Migrant crisis: EU backs Turkey action plan

EU states have backed an action plan with Turkey, which it is hoped will ease the flow of migrants to Europe. Nearly 600,000 migrants have reached the EU by sea so far this year, many of them travelling from Turkey.

The leaders agreed to speed up visa liberalisation talks for Turks if Ankara stems the influx and to "re-energise" Turkey's accession dialogue.

Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, said he felt "cautious optimism" over the deal.
Meanwhile a migrant thought to be Afghan was shot dead by a Bulgarian border guard after entering the country from Turkey late on Thursday.

One refugees at Turkey

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov left the Brussels talk on hearing the news.
Thursday's summit in Brussels, European leaders agreed to:

. accelerate visa liberalisation for Turks wanting to visit the EU's borderless Schengen area - if Turkey complies with certain criteria
. "re-energised" talks over Turkey joining the EU.

Turkey had also asked for €3bn (£2.2bn, $3.4bn) in aid, something German Chancellor Angela Merkel said EU states were considering. Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, said talks over the aid would continue with Turkish officials over the coming days.

Mrs Merkel will travel to Turkey at the weekend. "There is still a huge amount to do," Mrs Merkel said. "But you cannot say that we've achieved nothing."

Jose Mourinho: Chelsea manager calls FA fine a 'disgrace'

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says his Football Association fine is a "disgrace" after being ordered to pay £50,000.

Mourinho had claimed officials were "afraid" to award his team penalties after Robert Madley denied the Blues a spot-kick in a 3-1 loss to Southampton.

It was announced on Wednesday that the 52-year-old had also been given a suspended one-match stadium ban.

However, the Portuguese is unlikely to face further punishment from the FA. "I'm happy I don't have an electronic tag," said Mourinho on Thursday. "£50,000 is a disgrace. The possibility of getting a stadium ban is astonishing."

Jose Mourinho & Arsene Wenger

Mourinho also had another dig at Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger - without naming the Gunners boss.

He felt aggrieved Wenger went unpunished for calling referee Mike Dean "weak" and "naive" following Arsenal's 2-0 defeat by Chelsea last month. Mourinho claimed the FA had set a dangerous precedent by rescinding a red card given to Arsenal's Gabriel, who had been sent off for kicking out at Chelsea striker Diego Costa. Wenger also faced no action after pushing Mourinho in the Stamford Bridge technical area in October 2014.

"Afraid costs £50,000. Weak and naive - you can do it," added Mourinho, who signed a new four-year deal at Chelsea in August.
"We can push people in the technical area. We can, no problem." Later, in an interview with the BBC's Dan Walker, to be shown on Saturday's Football Focus, Mourinho reiterated his unhappiness with the FA.

When asked if his relationship with English football's governing body could be fixed, he said: "It's not my relationship with the FA, it's their relationship towards me.
"You should analyse what's happening with me, compare it with other managers. Do you think a word is comparable with a push in the eyes of everyone?
"I can't say anything because the next time I speak, seriously a stadium ban, then after an electronic tag."

Asus expands its smartphone line up with the entry-level Zenfone Go

Asus is making its presence known in the smartphone community. After the successful release of the second-generation Zenfone 2 earlier this year, the Taiwanese company has continued to churn out new iterations in the Zenfone lineup including the Zenfone Laser, Zenfone Selfie and the Zenfone 2 Deluxe.

Now, Asus has released another smartphone joining the family, the Asus Zenfone Go. While most of Asus's offerings have been budget-friendly, the Zenfone Go is an even more affordable entry-level phone.

The Zenfone Go features a 5.0-inch IPS LCD display with 720 x 1280 screen resolution and 294 ppi pixel density. The display is capable of producing bright and vivid colors. The handset is 10 mm thick and weighs 135 grams.

Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe

It is powered by a quad core 1.3 GHz MediaTek MT6580 processor and 2 GB of RAM. According to Asus, the smartphone can handle multiple tasks and provide an immersive gaming experience. Internal memory is at 16 GB but can be expanded up to 64 GB via a microSD slot.

The smartphone has an 8 MP rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, autofocus and LED flash. The front-facing camera is a 2 MP selfie shooter.

Out of the box, the Zenfone Go comes preloaded with the Android 5.1 Lollipop OS with the ZenUI on top. Through the much raved about Zen user interface, users can utilize features such as ZenMotion, Trend Micro, Dr. Safety and Instant Updates.

The device has 3G and dual-SIM with dual stand-by capabilities. It is backed by a 2,070 mAh battery.

The device is currently being sold for about $127 in India and other Asian markets. Users can choose from three colors – black, white and red. The Zenfone Go also comes with 100 GB free cloud storage on Google Drive.

With 2015 almost coming to an end, Asus has announced that it will continue with its aggressive marketing strategy in 2016. Asus CEO, Jerry Shen, revealed that it will also launch 6 or 7 new Zenfone-series products next year, with the 5.5-inch displays becoming mainstream in the coming months.

Russians, Syrians and Iranians setting up military coordination cell in Baghdad

EXCLUSIVE: Russian, Syrian and Iranian military commanders have set up a coordination cell in Baghdad in recent days to try to begin working with Iranian-backed Shia militias fighting the Islamic State, Fox News has learned. 

Western intelligence sources say the coordination cell includes low-level Russian generals. U.S. officials say it is not clear whether the Iraqi government is involved at the moment. 

Describing the arrival of Russian military personnel in Baghdad, one senior U.S. official said, "They are popping up everywhere."

The Russians already have been building up their military presence in Syria, a subject expected to factor prominently in a planned meeting between President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin in New York Monday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. 

While the U.S. also is fighting the Islamic State, the Obama administration has voiced concern that Russia's involvement, at least in Syria, could have a destabilizing effect. 

Moscow, though, has fostered ties with the governments in both Syria and Iraq. In May, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi flew to Moscow for an official visit to discuss potential Russian arms transfers and shared intelligence capability, as well as the enhancement of security and military capabilities, according to a statement by the Iraqi prime minister's office at the time. 

Meanwhile, a U.S. official described to Fox News how, over the weekend, the Russians were able to move 24 attack jets into Syria undetected. 

The Russian military flew 12 Sukhoi Su-25 "Frogfoot" and a dozen Sukhoi Su-24 "Fencer" attack aircraft in "tight formations" under the "steady stream" of the large Russian An-124 cargo planes that have been ferrying supplies from bases in Russia through Iran before traveling on to Syria, the official said. 

The large cargo planes appeared as "a big blip" on radar, but flying beneath them were "tight formations" of the smaller Russian fighter jets that used jamming pods and switched off their IFF, which would identify the aircraft to radar. 

The large Russian cargo planes have the capability to fly directly from Russia to Syria, but the smaller attack aircraft do not. 

"The Russian jets did not have the legs to make it directly from Russia to Syria, and needed a base to refuel," said the official, who spoke to Fox News under the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose sensitive information. 

According to the Aviationist, the Russian cargo planes and fighter jets landed at an airbase in Hamadan, Iran, roughly halfway between Baghdad and Tehran on Sept 18-19. 

Fox News also has learned from U.S. military sources that the Russians have begun flying some of the Sukhoi fighter and attack jets from Bassel al-Assad airport, in Latakia, now a Russian forward operating base along the Mediterranean. 

The planes are not dropping bombs or conducting attack missions, but just flying around near the base, according to one official. The official also confirmed that Russian destroyers are in position off the Mediterranean coast. 

On Thursday, State Department spokesman John Kirby denied a U.S. intelligence failure led to U.S. officials being caught unaware of the two dozen Russian warplanes arriving in Syria. 

"I can tell you that we've been watching this very, very closely ... and we have not been ignorant of what the Russians have been doing," said Kirby. 

Asked Thursday about Russia's military involvement in Syria, Defense Secretary Ash Carter cautioned that without Russian support for a "political transition" in Damascus, it could "pour gasoline on the ISIL phenomenon rather than to lead to the defeat of ISIL." 

But just two days ago, Secretary of State John Kerry said the Russian build-up was consistent with defensive measures. 

"For the moment, it is the judgment of our military and most experts that the level and type represents basically force protection, a level of protection for their deployment to an airbase given the fact that it is in an area of conflict,'' Kerry said at the State Department Tuesday. 

This week, former CIA director Gen. David Petraeus testified on Capitol Hill, warning that inaction in Syria carries risks for the United States. 

"Russia's recent military escalation in Syria is a further reminder that when the U.S. does not take the initiative, others will fill the vacuum -- often in ways that are harmful to our interests," Petraeus said.

Lucas Tomlinson is the Pentagon and State Department producer for Fox News Channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @LucasFoxNews

Jennifer Griffin currently serves as a national security correspondent for FOX News Channel . She joined FNC in October 1999 as a Jerusalem-based correspondent.

New Poll: Bernie Sanders Opens Up 16-Point Lead Over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire

Bernie Sanders has opened up a 16 point lead over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, according to a new CNN/WMUR poll released Thursday.

The Vermont senator was favored by 46-percent of surveyed voters between September 17-23.

Hillary Clinton

Clinton, considered to be the likely-Democratic nominee, came in second with 30-percent of the vote. Vice President Joe Biden, who is still mulling a run, earned 14-percent. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley came in with only two-percent of the vote.

The poll had a sampling error of plus or minus 5.5-percent and surveyed 314 Democratic voters in New Hampshire.