Asia – MNP

Metascholar News Portal
Africa , Asia , News
December 28, 2024
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3 minutes Read

Putin Expresses Regret for Plane Crash Without Acknowledging Russia’s Responsibility

In a rare public statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed condolences to Azerbaijan over the tragic downing of an Azerbaijani commercial airliner, which resulted in the deaths of 38 people. However, Putin stopped short of directly taking responsibility for the incident, instead attributing it to the complexities of ongoing military operations in the region. On December 25, the Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243, en route from Baku to Grozny in the Russian region of Chechnya, encountered difficulties while attempting to land. As the plane neared Chechnya’s capital, it came under fire from Russian air defense systems, which were engaged in repelling Ukrainian drone attacks in the region. The aircraft was forced to divert, eventually crash-landing near Aktau in Kazakhstan, where 38 of the 67 passengers on board were killed. The surviving passengers, many of whom were seated in the rear of the plane, were rescued from the wreckage. Putin, speaking for the first time since the incident, expressed regret over the crash during a phone call with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. “Vladimir Putin apologised that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace,” read a statement from the Kremlin. He extended his “deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims” and wished a swift recovery to the injured. Putin also acknowledged the plane’s repeated attempts to land at Grozny airport before the tragic diversion, noting that the region was under attack by Ukrainian drones at the time, and that Russian air defense systems were actively engaged in countering the assault. While Putin’s apology marked a rare moment of acknowledgment, the Kremlin’s statement made no direct admission that the plane had been struck by Russian missiles. This omission has sparked further questions and controversy, especially given the scale of the damage to the aircraft. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, responding to the Kremlin’s statement, emphasized the need for clarity and transparency. Zelensky suggested that the damage to the aircraft’s fuselage bore “striking similarities to an air defense missile strike.” He called on Russia to provide “clear explanations” regarding the incident. “The key priority now is a thorough investigation that will answer all questions about what really happened,” he stated, underlining the necessity for an independent and comprehensive probe into the cause of the crash. The attack on the airliner occurred during heightened tensions in the region, where Russian air defenses were dealing with persistent drone strikes launched by Ukraine. Earlier in the week, Russian aviation authorities had described the situation…

Metascholar News Portal
Asia , News
December 28, 2024
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4 minutes Read

A Surge in Mass Attacks Reflects Growing Anger and Frustration in China

The year 2024 has been marked by an alarming wave of mass attacks across China, triggering widespread shock, anger, and profound societal introspection. “The Chinese people are so miserable,” lamented one social media user following a recent tragedy. Another warned ominously, “There will only be more and more copycat attacks.” These chilling sentiments highlight the public’s growing despair as the nation grapples with what experts describe as a troubling escalation of violence. Historically, incidents of mass attacks have been relatively rare in China, a nation of 1.4 billion people. However, 2024 has witnessed a sharp increase in such events. From 2019 to 2023, police recorded between three to five cases annually involving perpetrators targeting pedestrians or strangers. In stark contrast, 19 such incidents were reported in 2024 alone. The human toll has been devastating: three fatalities and 28 injuries in 2019; 16 deaths and 40 injuries in 2023; and an alarming 63 deaths and 166 injuries in 2024. The surge reached a grim peak in November, a month marred by particularly brutal acts of violence. On November 11, a 62-year-old man in Zhuhai ploughed his car into a crowd exercising outside a stadium, killing at least 35 people. Authorities revealed that he was deeply dissatisfied with his divorce settlement. His trial concluded with a death sentence issued this week. Days later, in Changde city, a man drove his vehicle into a group of children and parents outside a primary school, injuring 30 people. Officials attributed his actions to frustration over financial losses and family disputes. That same week, a 21-year-old student in Wuxi, unable to graduate after failing his exams, embarked on a stabbing rampage at his campus. The attack left eight dead and 17 injured. Earlier in September, a 37-year-old man launched a stabbing spree in a Shanghai shopping center, leaving bystanders scrambling for safety. Other attacks included a 55-year-old man assaulting American instructors in June and two separate attacks on Japanese citizens, one of which claimed the life of a 10-year-old boy outside his school. David Schak, an associate professor at Griffith University in Australia, notes that such attacks are not unprecedented but often occur in waves, potentially fueled by copycat behavior and a desire for attention. He observes that many perpetrators act out of a sense of alienation and anger, targeting random strangers to express their dissatisfaction with society. While China’s extensive surveillance network is renowned for ensuring public safety with women often feeling secure walking…

Metascholar News Portal
Asia , Europe
December 19, 2024
446 views
2 minutes Read

I should have invaded Ukraine earlier, Putin tells Russians in TV marathon

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia should have launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine earlier and been better prepared for the war. In his end-of-year press conference on Thursday, Putin said, with hindsight, there should have been “systemic preparation” for the 2022 invasion, which he refers to as a “special military operation”. Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and pro-Russian forces began a conflict in eastern Ukraine, but it was eight years later that Putin tried to seize Kyiv. During his four-hour long appearance, Putin also talked about Syria’s deposed leader, Russia’s more aggressive nuclear doctrine as well as domestic issues, like the price of butter. Billed as “Results of the Year with Vladimir Putin”, the event was broadcast live across the main state TV channels on Thursday. Putin appeared in front of a large blue screen emblazoned with a map of the Russian Federation, complete with annexed parts of Ukraine. He took questions from members of the public, foreign journalists and pensioners – but it was a highly choreographed and tightly controlled affair. When asked by the BBC’s Russia editor Steve Rosenberg whether he felt the country was in a better state than where his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, had left it 25 years ago, Putin said Russia had regained its “sovereignty”. “With everything that was happening to Russia before that, we were heading towards a complete, total loss of our sovereignty.”