THIS MORNING THE CAUSE OF A PLANE CRASH IN THE COUNTRY OF KAZAKHSTAN, THAT KILLED AT LEAST 38 PEOPLE, IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION – THOUGH SEVERAL DIFFERENT THEORIES ARE BEING DISCUSSED and circulating – INCLUDING A POSSIBLE CONNECTION TO THE ONGOING WAR BETWEEN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE.
THE AZERBAIJAN AIRLINES FLIGHT, ORIGINATED WEDNESDAY MORNING FROM THE CAPITAL CITY OF BAKU, AND WAS EN ROUTE TO GROZNY IN RUSSIA WHEN THE PLANE, AN EMBRAER 190 AIRCRAFT, ATTEMPTED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING — APPROXIMATELY TWO MILES FROM AKTA IN WESTERN KAZAKHSTAN – WHEN IT what appeared to be a figure eight in the air, then slammed into the ground, KILLING AT LEAST 38 PEOPLE ON-BOARD – 29 OTHERS SURVIVED.
ACCORDING TO RUSSIA’S CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY- A BIRD STRIKE LED TO AN EMERGENCY LANDING.
REUTERS IS REPORTING THAT RUSSIAN NEWS AGENCIES SAY THE FLIGHT HAD BEEN RE-ROUTED DUE TO FOG IN GROZNY.
THE AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT SAID, DURING A PRESS CONFERENCE, THAT IT WAS TOO SOON TO GIVE A REASON BEHIND THE CRASH, HE ALSO SAID THE WEATHER HAD FORCED THE PLANE TO CHANGE FROM ITS PLANNED COURSE.
THE PLANE CRASH-LANDED IN A FIELD AND BURST INTO FLAMES BEFORE MAKING IT TO THE DESTINATION.
ON WEDNESDAY EVENING — A WALL STREET JOURNAL STORY CITED AN AVIATION SECURITY FIRM’S TAKE ON THE INCIDENT. **OSPREY FLIGHT SOLUTIONS** ASSESSED FOOTAGE OF THE CRASH, PLANE DAMAGE AND RECENT MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE AREA BETWEEN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE.
THE UK-BASED FIRM SAID THE FLIGHT WAS QUOTE “LIKELY SHOT DOWN BY A RUSSIAN MILITARY AIR-DEFENSE SYSTEM.”
JUST HOURS BEFORE THE CRASH — RUSSIA’S DEFENSE MINISTRY DOWNED 59 UKRAINIAN DRONES IN THE REGION.
THE CHIEF INTELLIGENCE OFFICER OF OSPREY FLIGHT SOLUTIONS SAID QUOTE, “VIDEO OF THE WRECKAGE AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES AROUND THE AIRSPACE SECURITY ENVIRONMENT IN SOUTHWEST RUSSIA INDICATES THE POSSIBILITY THE AIRCRAFT WAS HIT BY SOME FORM OF ANTI-AIRCRAFT FIRE.
A UKRAINIAN NATIONAL SECURITY OFFICIAL GAVE A SIMILAR VIEWPOINT ON X — SAYING THE PLANE “WAS SHOT DOWN BY A RUSSIAN AIR-DEFENSE SYSTEM,” CITING VISIBLE DAMAGE TO THE PLANE. THE OFFICIAL SAID RUSSIA SHOULD HAVE CLOSED THE AIRSPACE OVER GROZNY.
THOUGH RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN HAS GIVEN HIS CONDOLENCES TO THE VICTIMS — RUSSIAN OFFICIALS HAVE NOT YET RESPONDED TO THESE REMARKS AND THEORIES.
REPORTS SAY THE COCKPIT RECORDER HAS BEEN RECOVERED AS AZERBAIJANI AND KAZAKH AUTHORITIES LAUNCH THEIR INVESTIGATION.
THERE WERE 62 PASSENGERS AND 5 CREW MEMBERS ON THE FLIGHT.
ACCORDING TO KAZAKH OFFICIALS, THOSE ABOARD INCLUDED 42 AZERBAIJANI CITIZENS, 16 RUSSIAN NATIONALS, SIX KAZAKHS AND THREE KYRGYZSTAN NATIONALS.
NOW TO MORE DEVELOPMENTS THE REGION — UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY SAYS RUSSIAN FORCES LAUNCHED A QUOTE “INHUMANE” CHRISTMAS DAY ATTACK ON UKRAINE’S POWER GRID.
ZELENSKYY SAID MORE THAN 70 MISSILES — INCLUDING BALLISTIC MISSILES — AND MORE THAN 100 DRONES TARGETED THE ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE IN UKRAINE.
HE SAID UKRAINIAN AIR DEFENSE SYSTEMS INTERCEPTED MORE THAN 50 MISSILES AND MOST OF THE DRONES — BUT SOME FACILITIES WERE STILL HIT… CAUSING POWER OUTAGES IN VARIOUS REGIONS OF UKRAINE. THE RUSSIAN ATTACK ON THE POWER GRID, LEFT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIANS WITHOUT HEAT IN VERY COLD TEMPERATURES.
UKRAINIAN FORCES SAY THEY LAUNCHED AN AIR-STRIKE AGAINST A RUSSIAN COMMAND POST IN LGOV — PART OF THE UKRAINIAN-OCCUPIED AREAS IN THE KURSK REGION.
THE ACTING RUSSIAN GOVERNOR OF KURSK SAID AT LEAST FOUR PEOPLE DIED AND FIVE MORE WERE HURT IN THE ATTACK.
RUSSIAN FORCES SAY THEY SHOT DOWN A UKRAINIAN DRONE IN THE NORTH OSSETIA REGION.
DEBRIS FROM THAT AIR BATTLE CAUSED AN EXPLOSION AND A FIRE AT A SHOPPING CENTER, LEAVING ONE PERSON DEAD.
INVESTIGATORS ARE CONTINUING TO SEARCH FOR ANSWERS AFTER A BODY WAS FOUND IN THE WHEEL WELL OF A UNITED AIRLINES PLANE ON CHRISTMAS EVE AFTER A FLIGHT FROM CHICAGO TO MAUI.
A UNITED AIRLINES SPOKESPERSON SAID QUOTE “THE WHEEL WELL IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE FROM OUTSIDE THE AIRCRAFT” AND THE AIRLINE IS WORKING WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT TO FIGURE OUT **HOW** THE PERSON WAS ABLE TO GET IN.
ACCORDING TO FLIGHT TRACKING WEBSITE **FLIGHT AWARE**, THE PLANE HAD PREVIOUSLY FLOWN FROM SAO PAULO, BRAZIL ON A DIRECT FLIGHT TO CHICAGO — WHERE IT HAD ABOUT A FOUR-AND-A-HALF-HOUR LAYOVER BEFORE THE FLIGHT TO MAUI, WHICH TAKES A LITTLE OVER NINE HOURS ON AVERAGE.
SO FAR, THERE IS NO IDENTITY ON THE PERSON WHO DIED.
IN NEW YORK CITY — PARAMEDICS RUSHED THREE PEOPLE TO THE HOSPITAL AFTER A TAXICAB HIT SIX PEDESTRIANS — INCLUDING A 9-YEAR-OLD BOY — ON CHRISTMAS DAY.
POLICE SAY THE CAB VEERED ONTO THE SIDEWALK ON 6-TH STREET NEAR HERALD SQUARE IN MIDTOWN MANHATTAN JUST AFTER 4 P-M.
THEY SAY THE TAXI DRIVER MIGHT HAVE SUFFERED A MEDICAL EPISODE, BUT THAT’S STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION. NO CHARGES OR CITATIONS HAVE BEEN FILED, AS OF NOW.
IF YOU WERE HOPING FOR THE 1 BILLION MEGA MILLIONS JACKPOT FOR CHRISTMAS – YOU DID NOT GET YOUR CHRISTMAS WISH.
THERE WERE NO JACKPOT-WINNING TICKETS IN THE CHRISTMAS EVE DRAWING – WHICH MEANS – THE JACKPOT HAS NOW INCREASED – TO 1 POINT 1 5 BILLION DOLLARS.
FOUR PEOPLE DID WIN 3 MILLION DOLLARS EACH FOR MATCHING FIVE NUMBERS.
THE NEXT DRAWING WILL BE FRIDAY NIGHT – SO MAYBE SOMEONE’S WISH WILL BE GRANTED – WHILE ITS STILL THE HOLIDAY SEASON.
FINALLY THIS MORNING – THE BALTIMORE RAVENS CRUSHED THE HOUSTON TEXANS 31 TO 2 IN THE SECOND GAME OF THE NFL’S CHRISTMAS DOUBLE-HEADER YESTERDAY.
ACCORDING TO SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE REVIEWS HOWEVER — THE BIG WINNER OF THE DAY – WAS BEYONCE.
THE 32-TIME GRAMMY-AWARD WINNER PERFORMED DURING HALFTIME OF THE GAME – WHICH WAS PART OF THE NFL’S DEBUT ON NETFLIX.
DUBBED THE “BEYONCE BOWL” BY THE STREAMING SERVICE – THE “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” SINGER WAS JOINED ON THE FIELD BY ENTERTAINERS POST MALONE AND SHABOOZEY
AS WELL AS HER DAUGHTER BLUE IVEY.
THIS MARKED THE FIRST TIME BEYONCE SANG SONGS OFF HER COUNTRY ALBUM “COWBOY CARTER” IN FRONT OF A LIVE AUDIENCE. THE ALBUM HAS GARNERED 11 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS.
BY THE WAY – THIS WAS THE HALFTIME SHOW OF THE CHRISTMAS DAY GAME – NOT THE SUPER BOWL. THAT ONE WILL BE PERFORMED BY KENDRICK LAMAR.