In “The World Beyond OX1”, the The Blue’s Global Affairs team explores some of the most interesting stories from around the world.
Violent Suppression of Protests in Iran Reaches New Heights
The scale and intensity of the Iranian regime’s reaction to the ongoing protests show no sign of letting up, with the latest set of clashes taking place in the city of Zahedan, where forces belonging to the Iranian regime opened fire on a crowd of protestors following the conclusion of Friday prayers. Official government sources place the casualties at 1 dead and 14 injured. It is the second such incident to occur in recent weeks in Zahedan, which is the capital of the Sistan and Baluchestan Province, where the Sunni Muslim Balochi people are an ethnic majority. On the 30th of September, regime security forces opened fire on protestors in Zahedan, killing 66 people, in an incident that has since been referred to as “Bloody Friday” by many Iranians.
It is yet another incident resulting from the widespread unrest and protests that have erupted in Iran, initially in response to the death of Mahsa Amini on the 16th of September whilst detained by the regime’s “morality police”. The subsequent protests have since broadened to include widespread anger and frustration against the regime as a whole, and the unrest has swelled to such a degree that it is viewed as the most serious challenge to the ruling regime in decades. At least 234 people have been killed according to Norway-based organisation, Iran Human Rights. Reliable figures are, however, hard to know with certainty, due to the regime barring all independent media from reporting within the country.
Russia readies Itself for Further Ukrainian Advances in Kherson
The Ukrainian counter-offensive into recently-annexed Russian held territory in the eastern part of the country continued this week with the expected advancement of Ukrainian troops into Kherson City. The port city, which is strategically important to both Russia and Ukraine due to its position near the mouth of the Dnieper River (which splits the country in two) was initially captured by Russian forces on the 2nd of March as one of the first cities to fall into Russian hands under the initial invasion that began on the 24th of February this year.
Beginning around 10 days ago, the puppet Russian regime in the city and surrounding Oblast began organising a mass civilian evacuation of the city, as the front line of fighting continued to advance eastward towards the city, lying some 30km away from the city at present according to Ukrainian officials. The total number of people evacuated so far stands at around 70,000, according to Russian military officials, against a pre-war population of around 300,000. The city forms a vital gateway to the Russian-held territory of Crimea, and a loss of control of Kherson would mean that Russia would lose access to the North Crimean Canal and thus both land and water access to Crimea. At present, no Russian forces have been reported to have retreated from the city, and reports indicate a buildup of Russian troops in the city, as Russia braces itself for more intense fighting.
Nancy Pelosi’s Husband Attacked
Currently, the husband of the US Speaker of the House of Representatives, Paul Palosi, is recovering from a violent assault that took place at his home, which he shares with Nancy Pelosi, in San Francisco. Paul Pelosi, who is 82 years old, suffered a fractured skull and injuries to his right arm, but he is expected to make a full recovery. The assailant, who has been arrested and charged with multiple felonies, hit Mr Pelosi with a hammer and demanded to know where Nancy Pelosi was, shouting “where is Nancy?”.
Nancy Pelosi currently represents San Francisco (California’s 12th Congressional District) in the US House of Representatives, and she is also currently serving her fourth term as US Speaker of the House of Representatives, making her second in line to the presidency after the Vice President, Kamala Harris. The attack comes not long before the US Midterm Elections that are due to be held on the 8th of November.
Elon Musk Buys Twitter
After months of back-and-forth negotiations, this week, Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and the third-most followed tweeter, tweeted that, “the bird is freed”, announcing that he had successfully acquired Twitter. The acquisition of Twitter cost Musk 44 billion dollars. It is reported that several top Twitter executives have been fired, including Parag Agrawal.
Musk has been critical of Twitter’s moderation policies in relation to free speech and has stated that his aim in acquiring the platform is for, “civilisation to have a common digital town square”. However, the acquisition comes after months of wrangling over the exact terms of the deal. Musk has previously accused Twitter of providing misleading figures, regarding the number of users on the platform. Twitter executives have also previously sued Musk to hold him to the original terms of the deal when Musk felt that the price being charged was excessive.