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Hi, I'm VOA's Alexis Strope with your worldwide news update.
Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to [Azerbaijani's] Azerbaijan's leader on Saturday for what the Kremlin called a "tragic incident" over Russia in which an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed after Russian air defenses were fired against Ukrainian drones. Reuters correspondent ??? reports. The extremely rare publicized apology from Putin was the closest Moscow had come to accepting some blame for Wednesday's disaster, though the Kremlin's statement did not say Russia had shot down the plane, only noting that a criminal case had been opened. Four sources with knowledge of the initial findings of Azerbaijan's investigation told Reuters that Russian air defenses had mistakenly shot down the plane. The Kremlin said, "At the time, Russian air defense systems were repelling attacks by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles." Putin called Azerbaijan's president and, quote, "apologized for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace," the Kremlin said. It added that Putin and Kazakhstan's president had agreed to stay in constant contact over the investigation into the crash, and that civilian and military specialists were being questioned. That was Reuters correspondent ???. Gaza's Health Ministry says Israel's army has detained the director of one of northern Gaza's last functioning hospitals. The announcement on Saturday came after health officials said Israeli troops stormed the hospital and forced many staff and patients outside. Israel's military alleges the hospital director is a suspected Hamas operative and says it detained over 240 others. It acknowledges it ordered people outside and that special forces entered the hospital. It says it eliminated militants who fired at its forces. Kamal Adwan officials have denied that Hamas operates in the hospital. This is VOA News. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks on the ongoing gas transit dispute with Slovakia. AP correspondent Nayan Kim reports. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged his government to work with European countries to maintain the stability of the continent's energy system amid an ongoing dispute with Slovakia over gas transit through Ukraine. Slovakia on Friday said they would consider halting back electricity supply to Ukraine if Kyiv stops gas flow to Slovakia through its territory. In his daily address, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine's imports of electricity through Slovakia account for 19 percent of the total it buys in. I'm Nayan Kim. Afghanistan's Defense Ministry says its forces hit several points inside Pakistan in retaliation for deadly airstrikes. Pakistan last Tuesday launched an operation to destroy a training facility and kill insurgents in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province. The strikes killed dozens of people. The ministry said that its forces hit points serving as centers and hideouts for malicious elements and their supporters who organized and coordinated attacks in Afghanistan. Pakistan accuses the Taliban of not doing enough to combat cross-border militant activity, a charge the Taliban government denies. Donald Trump appears to be siding with Elon Musk as a dispute over immigration visas has divided his supporters. AP correspondent Julie Walker reports. Donald Trump, in an interview with The New York Post Saturday, praised the use of visas to bring skilled foreign workers to the U.S. In the past, he's criticized the H-1B visas, calling them "very bad" and "unfair" for U.S. workers. A debate over the H-1B visa program for skilled foreign workers has been raging within Donald Trump's political movement. The president-elect's Truth Social app has used the H-1B visa program, and Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa, was once on the same visa. He and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who are running Trump's Government Efficiency office, defended the foreign worker program, while others from Trump's Make America Great Again base are championing his hardline immigration policies and say U.S. workers need to be hired for the jobs. I'm Julie Walker. Syria's embassy in Lebanon has suspended consular services a day after two relatives of deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were arrested at the Beirut airport with allegedly forged passports. At the same time, hundreds of protesters convened by Kurdish women's groups participated in a demonstration in the northeastern city of Hasakah to demand women's rights in the new Syria amid ongoing clashes between Kurdish forces and Turkish-backed armed groups. That wraps up this update, but the world and news never stop. For additional updates, visit our website. I'm Alexis Strope, VOA News. |