France and United States vow to destroy ISIS without putting troops on ground
French President Francois Hollande and United States President Barack Obama pledged their solidarity in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), declaring to step up strikes in Syria and Iraq, but with no commitment to boots on the ground.
In an hour-long joint press conference on Tuesday, Mr Obama said: "The US and france stand united in total solidarity, to deliver justice... and defend our nations".
He added: "We're never forgotten how the French people stood by us after 9/11 and today we stand by you."
Turkey tells UN it shot down plane, defends right to do so
Turkey told the UN Security Council on Tuesday it had shot down on an unidentified plane that violated Turkish airspace and defended its right to do so, as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed to Turkey and Russia to reduce tensions.
Russia has accused Turkey of shooting down one of its fighter jets nearly a mile inside Syria and Russian President Vladimir Putin and warned of "serious consequences."
Ban hopes "a credible and thorough review will clarify the events and help prevent future recurrences," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
French Muslim body to create 'licence to preach' for imams
France's leading Muslim body said Tuesday it would create a permit to preach for imams in a bid to root out extremists, as well as a new religious body to fight back against extremist propaganda.
Anouar Kbibech, president of the French Council for the Muslim Religion (CFCM), said the country's imams should be given a certificate - "like a driving licence" - that ensured they promoted a "tolerant and open Islam".
The move comes 11 days after the attacks that killed 130 people in Paris, amid increasing fears about home-grown Islamist extremists radicalised by rogue preachers.
Football: Arsenal victory keeps their Champions League hopes alive
Arsenal kept alive their hopes of reaching the Champions League last 16 for a 16th straight season when they beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 while Bayern Munich did them a favour by thrashing Olympiakos Piraeus in Group F on Tuesday.
Arsenal ripped Dinamo apart in the first half, taking a grip with two goals in four minutes from Mesut Ozil in the 29th and Alexis Sanchez who scored in the 33rd before adding a third in the 69th.
The results mean that while Bayern are through to the knockout round, Arsenal, whose chances looked slim after defeats by Dinamo, Olympiakos and Bayern, will join them if they beat Olympiakos by two clear goals in Greece on Dec. 9.
Adele smashes single-week US album sales record in four days
British singer Adele has broken the single-week US album sales record in just four days with her new release 25, Nielsen Music said on Tuesday.
Total sales for the album, released on Friday, have surpassed 2.43 million copies, smashing a 15-year-old record set by boy band NSync's 2000 album No Strings Attached, Nielsen said.
The NSync album sold 2.41 million copies in its first week.
