Sailors replace soldiers at royal palaces to celebrate navy

LONDON - Sailors from Britain's Royal Navy performed the changing of the guard ceremony outside Buckingham Palace on Sunday for the first time in the famous drill's 357-year history.

They have temporarily taken over the role -- which dates back to the restoration of the monarchy under Charles II in 1660 -- as part of "year of the navy" celebrations in 2017.

A favorite of tourists from around the world, the changing of the guard is normally carried out between Foot Guards from the Army's Household Division regiments, wearing their signature red tunics.

The 48 sailors selected for this first naval ceremonial handover, dressed in the Royal Navy's traditional blue uniforms, are among 86 seamen set to serve as guards at Windsor Castle, The Tower of London and St James's Palace over the next few weeks.

They will next mount guard for the first time at Windsor on Monday.

They have spent a month at the navy's headquarters learning the intricate routines required for their new roles from drill instructors.

It is the first time in more than 400 years that sailors instead of soldiers are standing guard at Buckingham Palace.

They marched through its famous gates to the theme tune of Game Of Thrones, watched by thousands of people, many of them tourists.

The celebration of the navy coincides with the arrival of several new ships to its fleet, including a long-awaited aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth.

But it also comes amid ongoing funding cuts which critics have said could leave the country's armed forces perilously depleted.

The most senior officer in the Royal Navy, Admiral Sir Philip Jones, struck an optimistic tone in welcoming the deployment.

"The sight of sailors undertaking public duties in our capital city is a sign that the Royal Navy is back where it belongs, at the very heart of national life," he said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Soldiers in Marawi miss Father's Day as battle rages on

MANILA - The head of Task Force Marawi mourned for the soldiers who died in the besieged city as the battle against the Maute group entered its 27th day on Father's Day Sunday.

In his Father's Day message, Brig. Gen. Rolly Bautista, commander of the Army's 1st Infantry Division, said he considers the soldiers he leads as his own children.

"As your commander in this division, I symbolically raise you as my children and lead you in fulfilling our mandate as public servants." he said.

"There is no greater hurt that may be inflicted to a father's heart than seeing his children die and perish in the battlefield," he added.

Bautista also condoled with the families left by the soldiers who died in the battle for Marawi, saying they made the "ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of peace."

"Fathers are like soldiers. They are protectors of their children," he said.

The Army commander lamented that many soldiers could not be with their families right now, but he stressed this is a part of their duty to protect the nation.

"On Father's Day, we cannot be there with our children because of our call of duty. We cannot be with our children today because we are serving the people and we are protecting the land," he said.

Bautista said the best gift the soldiers can give the nation is the gift of peace.

"Mabuhay ang mga tatay! Mabuhay ang mga sundalo!"

source: news.abs-cbn.com

US military repeals ban on transgender service members

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon on Thursday ended its ban on openly transgender people serving in the U.S. military, formally removing the risk to an estimated thousands of U.S. troops who once could have been kicked out of the armed forces due to gender identity.

The repeal, which ends one of the last barriers to serving in the military, comes after a 2011 decision to end the U.S. military's ban on openly gay and lesbian people serving, despite concerns - which proved unfounded - that such a move could be too great a burden in wartime and would undermine battle readiness.

"We're eliminating policies that can result in transgender members being treated differently from their peers based solely upon their gender identity rather than upon their ability to serve," Defense Secretary Ash Carter told reporters.

Carter said that within 90 days, the Pentagon would create a guidebook for commanders on rules regarding transgender service members and medical guidance to doctors.

Within one year, transgender individuals would be allowed to join the armed forces, provided they have been "stable" in their preferred gender for 18 months, he said.

Carter said that based on a study carried out by the RAND Corporation, there were about 2,500 transgender active-duty service members and 1,500 reserve transgender service members. Still, Rand's figures were within a range, which at the upper end reached 7,000 active duty forces and 4,000 reserves.

The RAND study, which was also released on Thursday, said the lifting of the ban would cost between $2.4 million and $8.4 million annually in medical care, but could reduce costs associated with mental health.

A Defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the Pentagon had not yet made a determination on what it would cost to make changes in military facilities, like potentially adding shower curtains, but that it would only be a onetime cost.

"The reality is that we have transgender service members serving in uniform today," Carter said, acknowledging the policy change will have implications for issues including deployment and medical treatment.

He added that at least 18 countries already allowed transgender personnel to serve openly in their militaries.

Carter announced last year that he intended to lift the ban and laid out a series of steps, including a six-month study on the implications of lifting the restrictions. But advocates for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community said the process, which eventually stretched to nearly a year, has taken too long.

Advocates praised Carter's announcement on Thursday and said it followed several moves by the military to be more inclusive in the last decade.

"I would hope that it showcases the fact that the sky will not fall, the world will not come apart, by us being a more inclusive and open society," said Matt Thorn, executive director of OutServe-SLDN, an advocacy group for LGBT military personnel. "I don't think anybody should be concerned or afraid about moving forward with this policy."

But critics have argued that Carter is putting the political agenda of the Democratic administration of President Barack Obama ahead of military readiness.

"Over the next few weeks, we are going to continue to push for actual answers to the readiness questions we've been asking for nearly a year to which we have still not received a response," Republican Representative Mac Thornberry, chairman of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, said in a statement.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Soldiers loot in Mali after coup, AU says president safe

BAMAKO - Soldiers looted petrol stations and hijacked cars in the Malian capital Bamako on Friday 48 hours after a military coup, as the African Union said it had assurances that President Amadou Toumani Toure was safe.

The AU also suspended Mali's membership after the coup which has left the West African nation in limbo and jangled nerves in a region already suffering aftershocks from the Libyan war.

"We have been told that the president is safe, protected by a certain number of loyalists," AU Commission head Jean Ping told reporters after a meeting of the bloc's Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa.

"The president is in Mali for sure. The assurances we are getting from those that are protecting him is that he is not far from Bamako," Ping said.

The coup's leaders have sought to capitalize on popular dissatisfaction at Toure's handling of a rebellion by northern nomads. But they looked isolated as a coalition of parties condemned the coup and urged new elections, which before Wednesday's events had been scheduled for April.

"The signatories ... condemn this forceful takeover which is a major setback for our democracy," 10 parties including ADEMA, the largest in parliament, said in a joint declaration.

Amadou Sanogo, the army captain named as leader of the mutineers, told Africable television on Thursday that he would not hold on to power but refused to give a timeframe for restoring civilian rule.

Sanogo, who says he has had training from US Marines and intelligence, said there had been efforts to arrest Toure.

Residents in Bamako said looting had caused shortages, and fuel prices have doubled to over 1,300 CFA francs ($2.60) a liter in about 24 hours.

"I am a driver but there is no fuel for the car, I do not even have fuel for my bike to go back home," said Youssouf Diawara as he queued with other motorists for petrol.

Although most shops, petrol stations and businesses were closed some residents ventured out in search of necessities.

"People are afraid because of the soldiers. Often (they take) what is in the car or they make you get out and take the car or sometimes the soldiers themselves just break into shops," said Bamako resident Adama Quindo.

Civilians joined in the looting of a warehouse by soldiers, according to Reuters television.

"Bread is becoming scarce, I made a mistake this morning, I should have bought more," said another Bamako resident.

Mali, flooded with men and weapons after Libya's civil war, was already facing a food crisis, the Tuareg-led rebellion, and a growing Islamist threat when Sanogo's soldiers took over.

Rebels say gain ground

Tuareg-led MNLA rebels in northern Mali, aiming to capitalize on confusion in the distant capital, pushed south to occupy positions abandoned by government forces, sources said.

Sanogo said he was ready to negotiate with the rebels but that his aim was to maintain Mali's territorial integrity.

"That's (negotiations) what I want - because I want a united Mali in which all can prosper," he said in an interview with French RFI radio aired on Friday.

A Malian officer in the northern town of Kidal said rebels had occupied the military camp in Anefis, 100 km (60 miles) to the southwest, after government forces withdrew.

The MNLA said on its website that it had taken Anefis, which lies on the Gao-Kidal highway, after Malian troops abandoned their positions and withdrew to Gao.

The MNLA, whose numbers have been swollen by Malian Tuaregs returning from the ranks of Libya's army, have been fighting since mid-January for an independent north. They have pushed government soldiers out of remote towns but have not yet threatened the regional capitals of Kidal, Timbuktu and Gao.

Diplomats and officials believe Toure is being protected by a pocket of loyalist soldiers. The US embassy has denied widespread rumors the president was being sheltered there.

Toure, 63, a former paratrooper who seized power in 1991, had gained the nickname 'Soldier of Democracy' in Mali and had been preparing to cede power in April after an election.

Mali's neighbors, the United Nations and world powers from Paris to Washington called for a return to constitutional rule. Regional body ECOWAS said it would not recognize the junta.

The World Bank and African Development Bank on Thursday condemned the military coup and suspended funds to Mali.

US aid group Millennium Challenge Corporation, suspended operations in the country on Thursday, while the European Commission also suspended development operations. (Additional reporting by Adama Diarra in Bamako and Aaron Maasho in Addis Ababa)

source: interaksyon.com