StrangeSights: Messi beats an egg; soldiers join ice sculptures in Russia; and 2022’s most mispronounced…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Northern Ireland amnesty law angers families who say they will be denied justice
London, UKReuters The British Government pushed ahead with plans to offer an amnesty to former soldiers and individuals involved in decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland as victims say the new law will deprive them of justice. Unresolved crimes from Northern Ireland’s three decades of confrontation between Irish nationalist militants, pro-British “loyalist” paramilitaries and […]
Mali junta says “Western-backed” military officers attempted coup
Bamako, MaliReuters Mali’s interim government on Monday said “Western-backed” military officers attempted a coup last week, without providing details or evidence. The purported foiled putsch took place on the night between 11th and 12th May, the junta that took power in an August, 2020, coup said in a statement. Colonel Assimi Goita, leader of Malian […]
Families of Colombian victims urge soldiers to reveal who ordered killings
Bogota, ColombiaReuters Families of victims of extrajudicial executions committed by Colombian soldiers asked perpetrators to reveal who ordered the murders, during the latest public hearing of the country’s transitional justice court on Wednesday. The so-called “false positive” killings, when soldiers murdered at least 6,402 people and recorded them as guerrillas killed in combat in order […]
Essay: For many Australians, Anzac Day has been defined by a pilgrimage to Gallipoli. Can we mark the day differently?
In an article first published on The Conversation, BRAD WEST, a senior lecturer in sociology at the University of South Australia, looks at how Anzac Day commemorations have evolved…
As soldiers mutiny in Burkina Faso, government dismisses talk of coup
Ouagadougou, Burkina FasoReuters Sustained gunfire rang out from military camps in Burkina Faso on Sunday as mutinying soldiers demanded more support for their fight against Islamist militants and protesters ransacked the headquarters of President Roch Kabore’s political party. The government called for calm, denying speculation on social media that the army had seized power or […]
Guatemalan court charges retired soldiers for civil war killings, disappearances
Guatemala City, GuatemalaReuters A judge in Guatemala on Wednesday charged six ex-military members for their alleged participation in the death and forced disappearance of at least 183 civilians during Guatemala’s civil war in the 1980s. Judge Miguel Galvez said there was sufficient evidence to bring the retired soldiers to trial for the 1983-1985 crimes, part […]
Afghan troops suffer “shockingly high” casualties as violence mounts
Kabul, AfghanistanReuters At least 150 Afghan troops have been killed or injured in the last 24 hours in a surge of attacks by Taliban militants as foreign forces withdraw, senior government officials said on Monday. Fighting is now raging in 26 of the country’s 34 provinces, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Casualties […]
Shame and vindication as Australia digests report of Afghan military killings
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australian military personnel who spoke out against alleged war crimes in Afghanistan said on Friday they felt vindicated by an inquiry which called for possible prosecution of troops, as the country reacted with shame and anger at the findings’ severity. A report published on Thursday found Australian special forces allegedly killed 39 unarmed […]
Four Israeli soldiers killed in Jerusalem truck ramming
Four Israeli soldiers have been killed after a truck deliberately rammed into them in Jerusalem on Sunday in an attack which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said was committed by a likely supporter of the so-called Islamic State. The truck driver, identified as a Palestinian from East Jerusalem, was shot dead at the scene. […]