Former U.S. ambassador to Syria outlines challenges to rebuilding the war-torn country

There are early indications a Russian air defense system may have hit the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan, a U.S. official says. Some of the speculation focuses on damage to the plane's tail section that could have been caused by shrapnel from an exploding missile. Stephanie Sy reports and William Brangham discusses the crash with retired Army Col. Robert Hamilton. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

In our news wrap Thursday, five Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a TV broadcast van, Israel escalated attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen, authorities in Finland detained a ship with suspected Russian ties to investigate whether it damaged a major undersea power cable and Australia is facing some of its worst fire conditions in years. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Now that the Assad regime in Syria has fallen, the full scale of that government's production and distribution of illicit drugs is coming to light. Leila Molana-Allen reports from the drug factories in Syria. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Since the 1980s, temperatures in the Arctic have risen at nearly triple the global rate. This past summer was the wettest on record, while a heatwave in August set records in northern Alaska and Canada. Digital producer Casey Kuhn explains how the warming affects those who call the Arctic home. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

In our news wrap Wednesday, at least 38 are dead after an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed in Kazakhstan, Ukraine says Russia launched an extensive missile and drone attack on the country's energy and fuel infrastructure, disrupting heating services for 500,000 people and researchers in Siberia unearthed what may be the best-preserved body of a woolly mammoth ever found. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has brought relative calm in northern Israel, but the road to recovery is long. Tens of thousands have been displaced due to Hezbollah's rocket attacks. Producer Karl Bostic traveled to Metula and Kiryat Shmona along the border with Lebanon to meet families who finally got to visit their homes after 14 months of war. Jeffery Brown has the story. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Scientists have found the beginnings of a young universe that may offer insights into the beginnings of our own Milky Way Galaxy. Geoff Bennett and Miles O'Brien discussed why scientists are excited by the discovery, one that has a little holiday sparkle of its own, so to speak. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

In our news wrap Tuesday, American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical issue, a strike by Starbucks employees expanded to some 5,000 baristas, a man accused of setting a woman on fire in the New York City subway was charged with murder, famine conditions are spreading amid Sudan's civil war, and Bill Clinton has been discharged from a Washington, D.C. hospital. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

With the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, the scale of his regime's mass killings and executions are coming to light more and more each day. The United Nations said this week the new Syrian government was receptive to receiving help gathering evidence and prosecuting individuals responsible for war crimes. Special correspondent Simona Foltyn reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

New Zealand has long been known for its progressive policies, including efforts to correct and address historical wrongs against its indigenous Māori population. But as Ali Rogin reports, a new right-wing government has reversed many of those policies and triggered mass protests in the Pacific nation. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders