Six In The Morning Monday 31 October 2022

 

Russia’s war in Ukraine

Russian forces targeted key Ukrainian energy infrastructure with intense shelling on Monday, disrupting residents’ power and water ahead of a harsh winter.

Here are the latest developments:

• Critical infrastructure taken out: A spate of Russian strikes hit facilities in major Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv. While many residents were left without water and electricity, people in the capital told CNN that their spirits remained high.
• Ukraine intercepts attacks: At least 10 Russian missiles were shot down over Kyiv early Monday, according to a local official. Oleksii Kuleba, head of Kyiv region military administration, said the strikes “hit critical infrastructure targets” and two people had been injured – one seriously.
• Grain deal hits hurdles: A dozen vessels containing left Ukrainian ports on Monday, despite Moscow’s departure from the grain export deal. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he is determined to maintain the Black Sea grain initiative, which was brokered by Ankara and the United Nations.
• Global food crisis: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is “deliberately working to ensure starvation” following the Kremlin’s exit from the grain deal. The agreement was put in place to alleviate the effects of Russia’s invasion on a worsening global food crisis.
• Ukraine repels “fierce assault” from Russia: Ukrainian forces fought off a “fierce assault” by Russian troops in the eastern city of Donetsk on Sunday, according to Zelensky. Russian troops have continued a months-long attempt to seize strategically important parts of Ukraine’s east.

Bolsonaro remains silent after election defeat to Lula as key allies accept result

Brazil’s far-right president has yet to concede after receiving 58.2m votes to Lula’s 60.3m

Tom Phillips in São Paulo

Brazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, has fallen silent after his chastening election defeat to his leftist rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

A stream of world leaders have stepped forward to recognize Lula’s stunning political comeback, including the US president, Joe Biden, the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, and China’s Communist party chief, Xi Jinping.

But Bolsonaro – a pro-dictatorship radical who has repeatedly hinted he might not accept defeat – has yet to concede.

Al-Shabab: Somalia's Islamist militant group

Car bombings by al-Shabab at the weekend claimed the lives of 100 people in the Somali capital Mogadishu, spotlighting one of Africa's deadliest insurgencies. But who is the group? And what does it seek to achieve?

According to analysts, al-Ittihad al-Islami (AIAI, or "Unity of Islam"), a militant Salafi group, was the forerunner of al-Shabab and gave birth to many of its leaders back in the 1990s.

Al-Shabab, which means "the Youth," aims to establish a strict interpretation of Shariah law across Somalia. It has previously carried out public stoning and amputations of suspected adulterers and thieves. In addition, the group prohibits the shaving of beards for men and has banned entertainment through music and movies.

Indian police arrest nine in connection with deadly bridge collapse

Nine people were arrested Monday in connection with the collapse of a pedestrian bridge in western India that killed at least 137 people, police said.

The nine – all associated with a company that maintained the bridge in Morbi -- were being investigated for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, senior police officer Ashok Kumar Yadav said in a statement.

The bridge, which had reopened days earlier after months of renovation, collapsed on Sunday evening, sending hundreds tumbling into the river in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat.

Embassy: 2 Japanese women among dead in Seoul stampede

By KIYOHIDE INADA/ Correspondent

October 31, 2022 at 13:28 JST

Two Japanese women were among the 26 foreign nationals confirmed dead in the Halloween party stampede in the downtown Itaewon district here on Oct. 29, the Japanese Embassy said.

The death toll had risen to 154 as of the morning of Oct. 31, the South Korean government said, adding that 103 of the fatalities were people in their 20s, 30 were in their 30s, and 11 were teenagers.

Thirty-three of the 149 injured in the crush were in serious condition, the government said.

Shanghai Disney: Visitors unable to leave without negative Covid test as park shuts

Shanghai Disney has become the latest high-profile venue to shut its gates thanks to China's strict zero-Covid policy, trapping visitors inside.

People have been told they will not be allowed out of the theme park until they can show a negative test.

It comes after Shanghai reported 10 locally transmitted cases on Saturday.

China's controversial zero-Covid policy has already seen millions of people repeatedly locked down, sometimes in unusual locations.

The sudden nature lockdowns have seen people fleeing shops - including a Shanghai branch of Swedish furniture giant Ikea - and workplaces as they try to avoid being trapped inside.