News in Brief--(2023-11-18)

Australian war crimes whistleblower pleads guilty
SYDNEY, Nov 17: A whistleblower who helped expose allegations of Australian war crimes in Afghanistan has pleaded guilty to leaking classified information. David McBride was due to face trial next week, but changed his plea after a legal ruling scuppered his defence. McBride - an ex-military lawyer - said he felt a moral duty to speak up after his internal complaints were ignored. — BBC
Canadian who ran over Muslim family convicted of murder
OTTAWA, Nov 17: A Canadian man who ran down a Muslim family out for a walk was found guilty Thursday in Canada's first murder trial in which jurors were asked to consider a terrorism motive related to white supremacy. Nathaniel Veltman, 22, acknowledged striking the Afzaal family with his pick-up truck in June 2021 in London, Ontario, killing four and leaving a young boy orphaned, but claimed to have been suffering a mental decline. The prosecution argued at trial that he was motivated by white supremacist ideology and sought to intimidate or terrorise Muslims. — AFP
South Korea to ban eating dogs
SEOUL, Nov 17: South Korea aims to ban eating dog meat and put an end to the controversy over the ancient custom amid growing awareness of animal rights, a ruling party policy chief said on Friday. The Korean practice of eating dog has drawn criticism from overseas for its cruelty but there has also been increasing opposition at home, particularly from the younger generation. — Reuters