This is ‘Global Village Today’, which presents big news from different countries around the world.
Moderator) What news do you have today?
Reporter) Yes. Russian troops bombed an apartment building in the southern Ukrainian port city of Mkolayu, destroying a building and killing one person. Iran’s judiciary has said it will hold public trials against 2,000 anti-government protesters.
Moderator) This is the first news of the global village today. Russian bombing of civilian facilities in Ukraine continues?
Reporter) Yes. The Russian military carried out airstrikes on civilian facilities such as electric power and water facilities in various Ukrainian cities the day before (October 31), and then fired four missiles at the southern port city of Mkolayu last night. An apartment building was destroyed in the attack.
Moderator) Were there any injuries?
Reporter) Yes. An elderly woman is said to have died. Reuters reported, citing eyewitnesses, that rescuers found the woman’s body early on the morning of the 1st, under the rubble of the building. Not only this apartment but also the two-story school building has been reported to have been damaged by a powerful explosion from a missile attack, including damage to the front of the building.
Moderator) Not only in Mkolayu, but in all Ukrainian cities, is there any compensation?
Reporter) Yes. On the previous day (October 31), the Russian military launched missiles in major cities such as the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and second city Kharkiv. The attack shut down major infrastructure such as electricity and water in most cities. Some hospitals were closed because they could not function properly. The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Dennis Shmihal, said on the 31st that Russian military missile and drone attacks on 10 regions in Ukraine hit 18 targets, mainly energy infrastructure.
Moderator) Do you think the damage to the residents will be great due to the attack on infrastructure?
Reporter) Yes. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on social media immediately after the airstrikes in Russia that the power facilities were damaged in the airstrikes in Russia, cutting electricity to about 350,000 apartments and 80% of the all homes water supply. In the evening, some facilities were restored and the supply resumed, but emergency supplies such as hospitals are supplied first. Russia has been attacking Ukraine’s energy facilities for about three weeks now. It is analyzed that this is an attempt to do the most damage to residents by cutting off electricity, heat and water before winter.
Moderator) Isn’t the situation in other regions that different?
Reporter) Yes. Olekh Sinegubou, the governor of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, said on Telegram on the 31st that the Russian airstrikes have left around 140,000 residents without electricity. Of these, about 50,000 are citizens of Kharkiv.
Moderator) As winter approaches, the situation worsens How is the atmosphere of the local residents?
Reporter) Yes. Media such as Reuters, AP, and The Guardian convey the local atmosphere through interviews with residents. Residents criticized the Russian military for targeting residential and civilian facilities, such as apartments and schools, and were angry that they were “barbarians.” At the same time, residents of Kuiwu are said to be struggling to maintain their daily lives, such as continuing to operate restaurants and shops in the face of power outages and blackouts as a sign of resistance to Russia.
Moderator) Do you have any comments from the Russian side about this attack?
Reporter) Yes. Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference on the 31st that the missile hit several Ukrainian cities and that the decision to suspend participation in the Black Sea grain export program was in response to Ukraine’s attack on the Black Sea Fleet on the Khmer Peninsula .
Moderator) Is this the same point as the announcement made by the Russian Ministry of Defense recently?
Reporter) Yes. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on the 29th of last month that Ukrainian forces mobilized 16 drones to attack the Black Sea Fleet located in Sevastopol on the Krm Peninsula. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Russian military shot down a Ukrainian drone and caused no damage. However, under these circumstances, Russia has announced that it will no longer participate in the ‘Black Sea Grain Initiative’, which is led by the United Nations and Turkey. The Black Sea Grain Initiative is a short-term, 120-day agreement signed in July between Russia and Ukraine and the United Nations and Turkey to allow Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea.
Moderator) Did Ukraine recognize Russia’s claim?
reporter) No. The Ukrainian government has denied any responsibility for the attack. He also denied that the sea area used as a grain export route was ever used for military purposes. In this regard, the United Nations said on the 29th of last month that Russian soldiers had been attacked, saying that not a single grain ship was using the Black Sea route.
Moderator) Are you saying that grain prices are rising again after Russia’s announcement to stop participating in the agreement?
Reporter) Yes. On the morning of October 31, when the first trading started after Russia announced the suspension, wheat prices jumped more than 5% in international markets. Amidst this, Ukraine, the United Nations and Turkey are in a position to implement the agreement as it is. On the 31st, several ships, including those chartered by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), continued to sail.
Moderator) Is there any new announcement from the Russian side on this part?
Reporter) Yes. In a press conference on October 31, Putin emphasized that Russia has stopped participating in the agreement on the export of grain, rather than being completely out of the agreement. He demanded to ensure the safety of his ships from Ukrainian attacks. Martin Griffiths, the United Nations Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, welcomed Russia’s emphasis on a temporary cessation of participation and said he was “very encouraging” that the agreement will continue to be implemented. The contract expires on the 19th.
Host) Global Village Today, this time it’s news from Iran. Is the Iranian government pushing for a large-scale public trial?
Iran’s judiciary said on the 31st that it would hold a “public trial” of around 2,000 people who took part in anti-government protests. In the international community, concerns are being raised that the Iranian government may have reacted harshly to the protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini.
Moderator) First, let me introduce what happened to the death of Mahsa Amini.
Reporter: Amini is a 22-year-old woman who lives in the Kurdish region of northern Iran. In September, he and his family visited the capital, Tehran, to visit relatives, but were arrested by Iran’s so-called ‘customs cracking’ police. The reason was that they were not wearing the ‘hijab’ properly, which is traditional dress for Muslim women.
Host) But Amini died suddenly a few days after being arrested, right?
Reporter) Yes. Amini died on September 16, three days after being detained by authorities. Police officials announced that Amini’s cause of death was a heart attack. However, the bereaved family claimed that Amini was killed by the police. Since then, protests have been held in different parts of Iran for two months to protest Amini’s death. Solidarity protests are also taking place in several countries, including the UK, Italy and Canada.
Moderator) By the way, there are quite a few people who said that the Iranian government would put it to public trial, right?
Reporter) Yes. According to the Iranian judiciary, around 1,000 people have been arrested and detained in the capital, Tehran, and around 1,000 are being held elsewhere. This only applies to those who have been arrested by the authorities and have announced that they are the subject of a public trial, which gives us an idea of the scale of the protests in Iran.
Host) It is said that it is not clear whether Iran will participate in the World Cup at this time or not?
Reporter) Yes. The government of Ukraine has made an official request to FIFA to ban Iran from participating in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Iran will play against England on the 21st. The Ukrainian government has argued that Iran is systematically violating human rights, which could violate the FIFA charter.
Moderator) Iran is known as a country with a lot of football fans, right?
Reporter) Yes. Iran is a traditional football powerhouse of the Middle East, and people are very passionate about football. Given the circumstances, it is anticipated that the national impact will be severe if he is excluded from the World Cup. As a result, there is speculation that the President of Iran, Ebrahim Raishi, will be in direct contact with the Qatari government.
Moderator) By the way, is it the Ukrainian government’s response to the Iranian protests that is distracting?
Reporter) Yes. Ukraine now claims that Russia is using Iranian-made drones on Ukrainian battlefields. In particular, they are calling for sanctions from the international community, saying that civilian damage is increasing because Iranian drones are hitting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. In the midst of this, as the protests in Iran extend, Iranians seem to have increased the number of bans from the football tournament they love.
Moderator) Let’s see the response of other countries.
Reporter) The US government is putting pressure on the Iranian government, including sanctions against two Iranian government officials and institutions, including high-ranking officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in connection with anti-government protests in Iran last week. The German government has also asked the European Union (EU) to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization and to impose sanctions. The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said that he was particularly shocked by the illegal and violent arrests of a number of innocent protesters. The Canadian government also announced a fourth round of sanctions against Iranian officials, including law enforcement officials, who were involved in the arrests of protesters.
Moderator) In the midst of this, is the general election going on in Israel, which has a confrontational relationship with Iran?
Reporter) Yes. Voting for the general election began in 12,000 polling stations across Israel on the 1st. This is the fifth general election in three and a half years amid extreme political division. Voting starts at 7am and ends at 10pm.
Moderator) There are quite a few big and small parties in Israel, right?
Reporter) Yes. In this general election alone, around 40 political parties are running individually or in coalitions. Attention is focused on how many seats former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, which was ousted last year, will win, and how many seats the parties participating in the coalition led by the The current Prime Minister of Yair Rapids wins them.
Moderator) When will the results of the voting be known?
Reporter) It appears that the outline will be revealed to some extent through the exit investigation immediately after the closing. However, in recent opinion polls, it is difficult to predict which side will prevail.
Moderator) Yes. Global Village Today, I will listen up to here.
