Foreign Tit Bits
Compiled by Yadnom Awu Asaba
Austria
Iran Can Rebuild Nuclear Programme in Months- IAEA
Iran can rebuild its nuclear programme within months, the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, has said.
The Director -General of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, who made this disclosure in an interview with the media, said his view was anchored on the evident facts.
According to him, Iran still had the knowledge, skills and the infrastructure and only needed the political will to restart its nuclear programme which recently suffered severe military bombardments by both Israel and America.
Israel, on June 13, launched a military campaign on the nuclear facilities but apparently had limited success, hence it had to plead with America to intervene .
America obliged and deployed its heavy duty Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPS) in sorties led by its giant B-2 Bombers, also called the Big Ugly Flying Fighters.
After the attacks, American President Donald Trump, boasted that the assault, carried out by a total of 125 aircraft which flew, non- stop, for 36 hours to and from target sites, had destroyed the facilities and rendered them inoperable again.
But his assertion of obliteration of the facilities and an end to the programme was hasty, following more modest claims by both American intelligence community, Iran itself and the IAEA, which is the United Nations nuclear watchdog.
Gaza
66 Palestinian Children Die of Malnutrition- Health Ministry
More than 66 Palestinian children have died of malnutrition following the Israeli blockade of essentials from the enclave of Gaza.
The Hamas- run Gaza Health Ministry, which made the claim, said the deaths were recorded in the course of Israel ‘s ongoing war on the enclave.
The direct shooting war has led to the killing of more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to Hamas, the United Nations (UN) and humanitarian groups.
Aside from the dead, the UN, Hamas and other interests say that more than 100,000 others have been wounded in the fighting which started when Israel launched a military onslaught on Gaza after Hamas and its affiliates breached Israel’ s security, killed more than 1,200 security personnel and civilians and abducted 260 others.
Israel has reportedly lost more than 879 soldiers to the war since the October 7 2023 invasion by Hamas.
The 879 include the 440 it has lost since its ground war in Gaza began.
An estimated 5,000 other Israeli soldiers have been wounded, many disabled, during the war.
Pakistan
14 Pakistani Troops Killed In Suicide Attack
At least 14 Pakistani Troops have been killed in a suicide attack in Pakistan.
Many more were also wounded in the attack.
The incident happened on Saturday in the North West of the country.
Details of the attack were unavailable at press time but no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
However, Pakistan, a nuclear weapon state, and its bigger neighbour and fellow nuclear state, India, have often accused each other of sponsoring terror attacks on their territories.
Both sides exchanged gunfire in a recent brief skirmish which came to an end after American President, Donald Trump, intervened.
Sudan
50 Die In Gold Mine Collapse
More than 50 persons have died in Sudan when a gold mine collapsed, burying them.
The incident happened in the mining city of Atbara .
Rescue workers remained at site today , but hopes of finding survivors had begun to fade.
Though rare, mining collapses are largely fatal in Sudan, with experts blaming it on poor maintenance .
Ukraine
Russia Targets Western Ukraine In Overnight Strikes
Russia, overnight, mounted a far- fetched military assault on Ukraine, with West of the country, a prime focus.
Ukrainian officials said that, at least, one person died in the attacks, which they described as one of the largest in recent times.
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched 537 aerial weapons overnight, targeting Western Ukraine.
In what is a departure from its tradition,it did not give the tally of how many of the weapons were shot down and how many successfully made landfall.
Ukraine , which has received more than $450 billion dollars in military aid since the war started a little over three years ago, has lost about 20 per cent of its territory to Russia since the war began.
Iran
Iran Say Israel ‘s Strike On Prison Killed 71 inmates, others
Iran today said that Israel’s aerial attacks on the Evis Prison in Teheran killed more than 71 inmates and others.
Teheran said that the strike on the prisons by Israel was a dangerous attempt to release inmates, many of who are high stake critics of the government.
The Israeli government had raised the prospect of regime change in Iran as one of its goals in the course of the 12- day war.
Critics say that by killing the echelon of the Iranian intelligence, scientific and military communities, Israel and America were trying to create anarchy to trigger chaos that could lead to regime change.
Iran, yesterday, held state burials for 60 eminent scientists, military and security officers killed in Israeli military strikes.
America
Protests As US Builds Detention Centre in Florida
Native Americans have begun to protest the building of a detention center in the serene Everglades community in Florida.
The protesters say the 5,000 – capacity centre is being built by the American government for the mass deportation policy of the Donald Trump presidency.
Tagged the Alligator Alcaratz migration Centre, it is to serve as a holding centre for potential deportees.
