World Report - Saturday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: December 28, 2024

Putin apologizes after Azerbaijani plane crash but stops short of saying Russian defences hit aircraft.The fate of last major hospital in northern Gaza unclear after Israeli raid.Godfather of A.I. warns of technology-driven extinction over the next 30 years.

Every language is a note in the symphony of our heritage. Together they create a harmony that cannot be silenced. Discover your voice on the new APTN Languages TV channel. This is a CBC Podcast. This is World Report. Good morning, I'm John Northcott.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is apologizing to his Azerbaijani counterpart over the crash of a commercial jetliner. The Azerbaijan Airlines plane went down Christmas Day in Kazakhstan, killing more than three dozen people. But Putin's comments fall short of saying Russia was responsible. Stephen Hoff is following developments. Stephen, what's Putin saying? Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev today. Now, all of this according to a statement from the Kremlin. In that phone call, Putin apologized for the, quote, tragic incident that happened in Russian airspace, but he didn't take responsibility. This after air defenses in the area were used against Ukrainian drones. Now, that crash, which occurred on Wednesday, left at least 38 people dead.

And Putin also expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. Yesterday, several sources in Azerbaijan told Reuters and other news organizations that the plane had been shot down by Russian air defense systems, something U.S. officials are also saying early evidence points to. The airline yesterday said that the flight had been subjected to, quote, external physical and technical interference in Russian airspace, resulting in a complete loss of control and redirection to the Kazakh city of Akhtar. John?

Ukraine's president also commenting on the crash, Stephen. What can you tell us about that? Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke with Azerbaijan's president about the crash. And in a statement on X after that discussion, Zelensky said that Russia must provide clear explanations and stop spreading disinformation. So that from the Ukrainian president after his conversation with Azerbaijani president Naliv. John? Stephen Hoff in Vienna. Thanks, Stephen. No problem, John. To northern Gaza and one of the last functioning hospitals there.

Gaza's health ministry says Israeli troops have detained the hospital's head doctor after storming the building and forcing many staff and patients outside to strip in the winter weather. The CBC's Anna Cunningham is following the latest from London. We are appalled. We are devastated. Margaret Harris is a spokesperson for the World Health Organisation in Geneva. It was the only hospital providing health care in North Gaza. It was essential. It was a lifeline for the people there.

The Israel Defence Force alleges that Kamal Adwan Hospital was a Hamas terrorist stronghold. Its operations, it says, aim to stop Hamas from regrouping in the area. Reports say hospital staff and patients were given 15 minutes to get out into the courtyard. The Israel Defence Force says it facilitated the move of patients and staff to other hospitals prior to its operation. The IDF denies that fires were started in the facility. The WHO says some 60 health workers and 25 critically ill patients, some on ventilators, remained. Dr. Tania Haj Hassan, a pediatric intensive care medic who's worked in Gaza's hospitals, speaking from Lebanon, says the concern is now for access to medical help.

We know that this is a fatal blow to the remaining health system in northern Gaza. There have been claims that the hospital's medical director was detained along with other staff. Those claims have not been verified or commented upon by the Israeli military. Anna Cunningham, CBC News, London. Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is honoured with a full state funeral in Delhi. A military guard escorts the carriage bearing Singh's casket through India's capital. His daughter lit the funeral pyre at the crematorium as the current prime minister watched. Singh was one of India's

longest-serving leaders. He's credited as the architect of India's economic reform. Manmohan Singh died Thursday at the age of 92. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to pump the brakes on a potential ban of social media platform TikTok. The Biden administration introduced a law that required TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban. Trump says he wants the pause in order to seek, quote, a political resolution once he takes office. The British-Canadian scientist, who won this year's Nobel Prize in Physics is expressing concern about the future of artificial intelligence. Geoffrey Hinton is known as the godfather of AI.

He's been warning about the risks of artificial intelligence publicly for months. Now he's telling the BBC there's up to a 20% chance it could wipe out humanity over the next three decades. That's doubling the odds from 10%, which he had previously given. We're in a situation now where we need to be very careful and very thoughtful about developing a potentially very dangerous technology. It's going to have lots of wonderful effects. In almost every industry, it's going to make things more efficient. But we need to be very careful about the development of it. We need regulations to stop people using it for bad things. And we don't appear to have those kinds of political systems in place at present.

Hinton says there are not many examples in history of a more intelligent thing being controlled by a less intelligent thing. At the World Junior Hockey Championship in Ottawa. Eric Smeteko moves it and shoots, scores! in Ottawa. Latvia beat Canada in a sudden-death shootout. Canada has now won a game and lost a game at this year's tournament. For more, I'm joined by CBC News senior writer Trevor Pardee. Trevor, what happened? Well, they ran into a hot goldie.

It happens. That's hockey. That's sports. That's why we watch the games. You never know what's going to happen. Latvia kept the game close. And then they score with two and a half minutes left in regulation. Game goes into overtime. minutes left in regulation. Game goes into overtime. Nothing happens in overtime. And then eight rounds into the shootout, Latvia wins.

Final score, three to two. Canada's record is now one and one. Okay, so a shocker, but still, all is not lost, Trevor? No, it's not, because this is the preliminary round. You play four preliminary round games. Canada's next game is tomorrow against Germany. Get back on the horse, win that game, you'll advance to the quarterfinals, and then that's when the games really count. Because then if you lose, you're out. But Canada's still in pretty good shape. Trevor Pardee in studio, thanks for this. Thank you. Trevor Pardee in studio, thanks for this. Thank you.

A group of trade unions, health care advocates, and non-profit organizations wants the Ontario government to take more action against the opioid crisis. As Brittany Billette reports, of particular concern are workers in the construction industry. Some of these guys are working 120 days straight away from home. Jeremy Baker with Local 27 Carpenters Union says he's seen too many co-workers abuse prescribed opioids, an addiction fueled by fatigue and stress. The work itself is so physically demanding that we're breaking our bodies down. In Canada, there have been over 47,000 apparent opioid toxicity deaths. That's according to federal data between 2016 and March 2024. Advocates say construction workers are among one of the most affected

groups of victims. According to a 2022 report by the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network, one in 13 opioid toxicity deaths happened among people working in the industry. This is a problem that has been longstanding. Ben Johnson is a spokesperson for the Carpenters Regional Council. He says despite support from unions, workers continue to die every year. It's a very difficult crisis to solve. Johnson is part of One Step Forward, an alliance for advancing recovery, a coalition that's put together a list of recommendations for the Ontario government

to help combat the opioid crisis. That includes launching a virtual treatment service. The time for action is always now. Dr. Larissa Ibish has treated trade workers struggling with addiction. In order to make change happen like this, we need all hands on deck. In a statement, the province says it's made investments in addiction support. A spokesperson highlighted this year's budget and the $396 million dedicated to expanding and improving services over the next three years. Brittany Blatt, CBC News, Toronto. And finally... Now that's the intro to Mustafa's Iman,

number four on CBC Music's Top 100 Canadian Songs of 2024. This is what CBC Music had to say about it. The beauty of Iman shines in its juxtapositions. Sudanese strings and an Egyptian oud meld with an acoustic guitar as Mustafa sings. You left me on a tightrope Between God and your father And it's not enough yet

This is day two of our countdown of the top five. We'll bring you the number one song as chosen by our colleagues on the morning of New Year's Eve on Tuesday. That is World Report for this hour. I'm John Northcott. This is CBC News.