-government movement that began in November 2013, oppose them bitterly.

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A Point of View: Happiness and disability

Surveys reveal that people with disabilities consistently report a good quality of life, says Tom Shakespeare. So why is it often assumed they are unhappy?

Have you ever thought to yourself: "I'd rather be dead than disabled?" It's not an unusual reflection. Disability, in everyday thought, is associated with failure, with dependency and with not being able to do things. We feel sorry for disabled people, because we imagine it must be miserable to be disabled.

But in fact we're wrong. It's sometimes called the "disability paradox". Surveys reveal people with disabilities consistently report a quality of life as good as, or sometimes even better than, that of non-disabled people.

Impairment usually makes little difference to quality of life.Research shows, for example, that overall levels of life satisfaction for people with spinal cord injury are not affected by their physical ability.

Even the clinical facts of whether their spinal lesion is high or low, complete or incomplete - all aspects that affect functioning - don't seem to make much difference. Human flourishing is possible even if you lack a major sense, like sight, or you can't walk, or you're totally physically dependent on others.

So what's going on?

If you think about it for a moment, you realise that people born with an impairment have nothing to which they can compare their current existence. Someone lacking hearing or sight has never experienced music or birdsong, visual art or a sublime landscape. Someone with an intellectual disability may not consider themselves different at all. Someone like me, born with restricted growth, has always been that way. Even if life is sometimes hard, we are used to being the way we are.

For people who become disabled, there's a typical trajectory. I can say this from personal experience, having become paralysed in 2008. Immediately after the onset of injury or disease, one can feel profoundly depressed, and even contemplate suicide. Yet after a period of time, people adapt to their new situation, re-evaluate their attitude to the disability, and start making the most of it. Sometimes, they are driven to greater achievements than before. Remember those amazing Paralympic athletes…

Maybe you are sceptical about the subjective nature of quality-of-life data. Bioethicists sometimes describe these self-reports in terms of the "happy slave" concept, in other words, people think they are happy because they do not know any better. Perhaps these cheerful people with disabilities are deluding themselves. Or, perhaps they are fooling others. Maybe in private they admit to misery, while in public they put on a brave face. Either way, it's said these folk must be in some kind of denial.

But these explanations are patronising, not to say insulting. More importantly, they're wrong. Research in a field called hedonic psychology has supported disabled people's self-reports of good quality of life. Scientists such as Daniel Gilbert have done very thorough testing of what people say and how they think. They've come up with the concept of hedonic adaptation - which refers to the way in which after trauma, quality of life eventually returns to approximately what it was before the trauma struck. Amazing, eh? Unfortunately this also happens in reverse - so, if you are lucky enough to win the lottery, you'll feel like £10m for a year or two, but then you'll go back to being as miserable or cheerful as you were before your stroke of luck.

So if these self-reports are true, we will need to find better ways of understanding the disability paradox.

To start with, we can offer more nuanced accounts of the psychological processes that go on in the mind of a person with disability. Adaptation means finding another way to do something. For example, the paralysed person might wheel, rather than walk, to, places. Coping is when people gradually re-define their expectations about functioning. They decide that a stroll of half a mile is fine, whereas previously they would only have been content with a 10-mile ramble. Accommodation is when someone learns to value other things - they decide that rather than going for walks in the country with friends, it's far more important to be able to go to great restaurants with them. This teaches us an important lesson - human beings are capable of adapting to almost any situation, finding satisfaction in the smaller things they can achieve, and deriving happiness from their relationships with family and friends, even in the absence of other triumphs.

Our appraisal of life with impairment may have less to do with reality than with fear and ignorance and prejudice. We wrongly assume that difficulties for people result in misery for people.

Omar Sy and Francois Cluzet in a scene from the film Les Intouchables, 2011

Even to the extent that impairments do entail suffering and limitation, other factors in life can more than compensate for them. Take the recent French box office sensation Les Intouchables, in which the protagonist, Philippe has tetraplegia, but despite this, he is able to have a good quality of life because he has money. Even people who aren't lucky enough to be wealthy Parisian aristocrats can enjoy the benefits of friendship or culture, despite the restrictions that impairment places on them. By contrast, it is plain to see that someone can have a fully functioning body or mind and yet lack the social networks or the personality necessary for living a happy and fulfilled existence.

This highlights the importance of the environment in determining the happiness of disabled people. As in most areas of life, it's structural factors that make the real difference. Participation, not impairment is key. Do access barriers stop you going to school with your friends? Do you have a job? Does society meet the extra costs of having an impairment through a welfare system which is fair and non-stigmatising? Do you face hostility and hate crime? Unfortunately, in most of these respects the situation for disabled people has been getting worse, not better, in recent years. According to the Centre for Welfare Reform, this government's spending cuts have had a hugely disproportionate impact on the lives of disabled people in poverty.

In arguing that social barriers are more of a problem than the impairment itself, I am not suggesting that fear is completely irrational. For a start, disability is very diverse in ways that mean we have to soften the claim that "disability is no tragedy". Some illnesses and impairments undoubtedly involve greater degrees of misery or suffering than the average human should have to endure. I'm thinking of depression, for example, which biologist Lewis Wolpert memorably labelled "malignant sadness". There are some nasty and painful degenerative diseases. Impairments that involve considerable pain, whether physical or mental, are obviously less compatible with a good quality of life.

It's also true that in general, disabled people usually have fewer choices than non-disabled people. Most societies still have limited accessibility. Even in a barrier-free world, the disabled person is more likely to rely on mechanical devices that periodically malfunction, rendering the individual excluded or dependent. I have been stranded thanks to a flat tyre on my wheelchair or a broken lift numerous times. Most disabled people become inured to the frustrations of inaccessibility or breakdown, but it certainly makes life less predictable and less free than it is for the non-disabled.

But my point is that while disability is not simply an irrelevant difference, like the colour of your skin, neither need it be a tragedy.

And remember: Mere existence entails problems. Hamlet, listing reasons why death is to be preferred, highlights "the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to". To be born is to be vulnerable, to fall prey to disease and suffering, and ultimately to die. Sometimes, the part of life that is difficult brings other benefits, such as a sense of perspective or true value that people who lead easier lives can miss out on. If we always remembered this, perhaps we would turn out to be more accepting of disability and less prejudiced against disabled people.

Find out more

• A Point of View is usually broadcast on Fridays on Radio 4 at 20:50 BST and repeated Sundays 08:50 BST
• Tom Shakespeare is a sociologist, writer and performer who researches disability studies, bioethics and medical sociology
• He was born with restricted growth and leads research into the condition

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The Magazine on happiness

There is some positive correlation between seeing meaning in life and being happy, says Pascale Harter, but studies suggest this is not a necessary condition for happiness. Studies from all over the globe collated by the World Happiness Database in Rotterdam have produced some surprising findings about what makes people happy.

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Qatar World Cup: '£3m payments to officials' corruption claim

David BondBBC SPORTS EDITOR

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Fifa is facing fresh allegations of corruption over its controversial decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

The Sunday Times has obtained millions of secret documents - emails, letters and bank transfers - which it alleges are proof that the disgraced Qatari football official Mohamed Bin Hammam made payments totalling US$5m (£3m) to football officials in return for their support for the Qatar bid.

Qatar 2022 and Bin Hammam have always strenuously denied the former Fifa vice-president actively lobbied on their behalf in the run-up to the vote in December 2010.

But, according to emails obtained by the Sunday Times and seen by the BBC, it is now clear that Bin Hammam, 65, was lobbying on his country's behalf at least a year before the decision.

The documents also show how Bin Hammam was making payments directly to football officials in Africa to allegedly buy their support for Qatar in the contest.

Qatar strongly denies any wrongdoing and insists that Bin Hammam never had any official role supporting the bid and always acted independently from the Qatar 2022 campaign.

When approached by the Sunday Times to respond to their claims, Bin Hammam's son Hamad Al Abdulla declined to comment on his behalf.

Although the vast majority of the officials did not have a vote, the Sunday Times alleges Bin Hammam's strategy was to win a groundswell of support for the Qatari bid which would then influence the four African Fifa executive committee members who were able to take part in the election.

The Sunday Times also alleges that it has documents which prove Bin Hammam paid 305,000 Euros (£250,000) to cover the legal expenses of another former Fifa executive committee member from Oceania, Reynald Temarii.

Temarii, from Tahiti, was unable to vote in the contest as he had already been suspended by Fifa after he was caught out by a Sunday Times sting asking bogus American bid officials for money in return for his support.

But the paper now alleges that Bin Hammam provided him with financial assistance to allow him to appeal against the Fifa suspension, delaying his removal from the executive committee and blocking his deputy David Chung from voting in the 2022 election.

The paper claims that had Chung been allowed to vote he would have supported Qatar's rivals Australia. Instead there was no representative from Oceania allowed to vote, a decision which may have influenced the outcome in Qatar's favour.

The paper also makes fresh allegations about the relationship between Bin Hammam and his disgraced Fifa ally Jack Warner, from Trinidad.

Although Warner was forced to resign as a Fifa vice-president in 2011, after it was proved he helped Bin Hammam bribe Caribbean football officials in return for their support in his bid to oust the long-standing Fifa president Sepp Blatter, the paper says it has evidence which shows more than $1.6m was paid by Bin Hammam to Warner, including $450,000 in the period before the vote.

The new allegations will place Fifa under fresh pressure to re-run the vote for the 2022 World Cup, which was held in conjunction with the vote for the 2018 tournament, in which England were eliminated in the first round with just two votes.

Fifa's chief investigator Michael Garcia is already conducting a long-running inquiry into allegations of corruption and wrongdoing during the 2018/22 decisions. He is due to meet senior officials from the Qatar 2022 organising committee in Oman on Monday.

But that meeting may now have to be postponed in light of the Sunday Times revelations which have raised important new questions about the link between Bin Hammam and the successful Qatari World Cup campaign.

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US 'received Qatar assurances' on Afghan prisoner deal

The US president, who was joined at the White House by Sgt Bergdahl's parents, Robert and Jani, said ''he was never forgotten''

US President Barack Obama says he received security guarantees from Qatar over five Guantanamo Bay prisoners who were transferred to secure the release of a US soldier in Afghanistan.

US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, 28, was handed to US forces after being held for nearly five years by the Taliban.

He has left Afghanistan and is en route to a US military hospital in Germany.

Five Afghan detainees were released from the US prison in Cuba and handed to Qatar, which mediated the deal.

Sgt Bergdahl, who is said to be in good condition, was the only US soldier being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

His parents said they were "joyful and relieved" to hear of their son's release.

Analysis: David Loyn, BBC News, Kabul

 A video grab image from 2010 showed Sgt Bergdahl in captivity

Negotiations for the US-Taliban prisoner swap began three years ago. US negotiators met Taliban leaders face to face in Qatar, but Taliban sources told me that the talks did not move forward because the US were pushing for a wider peace process, while the Taliban wanted to limit the talks to a prisoner swap.

The Afghan government blocked further progress a year ago, enraged when the Taliban opened a political office in Qatar. But using Qatar as a mediator, the US continued talks in secret. A US source said that the breakthrough came recently when hardline Taliban elements agreed to the swap. The US believes that Bergdahl was held across the frontier in Pakistan for most of his captivity.

It is unclear what impact the release will have on a wider peace process. The Afghan High Peace Council want talks with the Taliban to happen inside Afghanistan not outside, and do not want to involve the Americans.

Sgt Bergdahl's parents said they could not wait to wrap their arms around their only son

Hours after the release, President Obama told reporters the Qatari government had given the US assurances "that it will put in place measures to protect our national security".

He also thanked the Qatari authorities for their role in acting as a go-between during indirect US-Taliban negotiations that led to the deal.

The exchanged prisoners are thought to be the most senior Afghans still held at Guantanamo. Under the deal, they will be banned from leaving Qatar for at least a year.

The Taliban said they welcomed their release with "great happiness".

"While Sgt Bergdahl was gone he was never forgotten," President Obama said, adding that the US had an "ironclad commitment" to bringing home its prisoners of war.

He was joined by Sgt Bergdahl's parents, Robert and Jani, at the White House on Saturday. They offered thanks to those who took part in securing their son's freedom.

In an emotional speech, Robert Bergdahl said his son was having trouble speaking English after his rescue.

The BBC's Beth McLeod in Washington says the soldier is being taken to a US military medical centre in Germany, where he will receive medical treatment and begin the process of reconnecting with his family through telephone calls and video conferences.

Beth McLeod reports on the release of Bowe Bergdahl

Who are the Guantanamo detainees?

The five released inmates had all been held at Guantanamo since 2002

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 Islamic fundamentalist 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.

Officials said the Taliban had handed Sgt Bergdahl over on Saturday evening, local time, in eastern Afghanistan, in an exchange that involved several dozen US special forces.

A senior official told the BBC that, once aboard the US helicopter, Sgt Bergdahl wrote "SF?" - asking if they were special operations forces - on a paper plate and showed it to the pilots, who replied: "Yes, we've been looking for you for a long time."

New signs hang in the soldier's hometown of Hailey after his release was announced on Saturday

The senior official said: "At that point, Sgt Bergdahl broke down".

The soldier, of Hailey, Idaho, was captured on 30 June 2009, about two months after arriving in eastern Afghanistan.

In January, the US military obtained a new video of Sgt Bergdahl, giving his family renewed hope of his eventual return.

Throughout his captivity, the soldier's hometown had continued to remember him with special events and yellow ribbons tied to poles and trees.

"I'm beyond thrilled," Stefanie O'Neill, a family friend in Hailey, told Reuters on Saturday. "It's probably the happiest day of my life, besides when my two kids were born."

She said a Bring Bowe Back vigil planned for 28 June would now be called Bowe is Back.

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Brussels Jewish Museum killings: Man held in Marseille

People have left flowers outside the Jewish Museum in Brussels in tribute to those killed

A Frenchman has been arrested at a train station in Marseille over a fatal shooting at the Jewish Museum in Brussels eight days ago.

Mehdi Nemmouche, 29, is being held on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. He was reportedly carrying a Kalashnikov rifle and a handgun similar to the ones used in the May 24 attack.

Three people were killed while a fourth victim is critically injured.

Security was tightened at Jewish sites across Belgium following the attack.

Mr Nemmouche, a French national who is believed to be from the northern town of Roubaix, is also suspected of having been with Islamists militants in Syria last year.

French President Francois Hollande confirmed a man had been arrested and said France was determined to stop "jihadists" from carrying out attacks.

"We will monitor those jihadists and make sure that when they come back from a fight that is not theirs, and that is definitely not ours... they cannot do any harm," he told reporters.

Belgian police earlier released security camera footage showing the suspect they were hunting

Mr Nemmouche was arrested during a customs check at the Saint-Charles train station in the southern French city of Marseille on Friday.

He had been on board a bus that was travelling from Amsterdam via Brussels.

An official at the Paris prosecutor's office told the Associated Press that ballistics tests would be carried out to determine whether the weapons he was carrying were the same as those used in the Brussels attack.

Condemned

Three people were killed outright when a gunman opened fire at the museum in the busy Sablon area of the Belgian capital. 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.

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

One person was detained after he drove away from the scene around the time of the attack, but he was later released.

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."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Hollande also condemned the killings.

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

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