■ First World Cup in the Middle East

The World Cup, which determines the world's best national soccer team, will be held in Qatar from November 20th. It is the first time in history that the World Cup will be hosted in the Middle East and Arab region.

The Qatar World Cup is expected to be the most expensive World Cup ever held. German media Deutsche Welle predicted on November 16th (local time) that the cost of hosting the World Cup in Qatar would reach more than 200 billion dollars. This is more than ten times the cost of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil (15 billion dollars) and the 2018 World Cup in Russia (11.6 billion dollars) combined.

A facility built by Qatar to accommodate World Cup visitors has been sarcastically referred to as a "refugee camp." This is because the room is in the form of a prefabricated container. It is known that the price of this room per night is 207 dollars (280,000 won).

The Qatar World Cup kicks off with the opening match between Qatar and Ecuador at 7 PM on November 20th local time in Al Khor Al Bayt Stadium and ends with the final match at Lusail Stadium on December 18th.

■ Protests in Iran for Three Months

The anti-government protests in Iran, sparked by the "Death of Mahsa Amini" on September 16th, have already been going on for three months. The "Death of Mahsa Amini" is an incident in which she suddenly died three days after being arrested and investigated by the police for not wearing a hijab properly in downtown Tehran, Iran, on September 13th. The incident sparked anti-government protests, and many protesters lost their lives or were arrested.

The Iranian government fired indiscriminately at citizens while suppressing the protests. On November 14th (local time), the Guardian reported that the Iranian government sentenced a protester to death for the first time. According to Oslo-based Human Rights in Iran, 318 people, including 46 minors, lost their lives as of November 15th due to the violent suppression of protests.

In response to such indiscriminate suppression, on November 15th, the European Union (EU) confirmed sanctions against Iran's high-ranking officials and related organizations involved in the suppression of the protests. Despite these sanctions and condemnation from the international community, the Iranian government's ruthless suppression of protests continues.

■ Ukraine Recaptures Strategic Region

On November 11th, Ukraine recaptured the Kherson region from Russian forces after eight months. Kherson is the most significant military hub in the south of Ukraine, which was occupied by Russian troops on February 24th, when the Ukrainian-Russian War began. The recapture of Kherson has a significant meaning, as it can be seen as leading to an advantageous position in negotiations with Russia.

According to the BBC on November 10th (local time), Ukrainian President Zelensky said, "The recapture of Kherson is the beginning of the end of the war. Our powerful army will advance step by step into the territory lost to the Russian army." As the protracted war leans toward Ukraine's victory, attention is focused on peace negotiations between the two countries.

Meanwhile, the EU said that it was up to Ukraine to decide on a peace deal and promised to continue to help it gain an advantage in the negotiations. The United States is also expressing its expectations for peace negotiations.

■ World Population Surpasses 8 Billion

On November 15th, the United Nations (UN) announced that the world's population is expected to reach eight billion, a milestone in human development. The world population of eight billion has doubled from four billion in 1974 in 48 years. After exceeding seven billion in 2011, 11 years ago, the population increased by one billion in 11 years to reach eight billion.

By country, China and India reached the highest populations with 1.4 billion each, and India is predicted to overtake China to become the most populated country in 2023.

This population increase seems to be due to an increase in life expectancy, and as of 2019, life expectancy was 72.8 years, which has been extended by nearly nine years since 1990. The UN predicts that the world's population will increase to about 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050, peaking at about 10.4 billion in 2080 and maintaining this level until 2100 due to increases in life expectancy and population of childbearing age. Achieving Sustainable Development Goals could be thwarted if the population continued to increase.

Reporter Seo Hae-Seong

Translated by Seo Hae-Seong