Russia 'Reinforcing Military Base In Central Syria'
Russia is reinforcing a military airport in central Syria as a new base for its warplanes as government forces edge closer to Palmyra, according to a military source and an activist group, AFP reports.
The anonymous military source -- AFP does not say which country he or she is from -- said that the "preparation phase for the Shaayrat base is nearing its end. It is being prepared to become a Russian military base."
The base "will begin being used by Russian forces toward the end of the month."
Shaayrat is in Homs province in central Syria and is north of towns where Syrian government forces backed by Russian air strikes have been fighting IS.
According to Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Russia has been building new runways at Shaayrat, AFP reports.
Russia has operated out of the Hmeymim base in northern Latakia province since it began its air strikes in Syria on September 30.
Russian Media: Lavrov Met Turkish FM Cavusoglu -- But No Reporters Were Allowed
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has met with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, in Belgrade today, some Russian media is reporting.
Notably, no report of any meeting has appeared in either RIA Novosti or TASS -- at least not yet.
But Government daily Rossiskaya Gazeta (RG) published a report -- really more of a "reporter's notebook" -- at 17:35 Moscow time (14:35 GMT) that the meeting between Lavrov and Cavusoglu had begun.
"On Thursday, Lavrov and Cavusoglu really did meet. It was just that the press were not allowed into the meeting. Even the handshake was photographed only by the ministers' personal operators," RG reported.
RG then noted that before the meeting with Cavusoglu, Lavrov had spent 45 minutes talking to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Journalists were allowed into that meeting, "but only for 10 seconds," RG added.
"During that time, Lavrov managed to ask Kerry, 'How are you feeling?' and Kerry managed to answer, 'Good, but a little tired.' "
Business daily Kommersant also notes that "Sergei Lavrov has established communication with Turkey."
"The meeting with Cavusoglu took place on the sidelines of the OSCE Ministers Council which met on Thursday in the capital of Serbia. Contrary to custom, reporters were not allowed even for the so-called protocol -- the handshake and the greetings at the very start of the meeting," Kommersant writes.
"The meeting was the first two way direct contact at such a high level since the incident with the Russian Su-24, downed on the Turkey-Syria border on November 24."
The BBC's Defense Correspondent Jonathan Beale tweets this picture of British RAF Typhoons arriving at the Akrotiri air base in Cyprus to join the fight against the IS group in Syria.
A proposed change to France's constitution would not place a time limit on states of emergency of the kind introduced after the Paris attacks, according to a draft text seen by AFP today.
France introduced a state of emergency in the immediate wake of the November 13 attacks in Paris in which 130 people were killed. Parliament later voted in favor of extending it for three months.
AFP reports of the proposed constitutional change that, "the draft change to the constitution says exceptional measures taken during a state of emergency -- such as powers of house arrest -- could be prolonged "for a maximum period of six months" after the original state of emergency has expired."
A Kurdish border official has denied Russian accusations that IS oil is passing through Iraqi Kurdistan to Turkey.
No oil tankers carrying oil from IS or the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) pass through the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing between Iraqi Kurdistan and Turkey, Abdullah Barzani, the head of the border crossing, told Turkey's Anadolu Agency.
The UK's Ministry of Defense (MoD) has published answers to possible questions about British air strikes against IS in Syria.
The UK began air strikes against IS targets in Syria today.
The answers address three issues: what the UK will do to reduce civilian casualities, what weapons are being used and ensuring "deconfliction with Russian operations in Syria." Here's what the MoD has to say on that last topic:
How will you ensure deconfliction with Russian operations in Syria?
British aircraft have already been flying combat missions over Iraq as well as reconnaissance missions over Syria. All these missions are co-ordinated by the US-led air operations centre and subject to safe separation measures.
The coalition has implemented these measures for aircraft operating in Syria. This is kept under constant review and all our missions over Syria will be subject to the same arrangements.
Russian analyst Yuri Barmin has this snap analysis of Putin's state of the nation address this morning:
The spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve -- the U.S.-led military operation against IS -- has said the UK brings "serious air power" to the fight against IS in Syria.
Britain began air strikes against IS targets in Syria today after parliament voted in favor of the move last night.
The UK said today that it was sending additional war planes for the Syria strikes.
The spokesman tweeted that the UK has been one of the United States' "strongest allies" in the war against IS.
Erdogan: Turkey Has Proof Russia Involved In Illegal IS Oil Trading
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that he has evidence that Russia is involved with illegal IS oil trading.
Russia has made the same accusation about Turkey, claiming yesterday that Erdogan's family were involved in trading IS oil.
"We have the proof in our hands. We will reveal it to the world," Erdogan said in a televised address in Ankara, The Telegraph reports.
"In recent days a fashion led by Russia has emerged. Actually, Russia does not believe this either...Look, Russia has to prove that the Turkish republic buys oil from [IS], otherwise this is a slander," Erdogan added..
"The immoral side of this issue is involving my family in the affair."
Belgium has charged two new suspects in connection with the attacks in Paris last month, prosecutors said Thursday, bringing to eight the number of people it is holding in the case, AFP reports.
Flemish public television VRT said that one of the suspects -- a 20-year-old Frenchman -- knew Bilal Hadfi, one of the suicide bombers who blew himself up at the French national stadium. The suspect was held for questioning at Zaventem airport near Brussels.
The second suspect is a 28-year-old Belgian man and was arrested in the Brussels district of Molenbeek, where several of the Paris attackers had lived.