NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-29-2024 4AM EST

Episode Date: December 29, 2024

NPR News: 12-29-2024 4AM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Support for this podcast and the following message come from Autograph Collection Hotels, with over 300 independent hotels around the world, each exactly like nothing else. Autograph Collection is part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio of hotel brands. Find the unforgettable at autographcollection.com. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. Officials in Korea now say at least 167 people have died following a plane crash in the southern part of that country. The plane caught fire after a failed landing when the plane's front landing gear apparently failed to deploy.

The Jeju Air passenger plane was carrying 181 people. The head of the World Health Organization says he and colleagues who were at Yemen's main airport earlier this week escaped narrow death when an Israeli airstrike targeted the facility and Piers Scott Newman has more. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says he's lucky to be alive after Israeli airstrikes hit the Sanaa International Airport on Thursday, including a missile that struck the terminal where he was waiting for a flight. There was a very heavy explosion, very close. It felt like

actually he was just next to me. Israel's military says the strike was aimed at infrastructure used by Iran and Yemen's Houthi rebels. The military says it wasn't aware of the presence of the UN delegation at the airport. Scott Newman, NPR News. Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized on Saturday to Azerbaijan's leader for this week's crash of an Azerbaijan airplane, an airlines plane that killed at least 38 people. It's been widely suspected that Russia accidentally shot the plane down as it tried to land in Grozny on Wednesday. The BBC's Steve Rosenberg reports.

According to the Kremlin readout of their conversation, President Putin apologized to President Aliyev for what the Kremlin calls a tragic incident in Russian airspace and expressed condolences to the families of the dead. Thirty-eight people were killed when Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, having failed to land at Grozny airport in the Russian North Caucasus, was redirected over the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan where it crash-landed. The Embraer 190 is widely believed to have been damaged by missiles fired by a Russian air defense system. The BBC's Steve Rosenberg reporting. There are protests once again this weekend in Tel Aviv, where demonstrators continue

with their call for a ceasefire in Gaza, along with the return of hostages still held by Hamas. Sahir Amor has a relative who remains in captivity. He says Israel can't wait for peace to bring the hostages home. We cannot win all the world. Yesterday it was Hezbollah, today it's the Khutim in Yemen, tomorrow it's Iran, and maybe after that we'll go all the way to Afghanistan. Moore also called on President-elect Donald Trump to quickly make a deal to end the war.

More than 7,000 flights were delayed on Saturday because of bad weather across the U.S. and some 200 flights were canceled, that's according to the tracking site FlightAware. Storms brought at least 10 tornadoes to Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, and at least two people have been killed. Heavy snow and high winds, meanwhile, hit the west coasts. You're listening to NPR News. Starting this weekend, all small and medium-sized electronics sold in the European Union must be compatible with USB-C charging ports. From Brussels, Terry Schiltz reports that the block aims to cut down on both costs and wastes.

A two-year transition period is over, and now the Common Charger Directive applies across the EU's 27 member countries. Everything from mobile phones to GPS systems to video game consoles must be able to charge with a USB-C connection. Consumers may also opt out of buying chargers when they purchase a new device. The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, started working on standardizing chargers already 15 years ago to reduce hassles for consumers and the environmental impact of constant replacements. In 2020, it was estimated that buyers spent 2.4 billion euros annually on standalone chargers and that some 11,000 tons of electronic waste was created every year. The rules will also apply to laptops starting in April 2026.

For NPR News, I'm Terri Schulz in Brussels. Number 18, Iowa State won 11 games in the season for the first time on Saturday, beating Miami 42 to 41. Number 18 Iowa State won 11 games in the season for the first time on Saturday beating Miami 42 to 41. Rocco Beck scored from a yard out on fourth and goal with 56 seconds left to win the game. In New York Dylan Raiola passed for 228 yards in the touchdown as Nebraska hung on to beat Boston College 20 to 15. TCU meanwhile easily handled Louisiana 34 to 15. TCU, meanwhile, easily handled Louisiana 34 to 3. Miami of Ohio beat

Colorado State 43 to 17. East Carolina beat NC State 26 to 21. And BYU beat Colorado 36 to 14. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.