The images that teach soldiers to kill

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It’s arguably the most fundamental skill a soldier must learn – how to kill. Typically, that means shooting at an image of the enemy across a firing range. German photographer Herlinde Koel has studied the targets used by military personnel in their training. She notices how they change over time – on one American site, the depiction of “Ivan” with a red star on his helmet has been replaced by a figure in eastern clothing. And war is changing, too – increasingly no longer waged on battlefields but in villages and cities, which is why “ghost town” training grounds are springing up in many countries. But target practice is not just about identifying the enemy. It has another function, says Koel - breaking down humans’ natural inhibitions about killing. A century after the start of World War One, she still hopes for a world without conflict. The images used to teach soldiers to kill

It’s 10 years since the UK’s Freedom of Information Act came into effect. The law gave members of the public the right to obtain much of the information held by public authorities (with numerous substantial exceptions). According to Martin Rosenbaum, the BBC’s FOI specialist, the act taught people much that might not have been known otherwise. The MPs' expenses scandal, for instance, was a direct result of a series of FOI requests. Food hygiene ratings for hundreds of thousands of restaurants, cafes and shops are now publicly available, and it transpires that police officers appear to be getting older, not younger, But much internal government discussion is still kept secret. 10 things we found out because of Freedom of Information

Yodelling is well known as the sound of the Alps. Austria’s capital Vienna has its own special version, known as Dudeln, which has been recognised by UNESCO as part of Austria's intangible cultural heritage. Bethany Bell met the dudler singer Agnes Palmisano, who says its a very emotional musical genre, concerned with themes of joy and sadness, grief and lust. Dudeln: Vienna's own indoor yodelling That’s it from us today. Weekendish will return next week.