 Hello and welcome to the International Daily Roundup with People's Dispatch where we bring you some of the top stories from across the globe. Let's take a look at today's headlines. Mahindra Raja Paksha sweeps Sri Lankan parliamentary elections secures 145 seats. Trump signed sanctions on TikTok, banned to come in force in 45 days. Women hold massive demonstrations in Turkey protesting violence against women. Volumians intensify general strike against the postponing of elections. To begin with an update on the COVID-19 pandemic, the total number of cases reported worldwide was 19.2 million, with a number of deaths crossing 718,000. India saw a spike in the number of daily reported cases, with 62,000 cases reported today, with this India has crossed 2 million in the total number of reported cases. Raja Paksha family has secured a landslide victory in Sri Lanka's parliamentary elections while securing 145 seats. The elder brother of the acting president, 74-year-old Mahindra Raja Paksha, is likely to be sworn in as the Prime Minister of the country. Nearly 75% of the country's 16.2 million voters exercised their franchise. The opposition parties meanwhile have secured 45 seats. After being delayed twice, the Sri Lankan parliamentary elections were finally held on Wednesday. The winning candidate Mahindra was supported by the powerful Sinhaalese Puddha's clergy and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. He had formally served as the President between 2005 and 2015. It was during his tenure that the decades-long civil war with Tamil militants saw a brutal conclusion. A large number of voters lined up outside polling stations to vote on Wednesday morning, despite the threat of COVID-19. The final results of the elections are due on August 7th Friday. Since the COVID-19 outbreak in Sri Lanka in March, the government, headed by Gotabeya, has been accused of using the crisis situation to further militarise the country by apporting retired military officers into the government. On Thursday, Trump signed executive orders effectively putting sanctions on TikTok, a Chinese owned company in the US. This was done invoking his emergency economic powers. The ban will come into effect in 45 days, making any transaction between Biden's TikTok's parent company and US citizens illegal. Despite citing national security reasons, this is seen as a move to put pressure on TikTok to sell its US assets to an American company as part of the ongoing trade war with China. The sanctions mean that the viral video app will be taken off of Apple's App Store and Android Play Store, effectively cutting off all future updates for the app for the more than 100 million Americans who have downloaded it. Last week, TikTok had accused Facebook of coming out with services that imitated TikTok, taking advantage of the pressure put on the app by the Trump administration. Thousands of women marched across Turkey on Wednesday demanding an end to violence against women. The marches were part of the ongoing protests that began last month after the murder of 27-year-old woman Pinar Gultekin. The protests were held in several cities including Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara, Adana and Antalya. In Izmir, a sit-in by the marching women was violently dispersed by the police, with many arrested. The demonstrators are also demanding that the government rethink its decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention on Domestic Violence. According to one of the organizers, the Ankara Women's Platform, 135 women have already been killed this year, mostly by the family members or partners. Last year, at least 474 women were murdered in instances of domestic violence. The protesters have also accused the resupply of Erdogan government of ignoring its commitments under the Istanbul Convention. The Convention paved the way for law number 6284, which criminalizes various forms of violence against women. On Thursday for the fourth consecutive day, thousands of citizens continued to menstruate on the streets across Bolivia, protesting the postponement of the general elections. The national strike and nationwide road blockades were called by the Bolivian trading center, the Central Obrera Boliviana or the COB. Thursday's strike also coincided with Bolivia's national day. On 6th August 1825, Bolivia signed its declaration of independence as a sovereign nation. In 1825, the people defeated Spanish colonialism under the leadership of liberators Yvonne Bolivar. 195 years later, Bolivians continue a new battle against imperialism for democracy and national sovereignty and in defense of the country's natural resources. On the occasion, the COB leaders called on protesters to sing a national anthem at their own blocks. The strikes and road block intensified after talks between the COB and the Supreme Electoral Court ended without any agreement on August 5. Social movements and trade unions, including the indigenous peasant workers federation Poncho s Rojas, reiterated their demands for democratic elections as agreed upon earlier. The protesters are now also calling for the resignation of the coup-in-storey government led by Jeanine Annez. The Bolivian community in the US also marched in Washington DC in solidarity with social movements who are fighting for the restoration of democracy in Bolivia. And this is all we have for this episode of the International Daily Roundup. For more such stories and videos, visit our website peoplecisper.org, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Thank you for watching.