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TRANSCRIPT
- Kazakh officials confirm 38 dead in Azerbaijani airliner crash
- Russia confirms it’s investigating reports an Australian citizen has been captured fighting for Ukraine
- In cricket, a Melbourne heatwave for the Boxing Day Test
Kazakh officials say 38 people have been killed in an Azerbaijani airliner crash near Akatu Airport.
The Embraer 190 aircraft was travelling from Baku to Grozny when it crashed with 67 people on board.
Twenty-nine people have survived.
Kenan Zeynalov is with the Azerbaijan Prosecutor General’s Office which is conducting an investigation.
“Currently, the investigation process is ongoing in cooperation with the Prosecutor’s Office of Kazakhstan. All versions are being explored in the criminal case. At this moment, we cannot provide any conclusions regarding the investigation. Expert examinations are being conducted and an investigation group, led by the Deputy Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan, is already at work.”
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Russia says it’s investigating reports that Russian forces may have captured Australian citizen Oscar Jenkins, who was reportedly fighting with Ukrainian forces in the Donbas region.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, says Australian diplomats have spoken to Moscow about the matter.
“I can confirm that the Australian side has indeed contacted us on this issue. And the information about the detention and the detained Australian citizen is currently being verified. We are monitoring this situation together with the competent authorities. … In this regard, I would like to emphasise what happened. If this information is confirmed, then, of course, Canberra is to blame for all of this. … Because they condone Australian mercenaries who fight on the side of the Kyiv regime.”
In early 2022, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a travel advisory urging Australians not to travel to Ukraine and highlighted the legal risks of participating in the conflict.
The Australian Federal Police has also warned that Australians who engage in foreign conflicts could face prosecution under Australian law.
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Dangerous fire conditions are set to hit multiple states as the southeast braces for a Boxing Day heatwave.
Damaging winds and extreme fire danger are forecast, with hot, dry weather affecting Victoria, southwest New South Wales, and eastern South Australia.
Temperatures will soar to the high 30s and 40s across Victoria and inland Australia, with Birdsville in central western Queensland expected to reach a scorching 47 degrees Celsius.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Dean Narramore says winds of up to 100 kilometres per hour could topple trees, damage power lines, and cause minor power outages.
“Winds and extreme fire dangers to impact parts of South Australia and Victoria Over the next 48 hours, and we can see a severe weather warning is already current for damaging winds for large parts of western Victoria, south-west New South Wales, and much of East and South Australia. This does include the Grampians, where those ongoing fires are. That means we can see winds gusting at 90 to 100 kilometres an hour tomorrow. That’s enough to bring down trees and power lines, cause some minor power outages, but also create dangerous conditions for our ongoing fires through the Grampians.”
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Rescuers have abandoned hope of finding a 15-year-old alive after he was swept off rocks at North Avoca Beach on Christmas Eve.
The teen went missing on the New South Wales Central Coast.
Despite extensive search efforts on Christmas Day involving police, lifeguards, and a Westpac Rescue Helicopter, he was not found.
New South Wales Police announced the operation has shifted to a recovery phase with resources scaled back based on expert advice.
The teenager was one of three teenagers swept into the sea by a wave.
The other two managed to scramble back onto the rocks and raise the alarm.
Police Inspector Ben Campbell has expressed his sympathies for the family of the missing teen.
“A very tragic incident, and we feel for the family at this time of year. It’s just a timely reminder about how dangerous the rocks can be around the ocean and how everyone has to be really careful about what’s going on around them.”
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Temperatures are set to hit 39 degrees at the M-C-G where the series is tied at one-all.
Australia must win one of the final two Tests in Melbourne or Sydney to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar trophy.
