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Critics have said an Army recruitment campaign, which promotes the emotional support given to troops, will fail to target those most likely to sign-up.

New radio, TV and online adverts seek to address concerns potential soldiers might have about religion or sexuality. They ask: « What if I get emotional? », « Can I be gay in the Army? » and « Do I have to be a superhero? »

Retired Colonel Richard Kemp said the new £1.6m recruitment campaign will not solve the Army’s « recruiting crisis ». It comes just weeks after Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson halted plans to scrap the Army’s « be the best » slogan and its historic crest. According to the Mail on Sunday, the the Army was considering changing the phrase after criticism it was « dated, elitist and non-inclusive ». The new adverts, which are all voiced by serving soldiers, are part of the Army’s « belonging campaign ».

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Police in Italy and Germany have made 169 arrests in an anti-mafia swoop, Italian police say.

Assets worth €50m (£44.06m; $59.79m) were seized in the operation targeting the ‘Ndrangheta organised crime group.

As part of the group’s activities, German restaurants were forced to buy wine, pizza dough and pastries made in southern Italy, police say. Those arrested include the president of Crotone province, Nicodemo Parrilla, in Italy’s Calabria region.

The investigation focused on the Farao-Marincola gang, one of the strongest in Calabria, Italian news agency Ansa reports, quoting police.

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Five men and a woman have appeared in court charged with belonging to banned British Neo-Nazi group National Action.

One defendant, Daniel Boguvonic, said he intended « to fight these charges from start to finish ».

All six have indicated not-guilty pleas to being members of the group, following an inquiry led by West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit.

The defendants, who were charged on Monday, are: Nathan Pryke, 26, of Dartford Road, March, Cambridge, Adam Thomas, 21, of Waltham Gardens, Banbury, Oxfordshire, Claudia Patatas, 38, of Waltham Gardens, Banbury, Oxfordshire, Darren Fletcher, 28, of Kitchen Lane, Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, Daniel Bogunovic, 26, of Crown Hills Rise, Leicester and  Joel Wilmore, 24, of Bramhall Moor Lane, Hazel Grove, Stockport.

The charges brought against the six relate to belonging to National Action between December 2016 and September last year.

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Russian forces have foiled a drone attack on an airbase in Syria just days after reports that rebel shelling had damaged several planes, activists say.

The attempt to bomb the Hmeimim base near the north-western city of Latakia on Saturday was thwarted when unmanned aircraft were shot down, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports. Two Russian servicemen were killed when the base was attacked on 31 December.

The coastal Hmeimim airbase is at the core of Russia’s war effort in Syria.

On Saturday the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, said the base was targeted by drones belonging to an « Islamist faction » operating in the area, citing sources. No casualties or details of damage to the airbase have yet been reported, the SOHR added.

The drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), used in the attempted attack were basic in design, Russian news site Lenta reports.

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Two counter-terrorism detectives have been sacked for skipping duties during night shifts at Manchester Airport.

Constables Jason Coman and Jennifer Gold were supposed to be checking airline passenger lists and stopping any potential terror suspects. But they were found to have spent « extended periods of time » in their office during four night shifts in July 2016.

They were dismissed for gross misconduct after an internal probe. The pair are not believed to have been in a relationship.

The investigation found that the two North West Counter Terrorism Unit detectives lied in giving « inaccurate and misleading » information about not leaving their office. They appeared before a panel on December 18 last year and were dismissed for their behaviour.

A Greater Manchester Police (GMP) spokesperson said: « The panel was independently chaired and the chair ruled that the hearing would be held in private to prevent Counter Terrorism tactics being revealed. « At the conclusion of the hearing, the panel found the officers had breached the standards of professional behaviour and that their actions amounted to gross misconduct. « Both were dismissed from the force without notice. « GMP considered the actions of the officers to be totally unacceptable which is why the force sought the highest sanction from the panel. »