Russian President Vladimir Putin has bitterly condemned the downing of a Russian jet on the Turkey-Syria border.

He described it as a "stab in the back" committed by "accomplices of terrorists".He described it as a "stab in the back" committed by "accomplices of terrorists".
Turkey says its jets shot at the plane after warning that it was violating Turkish airspace. But Moscow says it never strayed from Syrian airspace.
Nato is holding an extraordinary meeting to discuss the incident at Turkey's request.
Mr Putin warned there would be "serious consequences" for Moscow's relations with Turkey.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said he was cancelling his visit to Turkey, where he was due on He also advised Russians not to visit Turkey and said the threat of terrorism there was no less than in Egypt, where a bomb attack brought down a Russian passenger plane last month.
In the latest response:

• US President Barack Obama has said Turkey has a right to defend its territory and airspace, and that the incident pointed to ongoing problems with Russia's military operations in Syria. He said it was important to find out exactly what had happened and to take measures to "discourage any kind of escalation"
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey's right to protect its borders must be respected
• Nato's ambassadors have called on Turkey to show "cool-headedness" after downing Russian warplane, diplomatic sources are quoted by Reuters news agency as saying

·         Mr Putin said the Su-24 was hit by an air-to-air missile fired by a Turkish F-16 while it was flying over Syrian territory.

·         He said the plane had been attacked "at a height of 6,000 metres (20,000ft), 1km from the border".

·         It crashed into Syrian territory 4km from the border, he added.

·         It flew over a small piece of Turkey that projects into Syria that would have taken the jet only a few moments to fly over, correspondents say

·         This was tough language from an icy-looking President Putin. Much of his comments were for domestic consumption. After all, he launched air strikes in Syria arguing that it would make Russia safer; instead, 224 people were blown out of the sky last month in a bomb attack - and now this.

·         By rounding on Turkey, he is in part deflecting any suggestion that his own policy has backfired. But he is clearly furious too and it's not clear yet how that will translate into action.

·         On state TV, there have been calls for a "tough response"; there's talk of economic sanctions - and the foreign ministry has issued a travel warning, proclaiming Turkey as dangerous as Egypt following the terror attack on tourists there.

·         Since then, and the Paris attacks, there had been hints of a rapprochement between Russia and the West - uniting against a common threat. Ideally, Russia won't want to scupper that, but this latest incident presents a huge challenge.

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·         The two crew members ejected as their burning aircraft plunged into a Syrian hillside.

·         Video footage has shown what appears to be the dead body of one of the flyers, surrounded by armed rebels.

·         Another piece of video, obtained by a Turkish news network, has shown the pilots being shot at from the ground by unidentified rebels.

·         "In any case, our pilots, planes did not threaten Turkish territory in any way. It is quite clear," Mr Putin said.

·         "They were carrying out an operation against Isis [Islamic State] in the mountains of northern Latakia, where militants are focused - who mostly originate from the territory of Russia.

·         "So they were carrying the key task of preventative attacks against those who could return to Russia at any time. These are people who must be directly qualified as international terrorists."

·         Turkish military officials said the plane was engaged after being warned that it was violating Turkish airspace.

·         It is the first time a Russian aircraft has crashed in Syria since Moscow launched air strikes against militants fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in late September.

·         The Nato military alliance, to which Turkey belongs, said it was following the situation "closely" and was in contact with the Turkish authorities.

·         The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the jet had crashed in the mountainous Jabal Turkmen area of Latakia, where air strikes and fighting between rebels and Syrian government forces had been reported earlier on Tuesday.

·         Russian military helicopters searched for the pilot and navigator near the crash site in the predominantly Turkmen Bayir Bucak area, Turkey's Dogan news agency reported.

·         A spokesman for a rebel group operating in the area, the 10th Brigade of the Coast, told the Associated Press that the jet's crew had tried to parachute into government-held territory, but that they came under fire from members of the group.

·         One of them was dead when he landed on the ground, he added. The fate of the second was not immediately known.

·         Turkey, a vehement opponent of Syria's president, has warned against violations of its airspace by Russian and Syrian aircraf

The leaders of China and Taiwan have held historic talks in Singapore - their first in more than 60 years.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou shook hands at the start of the talks, which were seen as largely symbolic.

China views Taiwan as a breakaway province which will one day be reunited with the mainland.

But many Taiwanese see it as independent and are concerned at China's growing influence.

The awkward questions that could crop up

What's behind the China-Taiwan divide?

"Both sides should respect each other's values and way of life," Mr Ma said as the talks began at a luxury hotel.

Mr Xi told the Taiwanese leader: "We are one family."

The meeting "has opened a historic chapter in the cross-Strait relations, and history will remember today", he added.

The meeting took place in neutral territory on the sidelines of a state visit by Mr Xi to Singapore.

Relations between China and Taiwan have improved under Mr Ma since he took office in 2008, with better economic ties, improving tourism links, and a trade pact signed.

The two sides split in 1949 when the Kuomintang lost to the Chinese Communist Party in the civil war and set up a new government in Taiwan.

What wasn't discussed

Mr Ma described the talks as "positive and friendly", but no major agreements or deals appear to have been reached.

Mr Ma said in advance that the issue of the South China Sea disputes, which has dominated recent concerns in the region, would not be brought up.

What was discussed

Mr Ma proposed reducing hostility across the Taiwan Strait, expanding exchanges and establishing a cross-strait hotline, according to Taiwan's central news agency.

He said this was part of consolidating the "1992 consensus" - the agreement under which both sides recognise the principle of "one China" but define it in their own ways.

Similar remarks were made by Mr Xi, who said upholding the consensus would help "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation".

Why are they meeting now?

It is not entirely clear why the meeting has happened at this time, as neither side has properly said.

Mr Ma has built his presidency on closer links with China, so there is a good reason for him to meet Mr Xi, says the BBC World Service's Asia editor, Michael Bristow.

There is also a presidential election in Taiwan in January. Mr Ma might think the meeting will give a boost to his party's candidate, who is trailing in the polls, our correspondent says.

China also has something to gain, and that also concerns Taiwan's election. Mr Xi's decision to talk reminds Taiwanese voters that China is far friendlier to a government of Mr Ma's nationalist party than one formed by the opposition, which leans towards independence for Taiwan.

It is a calculated gamble for Mr Xi, as China's attempts to influence Taiwanese voters have previously backfired, our correspondent adds.

Taiwan-China key dates

§  1949: Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang (KMT) nationalists form their own government in Taiwan after Mao Zedong's communists take power in Beijing

§  1971: Taiwan loses its seat at the UN to China

§  1979: The US establishes diplomatic relations with China while at the same time committing itself to defending Taiwan

§  1993: First direct talks between the two sides take place in Singapore

§  2005: Beijing brings in a law that makes secession by Taiwan illegal, at the risk of military action

§  2008: High-level talks between the two sides resume after Ma Ying-jeou is elected president

The reaction in Taiwan and China

Growing fears over China's influence have led to widespread dissatisfaction in Taiwan.

President Ma's Kuomintang (KMT) Party suffered a crushing defeat in local elections last year, a result that was widely seen as a rejection of Mr Ma's push for closer ties with China. In the Taiwanese capital there were protests before the talks and one group tried to enter the parliament building.

State media in China heralded the meeting, with an editorial in the Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily calling it a "victory of peace and rationality".

It said critics were "displaying jiggery-pokery from a small circle. Such extremism is bound to be stigmatised".

US creator of the iconic 1960s Batmobile dies

George Barris, the man who designed and built the black, fire-spitting vehicle made famous in the 1960s "Batman" television series, has died in Los Angeles, his son Brett announced on Facebook.

Known as the "King of the Kustomizers," the 89 year-old Barris died at home in his sleep on Thursday.

"Sorry to have to post that my father, legendary kustom car king George Barris, has moved to the bigger garage in the sky," the Facebook posting said.

Aside from the iconic Batmobile, Barris also created vehicles for the 1980s TV show "Knight Rider," and the 1960s shows "The Munsters," "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "The Monkees." His vehicles also appeared in the 1959 Alfred Hitchcock movie "North by Northwest."

Barris opened a car rebuilding company with his brother in Los Angeles in 1945. The company, named Barris Kustom Industries, remains in operation today.

Barris said that his company made the Batmobile in two weeks from a 1955 Lincoln Futura concept sedan he bought for just a dollar.

In 2013 that Batmobile sold at auction for more than $4 million.

Justin Trudeau sworn in as new Canada prime minister

Canada's new leader, Justin Trudeau, has been sworn in as prime minister, ending 10 years of Conservative rule.

His ascension marks a new era of Liberal politics after an election that saw Stephen Harper's party ousted.

Mr Trudeau, 43, follows in the footsteps of his father who held the office for nearly two decades.

The move could see an increase in public spending, better relations with the US and an increase in the number of Syrian refugees being taken in.

The new ministers, who are are mostly aged between 35 and 50, took their oaths in the bilingual ceremony.

Mr Trudeau whispered "I love you" to his family upon being sworn in.

The former school teacher turned politician was elected to parliament in 2008, and becomes the second youngest prime minister in Canadian history.

He was elected after running on a plan to reject austerity and spend billions on infrastructure projects that would see Canada run a deficit for three years.

The plan caught the attention of a Canadian electorate hungry for change after a decade under the rule of Prime Minister Harper.

Mr Harper's political platform included plans that saw corporate and sales tax rates cut as well as Canada's removal from a climate change agreement.

The conservative prime minister was also angered by Mr Obama's reluctance to approve the Keystone XL pipeline that was designed to transport petroleum from Alberta to Texas.

For his part, Mr Trudeau believes the pipeline should be approved, but does not think that that the disagreement should weigh so heavily on US-Canada relations.