 Hello and welcome to today's episode of 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. Progress on truth and reconciliation lags in Canada. France withdraws troops from Key Base in Mali. FIFA employees jailed in Qatar amid migrant abuse reports. And Thailand hauls industrial projects following protests. In our first story, Canada has marked six years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report. The landmark text published concluded that Canada had committed cultural genocide against Indigenous communities through the Indian residential schools. To address the ongoing impact of the school system, the TRC issued 94 calls to action. As of December 2021, the Canadian federal government has implemented only 11. According to the Yellow Head Institute's annual report, three calls to action were implemented in June 2021. This was just weeks after the first unmarked graves of Indigenous children were discovered outside residential schools. The Trudeau administration appointed a language commissioner, declared a national day for truth and reconciliation, and changed the oath of citizenship. The Yellow Head report argues that Canada has opted for the easiest and mainly symbolic calls to action while ignoring structural changes. Indigenous peoples are still unable to access basic necessities like clean drinking water, and their lands are still under threat. The Canadian government is also trying to appeal a ruling on the compensation claims of Indigenous children and their family. The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled in 2019 that Canada must pay $40,000 to each child who was placed in on-reserve welfare system since 2006 and their guardians. $40,000 would also be paid to each child and their guardian who were denied services under the discriminatory Jordan's principle. The government has now filed a second appeal on the matter after the first plea was denied by a federal court in September. Meanwhile, the government is also pursuing talks on a possible resettlement. It has declared that $40 billion will be set aside for compensation and reforms in the Indigenous child welfare system. Despite forming only 7.7% of Canada's population, Indigenous children form 52% of the foster system. Next, we go to Mali, where French troops have withdrawn from a key military base in Timbuktu after eight years. It was from here that France began its military intervention in Mali in what came to be known as Operation Barkhane. Its stated purpose was to fight extremist Islamist forces, including Al-Qaeda and ISIS. 5,100 troops were subsequently deployed to the Sahel region, which includes Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. France's continued presence in Mali amid growing insecurity led to massive popular protests. Outrage also grew after a UN report found that a French drone strike in January had killed 19 unarmed civilians at a wedding party. Another six civilians were killed in similar attack in the north on March 25. In June 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that around 2000 troops would be withdrawn from the Sahel region by early 2022. This was shortly after Malian leader Asimi Goyta seized power in Akku in May. Over the next few months, France shut down the Qidal and Thaisalit military base in northern Mali. The military has stated that Malian soldiers will maintain a garrison in Timbuktu along with nearly 2,200 UN peacekeepers permanently deployed there. However, France will continue to be present in Gao, which is near a border region. Next, we go to Qatar, where a former 2022 FIFA World Cup employee has been sentenced to 3 years. Abdullah Ibaiz was arrested in 2019 and convicted on charges of bribery and misuse of funds. He was the Communications Director for the FIFA Tournament's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy. Ibaiz has maintained that he was targeted for his internal criticism of the handling of a 2019 migrant worker strike. He has also stated that he was coerced into a confession by authorities. While Ibaiz was released pending an appeal, he was detained again on November 15. According to his family members, he has been on a hunger strike in jail since then. Ibaiz was also not present during his appeal hearing in court on December 15. Rights group, Human Rights Watch and Fair Square have argued that there is no evidence of wrongdoing on Ibaiz's part. Over 90% of Qatar's workforce is composed of migrant workers. Multiple reports of severe labour abuse have emerged since the country won the bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2010. This includes evidence of forced labour, debt bondage and dangerous working conditions. According to a Guardian report, over 6,500 migrant workers have died in Qatar since 2010. Debt are often classified as natural without any investigation. While Qatar did introduce major labour reforms in 2020, serious concerns remain about their proper implementation. According to the International Labour Organization, 50 fatal occupational injuries and 506 severe injuries were recorded in the country last year. And finally, we go to Thailand, where villages affected by the Channa Industrial Estate Project ended their protest outside the Government House in Bangkok on December 15. The over 10-day action ended a day after securing concrete assurances from the Government. The prior Chanucha Cabinet passed a resolution halting all work on the project until a strategic environmental assessment or an SEA on the industrial zone is conducted. The sit-in protest in Bangkok began on December 6 after villages from Channa District in the Songkla province demanded that the Government deliver on a promise made in 2022 memorandum of understanding. Villagers also complained that private contractors had continued construction for the project despite Government assurances. Although the MOU was signed by the Deputy Agriculture Minister at the time, Prime Minister Prayoth refused to recognize it, stating that it was never ratified by the Cabinet. Nevertheless, the new resolution issued on December 14 is similar to the terms of the December 2020 MOU. But instead of a Government instituted committee, the SEA process will be led by the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council. The results of the assessment will be evaluated by Thaksin University and Prince of Songkla University. The Channa Industrial Project is expected to cost 18 billion behed or half a billion US dollars and was approved by the Hunta Government that Prime Minister Prayoth previously led. The proposed project will cover three sub-districts in Channa and is to be built on over 6,600 acres of land. It is expected to affect nearly 1,500 residents and will include a deep-sea harbour and four power plants. Residents have opposed the project, arguing that it will affect their livelihoods and lead to social and economic displacement.