🌏 Massive Explosion Destroys Crimea Bridge, Iranian Teen Girls Allegedly Killed By Security Forces In Protests And More
All the world news you need to know this week.
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The only bridge connecting Russia to the occupied Crimea peninsula and the most important supply line Russia’s army fighting in southern Ukraine has been severely damaged after a massive explosion on Saturday Oct. 8.
The explosion on two sections of the 12-mile Kerch Strait bridge sent parts of the road and rail bridge crashing into the sea.
Russian authorities said at least three people were killed.
Although no one has claimed responsibility, a senior Ukrainian official told the New York Times the explosion had been orchestrated by Ukraine’s intelligence service by loading a bomb onto a truck driving across the bridge.
The bridge was personally opened by Russian president Vladimir Putin in 2018, four years after his illegal annexation of Crimea, and is symbolic of Russia’s control of Crimea.
The explosion on the bridge, which holds personal importance to Putin, highlights Russia’s recent and mounting losses.
In recent days, Ukraine has made “stunning” gains on its eastern and southern fronts, liberating regions Russian illegally annexed just weeks ago, the Economist reported.
The gains have left the Russian army in disarray, leading Putin to threaten nuclear retaliation.
Speaking on Sunday, Putin accused Ukraine of being behind the attack, calling it “an act of terrorism.”
Russian authorities said the bridge had reopened to some car and train traffic, but the extent of damage remains unclear.
On Monday, Russia launched missile strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities during rush hour in what appeared to be revenge strikes.
Also Happening Around The World
🏴 Robbie Coltrane, the Scottish actor who portrayed Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies, has died at age 72.
🇨🇱 The famous moai stone statues on Easter Island have been “repaired beyond damage” by a fire.
🇪🇸 More than 100 students at an all-male residence hall did a “mass catcall” towards women students at a nearby hall, sparking condemnation and conversations about the importance of consent.
🇨🇦 Tens of thousands of salmon have died at once in a single creek due to a drought in British Columbia, Canada.
Another Iranian teen girl who joined protests following Mahsa Amini’s death has been found dead allegedly at the hands of the security forces.
16-year-old Sarina Esmailzadeh died after she was severely beaten in the head with batons at a protest in Gohardasht in Alborz province on Sep. 23, according to Amnesty International.
News of her death starting going viral on social media this week, following the death of Nika Shakarami, another 16-year-old girl whose body was allegedly stolen by police from her family and secretly buried after she died in the protests in Tehran.
Esmailzadeh frequently shared videos on her YouTube channel, where she sings, dances and talks about women’s rights.
Addressing the news, Alborz authorities said on Oct. 7 that preliminary investigations had shown that Esmailzadeh had killed herself by jumping off a roof from a five-storey building, according to local news Isna, the Guardian reported.
Authorities added that she had a history of mental health problems.
Iranian authorities had also said that Shakarami had killed herself by jumping off a building.
However, Shakarami’s mother told a US-funded radio station on Thursday Oct. 6 that authorities had killed her daughter and forced her to say that her daughter had died by suicide.
More Women You Should Know About
🇫🇮 Finnish prime minister, Sanna Marin, is being praised for her iconic answer to a reporter asking her if there was a way out of the war in Ukraine.
🇹🇼 Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen gave a powerful speech about the value of democracy, freedom and what it means to be Taiwanese in the face of Chinese aggression.
🇧🇷 In a first, Brazil has elected two trans women, Erika Hilton and Duda Salabert, as lawmakers in its general election on Sunday Oct. 1.
A police officer in Taiwan was able to successfully convince a thief at a claw machine shop to confess to his crime by communicating with him using a hand sign from the Japanese anime “Naruto”.
On the evening of Sep. 28, the owner of a claw machine shop in Taoyuan called the police after they noticed a man was trying to steal the prizes without paying to play.
Police immediately dispatched officers to the scene to arrest the thief and discovered that the man, later identified with the surname Chen, had not yet stolen all the products.
The man was brought to the station for questioning but refused to speak.
However, an officer who was an anime fan noticed that the thief was wearing a T-shirt depicting the Uchiha Clan from Naruto and proceeded to ask the man, “Are you from the Uchiha Clan?”
To everyone’s surprise, the man began speaking, answering questions related to the anime and even admitted he had tried to steal the figurines because they were too expensive to purchase.\
Not only that, the man even asked the officer who his favorite Naruto character was.
The officer then recreated the hand seal of the titular character, Naruto Uzumaki.
“You’re from the Senju Clan,” the thief exclaimed, laughing.
The suspect has since been transferred to the district prosecutors’ office for investigation.
More Good News For Your Week
🇰🇪 A group of young people from Kenya held a fashion show in Africa's biggest urban slum to raise awareness around mental health and other social topics.
🇮🇩 More than 300 baby sea turtles were released into the sea in Indonesia as part of a conservation program earlier in August.
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