From our news desk:
Putin Vows 'Very Tough' Action On Syria Threats
President Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian military to "act in a very tough way" against any threat to its forces in Syria.
Putin told defense officials in Moscow December 11 that Russian forces in Syria should "immediately destroy" such targets.
Last month, the Turkish military downed a Russian bomber on the Syrian border, triggering a bitter row between Moscow and Ankara.
Turkey says the bomber entered its airspace, which Russia denies.
Without naming Turkey, Putin warned against "further provocations."
The Russian president also said the military was now supporting Free Syrian Army forces, which are fighting President Bashar al-Assad.
Moscow has been accused of targeting the moderate Syrian opposition, rather than the Islamic State group.
Putin said it was important to develop cooperation "with all states that have a real interest in destroying the terrorists."
Finland has said that it will boost its involvement in a training mission in Iraq and a UN-led mission in Lebanon to help relieve French forces in the aftermath of the Paris attacks last month by the IS group.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said that there are some problems still to be solved in a pact made between Syrian opposition forces yesterday if peace talks with the Syrian government are to be resumed next week.
Kerry said that there are "some questions and obviously a couple of, in our judgement, kinks to be worked out."
Two-thirds of Russians support the ban on Turkish fruit and vegetable imports, saying the sanctions are a "punishment" for Turkey for its downing of a Russian Su-24 jet near the Syrian border, Interfax reports.
One of the Paris attackers was a French Army reject, Reuters reports.
Foued Mohamed-Aggad was rejected by the French Army and possibly also by the police before joining the IS group.
Army recruiters in Strasbourg turned Mohamed-Aggad down after conducting physical and psychological tests.
Journalist Khaled Abu Toameh highlights one of the more colorful exchanges around this week's conference of Syrian opposition groups in Riyadh, between Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi.
Jubeir said on December 10 that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had two choices: either to stand down or be forcibly removed.
Zoubi in Damascus reacted furiously to Jubeir's comments, calling them a "farce."
"You are too insignificant to talk about matters related to the Syrian people and Syrian state, I advise you to take care of issues your own size," Zoubi said.
The Turkey-Syria border must be closed immediately, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.
Lavrov hinted at Russia's ongoing accusations that Turkey is assisting the IS group by providing it with a transit point for weapons, recruits and oil. Turkey has denied the allegations, calling them "slanderous."
"The international community cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that somene is playing the role of IS's accomplice, and providing the terrorists with... weapons, transit services, and having commercial transactions with them. We insist that all this must be stopped," Lavrov was quoted as saying by the pro-Kremlin RIA Novosti.
More developments in the spat between Turkey and Iraq over Turkish troop deployment in northern Iraq.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has asked his Foreign Ministry to lodge a formal complaint with the UN Security Council regarding Turkey's troop deployments in northern Iraq, Reuters report.
Abadi said in a statement on his website that he has asked that the Security Council order Turkey to withdraw its troops immediately.
Today's Zaman has more on this afternoon's comments from Turkish President Erdogan regarding Turkish troop deployment to northern Iraq.
Erdogan said that Turkey will not withdraw its troops from a camp close to the IS-controlled city of Mosul.
The Turkish president said the deployed troops are not combat soldiers but have been deployed to protect soldiers who are training Iraqi and Kurdish forces.