UNSC
demands tough global laws to stop foreign extremist fighters
In
the wake of the rise of the Islamic State the UN Security Council has
unanimously adopted a resolution demanding all member states to make
it a serious criminal offense for their citizens to travel abroad to
fight with extremists or support them.
The
resolution targets fighters traveling to conflicts anywhere in the
world.
While
expressing concern that "foreign terrorist fighters increase the
intensity, duration and intractability of conflicts, and also may
pose a serious threat to their states of origin, the states they
transit and the states to which they travel," it does not
mandate military force to tackle the foreign fighter issue.
It
also condemns violent extremism and sectarian violence while
demanding that all foreign extremist fighters withdraw immediately
from all armed conflict zones.
States
are required to prevent any further such movements by foreign
fighters - by means of tougher border controls. Travel data and
screening can be used for risk assessment.
The
document is legally binding for all the 193 UN member states and
gives the UNSC authority to enforce decisions with economic sanctions
or force.
The
US-drafted resolution was passed Wednesday at the special meeting of
the 15-member council chaired by US President Barack Obama. Prior to
the meeting, Russian representatives said they would support the
document and that Moscow also took part elaborating it.
Oil
installations in Syria hit by anti-ISIS coalition
The
United States and its partners launched a new round of strikes
against Islamic State militants in Syria on Wednesday, only hours
after President Barack Obama called on the world to help end the
extremist group’s reign of terror in the Middle East.
“I
can confirm that US military and Arab partner forces are undertaking
additional strikes today against ISIL terrorists in Syria,”
Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said on Wednesday,
using the Obama-administration's preferred language for the group
formerly known as ISIS that today identifies as the Islamic State.
“These operations are ongoing, so we will not provide additional
details at this time. We will do so later as operationally
appropriate.”
Later,
the Pentagon confirmed that less than a dozen aircraft are involved
in the latest attack. US Central Command (CENTCOM), meanwhile,
confirmed that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also
participated.
The
latest round of strikes was acknowledged on Wednesday just shy of 12
a.m. local time in Syria and marks at least the third consecutive
wave of attacks launched by the US and allied partners since Monday.
Prior to then, the US had only attacked Islamic State militants in
neighboring Iraq.
Israel
gives military 10% spending boost, covers Gaza campaign costs
On
the eve of the Jewish New Year, the Israeli PM and Finance Minister
have showered the Defense Ministry with gifts, agreeing to boost the
military budget by 10 percent in 2015 and cover the one-time costs of
the latest Gaza bombing campaign.
By
2015 the country’s military budget will be increased by 10 percent
and will reach 57 billion shekels (or $15.5 billion), Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Wednesday.
In
addition the government would cover most of the costs from the Gaza
war, Netanyahu’s statement issued after talks to head off a fiscal
crisis in the governing coalition said.
The
50-day Gaza conflict which ended last month has underpinned hefty
budget demands by the Defense Ministry. Israel’s defense chief
Moshe Ya’alon says costs of the 50-day campaign, preceded by the
operation to return the three kidnapped youths, eventually exceeded
$2.5 billion.
That
estimate, according to an MoD source, includes operations and
maintenance costs, replenishment procurement and expenses associated
with more than 80,000 reservists called up for duty.
‘Highly
reliable info’: Israel accuses Iran of nuclear weapons tests ahead
of Rouhani’s UNGA speech
The
day before the Iranian president’s address to the UN General
Assembly, Israel issued a statement, again accusing the Islamic
Republic of allegedly testing technology that could only be used for
nuclear bombs.
Based
on “highly reliable information,” according to the statement from
Israeli Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz, Tel Aviv has accused
Tehran of using internal neutron sources such as uranium in nuclear
implosion tests at the Parchin military complex.
The
statement claimed that the tests occurred back in 2000-2001, during
the construction of what it called a “nuclear weaponization test
site in Parchin.”
“It
is important to emphasize that these kinds of tests can have no 'dual
use' explanation, since the only possible purpose of such internal
neutron sources is to ignite the nuclear chain reaction in nuclear
weapons,” the Israeli statement said, referring to materials that
can be applied in both civilian and military nuclear research.
http://rt.com/news/190440-israel-accuses-nuclear-iran/
ISIS-linked
Algerian
jihadists behead
kidnapped Frenchman
Algerian jihadists linked to Islamic State militants have claimed in a video to
have beheaded a French tourist abducted on Sunday, the SITE jihadists
monitoring service has reported.
In the online video, the Algerian militants who call themselves Jund al-Khilafah,
or Soldiers of the Caliphate, behead French citizen Herve Gourdel.
France’s President Francois Hollande confirmed the death of Gourdel on
Wednesday. He said in a statement that French military operations against
IS militants will continue. "Our compatriot has been murdered," Hollande has
told reporters ahead of his speech to the UN General Assembly in New York.
The group abducted Gourdel on Sunday and said that he would be killed within
24 hours unless France ended its military action against IS in Iraq.
Earlier, France confirmed the authenticity of the video released by the group
Monday. However, Paris said that the terrorist group’s threats will not change
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