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Serbian warlord gets life for crimes against humanity

Milan Lukic guilty of massacring Muslims in Bosnian war during reign of terror under Radovan Karadzic

One of the most notorious Serbian mass murderers and paramilitary chiefs from the war in Bosnia was sentenced to life in prison today, 17 years after he helped turn the ancient town of Visegrad in eastern Bosnia into a morgue for Muslims.

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He was sentenced to life for six separate incidents of war crimes, entailing murder, extermination, cruelty, persecution and inhumane acts. His cousin and co-defendant, Sredoje Lukic, received 30 years...

Read more @ The Guardian

Turned in by his community, the extremist who wanted to belong

Isa Ibrahim was a familiar, if not trusted, figure at mosques in Bristol. When he appeared with cut hands, alarm bells rang

The conviction of Isa Ibrahim is seen by police as a model of how communities and law enforcement agencies can work together to root out would-be terrorists. Ibrahim, a Muslim convert from a middle-class background, was not known as an extremist to the police or the security services. Detectives only got to him because the Muslim community in Bristol went to officers with their concerns.

Israel soldiers speak out on Gaza

A group of soldiers who took part in Israel's assault in Gaza say widespread abuses were committed against civilians under "permissive" rules of engagement.

The troops said they had been urged to fire on any building or person that seemed suspicious and said Palestinians were sometimes used as human shields.

Breaking the Silence, a campaign group made up of Israeli soldiers, gathered anonymous accounts from 26 soldiers.

Israel denies breaking the laws of war and dismissed the report as hearsay.

Bride's bouquet brings down plane

The traditional throwing of a bride's bouquet for luck ended in disaster at an Italian wedding when the flowers caused a plane to crash.

The bride and groom had hired a small plane to fly past and throw the bouquet to a line of women guests, Corriere della Sera reported.

However, the flowers were sucked into the plane's engine causing it to catch fire and explode.

The aircraft plunged into a hostel. One passenger on the plane was badly hurt.

But about 50 people who had been in the hostel escaped unscathed, as did the pilot...

Read more @ BBC News

From Guantanamo to paradise

Leaving Guantanamo for paradise

Bermuda, with its pastel-coloured homes overlooking the turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean, is now home to four Chinese Uighurs who were released from Guantanamo Bay after seven years inside.

The men are a long way from home, but they say they had heard of Bermuda, an UK overseas territory off America's eastern seaboard, before they got there.

"Actually I did know something about Bermuda, about the Bermuda Triangle. When I first heard we were coming here I thought, that's that mysterious place," said Khalil Mamut.

When I met Khalil Mamut, 31, Abdullah Abdulqadir, 30, Salahidin Abdulahat, 32, and Ablikim Turahan, 38, in their new home, they were all smiling, laughing and joking with one another.

UK cuts Israel weapons contracts

The UK has revoked five export licences for equipment to the Israeli navy because of actions during Israel's Operation Cast Lead in Gaza this year.

The British Foreign office said the exports would now contravene its criteria for arms sales, but denied that it had imposed a partial embargo.

The UK says it does not sell weapons which might be used for internal repression or external aggression.

Israel says its troops complied fully with international law during missions.

Read more @ BBC News

Man fined for punching punch-bag

A man has been ordered to pay 1,950 euro to the owner of an amusement arcade for striking a punch-bag after it swung back and hit him on the jaw.

Paul Kelly, 23, of Lisanisk in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, admitted hitting the bag and damaging it in a fit of anger after it struck him.

His lawyer said the blow had caused damage to the machine's mechanism.

Carrickmacross District Court heard moments earlier Kelly thought he had won a payout for punching the bag hard.

The incident took place at a recent summer festival in the town.

Read all about it @ BBC News

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