Kazakhstan said there has been a seasonal rise in reported cases of metapneumovirus (HMPV) following a spike in neighboring China.

The crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan has killed 38 of 67 people on board. Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijani capital Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons that aren’t fully clear yet.

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia told the Azerbaijani leader, Ilham Aliyev, in a phone call, “that the tragic incident took place in Russian airspace.”

While frequent U.S. flyers may recognize optional face-scanning tech like TSA-approved Clear, Russia just rolled out a system that’s not so easy to opt out of: biometric data collection for foreigners entering the country.

Speaking at the CIS meeting in St. Petersburg, Putin also said Russia's Emergency Ministry sent a plane with equipment and medical workers to Kazakhstan to assist with the aftermath of the crash.

Kazakhstan is treading delicately as it strives to keep two feuding neighbors happy amid a row over Russia’s accidental shoot-down of an Azerbaijani civilian airliner, which crashed outside the Kazakh city of Aktau. Kazakh officials have little to gain and a lot to lose as they oversee the crash investigation.

Russia claims it has captured the town of Kurakhove on the route to the key logistics town of Pokrovsk. They also say they have thwarted Ukraine's latest offensive in the Kursk region. Submit your questions on the war in the form below for our experts to answer.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accused Russia of "an attempt to hush up" the downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines jet last month.

Aliyev, who is close to Putin, issued rare criticism of his Russian neighbour over the crash last month, and demanded an apology from Moscow.

Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has apologised for the incident occurring in Russian airspace but has not claimed responsibility