Stars and Stripes Daily Headlines

	Advocates: Fairness for Veterans Act is only one step in fight against 'bad paper' discharges While a measure protecting veterans with service-related conditions from receiving other-than-honorable discharges has made its way to President Barack Obama, advocates who led the effort to get it there want more to be done for the thousands of veterans they say were unjustly released. Stateside housing allowances to rise an average of 2.4 percent Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) paid to a million servicemembers living off base in the United States will climb an average of 2.4 percent, or about $41 a month, on Jan. 1. Actual increases for individual BAH recipients will vary by Military Housing Area, pay grade and dependency status. As Afghan mission changes, loaders at Bagram get into the sling of things Despite a drawdown of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, operations like Bagram Air Field’s sling loading are increasing — a sign, officials say, of the changing nature of America’s mission in the country. Top US commander in Europe meets with Ukraine troops, officials amid Russia tensions The top U.S. commander in Europe visited Ukrainian front-line troops and defense officials as tensions with Russia continue, the Pentagon announced Thursday. Campaign gets toys to thousands of needy kids in DC drive Toys ranging from dolls to drones were distributed to close to 2,000 people lined up at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. to get Christmas gifts from the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program. German states field advanced lifesaving equipment amid terror threats Several German states have begun to equip their ambulances with special emergency kits to be able to provide special medical treatment in case of a terrorist attack, according to a report by Bavarian newspaper Mittelbayerische Zeitung.