(UK) "Army inquest backlog grows" - The Guardian

"Money urgently needed to reduce the vast backlog of inquests into soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan has not been provided by the government, raising fresh fears that existing delays will grow longer.

Despite pledges to cut the time military families must wait for an inquest, the coroner with responsibility for the issue has still to receive extra cash months after ministers promised that it would be made available.

Since assuming responsibility for deaths of British soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, David Masters, the Wiltshire coroner, has been told to deal with the 57 UK service personnel who have died since April.
...

More than 100 families of soldiers still do not know how their loved ones were killed. Some widows have been waiting almost four years for an inquest. A spokesman for the Wiltshire coroner's office said: 'We will need to hire extra staff to deal with the workload. Unless there is extra support there will be delays.' Wiltshire county council and its chief constable have also called for extra funds for their coroner's court."

The Guardian, http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2165449,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

to help pay for the wars : a few more million shouldn't make too much difference. They'll be saving some money by leaving Basra to rot anyway.

ps ::hi:

:hi: from...

Hey, has anyone seen Italy anywhere? I can't find it in contemporary history anymore.
After leaving Iraq - rightly done - it totally disappeared from the shakespearian stage.
If you come to see it, just give me a call!!