 Hello, you're watching the International Daily Roundup by People's Dispatch, where we bring you some of the top stories from around the world. Let's take a look at today's headlines. Sri Lanka faces severe economic crisis, transgender children's rights under attack in the United States, the GIEI submits report on 2019 Bolivian coup violence, and countries agree to form Global Plastics Treaty. We begin with Sri Lanka, which is in the midst of a major economic crisis driven by a depletion of foreign reserves. The government is struggling to pay for essential imports leading to severe shortages of basic goods and fuel. Oil prices are reportedly hovering around 110 US dollars per barrel. On March 2, the government announced nationwide rolling power cuts of 7.5 hours a day. There are also warnings about potential disruption of public transport and water supplies. President Rajapaksha announced on Wednesday that power cuts would end on March 5, without providing further details. Sri Lanka's economy, which is dependent on tourism and trade, was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The government has estimated a loss of 14 billion dollars over the last two years. Sri Lankan had also hit 12.1% in December. At the same time, Sri Lanka owes 15 billion dollars in foreign bond repayments. Out of this, 7 billion are owed this year, with a payment of 1 billion due in July alone. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's gross official reserves stood at 2.3 billion at the end of January. There has been a steep rise in food prices, with the cost of staples like chicken having doubled. There has also been a shortage of food and vegetables, caused by a total ban on chemical fertilizers in 2021. While the ban was ultimately reversed, it had already impacted the yield season. Crop failure prompted farmers' protests in several areas last year to demand compensation. Next we go to the United States, where the state of Texas is witnessing a renewed attack on the rights of transgender youth. On February 21st, Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an opinion saying that gender-affirming care constituted child abuse. This includes hormone or puberty-suppressing drugs and gender-affirming surgeries. Soon after, Governor Greg Abbott directed the Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate parents in providing such care for their transgender children. He stated that licensed professionals and even the general public would be required to report parents with criminal penalties for failure to do so. While the order itself was not legally binding, its impact was severe and immediate. An investigation was launched into the family of a 16-year-old trans child. On March 1st, the American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit on behalf of the parents. They argued that Abbott's order had violated the Texas Constitution and the constitutional rights of trans children and their parents. They also added that the directive had not been properly issued per state law. A court in Austin temporarily halted the investigation into the family and a psychologist on March 2nd. It found that the family would suffer irreparable injury if the state's directive was enforced. However, the judge has allowed similar child abuse investigations to proceed in other cases. The state attorney general's office has also appealed the ruling. The court will consider the arguments presented by the two rights groups on March 11th. Moving on, the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts or the GIEI has submitted its final report on the 2019 coup in Bolivia. The investigation was presented to the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States on March 2nd. It states that after President Evo Morales was ousted, a series of human rights violations were committed. These pertain to people's right to life, personal integrity, freedom and security. The report notes that coup leader Janine Agnes declared herself president and issued supreme decree 4078. This exempted military and police personnel from criminal responsibility. The GIEI report outlines around 60 recommendations related to criminal investigation processes and reparations for victims. The expert panel had presented its findings to the Bolivian government in La Paz in August 2021. It found that the Agnes-Lehr regime was responsible for torture, massacres and summary executions. These include the violence in Sankata, Sakhaba, Pedrigal and La Paz. At least 37 people were killed and hundreds of others were left seriously injured between October and now by 2019. The report highlighted racist violence against indigenous and rural peoples, especially the targeting of indigenous women. President Luis Arcez's government has since then taken substantial steps to provide reparations to the victims and bring the perpetrators to justice. Janine Agnes is facing charges of genocide and other crimes related to the coup. And finally, 175 countries have agreed to begin negotiations on a legally binding global plastics treaty. The landmark decision was made at the United Nations Environment Assembly in Kenya on March 2. The resolution addresses the full life cycle of plastic, including production, design and disposal. An Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee will begin its work this year with a final draft text to be presented in 2024. Countries will be expected to develop and implement national action plans for the prevention and elimination of plastic pollution. According to the United Nations Environmental Program, plastic pollution increased from 2 million tons in 1950 to 348 million in 2017. It is expected to double in capacity by 2040. Meanwhile, over 8 million tons of plastic enters the world's oceans each year, most of which escapes from land. By 2050, plastic-associated greenhouse emissions will account for 15% of allowed emissions as per the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold. Plastic pollution and waste has contributed to the climate crisis and harmed food security, drinking water and health. There is also a growing push to address the dumping of plastic waste by the Global North and the Global South. According to the British Plastics Association, the UK exports 61% of its plastic waste. Australia is also dumping plastic waste in ASEAN countries despite banning raw plastic exports in 2020. These practices have been increasingly referred to as waste colonialism. And that's all for today's episode. For more such stories, visit our website at www.peoplesdispatch.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Thank you for watching.