World Briefing: December 30, 2024
Jimmy Carter, who rose from Georgia farmland to become the 39th president of the United States on a promise of national healing after the wounds of Watergate and Vietnam, then lost the White House in a cauldron of economic turmoil at home and crisis in Iran, died on Sunday at his home in Plains, Ga. He was 100. The Carter Center in Atlanta announced his death, which came nearly three months after Mr. Carter, already the longest-living presidentin American history, became the first former commander in chief to reach the century mark. Mr. Carter went into hospice care 22 months ago, but held on longer than even his family expected. Tributes poured in from presidents, world leaders and many everyday people from around the world who admired not only Mr. Carter’s service during four years in the White House but his four decades of efforts since leaving office to fight disease, broker peace and provide for the poor. President Biden ordered a state funeral to be held and was expected to deliver a eulogy - NYT
The deadliest air accident ever in South Korea killed 179 people on Sunday, when an airliner belly-landed and skidded off the end of the runway, erupting in a fireball as it slammed into a wall at Muan International Airport. Jeju Air flight 7C2216, arriving from the Thai capital Bangkok with 175 passengers and six crew on board, was attempting to land shortly after 9 a.m. (0000 GMT) at the airport in the south of the country, South Korea's transport ministry said. Two crew members survived and were being treated for injuries. The deadliest air accident on South Korean soil was also the worst involving a South Korean airline in nearly three decades, according to the transport ministry. The twin-engine Boeing 737-800 was seen in local media video skidding down the runway with no visible landing gear before crashing into navigation equipment and a wall in an explosion of flames and debris - Reuters
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said Sunday that the Azerbaijani airliner that crashed last week was shot down by Russia, albeit unintentionally, and criticized Moscow for trying to “hush up” the issue for days. “We can say with complete clarity that the plane was shot down by Russia. (...) We are not saying that it was done intentionally, but it was done,” he told Azerbaijani state television. Aliyev said that the airliner, which crashed Wednesday in Kazakhstan, was hit by fire from the ground over Russia and “rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare.” Aliyev accused Russia of trying to “hush up” the issue for several days, saying he was “upset and surprised” by versions of events put forward by Russian officials. “Unfortunately, for the first three days we heard nothing from Russia except delirious versions,” he said. The crash killed 38 of 67 people on board. The Kremlin said that air defense systems were firing near Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, where the plane attempted to land, to deflect a Ukrainian drone strike - AP
Kazakhstan has decided to send the downed Azerbaijan Airlines flight recorders to Brazil, Kazakhstan's government sources told Euronews in a statement, in a move which indicates the country's will for full and transparent disclosure of the tragedy. In the statement, the government in Astana says it made the decision as the Azal aircraft was manufactured in Brazil and comes after "after consultations with Azerbaijan and Russia" - Euronews
Germany's foreign minister described the suspected sabotage of a Baltic Sea power cable as a "wake-up call" for the West and urged the European Union to impose new sanctions targeting what is known as Russia's "shadow fleet." Meanwhile, a media outlet focusing on shipping news and intelligence reported that the ship suspected of damaging the cable linking Finland and Estonia on December 25 was equipped with "special transmitting and receiving devices that were used to monitor naval activity." The Eagle S "had transmitting and receiving devices installed that effectively allowed it to become a 'spy ship' for Russia," Lloyd's List reported on December 27, citing "a source familiar with the vessel who provided commercial maritime services to it as recently as seven months ago." In comments on December 28, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged "new European sanctions against the Russian shadow fleet," which she said is "a major threat to our environment and security" that is used by Russia "to finance its war of aggression in Ukraine….Almost every month, ships are damaging major undersea cables in the Baltic Sea," Baerbock said in a statement to the Funke media group. "Crews are leaving anchors in the water, dragging them for kilometers along the seafloor for no apparent reason, and then losing them when pulling them up…It's more than difficult to still believe in coincidences," she said. "This is an urgent wake-up call for all of us." - RFE/RL
Mexico is sitting on more than half a billion litres of tequila in inventory, almost as much as its annual production, as the fast-growing industry reckons with slowing demand and the prospect of tariffs on exports to the US under Donald Trump. By the end of 2023, the industry had 525mn litres of tequila in inventory, either ageing in barrels or waiting to be bottled, according to data shared with the Financial Times by the Tequila Regulatory Council. Of the 599mn litres of tequila produced last year, about one-sixth remained in inventory, according to the figures. “Much more new spirit is being distilled than is being sold, and inventories are starting to accumulate,” said Bernstein analyst Trevor Stirling, attributing the build-up to falling demand and new distillery capacity that has recently begun operating in Mexico. “The tequila industry is set for a very turbulent 2025.” Consumers’ thirst for Mexico’s national drink grew rapidly over the past decade as the spirit went mainstream in the US, partly thanks to celebrity-backed brands such as George Clooney’s Casamigos. But demand has fallen back over the past 18 months as the pandemic spirits boom subsided and consumers cut back on their drinking in response to higher prices. The amount of spirits sold in the US in the first seven months of the year shrank 3 per cent compared with the same period last year, according to drinks data provider IWSR. Tequila consumption fell 1.1 per cent, compared with a 4 per cent rise in 2023 and a 17 per cent rise in 2021, the height of the tequila surge - FT
