Israel Approves West Bank Measures Expanding Settler Land Access 
Federal Judge Restores Funding for Gateway Rail Tunnel Project 
China Overturns Death Sentence of Canadian Robert Schellenberg, Signaling Thaw in Canada-China Relations 
Trump Congratulates Japan’s First Female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi After Historic Election Victory 
Taiwan Says Moving 40% of Semiconductor Production to the U.S. Is Impossible 
Trump Administration Appeals Court Order to Release Hudson Tunnel Project Funding 
Ghislaine Maxwell to Invoke Fifth Amendment at House Oversight Committee Deposition 
Bangladesh Election 2026: A Turning Point After Years of Political Suppression 
Sydney Braces for Pro-Palestine Protests During Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s Visit 
Japan Election 2026: Sanae Takaichi Poised for Landslide Win Despite Record Snowfall 
Trump Says “Very Good Talks” Underway on Russia-Ukraine War as Peace Efforts Continue 
Trump’s Inflation Claims Clash With Voters’ Cost-of-Living Reality 
Nicaragua Ends Visa-Free Entry for Cubans, Disrupting Key Migration Route to the U.S. 
Trump Backs Nexstar–Tegna Merger Amid Shifting U.S. Media Landscape 
Bosnian Serb Presidential Rerun Confirms Victory for Dodik Ally Amid Allegations of Irregularities 
Antonio José Seguro Poised for Landslide Win in Portugal Presidential Runoff 
China Warns US Arms Sales to Taiwan Could Disrupt Trump’s Planned Visit 
Ukrainian emergency services said the country’s interior minister and a few other officials were killed in a helicopter crash outside Ukraine’s capital Kyiv this week. The cause of the crash has yet to be determined.
Ukraine’s emergency services said on Wednesday that interior minister Denys Monastyrskyy, his deputy Yevhen Yenin, and the Internal Affairs State Secretary Yurii Lubkovych were among those who were killed in a helicopter crash close to a nursery in Brovary, located outside Kyiv. The emergency services reported that the death toll was at 14, including one child, compared to the previous estimate that 16 were killed. However, a local official estimated the death toll earlier to be at 18.
Dozens were wounded in the crash, including children. Kyiv regional governor Oleksii Kuleba wrote in a post on the Telegram messaging platform that there were children and nursery staff in the area at the time of the incident. Kuleba added that all emergency services were on site.
During a briefing, Ukrainian presidential office deputy head Kyrylo Tymoshenko said the helicopter was set to go to one of the “hot spots” in Russia’s aggression on Ukraine, adding that more details on the matter would follow. Ukrainian prosecutor general Andriy Kostin said on Telegram that Ukraine’s security service was carrying out the investigation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the incident was “a terrible tragedy” in a statement on social media. Monastyrskyy is the most senior Ukrainian official to die in the nearly 11-month-long war.
US President Joe Biden extended his condolences to the families of those killed in the helicopter crash in a joint statement with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. The Bidens praised Monastyrskyy’s efforts in “the preservation of Ukraine’s democracy – both in its defense against Russian aggression and the vital work of reforms to strengthen Ukraine’s institutions through this war and into the future.”
“A reformer and a patriot, Mr. Monastyrskyy championed the will of the Ukrainian people. We will continue to honor that legacy through efforts to strengthen Ukraine’s institutions, and in our unfailing partnership with the people of Ukraine to keep the flame of freedom bright,” said the Bidens in the statement.
