Morning brief: Russia's 'war to kill', Lula da Silva takes charge in Brazil, and more

It's the second day intoNew Year and Ukraine continues to face a barrage of drone strikes at Russia's hands.Ukrainian officials claim that the assault signals a change in Moscow's strategy and that the new one is to kill as many civilians as possible. In other news, the newly sworn-in President of BrazilLuiz Inacio Lula da Silva has referred to his predecessorJair Bolsonaro's regime as “an era of shadows, doubts and a lot of suffering.”

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Russia using its New Year's assault to 'kill as many civilians as possible', claim Ukrainian officials

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Just a day into the New Year and Russia has been reportedly making critical infrastructure in Ukraine the target of its drone attacks. As per Ukrainian officials, Moscow on Monday continued its New Year's assault where it fired a barrage of missiles at Kyiv.

Syria: Damascus airport suspends operations following Israeli strike, four reported dead

A missile strike by the Israeli army on Damascus International Airport on Monday has left four people dead, including two Syrian soldiers, according to a human rights monitor. The Syrian army said that the strike has put the airport out of service. It is the latest in a string of strikes targeting Iran-linked assets.

Lula takes over as new Brazil president, aims to turn around several of Bolsonaro's policies

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sworn in as Brazil's president on Sunday, vowing to "rebuild the country" after far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro's divisive administration. At his inauguration ceremony, Lula described Bolsonaro’s government as one the worst periods in Brazilian history and called the last few years “an era of shadows, doubts and a lot of suffering.”

Trudeau keeps election promise, Canada imposes two year ban on foreign home buyers

Canada has placed a ban on foreigners buying property. The ban which took effect on Sunday aims to make homes available to Canadians facing a housing crunch.

It is not a blanket ban and allows certain individuals such as refugees and permanent residents who are not citizens to purchase the property. Furthermore, it only applies to city dwellings and not to recreational properties like summer cottages etc.

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