Azerbaijan targets China as key tourism market amid surge in visitors
Azerbaijan is eyeing China as a key tourism market, following President Ilham Aliyev’s state visit earlier this year and a new visa‑exemption agre...
Recent deadly crashes in Kazakhstan, South Korea, and the United States, along with the non-fatal flip of a crash-landed jet in Canada, have brought aviation safety into the spotlight.
At the same time, ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano has recently unveiled that only 5% of member states had fully implemented comprehensive victim support systems.
The aftermath of an aviation accident extends far beyond the crash site. Families need not just immediate crisis response, but sustained support, clear communication, and access to information throughout investigation processes.
"While we have developed comprehensive frameworks for victim assistance, established robust standards, policies, and detailed guidance for states, our recent audits reveal that only 5% of Member States have fully implemented comprehensive victim support systems. This gap between standards and implementation must be addressed with urgency,"- Sciacchitano said.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its 2024 Annual Safety Report, saying that "even with recent high profile aviation accidents, it is important to remember that accidents are extremely rare."
There were seven fatal accidents in 2024, among 40.6 million flights. That is higher than the single fatal accident recorded in 2023 and the five-year average of five fatal accidents.
There were 244 on-board fatalities in 2024, compared to the 72 fatalities reported in 2023 and the five-year average of 144.
"The long-term story of aviation safety is one of continuous improvement. A decade ago, the five-year average (2011-2015) was one accident for every 456,000 flights. Today, the five-year average (2020-2024) is one accident for every 810,000 flights. That improvement is because we know that every fatality is one too many. We honor the memory of every life lost in an aviation accident with our deepest sympathies and ever greater resolve to make flying even safer,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
IATA Safety Report underlined the growing incidents of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference, that is "a top concern for aviation safety" requiring urgent global coordination.
The December 2024 downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft is excluded from accident classification in this safety report as it is considered as a conflict-related accident.
“No civil aircraft should ever be a target—deliberate or accidental—of military operations. Governments must step up, enhance intelligence-sharing, and establish clearer global protocols to prevent such tragedies and safeguard civilian aviation,” said Walsh.
A small, silent object from another star is cutting through the Solar System. It’s real, not a film, and one scientist thinks it might be sending a message.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Hundreds of civilians were reportedly killed by the Rapid Support Forces at the main hospital in el-Fasher, days after the militia captured the Sudanese city, the head of the UN health agency said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that the most difficult situation on the front line remains the eastern city of Pokrovsk, where fighting continues to be most intense due to a strong concentration of Russian forces.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is conducting inspections in Iran but has not visited the three sites that were bombed by the United States in June, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said Wednesday.
Hurricane Melissa tore through the Caribbean on Wednesday, leaving at least 25 dead in Haiti and causing devastation across Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas. The Category 5 storm made history as the strongest hurricane to directly hit Jamaica, with sustained winds of 185 mph (298 kph).
The U.S. National Guard is planning to train hundreds of troops in each state to form a rapid-response force focused on civil disturbance missions by the start of 2026, according to two U.S. officials speaking Wednesday.
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