A whistleblower who helped expose allegations of Australian war crimes in Afghanistan has been sentenced to five years and eight months in jail. David McBride pleaded guilty to stealing and sharing military secrets on the eve of his trial last year, after legal rulings sunk his defence. An ex-military lawyer, McBride said he was felt a moral duty to speak up. A landmark inquiry later found evidence that Australian forces had unlawfully killed 39 Afghans during the war. McBride is the first person in Australia to be jailed over the war crimes allegations his leak helped expose. The 60-year-old admits he gave troves of documents to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), saying he was concerned about the attitudes of commanders and what he then thought was the "over-investigation" of troops, the court heard. The information he provided..
Russia is blaming a Ukrainian strike after an entire section of an apartment block collapsed following an explosion in Belgorod. CCTV from the scene shows a large blast near the base of the 10-floor structure and then the building falling in. At least 17 people have been hurt and there are reports of fatalities and also of people trapped in the rubble. The Russian city is near the border with Kharkiv in Ukraine, where Putin's troops launched an offensive on Friday. The Belgorod region has often been targeted by Ukrainian forces since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but there has been no word from Ukraine on the latest incident. Previously officials in Kyiv have said Ukrainian strikes, including those on Belgorod, do not target civilians. 'He could not escape' But the regional governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav..
