International
Iran expands uranium stockpile to near weapons-grade levels
Iran has further increased its stockpile of enriched uranium to levels close to weapons-grade, defying international demands, according to a confidential report by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, viewed by The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report revealed that, as of October 26, Iran possessed 182.3 kilograms (401.9 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60%, marking a 17.6 kg (38.8 lb) increase since the last report in August.
Uranium enriched to 60% purity is just a technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
The IAEA also estimated in its quarterly report that Iran’s total enriched uranium stockpile stood at 6,604.4 kilograms (14,560 pounds) as of October 26, reflecting an 852.6 kg (1,879.6 lb) increase since August. According to the IAEA, approximately 42 kg (92.5 lb) of uranium enriched to 60% purity could theoretically be further enriched to 90% and used to produce a nuclear weapon.
While Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has previously warned that Tehran has enough enriched uranium near weapons-grade levels to build “several” nuclear bombs if it chooses. Grossi has also acknowledged that the UN agency cannot verify whether any of Iran’s centrifuges are being used for clandestine uranium enrichment.
International
Etruscan artifacts targeted in black market scheme uncovered in Umbria
Italian authorities announced on Tuesday the dismantling of an illegal excavation operation targeting an Etruscan tomb in the central region of Umbria. Two individuals are under investigation for the alleged theft of urns, sarcophagi, and other artifacts valued at €8 million ($8.5 million), which were intended for sale on the black market.
The illegal dig was located near another Etruscan burial site discovered by a farmer plowing his land in 2015, according to officials. Authorities were tipped off after photographs of the artifacts and the excavation began circulating on the black market, bearing similarities to items found on the farmer’s property.
Using drone surveillance for aerial imagery and telephone monitoring, investigators uncovered the illegal operation on land owned by a local businessman.
During the excavation, authorities found two sarcophagi believed to belong to Etruscan princesses, one of which still contained a skeleton. They also uncovered a complete funerary set, including urns depicting hunting and battle scenes, perfume bottles, and a comb made of bone.
The Etruscan civilization, which thrived between approximately 900 BCE and 27 BCE, was centered in central Italy, primarily between the Tiber and Arno rivers, encompassing parts of modern-day Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio.
International
The Kremlin accuses the United States of throwing “firewood” by authorizing Ukraine to use long-range missiles
The Kremlin today accused the United States of “adding fuel to the fire” of the war in Ukraine by authorizing, according to the Western press, long-range missile attacks against Russian territory by Kiev.
“It is evident that the outgoing Administration in the United States intends to continue to add fuel to the fire and continue to cause an escalation of tension around this conflict,” said Dmitri Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, in his daily telephone press conference.
The spokesman stressed that if it is confirmed that the West has given the green light to Kiev, it will mean “qualitatively a new phase of tension and a new situation regarding the involvement of the United States.”
The authorized weapons are, specifically, guided supersonic missiles called ATACMS that can carry conventional or cluster heads and have a range of about 300 kilometers.
Biden authorized the use of missiles only in the Russian region of Kursk
US President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use limited long-range missiles, for the moment, to defend its offensive positions in the Russian region of Kursk, where the Moscow army receives the help of thousands of soldiers from North Korea.
CNN and The New York Times report this unprecedented decision by the Biden administration, which will end its mandate on January 20, and which occurs when Moscow has deployed almost 50,000 troops in Kursk, the southern region of Russia where Kiev launched its surprise counteroffensive last summer.
The American network, which cites two officials from the country as sources, assures that the weapons are intended to be used, for the moment and mainly, in Kursk.
For its part, the newspaper highlights that Biden’s decision is an important change in American politics and has divided his advisors, since the measure occurs two months before his successor, the president-elect, Republican Donald J. Trump, takes office, after having promised that he will limit support for Ukraine.
Zelenski on missiles: “Those things are not announced”
Washington had refused to provide ATACMS to Ukraine during the first two years of the war, partly due to concerns about its manufacture, since the powerful missiles require time and complex components to produce them.
But Biden secretly approved the transfer of those missiles in February for use within Ukrainian territory. The United States delivered them in April, and has now allowed them to be used against Russian territory.
In his usual nightly voiceover, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, spoke about the information that appeared in US media about the authorization of the White House.
“The plan to strengthen Ukraine is the ‘Victory Plan’ that I have presented to our partners. One of the key points is about the long-range capabilities of our Army. Today there has been a lot of talk in the media that we would have received permission for these actions. But attacks are not done with words. These things are not announced. The missiles speak for themselves and there is no doubt that they will,” Zelenski said.
International
The number of deaths rises to 111 in Gaza in one of the most violent days of the month
The Palestinians killed throughout Sunday in Gaza rose at the end of the day to 111, according to the local news agency Wafa, which makes yesterday’s one of the most violent days in the Strip in the last month.
According to the daily report sent by the Ministry of Health, the total number of deaths as of today amounts to 43,922 people and 103,898 the number of injured in 13 months of war.
This high number of deaths in the punished enclave is mainly due to the massacre with 72 dead committed by the Israeli Army when bombing several buildings in Beit Lahia, in the northern region of Gaza that has remained besieged for six weeks.
The Israeli offensive in the northern Strip
Beit Lahia has been the scene of two of the bombings with the most victims of the war in the last month, the result of the campaign of air raids and the ground incursion that the Israeli Army undertook there, as well as in Yabalia and Beit Hanoun, between October 5 and 6.
On October 29, another airstrike against a five-story building ended the lives of 93 Gazans, according to figures from the health authorities, although residents of the area said at the time that they had buried 103 corpses.
On the 20th, another bombing that according to the armed forces was “precision” killed another 73 people in Beit Lahia.
For more than six weeks, the Army has maintained a military siege in the north that has caused more than 2,000 fatalities, according to estimates by the Government of the Belt, and has drastically worsened the already deficient conditions in which its population lived, having limited access to humanitarian aid to the region to minimal levels.
In addition, the Army has besieged and attacked the three active hospitals in the north: Kamal Adwan, Al Awda and Indonesia, the latter having to cease its activity.
Israel attacks a “humanitarian zone” in southern Gaza
“We are without electricity, we only have four hours of generator operation and for three hours we use batteries, the rest of the day we have no electricity,” Mohammed Salha, acting director of Al Awda, denounced to EFE.
Salha warns that he has not received a shipment of fuel for 40 days that allows them to operate the generators to have electricity, since it is in the Kamal Adwan but has not managed to coordinate with the Army to allow the transfer of gasoline to Al Awda.
Last night, the Wafa agency collected a new bombing against Beit Lahia of which no victims have yet been reported.
In the south, an attack against the “humanitarian zone” where most of Gaza’s displaced people are (90% of the population at the moment) killed a couple and their two children, and seriously injured another daughter of the couple.
Israel established part of southwestern Gaza, along the coasts of Al Mawasi, Jan Yunis and Deir al Balah, as a “safe zone” for the almost 2 million displaced people because of its offensive, although it has been the subject of multiple attacks throughout the year.
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