Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on December 25 that Kurdish militants in Syria will either lay down their weapons or “be buried”, amid hostilities between Turkey-backed Syrian fighters and the militants since the fall of Bashar al-Assad this month.Following Assad’s departure, Ankara has repeatedly insisted that the Kurdish YPG militia must disband, asserting that the group has no place in Syria’s future. The change in Syria’s leadership has left the country’s main Kurdish factions on the back foot.”The separatist murderers will either bid farewell to their weapons, or they will be buried in Syrian lands along with their weapons,” Erdogan told lawmakers from his ruling AK Party in parliament.”We will eradicate the terrorist organisation that is trying to weave a wall of blood between us and our Kurdish siblings,” he added.Turkey views the Kurdish YPG militia – the main component of the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militia, which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984. n18oc_world n18oc_crux

A harrowing video taken by a passenger inside the cabin of an aircraft that crashed in Kazakhstan today has been shared widely on social media, showing the final moments of the doomed plane. Thirty-five people were killed in the crash near Aktau, an oil and gas hub on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea.

In the video, the passenger is heard saying “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) as the plane goes into a steep descent. Yellow oxygen masks were seen dangling over the seats. Screaming and crying were heard, amid the soft doorbell-like sound of the ‘wear seatbelt’ light.

The plane was flying from the Azerbaijani capital Baku on the western shore of the Caspian to the city of Grozny in Chechnya in southern Russia. Azerbaijan Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, said the plane “made an emergency landing” around 3 km from Aktau.

Another video taken inside the cabin – the plane’s ceiling panel that has reading lights and air blower is upside down – showed people screaming for help. The video was clearly after the plane had crashed.

The final moments of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane before its crash in Kazakhstan were captured by a passenger onboard.

Aftermath also included in the footage. pic.twitter.com/nCRozjdoUY

— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 25, 2024

Blood stains on some armrests were visible.

Azerbaijani authorities said 32 people survived the crash of the Embraer 190, a narrow-body passenger aircraft.

One person died and 20 others were rescued after a tourist boat capsized in the Arabian Sea off Calangute beach in North Goa on Wednesday, police said.

The incident occurred around 1.30 pm, they said.

“A 54-year-old man died and 20 others were rescued and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment after the boat they were travelling in capsized,” a senior police official said.

Except for two passengers, all others were wearing life jackets, he said.

The passengers included children as young as six year old and women, he said.

Spokesman of Drishti Marine, a government-appointed lifesaving agency, said the boat capsized around 60 metres away from the coastline, resulting in all the passengers falling off into the sea water.

A family comprising 13 members from Khed in Maharashtra were among the passengers on board, he said.

On seeing the boat getting capsized, a personnel of Drishti Marine rushed to aid and called for backup, he said.

“In all, 18 on-duty lifesavers rushed to the aid of the struggling passengers and brought them to shore safely,” he said.

The injured passengers were administered first aid, while those who were found to be critical were rushed to a medical facility in an ambulance, the spokesman said.

“Of the 20 passengers, two children aged six and seven each, and two women aged 25 and 55 each, were revived and hospitalised,” he said, adding that two passengers on the boat were not wearing life jackets.

Goa is a popular tourist destination, especially during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

The incident occurred a week after a speeding Navy craft undergoing engine trials lost control and crashed into passenger ferry ‘Neel Kamal’ off the Mumbai coast, killing 15 persons. The ferry, carrying more than 100 passengers, was on its way from Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, a popular tourist attraction famous for its cave temples.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)