Monday Morning’s Global Headlines from the London Globalist
Ransom ban among new anti-terror measures
UK-based insurance companies are to be banned from covering the cost of terrorist ransoms, Home Secretary Theresa May is set to announce.The government hopes firms and families will be deterred from paying ransoms if the money cannot be claimed back.
This week, the home secretary will set out various other measures, also part of the Counter Terrorism and Security Bill:
Allowing the cancellation of the passports of suspects who are overseas, so they can only return to the UK on the
government’s terms
Changes to TPIMs – Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures – to allow the authorities to force suspects to move to another part of the country
Making it compulsory for public bodies like schools, colleges and prisons to work to prevent terrorism
Forcing firms to hand details to police identifying who was using a computer or mobile phone at a given time
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30173238
Syria: US Bombing campaign may be driving moderates within the Free Syrian Army into alliance with IS
In north-west Syria, around the town of Idlib, the Jaish al-Mujahideen army, al-Sham brigade, Ahrar al-Sham brigade and al-Nusra Front were all in conflict against Isis earlier this year: now they are calling for an alliance.
Outside Idlib FSA brigade commander Abu Zeid – who defected from Bashir Assad’s army – explained the reason behind the switch in alliances – or maybe just in outlook.
“All the locals here wonder why the US coalition never came to rescue them from Assad’s machine guns, but run to fight Isis when it took a few pieces of land. We were in a robust fight against Isis for confiscating our liberated areas, but now, if we are not in an alliance, we are in a truce with them.”
China building ‘airstrip capable’ island in disputed waters
China is building an airstrip capable of operating strike aircraft in the vicinity of the disputed Senkaku Islands in the South China Sea. 3,000 metres long, it will be capable of operating advanced Chinese airforce modified Sukhoi interceptor aircraft. In a region already characterised by successive diplomatic incidents, this is sure to inflame passions even further.
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/24/world/asia/china-south-china-sea/index.html
British Mercenaries fighting IS in Syria may face prosecution
Former British Army soldiers who have travelled to Syria to fight against the Islamic State in Syria and the Levant (Isil) have placed themselves in legal limbo and could be charged with murder, a former government legal officer has warned.
Jamie Read, 24, and James Hughes, 26, are fighting alongside the Kurdish peshmerga to defend the city of Kobane from Isil, whose ranks include up to 2,000 British Muslims. The pair, who run a private security firm, insist they are not mercenaries but are volunteers in a battle of “good against evil”.
They said they could “not do nothing while innocent men, women and children are tortured and murdered by Islamic State while the international community stands by and observes from the luxury of their boardrooms or their tanks on the hill”.
Polls close in Tunisia’s first free Presidental election
The birth place of the 2011 Arab Revoloution, held it’s first free Presidental Elections since the overthrow of President Ben Ali on Sunday. Turnout has been estimated at above 64% with results to be announced on Wednesday.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/11/polls-close-tunisia-first-free-election-20141123172932854307.html
King Carlsen Victorious in World Chess Championship
In the Russian city of Sochi after an intense two week competition, Magnus Carlsen emerged victorious to retain his world chess champion crown after defeating his opponent Viswanathan Anand of India.
http://on.ft.com/1tp7dF3
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