United Nations

U.S. vetoes resolution to end Israeli offensive

The United States vetoed a Security Council resolution Tuesday calling on Israel to end its incursion in northern Gaza, saying it was “lopsided and imbalanced” and not useful in stopping violence in the Middle East.

Eleven countries voted in favor of the resolution, which also demanded the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. Britain, Germany and Romania abstained, saying the resolution did not call on Palestinians to halt their attacks.

“Ultimately, a resolution like this emboldens terrorists, encourages counterattacks and contributes to the ultimate terrorist goal of derailing the peace process,” said U.S. Ambassador John Danforth. “The Security Council should reverse the incessant stream of one anti-Israel resolution after the other and apply pressure evenhandedly on both sides to return to the road to peace.”

Iran

Missiles with longer ranges announced

Iran said Tuesday its missiles now had a range of more than 1,200 miles, a substantial extension of their previously declared range.

The old version of Iran’s Shahab-3 missile had a range of 810 miles, capable of reaching Israel and various U.S. military bases in the Middle East.

In August, Iran tested a new version of the Shahab-3, and Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani said the country was trying to improve the range of the missile in response to efforts by Israel to upgrade its missile system.

“Today we have the power to fire missiles to a range of 2,000 kilometers” — about 1,250 miles, former President Hashemi Rafsanjani said Tuesday. “Experts know that a country that possesses this can obtain all subsequent stages” in missile production.

Russia

Chechnya swears in new president

Chechnya’s new Kremlin-backed president was sworn in Tuesday, taking the helm of this war-torn Russian region under heavy guard nearly five months after his predecessor was assassinated.

Maj. Gen. Alu Alkhanov, elected Aug. 29 in a vote critics said was rigged, was inaugurated in a tent erected inside the government complex in the Chechen capital, Grozny.

Alkhanov’s installation is a key part of the strategy of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government for dealing with Chechnya — by fighting rebels while promoting elections and other measures aimed at stabilizing a region where nearly three-fourths of the estimated 1 million residents are unemployed.

Cambodia

Khmer Rouge leaders face genocide trials

With the necessary laws approved, Cambodia could begin trying former leaders of the Khmer Rouge for genocide by the end of next year, a senior government official said Tuesday.

Deputy Prime Minister Sok An said about 10 former top members of the defunct group, which ruled Cambodia with an iron fist in the late 1970s, could face prosecution.

He spoke after legislators approved laws Tuesday barring the Cambodian government from pardoning Khmer Rouge suspects.

On Monday, they ratified a landmark U.N.-backed plan to set up a tribunal to prosecute the surviving leaders of the regime, believed responsible for the death of almost 2 million people.