The Moscow branch of the Red Cross has asked Russia's Defense Minister for permission to join humanitarian aid convoys in Syria, pro-Kremlin news agency RIA Novosti is reporting.
Moscow Red Cross chairman Igor Trunov said his organization had written to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on January 15.
The move came after Shoigu said last week that Russia intended to deploy a humanitarian mission to help civilians in Syrian cities besieged by the IS group.
IS Captures New Areas In Eastern Syria
IS militants have captured new areas near the city of Deir al-Zor in eastern Syria, opposition activists say.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says IS captured areas north of Deir al-Zor today including an army base in Ayash village. Another opposition activist also said IS captured Ayash.
IS already controls most of Deir al-Zor province and Deir al-Zor city.
Putin To Discuss Syria With Qatari Emir
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he would discuss the situation in the Middle East with Qatari Emir Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani, according to Russian media reports.
"Qatar is a very important part of the situation in the Middle East, and the Gulf. We hope to discuss this situation with you, exchange views, seek answers and solutions to the most complex and problematic issues," Putin was quoted as saying.
The Kremlin website is now reporting that Putin has met with al-Thani though exact details of what was discussed have not yet been reported in the Russian media.
2 Georgians Reported Killed Fighting Alongside IS In Syria
Two Georgian citizens from the Pankisi Gorge have been killed while fighting alongside the IS group, local media is reporting.
The two men have been named as Ramzan Pareulizde and Mukhmad Turkoshvili.
The reports say that Pareulidze went to Syria a year ago and had been a third year law student at Telavi University. Turkoshvili, who had been living in Turkey with his wife and child, also traveled to Syria a year ago.
According to reports, some 14 people from the Pankisi Gorge have died fighting alongside IS in Syria.
Indonesia At Risk Of Bigger IS Attacks, Police Chief Warns
Indonesia's police chief has said that the country is bracing for the return of experienced IS militants who would be capable of carrying out bigger and more deadly attacks than last week's attack on Jakarta.
Thursday's attack in the heart of Jakarta was a hastily executed "Plan B" by Islamist militants, after police raids had disrupted preparations for other strikes against Christmas and New Year events, Police General Badrodin Haiti told Reuters in an interview.
Four Men Allegedly Plotted To Murder Police Officer In London In IS-Inspired Attack
Four men allegedly plotted to murder a soldier or a police officer on London in an IS-inspired attack, a court in London has heard.
The four defendants, Nathan Cuffy, 26, Nyall Hamlett, 25, Suhaib Majeed, 21, and Tarik Hassane, 22, were all allegedly influenced by events in Syria and the rise of IS. Hassane is alleged to have pledged allegiance to the IS group.
The speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, Sergei Naryshkin, has said that Qatar is a "full participant" Syrian peace talks.
The Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, began an official visit to Russia this morning and is expected to discuss Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin later today.
"Over the past couple of months, we have succeeded in stepping up international efforts to promote a (political) settlement in Syria and the Vienna format -- in which Qatar is a full participant -- has and must play an important role in this," Naryshkin said.
The United Nations-led peace talks on Syria are due to start in Geneva on January 25.
By emphasizing Qatar's "full role" in talks to promote a political settlement in Syria, Russia is sending a message to Saudi Arabia that there are other players in the talks.
Saudi Arabia has slammed Russia's actions in Syria in particular its killing of prominent Syrian rebel leader Zahran Alloush in December.
Five People Have Starved To Death In Syria's Madaya -- UN
Five people have starved to death in the past week in the besieged Syrian town of Madaya, the United Nations has said in a report.
Despite two aid shipments to the rebel-held town, a single biscuit sells for $15 and baby milk costs $313 per kilo.
Reuters report:
Syrian government forces and their allies have surrounded Madaya and neighboring Bqine since July 2015 and imposed increasingly strict conditions on freedom of movement.
The U.N. said the humanitarian workers who entered the town last week heard that landmines had been laid since late September to stop people leaving, but many civilians continued to try to search for food on the outskirts, and some had lost limbs in landmine explosions.
The controls on movement also meant many children had been separated from their parents, leading to symptoms of trauma and behavioral disorders.
Some 3 IS Katyusha rockets hit the Turkish town of Kilis on the Syrian border earlier today, killing one woman, according to Turkey's NTV.
Advances By IS In Libya Pose New Threat To Europe: German Defense Minister
Advances by Islamist militants in Libya poses a new threat to Europe, Germany's Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen has said.
Von der Leyen said that she did not rule out deploying German troops in Libya.