Man admits plotting to use moped in IS-inspired London drive-by shooting
A defendant accused of plotting to use a moped in a series of IS-inspired shootings in London has changed his plea to guilty.
Tarik Hassane, 22, admitted conspiracy to murder and preparation of terrorist acts right before his defense was about to start making their case in London's Old Bailey today.
The judge has told the jury to formally find Hassane guilty.
Three other co-accused, Nyall Hamlett, 25, Nathan Cuffy, 26, and Suhaib Majeed, 21, from West London, continue to deny the charges.
RIA Novosti claims UN asks FT to correct reporting of Ban's comments on Russia's role in Syria
The war of words in the media over the Syrian crisis continues this afternoon, as pro-Kremlin news agency RIA Novosti reports that the UN has asked the Financial Times to issue a correction of comments from a Feb. 5 interview with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon regarding Russia's participation in the Syrian conflict.
RIA claims that it has obtained a letter from Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric making the request to the FT.
According to RIA, Dujarric said that some of Ban's comments regarding Russia's role in the failure of the Syria peace talks and the worsening of the humanitarian situation in Syria had been taken out of context.
RIA approached the FT for comment but the newspaper refused to issue any statement, RIA says.
Russia's Foreign Ministry has complained vociferously about the FT interview with Ban, saying that the interview had given the impression that Ban had "placed responsibility on Russia for the failure of the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva and the worsening of the humanitarian situation in that country."
Cessation of hostilities in Syria lets Russia keep bombing
Reuters has more on what the "cessation of hostilities" in Syria will mean on the ground.
If implemented, the deal would allow humanitarian aid to reach besieged towns. It has the potential to be the first diplomatic breakthrough in a conflict that has fractured the Middle East, killed at least 250,000 people, made 11 million homeless and sent hundreds of thousands fleeing into Europe.
But by allowing fighting to rage on for at least another week, it gives the Damascus government and its Russian allies time to press on with an offensive that has transformed the conflict since the start of this month.
UN siege aid to Syria could start within 24 hours
The UN has said that it hopes to start delivering aid to some besieged areas in Syria within the next 24 hours.
The move comes after an announcement by world powers that they would push for a cessation in hostilities in a week's time.
Carter says UAE will put special forces in Syria
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has said that the United Arab Emirates has agreed to send special forces to Syria to help develop local Sunni fighters in order to recapture the IS stronghold of Raqqa.
Turkey says 100,000 Syrian refugees in camps in Syria near Turkish border
There are some 100,000 Turkish refugees are in nine camps inside Syria near the Turkish border, including 35,000 who fled a Russian-backed government offensive in northern Aleppo province this month, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan has said.
Syria ceasefire won't hold if Russia doesn't stop airstrikes: Turkey
The ceasefire in Syria agreed by major powers will not hold unless Russia does not end its airstrikes on Western-backed opposition forces, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said.
IS 'graduates' around 100 child militants from a camp near Raqqa: SOHR
The IS group has "graduated" some 450 new militants including around 100 children from its "caliphate cubs" camp, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said.
SOHR, which relies on a network of sources for information, said that several reliable sources had told it that IS had trained the militants at a camp between Aleppo and Raqqa provinces in Syria.
The new militants completed a shortened training course of just one month, compared to the usual two month training camp IS uses, and were sent home to their families for three days before being deployed, SOHR said.
Russian PM: deployment of coalition troops to Syria could 'complicate everything'
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has said that the deployment of ground troops to Syria by the U.S.-led coalition could "complicate an already difficult situation" and "destroy the remaining conditions for a political settlement to the crisis."
Medvedev made his comments in an interview with the Sputnik news agency, published in full in Russian this morning by RIA Novosti.
Medvedev repeated Russia's position that ground troops were needed for the "fight against IS" but that Syrian government was best placed to do this.
The Russian prime minister gave a much starker warning to the German Handelsblatt business daily yesterday, saying that if Arab forces entered the Syrian war, they could spark a "new world war."
Medvedev was responding to comments from Saudi Arabia, which was said that it is prepared to send ground troops for the "fight against IS" in Syria. However, as The Guardian notes, the United States fears the prospect of Riyadh joining the "volatile mix" of forces already in Syria.
A Saudi defense spokesman, Brig Gen Ahmed Asiri, showed no sign of backing away from the idea that it was “an irreversible decision”. He said the force could be operational by March or April. Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries offering troops were establishing a headquarters, he said, and Saudi’s position, he said, was to commit ground troops because “today we know there is no one fighting Daesh [Isis] in Syria”.