UN council condemns Beirut bombings

The UN Security Council on has strongly condemned the "terrorist attack" in Beirut that killed 44 people and was claimed by the Islamic State extremist group.
The 15-member council yesterday expressed its condolences to the families of the dead and said those responsible should face justice.
At least 239 people were wounded in the twin bombing on Thursday that occurred on a busy shopping street in a Beirut district where the Shiite Hezbollah movement is popular.
The council affirmed its "strong support for the stability, territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon."
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday branded the bombings a "despicable act" and said he hoped it would not "destroy the relative calm that has prevailed in the country over the past year."

It was the largest attack ever claimed by IS in Lebanon, and among the deadliest bombings to hit the country since the end of its 1975-1990 civil war.