ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

A new shocking twist in the Euro 2016 saga has emerged just days after stark warnings ISIS would make the event a target. It turns out 82 of the people hired for security posts on the football cup are on French terror watch lists. The Directorate General of Internal Security (ISB) has screened a total of 3,500 individuals already hired for the job of ensuring the safety of visitors, according to Le Point. Those among the 82 found on the watch list could by definition either belong to a terrorist group, such as Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), or have a history of questionable behavior or extreme beliefs on either the left or right. According to French authorities, some 90,000 personnel in total will be on duty during Euro 2016, including the stadiums, fan zones and on the streets. Of those, 77,000 are police and gendarmerie, while the rest comprise security and military personnel, as well as 1,000 or so volunteers. "Such a unique event in exceptional circumstances requir...

Reports state that many armed groups that participate in the UN ceasefire discussion were not adhering to the discussed ceasefire. More than 270 civilians have been killed within the last 24 hours during terrorist shelling in Syrian cities, according o the Russian Defence Ministry. Although, the reports also state that the number of territories in Syria which have rejoined the ceasefire has increased to 133, RT reported. A June 4 bulletin released by the Russian center for reconciliation of the opposing sides stated that the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, Al-Nusra Front has regrouped and has "launched active warfare." The Russian Defence Ministry stated that the attack by al-Nusra was possible as the militants share their territory with the "moderate opposition" and hence have not been targetted by the military airstrikes. RT reported that Al-Nursra with Ahrar al-Sham attacked in the Sheikh Maqsood neighbourhood of Aleppo controlled by the Kurdish militia...

US sends arms to rebel units in Aleppo province while UN considers dropping food and medicine to besieged areas by air. More than 270,000 people are dead and millions have fled since 2011 [Reuters] The US has reportedly dropped weapons to rebel fighters in Syria as the UN Security Council considers dropping food and medicine by air to civilians. Witnesses say the US delivered the weapons to armed units battling the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group in Syria. Is there still a political way out of Syria's crisis? The developments come as a former Russian diplomat tells Al Jazeera that his country is seriously considering putting boots on the ground in Syria. The weapons supplies were airdropped to rebels in Marea, a town in the northern province of Aleppo, on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said. "Coalition airplanes dropped ... ammunitions, light weapons and anti-tank weapons to rebels in Marea,...

Video Policy advisor Simon Anholt has dreamed up an unusual scale to get governments thinking outwardly: The Good Country Index. In a riveting and funny talk, he answers the question, "Which country does the most good?" The answer may surprise you (especially if you live in the US or China). Posted June 04, 2016 - Recorded June 2014 TEDtalk http://goodcountry.org/

Kremlin insider tells Al Jazeera that Moscow is considering sending special forces to fight against Syrian rebel groups. By Zeina Khodr Moscow - Russian President Vladimir Putin may deploy special operations forces on the ground in Syria, a former official has told Al Jazeera, a move that might be made to ensure "a decisive victory". It has been more than eight months since Russia intervened in the Syrian conflict, and at the time Putin said there were no plans to participate in ground operations - but he also said "for now". Putin is reportedly discussing with military commanders the possibility of deploying combat troops on the battlefield. "This is under discussion, there are plans for this," Andrei Fyodorov, a former deputy minister for foreign affairs, told Al Jazeera. The reinforcements could be special forces or volunteer soldiers who are willing to fight alongside the Syrian army and its allies. "This is a delicate issue for our military. ...

US Seeks to Cut North Korea off International Banking The United States moves to dissuade foreign banks from working with North Korea by threatening action against international financial transaction with Pyongyang. The US administration issued a warning Wednesday, with the Treasury Department designating North Korea as a “primary money laundering concern.” Treasury officials said they are moving to ban non-US banks and entities from processing dollar transactions on behalf of North Korea in a move to block Pyongyang’s international trade, according to the Wall Street Journal. “Today’s action is a further step toward severing banking relationships with North Korea, and we expect all governments and financial authorities to do likewise,” said Treasury’s top sanctions official, Adam Szubin. This May 10, 2016 picture released from North Korea shows a parade in the capital, Pyongyang. (AFP) The latest US move comes as North Korea has begun a 200-day battle to boost the country’s sanctions-...

Document: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Acknowledges Defeat in Syria, Yemen Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef in the fringe meetings with Muhammad bin Salman said that Saudi Arabia involvement in regional crises caused by Saudi greed to the stability and resistance of the region, and because of this did a military attack against the Houthis, but due to low labor of Arabic coalition countries this operation failed, Al-Alam News Network reports. The document before erasing the news and closing the site On Syria crisis, he added that "we trusted too much to America and Turkey in Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s overthrow, but unfortunately their promises were not fulfilled." At the end, Muhammad bin Nayef said for the rescue of this crisis, "we should rethink in our policies and even if necessary, we must give painful privileges."

Russia’s Su-34 Bombers Raze ISIS Oil Facilities Close to Turkish Border The Russian Su-34 bombers have destroyed ISIS oil-refining plant near the Syrian city of Ras al-Ayn on the border with Turkey, Russia’s defense ministry announced. The video released by the defense ministry on Thursday shows Russian jets hitting oil reservoirs located on territory under ISIS control. “Strikes took technical equipment out of operation and inflamed oil products, causing a large fire at the plant,” reads the bulletin of the Russian Centre for reconciliation of opposing sides in Syria from June 1. Russia has repeatedly blamed Turkey for enabling ISIS and other militant groups to conduct illegal oil trade. Addressing the students of Belarusian State University earlier in May, Russia’s FM, Sergey Lavrov, argued that “Turkey did nothing to stop”the smuggling of oil, artifacts, and other goods through the porous Turkish-Syrian border. Moreover, there is “reason to believe that it [Turkey] eve...