Ukraine Helicopter Crash

In a blow to the Ukrainian war effort, it's today been reported that the Ukrainian interior minister, Denis Montesquieu and his deputy and the department secretary of state have died in a helicopter crash. While the exact reason for the crash is unknown, we do know that it reportedly crashed near a kindergarten in Bovary, a small town just outside Kiev. Immediately after the crash, it was reported that a fire broke out at the kindergarten and that the children and teachers were evacuated. Sadly, in total, 18 people have died, including senior Interior Ministry officials, as well as three children. Moreover, officials say that 29 others were injured, 15 of them are children.

Some local eyewitnesses have claimed that the conditions were foggy and there was no electricity when the helicopter crashed. Again, while nothing is certain, this gives weight to the claim that the crash was nothing but an accident. Of course, some have argued, though, that Russia's war is to blame for the lack of power and therefore outdoor lighting, for example, and that this inadvertently caused the crash. Mr. Montesquieu, in his role as interior minister, was a key part of Zelensky's cabinet and often updated the public on the casualties of Russian missile strikes.

Fellow MP and friend Maria Zakharova said that he responded 24 seven to his colleagues, friends and family. He was very close to President Zelensky from day one of his presidential campaign. President Zelensky paid tribute to the victims of the crash and called it a black morning for Ukraine. Condolences have also come in from across the international community. The deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office has been clear this morning that despite the death of Montesquieu, the Interior Ministry's work would not be affected. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has overseen rescue efforts across Ukraine in the wake of missile strikes and attacks, including the emergency response to the recent Russian missile strike that hit an apartment building in Dnipro, killing at least 45 people. In other news from the Ukraine war, President Zelensky will address via video link the World Economic Forum in Davos. The Netherlands says it will join the US and Germany in providing Ukraine with Patriot missile defense systems. And finally, NATO, Defense ministers and officials from other allied nations will meet this week at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany to discuss further military aid for Ukraine, including the crucial question of whether to send Western tanks.

Greta Thunberg Detained

It was reported yesterday that environmental activist Greta Thunberg was detained after she took part in a protest against the expansion of a coal mine. It's been reported that for the coal mine to be expanded, the nearby town of Nazareth needs to be demolished. The power plant isn't simply just coal powered either. It's powered by lignite, which is regarded as among the most health harming types of coal. As a result, many protesters have descended on the site to try and prevent it from happening. Police have claimed that protesters stormed the edge of the Opencast mine, which officers have claimed is steep and extremely dangerous. Ms. Thunberg was reportedly detained alongside other campaigners for identification and was swiftly released. For their part, the German government is trying to decrease their dependency on Russian oil and gas, and presumably the expansion of this coal power plant is one way of doing so.

Brazil Coup Charges

Around ten days on from the storming of Brazil's National Congress and other key government buildings, Brazil's Prosecutor-General has charged dozens of suspects with Armed Criminal Association violence attempts to subvert the democratic state of law, staging a coup and damage to public property. 39 people have had charges laid against them, but we can expect more to come as more than 1000 were arrested on the day of the attack. The rioters who broke into the National Congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace were calling for military intervention to overturn former President Bolsonaro's loss to Lula da Silva in the October election. An excerpt from the charges say the defendants used violence and serious threat with the ultimate objective of the installation of an alternative government regime. Prosecutors have requested they remain in detention as a preventative measure and that $7.7 million of their assets are frozen to help cover damages.

USA-China Meeting

In a high profile meeting in Zurich today, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met with her Chinese counterpart, Vice Premier Liu. He. It was the highest ranking face to face meeting since President Joe Biden met with President Xi Jinping in November, where the two agreed to improve communications between their two nations in a bid to thaw relations. Speaking in Switzerland, Janet Yellen said both countries needed to manage our differences and prevent competition from becoming anything ever near conflict. She added that there was a pressing need for the US and China to communicate on macroeconomic and financial conditions. Vice Premier Liu said no matter how circumstances change, we should always maintain dialogue and exchanges.