World Briefing: December 28, 2024

An Azerbaijani lawmaker said there is a “very strong” possibility that the crash of a passenger jet earlier this week was caused by Russian air-defense systems on alert for Ukrainian drone attacks. Speculation has mounted that the Azerbaijan Airlines plane, which was headed from Baku to Grozny, the capital of Russia’s Chechnya region, may have been hit by an air-defense missile before crossing the Caspian Sea and crashing near Aqtau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 passengers and crew. Lawmaker Hikmat Babaoghlu told RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service in an interview on December 27 that such an explanation is most likely “closest to the truth.” He added: “This is only a possibility, but a very strong one, and the observations and conclusions drawn so far support the idea that the plane being shot down is the closest to the truth,” he said. “In this specific case, the incident involves Azerbaijan’s airliner being damaged within the territory of the Russian Federation, with the event causing the crash occurring there. Therefore, there is no doubt that responsibility falls on the Russian Federation. If these assumptions are correct, accountability also undoubtedly rests with Russia,” he added. Kazakh experts arrived on December 27 to examine the crash site and black box of the ill-fated passenger jet, as speculation -- and evidence -- mounted suggesting that a Russian air-defense missile may have inadvertently struck the craft - RFE/RL

White House spokesman John Kirby has said the US has seen “early indications” that Russia may have been responsible for the downing of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed on 25 December, killing 38 people. Mr Kirby did not elaborate further, but told reporters the US had offered assistance to the investigation into the crash - BBC

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says it is alarmed by the killing of Kurdish journalists Jihan Belkin and Nazim Dashdan in northern Syria in a suspected Turkish drone attack on their vehicle. It has called for an investigation into whether they were targeted for their work. “Journalists are civilians and must be protected at all times,” said CPJ Advocacy and Communications Director Gypsy Guillén Kaiser. “We call on Turkey’s defense authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the killings of journalists Jihan Belkin and Nazim Dashdan in Syria. It is imperative to ensure those responsible are held accountable.”

Italy’s Foreign Ministry said journalist Cecilia Sala, who was in Iran to carry out “journalistic activities,” has been detained by Tehran police authorities. The ministry said in a statement on December 27 that Sala, who has a podcast called Stories that covers life in places around the world, was detained on December 19. It gave no reason for the detention, but said in a statement that the ambassador from Italy’s embassy in Tehran had paid a consular visit “to verify the conditions and state of detention of Sala.” Sala posted a podcast from Tehran on December 17 about patriarchy in the Iranian capital. Iran is routinely accused of arresting dual nationals and Western citizens on false charges to use them to pressure Western countries - RFE/RL

Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Gaza said the “Israeli military burned…and caused significant destruction to the vast majority” of Kamal Adwan Hospital wards after a raid described as “barbaric” by local authorities. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that Israel’s military has taken dozens of the hospital’s staff, including director Hussam Abu Safia, for interrogation, while the fate of many patients is unknown after troops forcibly cleared the medical facility. The UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) said Israel’s “systematic dismantling” of Gaza’s health system is a “death sentence for tens of thousands of Palestinians”. - Al Jazeera

China’s leader Xi Jinping wants the recent spree of mass killings that shocked the country not to happen again. He ordered local governments to prevent future “extreme cases.” The attacks, where drivers mow down people on foot or knife-wielding assailants stab multiple victims, are not new in China. But the latest surge drew attention. Local officials were quick to vow to examine all sorts of personal disputes that could trigger aggression, from marital troubles to disagreements over inheritance. However, the increasing reach into people’s private lives raises concerns at a time when the Chinese state has already tightened its grip over all social and political aspects in the East Asian nation - AP

The United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness this year, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country, federal officials said Friday. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said federally required tallies taken across the country in January found that more than 770,000 people were counted as homeless — a number that misses some people and does not include those staying with friends or family because they do not have a place of their own. That increase comes on top of a 12% increase in 2023, which HUD blamed on soaring rents and the end of pandemic assistance. The 2023 increase also was driven by people experiencing homelessness for the first time. The numbers overall represent 23 of every 10,000 people in the U.S., with Black people being overrepresented among the homeless population - AP

Venice has introduced a ban on alcohol consumption on New Year’s Eve as a safety measure, joining other cities around the world that have trialled crackdowns on carrying or consuming drinks in public places. The canal city has also restricted the sale of alcohol in shops and bars - Euronews

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