Militia

Switzerland has almost 800 years of peace. Its is famous for its watches, its chocolates and -of course- its banking system. But what not many people know is that Switzerland has a quite strong military force based on the mandatory national service of its citizens.

A Bulgarian lawmaker has proposed to introduce military training for volunteers willing to help police and army personnel protect the border with Turkey from crossing by irregular migrants.

The rationale behind the proposal made on Monday by Boris Stanimirov, a MP from Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB), is to put the so-called civilian border patrols under state control.

Mali's warring factions on June 18 looked close to signing a landmark peace deal to end years of unrest after pro-government militia leaders agreed to evacuate a flashpoint town and the government dropped arrest warrants for several rebels.

Goran Hadzic told his war crimes trial that Belgrade had full control over territory seized in Croatia during the 1991-95 war, and local Serbs had no power over paramilitary fighters and militias.