1. Turkey downs Russian warplane

    Turkish fighter jets shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border on November 24 after repeated warnings over air space violations*, but Moscow said it could prove the jet had not left Syrian air space.

    It was the first time a NATO member’s armed forces have downed a Russian or Soviet military aircraft since the 1950s and Russian and Turkish assets fell on fears of an escalation* between the former Cold War enemies.

    A NATO official said allies would hold an “extraordinary” meeting later on November 24 at Ankara’s request to discuss the incident. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian charge d’affaires over the clash.

    2. IS group claims killing of 4 police

    An Islamic State affiliate* in Egypt has claimed responsibility for a shooting near a historic site just outside Cairo that killed four police.

    A statement circulated* online by supporters of the group on Sunday vowed to continue targeting the “soldiers of the tyrant*,” referring to President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who led the military overthrow* of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013.

    It was not possible to confirm the authenticity* of the statement, but it resembled* previous claims issued by the group.

    3. Putin signs Turkey sanctions decree

    Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree* imposing a raft* of punitive* economic sanctions* against Turkey on Saturday, underlining* the depth of the Kremlin’s anger toward Ankara four days after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane.

    The decree, which entered into force immediately, said charter flights from Russia to Turkey would be banned, that tour firms would be told not to sell any holidays there, and that unspecified Turkish imports would be outlawed, and Turkish firms and nationals have their economic activities halted or curbed.

    4. US ‘has to do something about guns’

    Expressing what has become regularly repeated frustration on the issue, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Saturday the United States needs to “do something” to make it harder for criminals to get guns after a shooting in Colorado killed three people and injured nine.

    “We have to do something about the easy accessibility* of weapons of war on our streets to people who have no business wielding* them. Period,” Obama said in a statement. “Enough is enough.”

    In Friday’s shooting, an assailant opened fire at a Planned Parenthood clinic, a center that provides health services, including abortions, in Colorado Springs.

    5. EU and Turkey seal migrant deal

    Turkey promised to help stem the flow of migrants to Europe in return for cash, visas and renewed talks on joining the EU in a deal struck on Sunday that the Turkish prime minister called a “new beginning” for the uneasy neighbors.

    Leaders of the European Union met Turkish premier Ahmet Davutoglu in Brussels on Sunday to finalize an agreement hammered out* by diplomats over the past month, as Europeans struggle to limit the strain on their 28-nation bloc from taking in hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees.

    A key element is 3 billion euros (US$3.2 billion) in EU aid for the 2.2 million Syrians now in Turkey.

    6. Body of pilot sent back to Russia

    Turkey on Monday sent back to Russia the body of a pilot killed when his plane was shot down by the Turkish air force for allegedly violating its air space on the Syrian border.

    A Russian plane carrying the body of Oleg Peshkov left Ankara’s Esenboga International Airport for Russia, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported, without giving further details. His body had at the weekend been taken from Syria to southern Turkey and then flown to Ankara.(SD-Agencies)