Free Republic

NICOSIA (Reuters) - The six-year-old mascot for a British army battalion has been demoted in disgrace for acting the goat during a parade in full view of dignitaries. Billy Goat has been a mascot of the First Battalion, the Royal Welsh regiment, since he was six months old and had the official rank of lance-corporal before his frisky antics during a parade marking Queen Elizabeth's official birthday earlier this month. The army said he had been demoted to fusilier (private) as a result of his behavior. "The goat major had a hard time keeping him in line, he was bouncing...

British officer faces war crimes investigation A senior British army officer is being formally investigated over alleged war crimes in Iraq, the Ministry of Defence said today. Unnamed defence sources quoted by news agencies named the officer under investigation as Lt Col Tim Collins. He made headlines on the eve of the war with a stirring speech to his troops in which he reminded soldiers to have respect for the Iraqi people. The army's special investigations branch is probing allegations that Lt Col Collins' treatment of prisoners of war and an Iraqi civic leader may have broken the Geneva Convention,...