In brief: U.S., EU approve more sanctions against Russia
Washington – Unsatisfied with a fragile cease-fire in Ukraine, the United States and the European Union levied new sanctions Friday against major Russian banks and defense companies, as well as penalties aimed at curtailing Russia’s ability to develop oil and gas projects.
But the restrictions on Russia’s energy sector were crafted carefully to avoid impacting the country’s current production of oil and gas, a move that would raise global energy prices at a time of weak economic growth. Russia is the largest oil exporter outside of OPEC and the most important supplier of natural gas to Europe.
The Western sanctions came one week after Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists signed a cease-fire aimed at ending a monthslong conflict. The agreement routinely has been violated, and U.S. officials say they are yet to see signs that Russia is implementing the deal in good faith.
If Russia and the separatists do follow through on the accord, U.S. and European officials say they could roll back the current round of penalties. But officials said that because Russia moved troops and weaponry into Ukraine in recent weeks, it was necessary to levy penalties now rather than wait to see what comes of the cease-fire. Russia denies having a role in the conflict.
Israeli reservists criticize intelligence unit methods
Jerusalem – More than two dozen reservists from the Israeli army’s elite intelligence-gathering unit have sent a public letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the army chief of staff declaring their refusal to serve on intelligence missions against Palestinians.
The 27 reservists are part of a group of 43 signatories of the letter who identified themselves as veterans of the unit.
Their protest, made public Friday, carried special weight because of the elite status of the secretive unit, which specializes in electronic surveillance and is the largest unit in the Israeli army. Its work includes collection of data used to monitor and target Palestinians.
The letter asserts that despite the prevalent perception that intelligence work “is free of moral dilemmas and only contributes to the reduction of violence and harm to innocent people, we learned during our military service that intelligence is an integral part of the military control of the occupied territories.”
Pakistani teen activist’s attackers in custody
Islamabad, Pakistan – Military officials said Friday they had apprehended 10 men who in 2012 attempted to assassinate Malala Yousafzai, the teenage education activist, and two other Pakistani schoolgirls.
A Pakistani military spokesman, Maj. Gen. Asim Bajwa, said a joint operation involving the army, police and intelligence services had arrested the entire gang involved in the attack, which the suspects said was ordered by the leader of the Pakistani Taliban militant organization, Mullah Fazlullah.
“They also admitted that if they did not get caught, they were supposed to attack at least 21 more people,” Bajwa told a news conference.