Russian General Assassination, Mass Graves in Syria and Vanuatu Earthquake

Andrew Sheves Good morning. Some quick headlines worth tracking.

Ukraine assassinated Russian General Igor Kirillov in Moscow. Kirillov was head of the Russian chemical, nuclear, and biological weapons program and a Russian military spokesman. [SOURCE - France24]

A large A 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck near Vanuatu’s capital, causing widespread destruction but casualty numbers and the full extent of the damage are still unclear. [[SOURCE - BBC](http://A 7.3 magnitude earthquake has struck near Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila)]

A mass grave containing an estimated 100,000 bodies was discovered in Syria. It is thought to be one of many mass graves used by the Assad regime as part of their industrial-scale prison system. [SOURCE - Al Jazeera. Note that the images and coverage are distressing.]

Canada’s Finance Minister, Chrystia Freeland, abruptly and dramatically resigned, leaving the Trudeau government weakened and increasing calls for his resignation from both the opposition and his own party. [SOURCE - Bloomberg]

Commodity and Rate Snapshot

🛢️** Crude Futures (WTI)**

$70.10

💵 **USD:EUR **

$1.05

₿ Bitcoin

$107,123

As at Dec 17, 06:00ET -Data is illustrative, not for decision-making.

Financial data via Bloomberg, Freightos and AlphaVantage

Americas Stability Ratings and News Summary

More Unstable

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda, 🇦🇷 Argentina, 🇧🇿 Belize, 🇧🇴 Bolivia, 🇧🇷 Brazil, 🇨🇦 Canada, 🇨🇴 Colombia, 🇨🇺 Cuba, 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic, 🇪🇨 Ecuador, 🇸🇻 El Salvador, 🇬🇩 Grenada, 🇬🇹 Guatemala, 🇬🇾 Guyana, 🇭🇹 Haiti, 🇭🇳 Honduras, 🇯🇲 Jamaica, 🇲🇽 Mexico, 🇳🇮 Nicaragua, 🇵🇪 Peru, 🇱🇨 Saint Lucia, 🇸🇷 Suriname, 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago, 🇺🇸 United States Of America, 🇻🇪 Venezuela

More Stable

No countries were more stable over this period

Unchanged

🇧🇧 Barbados, 🇨🇱 Chile, 🇨🇷 Costa Rica, 🇩🇲 Dominica, 🇵🇦 Panama, 🇵🇾 Paraguay, 🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis, 🇻🇨 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 🇧🇸 The Bahamas, 🇺🇾 Uruguay

Regional News Summary

In Brazil, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been recovering from emergency brain surgery, having recently undergone a second procedure to prevent further complications. While Lula has been discharged and is speaking publicly again, the nation faces a state of emergency due to severe water shortages affecting five major rivers, a situation exacerbated by prolonged drought conditions. The government is working to mitigate the impact on agriculture and ecosystems as it grapples with these environmental challenges [SOURCE - Mercopress].

Economically, Brazil is showing signs of recovery, with the Centre for Latin American Monetary Studies predicting a GDP growth of 3.5% for 2024, driven largely by the service sector. However, inflation rema

Carpe tomorrow!