 Hello, you are watching the 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 the headlines. Power cuts arise amid crisis in Sri Lanka. Iraqi lawmakers failed to elect new president, two killed in Israel raid in occupied West Bank. And for our final story, we look at the impact of rising bread prices in Brazil. Sri Lanka is said to face electricity cuts lasting 13 hours a day amid a worsening economic crisis, hospitals have been forced to suspend regular surgeries and there is shortage of critical medicine. The country has been forced to resort to power rationing as the government struggles to pay for crucial fuel imports. These include a $52 million payment for 37,000 tons of diesel waiting to be offloaded. Over 40% of the country's electricity is generated using hydropower. However, officials have said that lack of rain has pushed levels in reservoirs dangerously low. Sri Lanka's foreign exchange reserves have declined by 70% in the last two years. The gross official reserves stood at around $2.3 billion by February. The country owes $1 billion in foreign bond repayments which are due in July. In March 2020, the government imposed a broad import ban to help service $51 billion of foreign debt. This in turn has led to shortages of essential goods. Since the beginning of 2022, the price of petrol has nearly doubled and that of diesel by 75%. Sri Lanka's economy was hit hard by the pandemic which impacted key revenues from tourism, trade and remittances. Other important factors include tax cuts introduced by the Rajapaksa government. Sri Lanka is also witnessing rising prices and shortages of food. In 2021, the government banned the import of chemical fertilizer to promote organic farming. The step back fired leading to a decline in agricultural production. It also necessitated the import of food which the government is struggling to afford. Let's say the country might be forced to turn to the IMF for a loan which would inevitably lead to strict austerity measures. Iraqi legislators failed to elect the country's president for the third time on March 30. Officials stated that the required quorum could not be established. The coordination framework led by former Prime Minister Noori al-Maliki once again boycotted the proceedings. The parliament's press service announced that the assembly had adjourned its session until further notice. Only 178 out of 329 lawmakers were present on Wednesday. The constitution dictates that a new president must be elected within 30 days of the first session of parliament. However, two other attempts to do so have also failed, including one on February 8 and another on March 26. Iraq's federal court has directed the assembly to choose a new president by April 6. The head of state is elected by a two-thirds parliamentary majority, after which they appoint the prime minister. The delays have pushed Iraq to a political standstill nearly six months after its elections. The patriotic union of Kurdistan's Bahram Saleh and Rabar Ahmad from the Kurdistan Democratic Party are considered frontrunners for the presidency. In February, the Supreme Court dismissed the candidacy of the KDP-backed politician Hoshayar Zabari. He was backed by Muktada al-Sadr, whose Sadr's movement holds the largest number of seats in parliament. He has now shifted his support to Rabar Ahmad. The delays in parliament have been attributed to disagreements over government formation. Muktada al-Sadr has called for a government based on political majority. This has been opposed by the Maliki-led coordination framework. He wants to continue with a consensus-based government despite its unpopularity. At least two Palestinians were killed after Israeli forces stormed the occupied West Bank early on March 31. Nine others were wounded during the operation in the city of Jenin and its refugee camp. Local sources said the Israeli raid had sparked resistance from the Palestinian youth in the area. Among those killed by the occupation forces was 17-year-old Sanad Abu Atia. The health ministry added that tear gas was fired near the Jenin government hospital, entering its emergency ward. Occupation forces arrested two people during the raid on Jenin, Ali Anwar Marzouk and Islam Bajawi. An Israeli newspaper reported that the operation was related to a shooting in Benay Barak on March 29, which killed five people. It was the third such attack within a week, killing 11 Israelis and all. The shootings led to a widespread arrest campaign targeting Palestinians. Twenty-five people were detained in the West Bank on Thursday morning. Israeli settlers have also escalated attacks in different parts of the occupied territories. Eye witnesses told the Middle East Eye that 170 olive trees were cut down near Nablus. Settlers also damaged homes and vehicles in several Palestinian villages. Israeli also set up two caravans on land near the village of Karyud on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has now called on Israelis to arm themselves in public. And for our final story, we go to Brazil, which has recently witnessed a sharp rise in the prices of bread. In the city of Ortezela, the price of bread has reached 20 Reais, which was earlier enough to purchase an entire meal. The situation in Brazil is part of a global trend of rising wheat prices driven by the war in Ukraine. Rising prices have impacted not only Brazilian households, but also small businesses. Here is a video by Brasil Defato on this issue. Depending on the country's region, it is called differently. French bread, salty bread, thick dough bread. But whatever the name, the fact is that bread is part of Brazilian-eating habits. In my house, we eat bread at least twice a day. In the morning and afternoon, bread represents the first charge of energy for us. We begin by taking off and eating bread, then we are ready to face the day. The problem is that the price of bread in the bakery is skyrocketed. According to the Union of Bakery and Confectionery Industry, in the city of Ortezela, the price of a kilo of bread tends to reach 20 Reais, which is more than $4. In neighborhoods where people buy loaves of bread instead of kilos of bread, the rice was also visible, reaching up to 100%. We used to pay 25 cents for a loaf of bread, then 30 cents, 50 cents, and I heard that the next time I go to the bakery, a loaf of bread is going to be 60 cents each. Either you reduce the amount of bread you eat, or you reduce the consumption of other basic items in order to buy bread. The rise in wheat prices follows an international trend driven by the war between Russia and Ukraine. Together, the two countries export about 30% of the wheat consumed worldwide. Even being quite distant, the war affects the lives of ordinary citizens in Brazil. Carol Incar produces artisan bread and has following with concern the scenario around her main ingredient. The fact is that the rise in the price of wheat had a strong impact on my bakery costs. The fixed costs don't change, but the variable costs are changing a lot and affecting my bakeries' general costs, so it's difficult to maintain it, especially for someone like me who produces handmade bread. Her bakery has been using creativity in an attempt to maintain the price of its products. I still didn't pass on the rising prices to the customers. Since 2013, I have been charging the same prices and unfortunately, I don't see how not to pass them on to the customers, but so far, I'm trying to be even more creative, working even more on the main feature of my bakery, which is the regional aspect. So there are regional ingredients that I can add to my products to reduce a bit the dependence on wheat. And that's all we have for this episode. 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