 Hello and welcome to International Daily Roundup by People's Dispatch, where we bring you major news developments from around the world. Our headlines? Iran's decision to raise uranium enrichment level is expected, say Russia and China, when as well as National Assembly officially convenes following GPP electoral victory, Filipino legislators move resolution demanding enquiry into Tumandok massacre, and finally in our video section we look at the implications of the UK extradition verdict in the case against Julian Assange. In our first story, Russia and China in separate statements said that the Iranian decision to raise uranium enrichment levels to 20% was expected and cautioned the international media not to dramatize it. Iran had announced on Monday that it had started enriching uranium at 20% at its four-door facility. The Iranian government spokesperson Ali Raveh informed the media that the move is part of a process of the implementation of the strategic action plan to counter sanctions. Now, this was passed by the Iranian parliament in November, and it allows for the government to increase uranium enrichment to 20%. The law was passed after the assassination of Iran's nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakrizade in November last year. According to the Iran nuclear deal of 2015, the country had a cap of nuclear enrichment of up to 3.67%. However, Iran started enriching uranium at 4.5% in 2019, a year after the US unilaterally withdrew from the deal and imposed economic and political sanctions on Iran. Iran did so, that is increase in uranium enrichment after pointing out that other signatories of the deal did not do enough to mitigate the effect of the US sanctions. Iran has also stated that these steps are reversible, provided the US rejoins in nuclear deal, resins the sanctions and all signatories return to full compliance. US President-elect Joe Biden has stated that he will consider joining the Iranian nuclear deal if the country returns to full compliance and commits to negotiations. Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards also seized a South Korean chemical tanker in the Persian Gulf on January 4th. They cited an infringement of maritime environmental laws. South Korea is sending a delegation to negotiate the release of the tanker on its crew. A senior diplomat is also set to visit Tehran regarding the freezing of Iranian funds in Korean banks as a result of US sanctions. In our next story, the newly elected National Assembly of Venezuela will officially be inaugurated today, that is January 5th. The Assembly will convene following the victory of the great patriotic polar alliance in the parliamentary elections that were held on December 6th, 2020. The GPP, which is led by the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela, has secured 257 out of the 277 seats in the country's unicameral parliament. The main challenge confronting the Assembly is the severe economic crisis in Venezuela resulting from the US imposed sanctions. These sanctions have hindered the government's ability to provide necessary basic services to citizens including food and transport. The country was also faced with a sharp devaluation of its currency, increasing inflation and a massive decrease in oil production. The economic crisis was exacerbated following the coup attempt by US-backed far right-wing leader Juan Vido. While the December 6 elections marked a decisive defeat of the coup efforts, the government is now tasked with recovering from the economic devastation these efforts caused. President Nicolás Maduro has urged elected deputies of the GPP to emphasize reconciliation and inclusion in the country's economic matters. Elected deputy and vice president of the PSUV, Díaz Dardo Cabello, is proposed to become the leader of the PSUV block in parliament. Further nominations for the post of first and second vice presidents and first and second secretaries have also been made. All of these will be voted on once the Assembly is officially convened. We now go to the Philippines where members of the House of Representatives have called for an official inquiry into the massacre of indigenous leaders by security forces. These legislators from the left-wing Macabayan block moved a resolution in the House on January 4. Nine leaders from the Tumandoc indigenous community were killed during a joint police and military operation in the Panay Island on December 30. Around 18 people were also arrested in the raid, which swept 16 villages in the provinces of Capiz and Iloilo. Security forces stated that they had served 28 warrants pertaining to irregular firearm possession in the region. They claimed that the people from the community shot at the officers during the raid, which resulted in the killings. However, the leaders and members of the community have asserted that no one was armed during the raids. Indigenous communities in Panay have been fighting against the Panay River Basin integrated the Elephant Project for years. The project is expected to displace nearly 17,000 people and impact indigenous ancestral lands. Human rights groups, such as Panay Alliance Karapatan, have stated that indigenous leaders killed had been red-tagged by the military as supporters and members of the band Communist Party of Philippines, New People's Army. Instrumental in this process of red-tagging is a national task force to end local communist armed conflict. The task force was established under President Roderico Duterte in 2018. The massacre has been condemned as further evidence of the increasingly violent persecution of marginalized groups and dissenters in the Philippines. For a final story, we take a closer look at the UK Code decision that has blocked the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States. A full application for the bail of the WikiLeaks founders expected to be filed on Wednesday. Here is Renata Avila to discuss the major concerns surrounding the verdict and what is to be expected from the appeals process. Today, something important for the people watching to understand is not a final decision. This decision could and will be appealed by the Department of Justice of the US even if they know that they are going to lose most likely. The second important clarification that is very important for people to bear in mind, we are not disputing the facts here. We are not defending yet the right to publish here. The only question that was in the hands of the UK is whether a person charged by the crimes that he has been charged, which is basically to publish and to protect journalist sources, should be extradited to the US or should be protected because of political reasons. And all the arguments submitted by the defense explaining to the court that what he's doing to him is the best form of journalism, that what he's doing is in the public interest, that he didn't harm anybody, that it was all done legally, all of this today was dismissed. So even if I'm happy because, you know, like the answer was a no to extradition is bad news for journalism. Why is it bad news? Because the only reason that the court took and the only reason why the extradition has been denied is because he's in a really bad shape and he's at suicide risk and the conditions of prisons, as we all know, in the US do not meet the standards that will not guarantee that he will not kill himself. So it is a very sad, in a way, judgment. I mean, it was just a humanitarian reason to keep him alive and save his life, basically, but we lost somehow. We lost all the journalistic arguments and that only consolidates this muse imperialism that the US wants for all of us. Why? Because the publications were not published from the US, were not published by a US citizen. It was completely outside US publications about matters that matter to the rest of the world. And that's what is being persecuted and persecuted here. So, in a way, it is a good day for human rights, a bad day for journalism somehow, because what will happen, what will happen is that if you are under the same circumstances, you will be punished. If you are on the exact same circumstances, you will be affected. Well, Julian is in solid ground because the ruling of the Minor Court, it is consistent with recent rulings of higher courts in the Lori Love case. And that means that he's more likely to... That argument is 99% probabilities to prevail. But now we have a complication because we don't know if he will be granted bail. We think that it's the only just thing. I mean, he has been in these conditions for so long. There's a COVID pandemic. We really hope that consistent to the decision that the judge let him be under house arrest or even just the military arrest during this time, you know, like if he's able to circulate, to go to universities, give talks, like activate his life back, get his life back. Even these minimum things are going to the beach and playing with his children in the park. These minimum things that he could enjoy again. Let's see what happens. Let's see what happens. We will know a UK time in the morning on Wednesday, Wednesday the 6th. That's all your time for today. We'll be back tomorrow with more news from around the world. Until then, keep watching People's Dispatch.